Arduthie School Nursery recognised as 'very good'

A Stonehaven nursery has been praised across the board by the Care Inspectorate following a recent visit.

Inspectors were impressed with the "high quality” resources and the care and attention to detail shown by staff at the Arduthie School Nursery.

The report states: "Children were happy and having fun and experienced warm, caring interactions from staff who took time to listen and respond to their needs. This contributed to supporting a calm and nurturing atmosphere for children.

The inspectors found "significant strengths" in the staff team and were praised for the environment they had helped to create for children.

The report continued: "The staff team worked well together which created a positive atmosphere where staff are courteous and respectful to each other. Staff displayed warmth and kindness which enabled children to feel valued, loved and secure.”

There was also praise for opportunities for play and learning experiences in the community: “We saw visits with the fire department, visits to cafes and the beach. The café visit encouraged lots of learning as children wished to recreate their own café/snack area and created opening times and name signs developing their skills in numeracy and literacy.”

The report is broken down into four main categories and rated from one to six:
• How good is our care, play and learning? 5 - Very Good
• How good is our setting? 5 - Very Good
• How good is our leadership? 5 - Very Good
• How good is our staff team? 5 - Very Good

Aberdeenshire Council’s Education and Children’s Services Committee chair Cllr Gillian Owen said: “A huge congratulations to Arduthie School Nursery for providing a learning environment that is giving children exciting opportunities that promote curiosity, experimentation, imagination, and challenge.”

Education and Children’s Services Committee vice chair Anne Simpson added: “I was very pleased to see that parents all spoke positively about how they were involved with the nursery and that staff were praised for their range of experience and skills used to support the needs of children.”