Nursery gives a lesson in how to wow the inspectors

Published on Thursday 20 March 2008 09:40

CHILDREN, staff and parents at a city nursery are celebrating after it received the best ever inspection report in Scotland.

The Cowgate Under 5s Centre was given a faultless report from the HM Inspectorate of Education and the Care Commission.

It received 11 "excellents" – where a lot of nurseries struggle to achieve one – with inspectors taking the unusual step of not recommending any changes or improvements be carried out.

Staff at the nursery were in tears after receiving glowing praise from inspectors during their January visit, but they did not find out how they had scored until the results were published yesterday.

Headteacher Lynn McNair said: "The key thing is that we got 11 out of 14 excellents, and three very goods. Most nurseries strive to achieve an excellent, so for us to get so many is really quite rare.

"We are starting to give copies of the report to parents, who will be absolutely delighted.

"The children led the whole inspection day. The inspectors followed the children and spoke to the children so the whole report is based on evidence from them.

"Some of the parents also asked to speak to the inspectors to celebrate how wonderful they thought the staff were."

Children's Minister Adam Ingram was so impressed by the report he paid the nursery a visit following its publication.

It came on an important day for the nursery, as it was also granted planning permission yesterday for a two-metre high fence to be erected around it to improve security.

Police recommended that the barrier should be built around the nursery to keep out intruders, including homeless people.

It follows an arson attack at the nursery which caused 5000 worth of damage and destroyed a wooden playhouse.

The council today praised the Cowgate centre, saying it received the best report ever given to a pre-school centre in Scotland.

Inspectors praised the nursery's high performance, strong record of improvement and effective leadership. It also highlighted a number of key strengths, including the excellent progress made by children, staff commitment and involvement of parents in supporting their children's learning.

Councillor Marilyne MacLaren, the city's education leader, said: "I am immensely proud of the success of the centre, which is a tribute to the vision and dedication of the headteacher.

It is never easy to be a pioneer but Lynn McNair has created a path which I hope others will follow. It is obvious that children are happy, relaxed and enjoying a very special environment."

Mr Ingram added: "This report represents an outstanding achievement and everybody involved with the centre can be immensely proud of what is being accomplished."

&#149 www.cowgateunder5s.co.uk