The Secret Garden Outdoor Nursery
Day Care of Children
Letham Village Hall
Letham
Cupar
KY15 7RS
Inspected by: Camilla McGregor
Type of inspection: Unannounced
Inspection completed on: 28 February 2014
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Contents
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Summary
About the service we inspected
How we inspected this service
The inspection
Other information
Summary of grades
Inspection and grading history
Service provided by:
The Secret Garden Outdoor Nursery
Service provider number:
SP2006008688
Care service number:
CS2008176034
Contact details for the inspector who inspected this service:
Camilla McGregor
Telephone 01383 841100
Email [email protected]
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Summary
This report and grades represent our assessment of the quality of the areas of
performance which were examined during this inspection.
Grades for this care service may change after this inspection following other
regulatory activity. For example, if we have to take enforcement action to make the
service improve, or if we investigate and agree with a complaint someone makes
about the service.
We gave the service these grades
Quality of Care and Support 5
Quality of Environment 4
Very Good
Good
Quality of Staffing 5
Very Good
Quality of Management and Leadership 5
Very Good
What the service does well
The Secret Garden Outdoor Nursery provided children with a natural environment in
which to develop their all-round knowledge, skills and abilities. We heard children
identify blossoming spring flowers and talk about the weather. We observed the
children negotiate steep slopes with skill and care, climb trees and collect wood
suitable for burning. We watched some of the children use sticks, stones and leaves
to develop role play and imaginative games with each other. We listened to them use
high levels of communication to plan, negotiate roles, characters, props and what was
happening next in their games. At group time we observed how well the children
listened to stories, followed the story line and contributed to the way the story
developed and ended. The staff were committed and enthusiastic about their work
and the service values. Discussion with the manager of the service was inspiring and
her keenness to improve ways the service can support children's health and wellbeing
was evident.
The children were observed as sure-footed, agile and physically independent. From
the feedback we received, parents told us that they "agreed" or "strongly agreed" with
the statement, "Overall, I am happy with the quality of care the service provides for
my child".
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What the service could do better
We identified some areas for development, these included:
* Medication records and permissions
* Further development of information sharing with parents about their children's day
and progress.
* Further development of the use of written care plans and observations for the
children.
* Further staff development.
What the service has done since the last inspection
Apart from the service manager (who is also the service founder and a director of the
service) and one member of the staff team, the staff and directors of the service had
changed since the service was last inspected by the Care Inspectorate.
Some of the staff had started and were progressing with SVQs (Scottish Vocational
Qualifications) in appropriate childcare qualifications.
All staff had undertaken child protection training and all staff had current 1st Aid
certificates appropriate to working outdoors.
Staff had attended workshops and training to support children's learning and
development.
The staff and management had begun developing staff roles by identifying areas of
expertise and responsibilities within the service.
An email system for updating parents of their children's daily experiences was
implemented at the time of the inspection.
Staff had protected time for developing children's plans.
The service has had an Education Scotland Inspection which was positive, it identified
service strengths and areas for improvement.
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Conclusion
The inspection was positive. The service has seen changes to staff and directors since
the last inspection which had been managed well to ensure minimal impact on
children and families and to maintain a very good service for them. The children were
observed learning and playing in the woods and using the natural environment to
support the development of their all-round skills and abilities. The staff and manager
were enthusiastic and committed to the children and to the use of the outdoor
environment as a facilitator for child led learning and development. We identified
some areas for improvement which we discussed with the manager at the time of
inspection.
Who did this inspection
Camilla McGregor
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1 About the service we inspected
The Care Inspectorate regulates care services in Scotland. Information about all care
services is available on our website at www.careinspectorate.com.
This service was previously registered with the Care Commission and transferred its
registration to the Care Inspectorate on 1 April 2011.
Requirements and recommendations
If we are concerned about some aspect of a service, or think it could do more to
improve, we may make a recommendation or requirement.
* A recommendation is a statement that sets out actions the care service provider
should take to improve or develop the quality of the service but when failure to do so
will not directly result in enforcement. Recommendations are based on the National
Care Standards, relevant codes of practice and recognised good practice.
* A requirement is a statement, which sets out what is required of a care service to
comply with the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 and Regulations, Orders
or conditions, a requirement must be made. Requirements are legally enforceable at
the discretion of the Care Inspectorate.
The service is provided outdoors using the countryside, including woodland, to the
North West of Letham village in Fife.The main base is Letham Woods, with a resource
support base in an area of field, used in agreement with landowner and local farmer..
Equipment, including rope swings and other play materials, storage boxes and a tent
are also sited in this area. Areas of the surrounding countryside are also used,
including other local woodland sites. The recreational park in the village is used as a
meeting point and children spend time there at the beginning and end of each
session. This park contains a range of permanent large play equipment. The nearby
village hall provides some storage and is also available for emergency use, such as in
extreme weather conditions.
The aims of the service are stated as follows:
In the unique location of Letham Woods the staff and volunteers of The Secret Garden
Outdoor Nursery assist in the unfolding and intrinsic worth of each child.
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We aim to:
* Create opportunities for children to learn and discover through play
* Develop an awareness of nature, the changing seasons and rhythms of the year.
* Develop each child's sense of worth in relation to the world around them.
The service registration states that care may be provided to a maximum of 28
children age from 3 years to 16 years, of whom no more than 18 may be of pre school
age, no overnight care may be provided, adult: child ratios will be maintained as
follows:
From age 3 until of an age to attend Primary School 1:7
Primary school age up to age 7 1:8
Age 8 and upwards 1:10
Two adults will be in attendance at all times.
Based on the findings of this inspection this service has been awarded the following
grades:
Quality of Care and Support - Grade 5 - Very Good
Quality of Environment - Grade 4 - Good
Quality of Staffing - Grade 5 - Very Good
Quality of Management and Leadership - Grade 5 - Very Good
This report and grades represent our assessment of the quality of the areas of
performance which were examined during this inspection.
Grades for this care service may change following other regulatory activity. You can
find the most up-to-date grades for this service by visiting our website
www.careinspectorate.com or by calling us on 0845 600 9527 or visiting one of our
offices.
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2 How we inspected this service
The level of inspection we carried out
In this service we carried out a low intensity inspection. We carry out these
inspections when we are satisfied that services are working hard to provide
consistently high standards of care.
What we did during the inspection
We wrote this report following an unannounced inspection that took place between
8.30am and 3.15pm on Thursday 20 February 2014 and 9.30am and 1pm on 25
February 2014. Feedback was given to the manager and one director on Friday 28
February 2014. The inspection was carried out by Inspector Camilla McGregor.
As part of the inspection we took account of the completed annual return and selfassessment forms that we asked the provider to complete and submit to us.
We sent Care Standards Questionnaires to the service to be distributed to parents or
carers of children using the service and sixteen completed questionnaires were
returned to us by the time of the inspection.
During this inspection process, we gathered evidence from a number of sources
including the following:
Observations:
* staff supervision and monitoring of children
* staff interaction with the children attending the service
* staff interaction with each other
* the activities on offer for the children
* snack
* lunch
* toileting arrangements
* group time
* maintenance
* resources
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We looked at:
* feedback from parents
* policies and procedures including child protection, administration of medication,
infection prevention and control, confidentiality, whistleblowing and complaints
* accident and incident records
* risk assessments
* registers
* care plans of children using the service
* the equipment and environment (for example is the service clean, is it well set out,
is it easy to access by the children)
* the nursery annual return and self-assessments
* staff training, qualifications and development
* planning
* roles and responsibilities
Grading the service against quality themes and statements
We inspect and grade elements of care that we call 'quality themes'. For example,
one of the quality themes we might look at is 'Quality of care and support'. Under
each quality theme are 'quality statements' which describe what a service should be
doing well for that theme. We grade how the service performs against the quality
themes and statements.
Details of what we found are in Section 3: The inspection
Inspection Focus Areas (IFAs)
In any year we may decide on specific aspects of care to focus on during our
inspections. These are extra checks we make on top of all the normal ones we make
during inspection. We do this to gather information about the quality of these aspects
of care on a national basis. Where we have examined an inspection focus area we will
clearly identify it under the relevant quality statement.
Fire safety issues
We do not regulate fire safety. Local fire and rescue services are responsible for
checking services. However, where significant fire safety issues become apparent, we
will alert the relevant fire and rescue services so they may consider what action to
take. You can find out more about care services' responsibilities for fire safety at
www.firelawscotland.org
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The annual return
Every year all care services must complete an 'annual return' form to make sure the
information we hold is up to date. We also use annual returns to decide how we will
inspect the service.
Annual Return Received: Yes - Electronic
Comments on Self Assessment
Every year all care services must complete a 'self assessment' form telling us how
their service is performing. We check to make sure this assessment is accurate.
The nursery had submitted their self-assessment as requested by us. The selfassessment provided us with information about the service and some areas for
improvement.
Taking the views of people using the care service into account
There were twelve children attending the service at the time of the inspection. The
children were too young to give detailed verbal feedback about the service, however,
some of the children talked to us about the activities they were involved in. These are
some of the statements we heard:
Three children were observed discussing a game they were about to play, "I've seen
one, there it is, it's a lion tiger. He has prickles on his back and a wart on his nose".
"Let's track him and look for clues."
Another small group of two children, "I've got some treasure", collecting bark, "there's
more treasure on the beach, it's far, far away, you can't find it."
On our walk to the woods children commented on the crocuses, "look at the crocuses,
they're purple. They are snow drops."
"I like coming because we play outside".
One child had lost their stick and was quite worried about this, the child's comments
included, "Can you help me find my stick, I need to find my stick, please come and
help me to find my stick."
"Who are you?"
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Taking carers' views into account
Our questionnaires were distributed by the nursery to the parents and carers of
children who attend the service and sixteen were returned to us. In response to the
statement, 'Overall, I am happy with the quality of the care my child receives in this
service', all parents or carers either strongly agreed or agreed with the statement.
Additional comments written on the Care Standards Questionnaires by parents or
carers included:
"Amazing nursery with second to none staff. All of my children have benefitted hugely
from attending. I wish there were more like it!"
"The unique structure, self-directed play and extensive outdoor activity of the secret
garden have been incredibly beneficial to the social, emotional and physical
development of my child. The staff are amazingly supportive and provide a safe
environment to learn and grow but that still empowers the children by allowing them
to feel independent and confident. I wish that this type of education was offered for
children beyond the age of five years!"
"Wonderful nursery with amazing opportunities not offered in other education
nurseries. Environment is enchanting and changing. Staff are very motivated, caring
and enthusiastic. Feels like more of a community we are a part of rather than my son
just attends an institution. Have attended events the Secret Garden has arranged
which are brilliant and allow parents and siblings to get together with the "Secret
Gardeners". Whilst being very child centred they also ensure whole family included."
"The Secret Garden is a completely outdoor nursery and both my children have thrived
there. Their speech, motor skills and social behaviour has developed beautifully. I
cannot praise this outdoor bursary enough and I travel 2 hours a day so that they can
attend - well worth it."
"Personally I feel the outdoor nursery is hugely beneficial to my child, funding is split
between the Secret Garden and (named) Nursery. The staff in all the pre-school
facilities we have experienced have been fantastic but I feel the Secret Garden stands
out in the clam environment it creates, staff provide daily feedback on child's day,
other providers can sometimes be monthly or longer."
"Every aspect of the Secret Garden is fabulous. My child loves it and even choose it
over the council nursery's Christmas party. All the care revolves around the child
learning for themselves and my child is shy and quiet in company but has an amazing
awareness of who s/he is and what s/he wants as a person."
"What a wonderful resource this is."
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"The Secret Garden is in my view an outstanding example of how early years
education can be structured and delivered. The staff have created and continue to
foster a marvellous atmosphere and environment which promotes learning and
understanding. I wholeheartedly recommend the approach taken and would like to
recognise the genuine quality of the staff. A delight to deal with."
"This is a wonderful, stimulating and natural place for children to be. Very rewarding
for both children and adults because it allows children to have free play with nature."
"I cannot praise the outdoor nursery strongly enough. Dedicated, caring and
committed Staff, wonderful surroundings and opportunities to engage with nature every child should have the opportunity to go!"
"Would like more information specific to my child on a more regular basis. Perhaps
the "conversations" we have with our child's key person could happen more
regularly."
"The part-time working hours of staff and flexible nature of the children's'
placements at the Secret Garden has led to some uncertainty for our child as to who
would be there when attending. I'm not sure it is an ideal sole preschool setting for
children who seek predictability. Our child has taken time to settle."
We contacted and spoke to some of the parents to gather their views. From the views
gathered we found that overall parents were happy with the service their child
received. Parents gave us constructive feedback which we used to find out more
about how the service works.
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3 The inspection
We looked at how the service performs against the following quality themes and
statements. Here are the details of what we found.
Quality Theme 1: Quality of Care and Support
Grade awarded for this theme: 5 - Very Good
Statement 1
We ensure that service users and carers participate in assessing and improving the
quality of the care and support provided by the service.
Service strengths
We looked at how the nursery involved the children and their parents in assessing and
improving the quality of the service. We looked at the information given to parents
when their children first started using the service, the level and quality of
communication between the nursery and home and at how the children participate in
developing their own play and learning experiences. From the samples of evidence
gathered we found that the service was overall very good in this area.
The service had information for parents about the way in which the nursery operates.
This information included information called 'About The Secret Garden', information
about pre-school funding from the local authority, a registration form and Frequently
Asked Questions information. The service had a website which allows parents and
children to watch a short clip of children's experiences at the service, four pages of
photos and a link to a short documentary of the service called "Into the Middle of
Nowhere".
As part of the settling-in process the parents and children had been invited to the
woods for sessions to see a typical day for children, meeting staff and peers, so that
they had a better understanding of what to expect when their child started to
attend. Prior to starting families receive additional information including the Secret
Garden songs sheet and are included on the seekly email distribution list. Families are
invited to attend events and celebrations prior to their child attending.
Parents told us that staff were available to speak briefly to parents at the start of the
day so that information could be exchanged as needed. At the end of the day, the
staff were also available to update parents on how their children's day had been.
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There were weekly emails from the nursery to parents updating them on some
of the weeks activities. The manager showed us an email she had sent which
included a copy of the 'Story of the Day' which let parents see children's
comments about what they had done that particular day. She explained to us that
this had been a suggestion made by a parent some time ago and which was sent out
to parents at the time of the inspection. The impact and outcomes of implementing
this new communication had yet to be seen..
Areas for improvement
Some parents told us that they would like to have more information shared with them
about their children's day, learning and progress. They suggested that more
information could be available at collection time and that parent contact sessions
could be more frequent. With the manager we thought about the great advantages of
the natural outdoor woodland environment as a nursery but also the challenges the
nursery has to ensure parents get enough information about their children's day. The
sort of challenges we spoke of was how to share information effectively about
children's day-to-day experiences. Observation of children's play told us about their
care and learning experiences but due to work commitments parents may rarely have
the opportunity to do this. We advised the service to consider developing their use of
capturing children at play on film, photographs and in observations which could be
sent securely to parents on a more regular or daily basis to show parents how their
children spend their time at the nursery, the activities they are involved in, the way
the staff support the children and the interests they are developing. (See
recommendation 1)
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Grade awarded for this statement: 5 - Very Good
Number of requirements: 0
Number of recommendations: 1
Recommendations
1. It is recommended that the nursery develop further their methods of information
sharing with parents whose children are using the service. To do this the nursery
should consider how best to ensure parents have information about nursery plans
for the day or week, what the children have been playing, learning about and how
their interests are being encouraged and taken forward within the nursery.
National care standards early education and childcare up to the age of 16 Standard
7: A caring environment.
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Statement 3
We ensure that service users' health and wellbeing needs are met.
Service strengths
We made observations of the children and staff throughout the day of the inspection
in the woods. We talked to staff and the manager about their work and we looked at
the information about the service as well as a sample of children's files. From the
information gathered we graded the nursery as very good in this area.
We made observations throughout the inspection to assess the interaction,
responsiveness and sensitivity of staff towards the children. We observed the children
arriving at the nursery with their parents.
We saw that the children and their parents were welcomed into the play park. The
children were observed as confident and keen to engage in play in the park. The
children were familiar with the routine of gathering in a circle for a song and the
register was taken. Staff were aware of which children were to be attending that day
and the reasons why children who were expected would not be attending.
The children were active throughout the day. We walked to the woods which was an
uphill walk, the children were clearly accustomed to the walk and time was taken to
ensure no one felt hurried and that everyone was kept safe from any traffic on the
road. One child had recently started attending and it had been agreed that the child
would join us at the woods. Children were observed as sure-footed on the varying
grounds in the woods, they evidenced skill at managing steep slopes safely and
confidently. Some children were observed climbing trees, climbing ropes, digging
holes with sticks and "hunting for treasure".
The nursery provided snack for the children which was given in the afternoon. The
snack consisted of fresh fruit including, apples, cucumber, peppers, oranges and
banana as well as rice cakes. The parents provided lunch for their children. The
nursery has a healthy eating policy and our observations evidenced that it was
working well.
The children had water to drink throughout the day and were offered a hot lemon
drink with snack. The children used their mats at lunch and snack time to help keep
them warm and dry; the nursery had a supply of mats for children who did not have
mats with them. Staff sat with the children at lunch and snack time and supported
them to manage their meals as needed.
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Following inspection we were sent photos of one child who had worked out how to
balance the mat using sticks so that it could be used as a table. This was very skilfully
done and we saw how the other children had used his idea to copy this and make
their own tables. This activity demonstrated how the children used the resources
available to problem solve, invent, create and share ideas with each other.
Some children were observed playing with their peers. The children used sticks, ferns
and stones as props to support the games they were playing. We listened to children
inventing games, negotiating roles and deciding how the game should evolve. The
children we observed regularly checked with each other about the direction of the
game. This evidenced how well the children were able to communicate ideas,
formulate a storyline and manage the development of the game together. The natural
resources were used by those children very well.
At lunch time the children were told a story. The story was long and the children were
all observed as focussed and engaged in the story. We observed the children interact
with the story, some through small smiles and raised eye brows whilst others offered
ideas on how the story should progress. A counting song was sung with the children
which they appeared to enjoy and all participated in it. This showed us how well the
children listened to stories and songs and that they did not need to see pictures to
stay captured and to follow a story line.
We discussed how the service ensures children's needs are identified when additional
support is needed and how they ensure those needs had been met. The manager
gave examples of how the service had worked well together with a child, their parents
and other early years professionals to ensure the child's all-round needs were met in
the school environment.
We looked at transition planning for children going on to school. The manager
showed us the nursery's transition reports which were sent to the schools to inform
them of the children's abilities and progress as they had observed within the service.
The manager told us that they make contact where possible with the children's
schools and invite them to the nursery to meet the children. As some of the children
travel some distance to the nursery their local schools can be some distance away.
The manager told us that he nursery would continue to develop those relationships.
One parent told us that their child's teacher had told them, "they said they could tell
the children who had attended 'The Secret Garden' because of their independence
skills and abilities".
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Areas for improvement
We looked at the way in which the service ensures the safe administration of
medication and found that the permissions did not contain all the information as
advised in current best practice guidance on administering medication in child care
settings. We discussed this with the manager and she agreed that an improved
system would be put in place. We sent the manager a copy of the Care Inspectorate
guidance on the safe administration of medication to support the nursery to do this.
(See recommendation 1)
We observed staff responses and interaction with children. We spoke to staff about
how they support children through times of change such as settling in and moving on
or when unsettled and seeking attention. The staff talked to us with knowledge of the
possible reasons behind individual children's behaviours and of theories such as
'attachment' but the responses observed on the day did not always reflect this. (See
recommendation 2)
Grade awarded for this statement: 5 - Very Good
Number of requirements: 0
Number of recommendations: 2
Recommendations
1. It is recommended that the service develop and implement an effective method to
record all the information and permissions needed for the safe administration of
medication. We recommend that the service follow current best practice guidance
to do this and update procedures as necessary to follow best practice guidance and
advice.
National care Standards early education and childcare up to the age of 16 Standard
3: Heath and wellbeing.
2. It is recommended that the service further develop staff knowledge and practice
regarding children's emotional development so that responses to children are
prompt, flexible and sensitive to their individual circumstances. The development of
staff knowledge should take account of current research and practice in early years,
for example, on attachment theory.
National Care Standards early education and childcare up to the age of 16 Standard
6: Support and development.
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Quality Theme 2: Quality of Environment
Grade awarded for this theme: 4 - Good
Statement 1
We ensure that service users and carers participate in assessing and improving the
quality of the environment within the service.
Service strengths
The strengths of the service in this area have been commented on understatement
1.1. Please refer to that statement for evidence relating to this statement also.
Areas for improvement
The areas for improvement in this area have been commented on understatement 1.1.
Please refer to that statement for evidence relating to this statement also.
Grade awarded for this statement: 5 - Very Good
Number of requirements: 0
Number of recommendations: 0
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Statement 2
We make sure that the environment is safe and service users are protected.
Service strengths
We looked at the way in which the service manages infection prevention and control,
assesses and manages risk and how the service works to ensure the children are kept
safe. We were satisfied from the evidence looked at that the service had put systems
in place to manage this.
The number of children attending was within the conditions of registration.
The children observed throughout the inspection had a good knowledge of the
boundaries of the areas they were using. The staff were observed checking on the
children when their play moved to the edges of the boundaries that had been agreed.
We asked the manager how she assessed the safety of the areas the children used
and how the areas were maintained. She told us that the weather was key to the
assessment and use of areas. She said that daily visual assessments were done to
ensure the trees were safe and where a tree was insecure the area was avoided until
it had been made safe. The manager told us that the service used tree surgeons
when needed, which included family members and that parents helped with smaller
jobs.
The service had bought a yurt which had a wood burning stove in it. We were told
that this area was used by the children and provided warmth and shelter when
appropriate and needed. The yurt was not used on the day of inspection. We looked
at the safety procedures in place for the yurt including fire safety and evacuation.
Areas for improvement
We observed the older children enjoying play in various ways including the use of the
rope climbing frame and found that there were no equivalent resources appropriate
for the younger children to choose from and enjoy. Some of the newer and younger
children spent much of their day standing or sitting on the side lines observing
others. We observed the staff and the level of play and interaction between them and
the children and asked the manager what resources the nursery had beyond the
objects available on the woodland floor and the rope frame. She sent us a list of the
many interesting and exciting resources the nursery has which could have been made
available to the children. The photographs previously mentioned of the child
reinventing his mat as a table on legs further evidenced to us how the children used
an introduced object to further develop their knowledge and skills. (See
recommendation 1 for this statement)
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We discussed the review of risk assessments following accidents and incidents. The
manager described to us how she had reviewed activities following any accidents. We
advised that the review should be documented to show the re-assessment of the
risks and any actions taken.
We looked for information on the services procedures should there be an outbreak of
infection. This is information all services should have available to staff and parents.
We advise that the manager updates the service procedures to include information
about the criteria of an outbreak of infection, what staff must do in the event of an
outbreak of infection and ensure the contact details of the local Health Protection
Team and the Care Inspectorate are available as they must be notified in the event of
an outbreak. The manager should refer to Care Inspectorate Guidance Infection
Prevention and Control in Childcare settings (including Child Minding settings) 2011
which can be found on the Care Inspectorate website. The manager agreed to do this.
The staff use walky-talky's to ensure they are contactable and within earshot at all
times. We discussed staff ratios with the manager. We observed that when staff take
breaks there is no additional staff cover, therefore staff must remain within sight so
that they are in attendance at all times. By the time of writing the report the manager
had put this in practice.
The manager told us that she hoped a composting toilet could be built at the site of
the yurt. This was dependent on permission from the land owner. We supported the
idea of the toilet as it would provide children with an alternative to the tarp shelter
when using the toilet.
The service must continue to ensure that the Health protection Scotland document
'Hand Hygiene in Outdoor Nurseries' guidance is implemented, in particular ensuring
that soap and water, as the accepted standard practices for hand washing as part of
infection control, will be used whenever it is practicable to do so in Letham Woods.
Procedures should also outline clearly the locations and circumstances in which soap
and water will be used.
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Grade awarded for this statement: 3 - Adequate
Number of requirements: 0
Number of recommendations: 1
Recommendations
1. It is recommended that the manager and staff consider how best to ensure all the
children have access to a range of resources, including the role modelling skills and
involvement of staff, which will enhance the children's quality of experience,
develop their individual interests and all-round development whilst supporting the
ethos and values of the service.
National Care Standards early education and childcare up to the age of 16 Standard
11: Access to resources and Standard 6: Support and development.
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Quality Theme 3: Quality of Staffing
Grade awarded for this theme: 5 - Very Good
Statement 1
We ensure that service users and carers participate in assessing and improving the
quality of staffing in the service.
Service strengths
The strengths of the service in this area have been commented on understatement
1.1. Please refer to that statement for evidence relating to this statement also.
Areas for improvement
The areas for improvement in this area have been commented on understatement 1.1.
Please refer to that statement for evidence relating to this statement also.
Grade awarded for this statement: 5 - Very Good
Number of requirements: 0
Number of recommendations: 0
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Statement 3
We have a professional, trained and motivated workforce which operates to National
Care Standards, legislation and best practice.
Service strengths
On the day of inspection we found the service was overall very good in this statement.
All staff were appropriately registered or in the process of being registered with the
SSSC (Scottish Social Services Council) and the manager and another member of staff
had been registered with the GTC (General Teaching Council).
The manager described to us in detail how the staff had been selected for their
individual skills and abilities. All staff had worked first as sessional workers for the
service which had enabled both the staff and the manager time and experience of the
service before becoming full staff members.
The service had a system in place to ensure the safe recruitment of staff. Staff checks
had been carried out by Disclosure Scotland (PVG) to help ensure the safety of the
children.
The service had reviewed its staff induction procedures and a director buddy system
had been put in place to help support staff and to ensure the directors were in touch
with what was happening within the service.
All staff were working towards professional qualifications relevant to child care. The
manager and staff had identified key areas for individual development and expertise.
All staff had current 1st Aid Certificates and all staff had recently undertaken child
protection training. The service ensured training opportunities were available which
would enhance the staff skills when working with the children.
The staff and manager held regular meetings which were described to us as reflective
and inclusive. The staff and manager discussed the weeks activities, any issues or
concerns and shared information and advice. The meetings gave the staff and
manager time for reflection and encouraged peer supervision.
We observed the staff throughout the day. The observations evidenced to us that
each of the staff knew the children well. The key workers had kept observations
through photographs on the woods lap top. The photographs had been used to
evidence children's progress and learning. The staff used the observations to inform
the children's progress reports which were shared with parents at the six monthly
reviews.
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The service had employed a new administrator who told us how the records were
organised and had been reviewing and updating procedures with the woods staff and
manager. She spoke highly of the service and the team and of the manager's
commitment to the children.
The staff we spoke to were committed, enthusiastic and interested in the service they
provided. In relation to our questionnaire statement, 'I am confident that the staff
have the necessary skills and experience to care for my child and support their
learning and development', all parents or carers who returned our questionnaires
agreed or strongly agreed with this statement and reference to the quality of the
staffing had been made through the comments given to us by parents.
Areas for improvement
The staff and manager should continue to develop the quality of the service through
staff qualifications and training on child development and learning. The staff must
continue to manage the qualifications as required for their registration with the
Scottish Social services Council. Some further training has been recommended under
statement 1.3 already.
The service should continue to develop staff contributions and involvement at team
meetings by sharing creative and innovative ideas. Staff should ensure they use the
tools available to them and that they are knowledgeable on national guidance, for
example Pre-Birth to Three Years and Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC).
Grade awarded for this statement: 5 - Very Good
Number of requirements: 0
Number of recommendations: 0
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Quality Theme 4: Quality of Management and Leadership
Grade awarded for this theme: 5 - Very Good
Statement 1
We ensure that service users and carers participate in assessing and improving the
quality of the management and leadership of the service.
Service strengths
The strengths of the service in this area have been commented on understatement
1.1. Please refer to that statement for evidence relating to this statement also.
Areas for improvement
The areas for improvement in this area have been commented on understatement 1.1.
Please refer to that statement for evidence relating to this statement also.
Grade awarded for this statement: 5 - Very Good
Number of requirements: 0
Number of recommendations: 0
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Statement 4
We use quality assurance systems and processes which involve service users, carers,
staff and stakeholders to assess the quality of service we provide
Service strengths
Having considered information given by the manager, a review of a sample of
documentation and observations, this service was found to have a very good
performance in relation to this statement.
The nursery has reviewed the roles and responsibilities of the board to define the
management structure and staff had a very good understanding of everyone's roles
and responsibilities.
Staff members were valued and considered an integral part of the nursery team. We
saw evidence that showed how committed the manager was to the development and
happiness of the staff. The mutual respect described on the day of inspection
evidenced team work.
The manager had used feedback from parents and children as an important tool in
the quality assurance of the service. Transition arrangements on to other nurseries
also provided opportunity for the manager to assess how well the service had
managed the children's development plans and prepared them for change.
The manager was knowledgeable, sensitive and reflective in her approach towards
the children and was seen as a positive role model for staff. Her interaction with the
children was warm and supportive.
Staff had appraisals with the manager and a director, the content of the appraisals
appeared relevant and positive. The manager had followed the advice given by
Education Scotland to ensure protected time was available for staff to update
observations and children's files.
The administrator told us that a new system was currently being put in place for the
recording of information on the computer. She told us that this would make access to
information and record keeping better.
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The Secret Garden has rented an office in Cupar and has had a change in
administration staff. We were told that this has enabled the manager and the
administrator to organise the service files and information and to develop new and
improved systems.
Areas for improvement
The manager told us that she was keen to develop further peer supervision and 360
appraisals. She was particularly keen to ensure the staff had access to the directors
and had begun this with the director/staff buddy system.
We discussed the monitoring of staff performance. We advised the manager to
formalise staff monitoring and observations by recording monitoring visits and the
feedback given. By doing this the manager and staff would have written records of
the quality of their work, their successes and achievements and areas identified for
improvement and development.
We agreed that these areas should be further developed as an important part of the
services quality assurance systems.
The manager agreed to continue to develop the service's quality assurance systems to
help maintain and grow the very good practice seen at the time of inspection.
Areas relevant to the service quality assurance systems have been discussed at
feedback and have been included throughout the report. Those areas include
developing further communication and involvement of parents and children; the
further involvement of other stakeholders; staff training, monitoring and development;
ensuring a system is in place for sourcing and reviewing current best practice
guidance documents.
Grade awarded for this statement: 5 - Very Good
Number of requirements: 0
Number of recommendations: 0
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4 Other information
Complaints
No complaints have been upheld, or partially upheld, since the last inspection.
Enforcements
We have taken no enforcement action against this care service since the last
inspection.
Additional Information
No additional information noted.
Action Plan
Failure to submit an appropriate action plan within the required timescale, including
any agreed extension, where requirements and recommendations have been made,
will result in the Care Inspectorate re-grading a Quality Statement within the Quality
of Management and Leadership Theme (or for childminders, Quality of Staffing
Theme) as unsatisfactory (1). This will result in the Quality Theme being re-graded as
unsatisfactory (1).
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5 Summary of grades
Quality of Care and Support - 5 - Very Good
Statement 1
5 - Very Good
Statement 3
5 - Very Good
Quality of Environment - 4 - Good
Statement 1
5 - Very Good
Statement 2
3 - Adequate
Quality of Staffing - 5 - Very Good
Statement 1
5 - Very Good
Statement 3
5 - Very Good
Quality of Management and Leadership - 5 - Very Good
Statement 1
5 - Very Good
Statement 4
5 - Very Good
6 Inspection and grading history
Date
Type
Gradings
14 Dec 2010
Unannounced
Care and support
Environment
Staffing
Management and Leadership
6 - Excellent
5 - Very Good
5 - Very Good
6 - Excellent
8 Sep 2009
Unannounced
Care and support
Environment
Staffing
Management and Leadership
4 - Good
2 - Weak
2 - Weak
3 - Adequate
All inspections and grades before 1 April 2011 are those reported by the former
regulator of care services, the Care Commission.
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To find out more about our inspections and inspection reports
Read our leaflet 'How we inspect'. You can download it from our website or ask us to
send you a copy by telephoning us on 0845 600 9527.
This inspection report is published by the Care Inspectorate. You can get more copies
of this report and others by downloading it from our website:
www.careinspectorate.com or by telephoning 0845 600 9527.
Translations and alternative formats
This inspection report is available in other languages and formats on request.
Telephone: 0845 600 9527
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.careinspectorate.com
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