Barnhill After School Care Club Receives Very Good Grades from Care Inspectorate

Following an inspection in March 2014, the Care Inspectorate have recently published their report on the Barnhill After School Care Club. 

The club provides wrap around care and learning for children before and after the school day and during the school holidays. This vital service enables parents and carers with primary school age children to go to work or engage in further education and training.  

The Inspector's report is very positive with the service being awarded the following consistently high "Very Good" grades:

• Quality of Care and Support grade 5 - Very Good
• Quality of Environment grade 5 - Very Good
• Quality of Staffing grade 5 - Very Good
• Quality of Management and Leadership grade 5 - Very Good

Parents as well as children were talked to by the Inspector.
"Six parents were talked to during the inspection and all were very happy with the club, which they thought was very well run. They all commented on how much their child enjoyed coming and sometimes how reluctant they could be to leave. The parents were aware they could be on the Committee and were happy with the information they were given and sent by email. All the responses were positive about all aspects of the club."

Bearing in mind that the Club has had to move premises within the school during the current building works, I think the parents' comments and Inspector's report are a testament to the quality and commitment of staff and management. 

Looking to the future, when the School's extension is completed in the early summer, the Club anticipates moving into the portable classroom unit currently used by the Nursery. With exclusive use of this facility and access to additional accommodation in the school, it hopes to be able to create more places for children on the waiting list.

Read or download Barnhill After School Care Club's Care Inspectorate Reports

Eastern Primary School Nursery Receives Good Report from Care Inspectorate

In November 2013, the Nursery at Eastern Primary School was visited by the Care Inspectorate. Last week the report on their inspection was published.

Given the short interval between the previous inspection in February 2013 and the latest one, just nine months later in November, I think the nursery staff are to be congratulated on the very positive progress that is acknowledged in the new report:

"What the service does well:
Children were cared for in a well organised and resourced environment, providing them with many learning opportunities. Staff were working well as a team to make improvements within the nursery, as a result this was improving outcomes for the children attending."

The Inspection Grades awarded were as follows:

• Quality of Care and Support - Grade 4 - Good
• Quality of Environment - Grade 4 - Good
• Quality of Staffing - Grade 4 - Good
• Quality of Management and Leadership - Grade 4 - Good

Feedback from parents and carers to the Inspector was very positive about the nursery staff and the standard of care they showed in practice and the learning and development of the children that was being fostered.

Read or download inspection reports on the Eastern Primary School Nursery 

Forthill Out of School Club is Judged Excellent All Round

Earlier this week the Care Inspectorate released their inspection report on Forthill Out of School Care Club.

Manager Margot Bruce and her staff team at the Club are to be warmly congratulated for earning such a positive report which is reflected in the straight 6's/Excellent grades awarded for each category of the inspection (see diagram). The inspectors' positivity is also evident in their commentary.

The Inspectors wrote:
"Forthill Out of School care club provides a very high standard of care for primary school aged children before and after school, and during the holidays.
The service is well managed and organised by a qualified and experienced staff team and an active management committee. Children who use the service benefit from an excellent range of well-planned activities and high quality input from an enthusiastic staff team. All of the children and parents we had contact with during the inspection told us that they were very happy with the quality of the service."

The Inspectors concluded:

"Forthill Out of School Club is a very high quality service which is well managed and well run. It provides flexible support to busy families, and it provides children with a wide range of fun experiences in a safe environment. The service continually evaluates its own practice taking into account the views of
children and families and uses the National Care Standards and other relevant good practice guidance to develop and improve the quality of care and support it delivers."

Read/download the full Inspection Report

Link to Forthill Out of School Club Website 

Very Positive Inspection Report for School's Out After School Care Club at Eastern Primary School

The School's Out After School Care Club at Eastern Primary School have recently received a very positive Care Service Inspection Report following an unannounced inspection in November.

The Inspector's report rated the Club as 'Good' across the board:

• Quality of Care and Support - Grade 4 - Good
• Quality of Environment - Grade 4 - Good
• Quality of Staffing - Grade 4 - Good
• Quality of Management and Leadership - Grade 4 - Good

The report summarises the strengths and areas for improvement in the School's Out After School Care Club as follows:

What the service does well

This is a well run, we resourced club which gives children a variety of activities to choose form and lets them play in a safe and caring environment.

What the service could do better

Records on children need to be kept fully up-to-date and the club would benefit from more attention to fire drills.

In the course of the inspection, this is what children and parents/carers had to say about the service:

Six young people were spoken with in a group on the day of inspection. They were all positive about the club and commented the following:-

• The snack was good and they always got fruit.
• They enjoyed and could choose the activities they got involved in.
• The staff were friendly and did not shout at them.

Three Care service questionnaires were returned to the Inspectorate but parents of children using the service and one parent was interviewed on the day of inspection. Views expressed were overwhelmingly positive.

Here are some of the written comments:-

• I appreciated the time staff have taken to resolve an issue my daughter was having at the club.
• Staff are friendly and helpful.
• My children enjoy attending schools out.

This is a very positive and reassuring report for parents and carers who use this service for their children.

Read the full School's Out most recent Inspection Report