North Coast head teacher speaks out about 'challenging' Care Inspectorate visit to Tongue nursery
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North Coast Campus head teacher Katherine Wood has spoken of how “challenging” staff found a recent Care Inspectorate visit to Tongue Pre-School Centre.
Inspectors arrived at the facility, which can cater for a maximum of 10 children aged from two to five years, unannounced at the start of the new academic year in September 2021.
Their report rated the nursery “adequate” in four fields – for the quality of its care and support, environment, staffing and management and leadership.
The facility, which is housed in purpose built accommodation opened in 2020, was marked down for a lack of paper evidence over its cleaning regime, staff development and children’s needs and the reliance on toys and equipment made of plastic rather than natural materials - for example giving children plastic rather than ceramic cups to drink from.
But Ms Wood told a virtual county committee meeting earlier this month that the inspectors spent just 45 minutes at the nursery, spoke to only one child and based their report on that.
She said staff had found the criticism difficult to take given the visit happened just three weeks into the new term with the children having spent little time in the nursery.
She told councillors that inspectors had acknowledged the happiness of the young pupils and the warm and caring environment, but gave “little importance to it in the overall report”.
The inspectors’ findings had been challenged, leading to some changes in the report, said Ms Wood.
“We had very robust conversations with them afterwards and they changed some of their notes.”
Parents of the young children at the school had been “disappointed” at the report and were supportive of the pre-school centre, continued Ms Wood.
“We are trying to view it as a learning experience and take forward the lessons,” she said
During her address to the county committee, Ms Wood revealed she had just received a message from staff informing her that inspectors had again arrived unannounced at Tongue nursery that very day for a follow-up visit.
“It will be interesting to see the outcome,” she said.
