An Aberdeen nursery, which was previously criticised for offering an “old and tired” setting for children, has been praised for transforming its surroundings.
During a visit last year, Care Inspectorate staff described Woodend Nursery’s drab environment as “old, tired, small and not challenging enough”.
They praised the city’s other NHS nursery, at Cornhill, as being “modern, appropriate and stimulating” by comparison.
But during a return trip in August, inspectors discovered that staff at Woodend had made a significant effort to turn the venue around.
A newly published report states: “We found the environment overall had significantly improved since the last inspection.
“The playrooms were better laid out with a wide variety of new, stimulating resources to support children’s learning and development.
“A substantial amount of money has been spent on a rolling programme of works over the past five years and money has been budgeted to continue this for the foreseeable future.”
Staff were praised for offering a “kind approach”, although the report highlighted the need for youngsters to be given more praise.
It said: “Although staff spoke very kindly with the children, they were not sufficiently attuned and the quality of interactions needed to be improved.
“Young children’s views and achievements were at times overlooked, with no praise or encouragement to follow.”
However, the report added: “Overall, parents were pleased with the service and commented positively on the quality of staff and management.”