Parents have been informed that an Elgin nursery has failed to improve its practices after being branded “weak” in a previous inspection.
St Sylvester’s Nursery, based in a church hall in Elgin, has made “insufficient progress” since inspectors last investigated the premises.
During the last visit, in October 2017, it was found that the nursery’s vision, values and aims had not been reviewed for more than a decade and that numerous items needed addressed – factors which were put down to a high staff turnover.
St Sylvester’s was branded “weak” in the 2017 report as a result.
Then, in the most recent visit to the nursery, inspector Dr Norseen Phillips found the nursery had made “insufficient progress” in the intervening period.
The nursery has been urged again to review its aims, “urgently”, and the inspector added that children’s learning was “not supported and extended well enough.”
The report noted: “Most children spend significant time in low level, repetitive activities and play which does not reflect their capabilities nor ensure sufficient progress in their learning.
“Further work needs to be carried out to show what children need to learn and identify next steps in learning.
“As a matter of urgency, the manager and practitioners now need to develop a shared understanding of children’s progress and what this could look like in the nursery.”
The report added: “Many of the experiences planned for children do not yet motivate and engage children sufficiently.
“As a result, the majority of children are not able to sustain engagement.”
It was discussed that a partnership agreement co-created between the nursery and Moray Council would attempt to rectify the situation, and that St Sylvester’s manager should provide a detailed framework to support the improvement.
It was also noted in the report that inspectors had spoken with the manager and noted that practitioners were beginning to use a number of tracking tools to demonstrate children’s progress, and making efforts to improve their practices.
But overall, the inspectors stated St Sylvester’s had made “insufficient progress” since the original inspection in 2017, and that inspectors would, as well as working alongside Moray Council, visit the site again in six months.