A Moray nursery has been praised for creating a “caring and relaxed” environment for children to grow.
Officials from the Care Inspectorate carried out an unannounced visit of the Magic Roundabout Childcare Centre in Elgin in September.
A report published following the inspection has now revealed that both the quality of care and support and the quality of environment have been graded as “very good”, highlighting “major strengths”.
About 60 children of pre-school and school age regularly use the nursery in the south of the town.
The report published by the Care Inspectorate described the youngsters as “confident, happy and relaxed” and highlighted a new wooden balance trail outside for encouraging them to play outdoors.
It adds: “Children were able to choose whether to play inside or outside and benefited from a minimal number of formal routines so that thinking and problem solving were not constrained.
“All of the children clearly enjoyed being outside including those that attended after school.
“The setting had and continued to, liaise with a local forest school provider in relation to their outdoor area so that it provided beneficial play and learning experiences.”
Inspectors made no recommendations following the visit but encouraged staff to have a greater presence at snack time to build the children’s social skills and provide an opportunity to teach about food preparation.