Praise for standard of nursery care

At the recent meeting of Dundee City Council’s Scrutiny Committee, a report was presented that provided a summary of Care Inspectorate (CI) inspection reports for Dundee City Council nurseries from May 2023 to February 2024.

Ten settings across the council’s area were inspected by the Care Inspectorate between May 2023 and February 2024: Coldside Nursery, Baluniefield Nursery, Downfield Early Years Centre, St Andrew’s Nursery, Barnhill Nursery, Camperdown Nursery, Quarry View Nursery, Forthill Nursery, Jessie Porter Nursery, and Wallacetown Nursery.

The committee members were delighted to note that 100% of Dundee City Council nurseries were graded Good or higher across all indicators inspected, both in their 2023/24 inspections and previous inspections from 2022/23.

Ferry ward councillor Kevin Cordell, who sits on the Scrutiny Committee, welcomed the contents of the report, particularly the positive findings related to the town’s own local nurseries.

He said: “The assessment of the city’s nursery provision was a truly fantastic testament to the hard work that our staff puts in.

“As a Ferry Ward councillor, the results at Barnhill and Forthill were particularly pleasing and a credit to all the staff that work so hard to give our children the best start possible.”

The nurseries in the Ferry at Barnhill PS and Forthill PS both received ratings of “Very Good” across all four themes scored.

One parent quoted in the inspection report said of their nursery: “It's friendly, inclusive, nurturing, educational and fun all rolled into one."

Councillor Cordell added: “The committee was keen to ensure that staff throughout the department were made aware of the committee’s gratitude for their efforts and I am happy that the committee chair took up my suggestion and has agreed to write to the department to thank them for their efforts.

“It is important that their good work does not go unrecognised.”