Kelso nursery school cleans up its act after ‘at risk’ judgement

A Kelso nursery school where children’s health and safety was “put at risk” has now cleaned up its act, inspectors have found.

Representatives of the Care Inspectorate paid an unannounced visit to Castlegate Nursery and Out of School Club at Castlegate in Spylaw Road on June 6.

The nursery provides a care service to a maximum of 94 children.

Inspectors found that staff were “kind and caring” in their approach with children and that improvements to the service had been implemented since a previous inspection.

But the reported highlighted poor infection prevention and control practices and the nursery was required to “ensure children are cared for in a clean, safe and hygienic environment” by the end of July.

The Care Inspectorate report says: “Children’s health and safety was put at risk due to poor infection prevention and control practices.

“Many areas across the service were untidy, unclean and uncluttered.”

The nursery was rated ‘weak’ in four categories – quality of care, play and learning, its setting, leadership and the staff team.

But when two inspectors returned for a follow-up visit to the facility on November 6 they found a more positive environment, with a number of improvements which had “enhanced outcomes for children”.

The report found children experienced “caring, nurturing interactions from sensitive staff” that they had flexible routines that were responsive to individual needs and that staff had worked together to “bring about positive changes to ensure children had access to a clean, safe and welcoming environment”.

The inspectors now rated the service ‘adequate’ in the areas previously graded as ‘weak’, with a report urging that the “service continue to further develop a child-centred planning approach and take time to embed the good practice that had been introduced”.