Nursery in Johnstone receives positive report card

Gleniffer Nursery, in Floors Street, was graded as "good" for its care, play and learning, as well as for its setting, leadership and staff team.

Officers from the Care Inspectorate who made an unannounced visit in June found youngsters to be "happy and settled" at the nursery.

Their report states: "Overall, children experienced care from a staff team who were kind, gentle and caring in their approach supporting children in feeling valued, loved, and respected. 

"Staff sat at the children's level, offering cuddles and comfort, responding well to the care needs of the children. 

"As a result, children were happy, settled and confident to approach staff."

The nursery was also commended for having staff who worked well and supported each other in providing positive outcomes for children.

The Care Inspectorate said: "Children were accessing the wider community through regular visits to the local swing park, library for Book Bug sessions and had taken part in litter picking and sponsored charity events. 

"This promoted their self-esteem and a sense of belonging."

Parents were also full of praise, with one stating: "My child loves the place, they are doing well and well taken care of."

Another added: "The staff really seem to care about my child and give them great learning opportunities throughout the day."

Outlining what the service could do better, the inspectors identified a need to ensure there are appropriate numbers of staff to meet the individual and continued care needs of children across the day.

Danielle McKinnon, manager at Gleniffer Nursery, said staff were "delighted" at the results of the report.

She told The Gazette: "The nursery was previously rated as 'adequate' but since I took over in August 2022, we've managed to get up to 'good' in only 10 months.

"It's been hard work and there's been a lot of changes in terms of getting new resources and additions to the building."

Danielle said the nursery had recently introduced a self-service cafe for the children, as well as cosmetic work taking place in their gardens.

She added: "We've done lots of fundraising and work in the community and things like that.

"We've got community links with local care homes and we do things like litter-picks, and we've linked with the local fruit shop as well for health and wellbeing."