Kilcreggan Primary School’s pre-5 unit has received a glowing report from the Care Inspectorate, having been graded as ‘good’ in every category.

Inspectors found that staff were welcoming, kind and caring, and took time to listen to the children.

Open-ended questions were used to encourage pupils to problem solve, and Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PAThS) were in place to empower children to make positive choices through social and emotional learning.

The latest report follows a 2018 inspection of the school as a whole, which praised the progress made after a report the previous year identified several areas for improvement.

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The Pre-5 Unit is based in newly refurbished accommodation within the school, which means children have direct access to the outdoor play area.

Inspectors described the learning area as bright and welcoming, and praised staff for their work in developing the outdoor learning area.

Children were observed making independent choices of where they wanted to play outside and lead their own learning.

In the new report on the pre-5 service, which was completed in March, inspectors found that staff were skilled at knowing when to intervene in children's play and learning and when to stand back, encouraging children to create their own solutions. This, they said, resulted in children becoming confident learners.

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Staff were described as enthusiastic, committed and motivated to provide positive outcomes for children, and worked well as a team.

The school's head teacher, Frances Bretman, was also praised for working hard to develop and move the service forward, while the inspectors said she had a clear focus and vision for the development of the unit.

Overall, inspectors found that children were being given very good opportunities to grow and develop and be active and independent in their play and learning.

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Argyll and Bute Council’s policy lead for education, Councillor Yvonne McNeilly, said: “It’s clear from the report that staff are continuing to move forward together as a confident, able and effective team, building on their good practice to achieve the best outcomes for our children and their families.

“We want the very best start for all our young people so it’s very encouraging to see that Kilcreggan is working hard to provide consistently high standards of care. Congratulations to everyone involved.”