Step By Step Pre-school Nursery
Recorded Key Question grade range: 3–5 — Adequate View on Care Inspectorate
Key Question scores
Requirements & recommendations
1. By 31 July 2026, the provider must ensure children’s safety, health and well-being and experience high quality care and experiences. To do this, the provider must at a minimum: (a) ensure all staff are knowledgeable, skilled and competent to meet children’s individual care and support needs. (b) ensure effective quality assurance, monitoring of practice and audits are in place which lead to positive and improved outcomes for children and families (c) ensure staff, children and families are meaningfully involved in developing self-evaluation with clear targets and focussed on improved outcomes and practice. This is to comply with Regulation 4(1)(a) of The Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations (SSI 2011/2010). This is in order to comply with section 7(1)(a) and (b) of the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019. This is to ensure that care and support is consistent with the Health and Social Care Stand
1. To keep children safe, the provider and manager should ensure that nappy changing facilities are safe, effective and meet best practice guidance. This is to ensure that care and support is consistent with the Health and Social Care Standards (HSCS) which states that: ‘I benefit from a culture of continuous improvement, with the organisation having robust and transparent quality assurance processes’ (HSCS 4.19).
1. To support children’s, learning and development and ensure the delivery of high quality play, the provider and staff should ensure that the environment, resources and activities, support children’s learning, creativity and curiosity. This is to ensure that care and support is consistent with the Health and Social Care Standards (HSCS) which states that: ‘As a child, my social and physical skills, confidence, self-esteem and creativity are developed through a balance of organised and freely chosen extended play, including using open ended and natural materials’ (HSCS 1.31).
2. To support children’s health, safety and well-being the provider should undertake an audit of the environment and carry out cleaning and maintenance to the areas used by the children. This is to ensure that care and support is consistent with the Health and Social Care Standards (HSCS) which states that: ‘I experience an environment that is well looked after with clean, tidy and well maintained premises, furnishings and equipment’ (HSCS 5.24). This is to ensure staff skills and knowledge is consistent with Scottish Government document, Realising the Ambition: Being Me.
1. To support children’s learning and development, the provider should ensure each child’s personal plan is up to date with relevant information and staff are skilled in planning for children’s next steps. This is to ensure that care and support is consistent with the Health and Social Care Standards (HSCS) which states that: ‘My personal plan (sometimes referred to as a care plan) is right for me because it sets out how my needs will be met, as well as my wishes and choices (HSCS 1.15). This is to ensure that staff skills and knowledge is consistent with Scottish Government document, Guide for Providers on Personal Planning: Personal plans for early learning and childcare.
Conditions of registration
1. To provide a care service to a maximum of 41 children 0 - to those not yet attending Primary School of which:- No more than 15 children 0 - 3 years to be cared for in the Baby Unit, of whom no more than 5 children shall be 2 - 3 years. No more than 26 children 2 - to those not yet attending Primary School in the Pre-school Unit.
2. The care service will operate Monday to Friday between the times of 8.00am to 6.00pm.
3. BABY UNIT OUTSIDE PLAY AREA A soft bumper strip should cover the base of boundary fence in the outdoor play area (where the ground slopes towards the fence). It is acceptable that this protection is removable and covers the fence while children are playing, and removed when they go inside.
4. The service will comply with the following staffing: Age of Children Ratio - Adults to Children 0 - 2 years 1 : 3 2 - 3 years 1 : 5 3 years and over 1 : 8 Minimum of 2 members of staff shall be on duty at all times. 100% of the manager"s time will be supernumerary to the staff rota. A minimum of 50% of staff should hold or be working towards a relevant childcare qualification.