Glowing report for nursery

The Step by Step Nursery in Carrickstone’s Gailes Road was devastated by the incident back in May, which left staff, children and nearby neighbours stunned.

One householder, whose property also suffered damage, told the News it was a miracle nobody had been killed.

Luckily the freak accident happened at night, when there were no children on the premises.

A car had left the roadbefore scything through the nursery garden and also the gardens of adjoining houses, smashing decking and other property.

Nursery manager Lynne Alexander learned of the near miss the same night and – surveying the damage – was grateful nobody had been hurt.

Far from shutting down altogether she and staff kept the nursery going, so that parents wouldn’t be inconvenienced.

A wall of rubber tyres was put up to create a safe outdoor area for the children, and most acitivites were temporarily moved inside.

A number of neighbours also rallied round to clear debris from the garden.

But the acid test of whether the nursery had survived its brush with catastrophe intact had still to come.

That was the looming inspectors’ report which would effectively decide whether Step by Step was still up to scratch.

Despite having tried everything possible to restore what she regards as a labour of love endeavour, Lynne and her colleagues were nervous about the report and what it could spell for the future.

But in fact the result was even better than the one hoped for, amounting to the pre-school education equivalent of a rave review.

Inspectors noted: “The manager and staff had created a very happy, welcoming and fun environment for children.

“They worked closely with parents and other specialist services to help achieve excellent outcomes for the children attending the nursery.”

Inspectors added: ‘The children were seen to eagerly take part in and enjoy the wide range of activities on offer.”

“Staff showed a high commitment to continuing to develop their skills and knowledge through accessing training and shared practice, with the excellent support of the manager, in order to enhance the children’s experiences .’”

A spokesman for the Care Inspectorate said: ‘“Where we encounter excellence, it is vital we share good practice so that all care services in Scotland continue to improve and reach the high standards we expect.

“There is no room for complacency, however, and we will continue to work with this service to ensure high standards are maintained.”