Scotland’s best and worst nurseries, based on Care Inspectorate gradings, have been revealed in a new league table by The Times and The Sunday Times.
The regulator awards grades ranging from six points for excellent to one point for unsatisfactory. The grades are applied across four categories - setting, staff, leadership and quality of care, and play and learning.
Using official data published by the care regulator, The Times and Sunday Times have published a full Scottish childcare league table.
Under the gradings system, the maximum combined points achievable is 24, and the minimum is 4 - which would mean the nursery was graded unsatisfactory in every category.
You can find out the top ranked nurseries here.
Touch Trust in Dunfermline was the only childcare provider that received unsatisfactory grades across the board. A spokesperson for the Care Inspectorate on June 24 said its recent inspection had “identified serious and significant concerns” about the quality of care experienced by children.
Its inspection report highlighted concerns about medication not being safely managed, children playing where there was dog faeces and moving vehicles, and the unsafe transportation of children.
The regulator issued an improvement notice threatening the provider with closure if it did not make urgent changes.
The Times reported that Touch Trust has complied with most of the improvement notices - and has been granted more time to deal with one outstanding concern.
Based on the league table, here are the worst rated nurseries in Scotland:
5. Blossom Day Nursery, Edinburgh
Score: 7. Blossom Day Nursery, in Portobello, provides care for children from 0 to 8 years. An inspection in July following an Improvement Notice issued earlier this year said the service had made significant improvements and gave the service a 3 in care, play and learning, 4 in setting, 4 in leadership and a 3 in staff team - adding up to a score of 14 | Google Maps
6. Gingerbread Tollcross ASC, Edinburgh
Score: 8. Gingerbread Tollcross after school club, delivered from the dining hall within Tollcross Primary School, received a poor report from the Inspectorate this year. It was ranked ‘Weak’ across all four categories | Google Maps
7. Balloch ELCC, Alexandria
Score: 8. Balloch ELCC is provided by West Dunbartonshire Council in purpose-built facilities within the Balloch Campus. It received ‘Weak’ grades across the board in its latest inspection, with concerns around staffing, personal planning for children and the safety and security in the outdoor play are | Google Maps
8. Play Away ELC Ltd, Glasgow
Score: 8. Play Away ELC Ltd provides care to a maximum of 79 children not yet attending primary school. Its most recent inspection report said that while parents provided positive feedback, improvements were needed in relation to staffing, mealtimes, infection prevention and risk management | Google Maps