4 May, 2006

A NURSERY class in Yell has been praised by school inspectors following a visit last January.

The Mid Yell Junior High School nursery was commended for its purposeful learning environment, the quality of children's experiences and the support provided for children and families.

The inspection was part of the integrated inspection programme by the Care Commission and HM Inspectorate of Education.

The key strengths identified in the report were: children's cooperation, concentration and their involvement in their learning; the very good staff/child interaction; the very good procedures in place for planning, assessment and recording; the purposeful learning environment which supported children's learning; the very effective teamwork of the staff and the commitment of management to the development of the nursery.

Almost all programmes in key aspects of children's development and learning were evaluated as very good, with knowledge and understanding of the world evaluated as good.

The inspection team also noted staff's effective work with parents to provide support for children, and the effective arrangements in place for children with additional support needs.

As well as this, they identified the very good working relationships between all of the staff involved in the nursery and noted the contribution this made to its smooth running.

The school has been asked to prepare an action plan taking forward specific recommendations in the report and to share the plan with parents and carers. The management team and the nursery staff have already planned for these developments and the plan will be incorporated into the school development plan for the session 2006-7.