Highland Council-run Culbokie Primary School nursery on the Black Isle marked a failure by Care Inspectorate report

A Black Isle nursery has been heavily-criticised for serious failures in keeping children safe, healthy and nurtured in its care.

Highland Council-run Culbokie Primary School nursery received one of the lowest inspection ratings in recent memory.

The nursery caters for up to 24 kids from three to last pre-school age. It was subject to an unannounced inspection on March 31 this year.

Three of four areas of care were rated as “unsatisfactory”, the lowest grading on a scale of one to six.

The other was said to be “weak”, the second lowest grading.

In a scathing assessment, the report found “major weaknesses in critical aspects” of care and support for children, requiring “immediate remedial action to ensure the health, welfare and safety of children”.

It stated: “Children did not consistently experience kind, caring and nurturing interactions.

“The tone and manner of some staff interactions with children was negative and dismissive. Child-initiated interactions were ignored by staff… as a result, children were not supported by staff to feel valued or nurtured.”

There was a lack of staff understanding on how to support children's health and wellbeing and “very limited opportunities for children to have fun” and lead their own play and learning.

Adult-led activities were not always developmentally appropriate.

Poorly organised storage of medication put children at risk of harm, while infection control measures were criticised with children “not supported to wash their hands”.

Disorganised mealtimes led to some children becoming distressed.

The care environment was rated as “weak”

The report said: “Children did not have access to a breadth and balance of resources to engage their curiosity.”

Some resources were of poor quality and poorly maintained, with a stained and ripped sofa noted.

It added: “This reduced opportunities for children to be creative, use their imagination and develop problem solving skills.

“Staff did not demonstrate an understanding of their role in promoting a safe environment.”

The quality of staffing was also given the lowest grading, again with “major weaknesses” to the detriment of the health, welfare, and safety of children.

There was a lack of “basic knowledge and skills to safeguard and protect children in their care”.

Poor communication between staff also led to staff being unaware of the number of children in their care.

The report said: “Systems were not in place to ensure staff were accountable and responsible for their actions in keeping children safe.

“This put children at risk and had the potential for them to be unaccounted for.”

Management and leadership of the nursery was also slated as “unsatisfactory”.

A recently appointed manager had begun to identify some areas of concern, but there was a failure to motivate staff and challenge them to raise standards.

It added: “The manager and provider must ensure that concerns are investigated and acted upon in an appropriate timescale and manner to protect children from harm.”

Highland Council said a range of measures had been put in place to bring about improvement and meet all requirements and recommendations set out by the Care Inspectorate.

It also highlighted feedback in the report suggesting parental satisfaction with the service.

A council spokeswoman said: “A recent inspection from the Care Inspectorate has found areas which were highlighted for improvement at Culbokie Primary School Nursery. Therefore, we have put in place enhanced management to support the school as we look to implement changes.

“A detailed improvement plan has been created to meet all of the recommendations and requirements set out within the report from the Care Inspectorate.

"The area service team is closely monitoring the delivery of this improvement plan and they will help to provide additional support to the school.

"The area service team will also work closely with the school’s recently appointed Head Teacher and the Care Inspectorate to make sure we are continuing to improve the learning experiences and environments for our children and young people.

“Furthermore, enhanced training will be organised with staff members at all levels.

"The Council’s Education service is committed to furthering our staff’s continued professional development. For example, there is a significant focus on mental health and emotional wellbeing training which is in line with the Council’s 5-year mental health strategy.

“We were pleased to receive positive parent feedback during the inspection on our support towards children and on our communication with parents.”