Care Commission report published on Bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig Inbhir Nis
The first Care Commission Report for the pre-school care service provided at Bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig Inbhir Nis - Scotland’s first purpose-built all Gaelic school - is extremely positive with ‘very good’ gradings awarded to the service for all four themes inspected.
Head Teacher Janet MacLeod said: “In addition to these gradings, we have also received an ‘excellent’ grading from the Care Commission, for “…the environment allowing service users to have as positive a quality of life as possible…”, so we are extremely pleased. This is a testament to the success of the Council’s sessional care and wrap around service for pre-school children in a Gaelic-medium setting.
She added: “The committed leadership and hard work of the deputy head teacher and team of staff has resulted in very good practice in providing Gaelic-medium pre-school education and childcare at Bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig Inbhir Nis.”
Councillor Bill Fernie, the Highland Council’s Chairman of Education, Culture and Sport Committee welcomed the Care Commission’s findings and said: “I congratulate Janet MacLeod and her staff at Bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig Inbhir Nis for their achievements in providing this excellent wrap around care service. Their experience is an excellent model for other schools in the Highlands to help them meet the Council’s Administration promise to deliver and support a sustainable network of quality wrap around childcare and education services for young children and their families by 2011.”
In the Commission’s report, the nursery was seen very much as an integral part of the Gaelic school where the strong commitment to providing Gaelic medium education was evident.
The nursery operates from purpose built accommodation which consists of a large play room with small kitchen area, adjacent toilets and separate entrance area. Due to the increase in requests for Gaelic nursery provision the service also operates from a classroom within the school in close proximity to the main playroom. The service provides education and care for children in a Gaelic medium setting. The service was registered with the Care Commission to provide a day care service to a maximum of 46 children at any one time. The nursery offers sessional care and a wrap around service during term time.
The service aims "to provide children with a wide variety of stimulating and fun experiences in an entirely Gaelic environment. Thus creating a language rich setting where children embrace and absorb the Gaelic language naturally and fluently".