Fenton Barns Nursery announces latest Care Inspectorate report results

An East Lothian nursery has announced the latest results from its recent “highly positive” Care Inspectorate report.

Fenton Barns Nursery in North Berwick received “very good” evaluations across key areas of leadership, learning and children’s development. 

The inspection highlighted the nursery’s commitment to high-quality outdoor learning, child-led play and nurturing care, recognising the positive experiences and outcomes being delivered for children and families across the setting. 

The report praised the nursery’s vision, values and aims, noting that these were “consistently embedded in high quality outdoor learning experiences”.

Inspectors also commended the nursery’s approach to continuous improvement, highlighting how self-evaluation and feedback from staff and families were used effectively to shape meaningful developments in practice. 

Among the report’s key findings were: 

• Children experienced “high quality, child-led play” in rich indoor and outdoor environments.  

• Staff provided “consistently warm, nurturing care” and demonstrated a strong understanding of children’s individual needs.  

• Effective staff deployment and mentoring ensured safe, consistent care and positive outcomes for children.  

• Children were described as feeling “safe, secure and emotionally supported.”  

Using the Care Inspectorate’s grading scale, Fenton Barns Nursery achieved: 

• Leadership – 5 (very good)  

• Children play and learn – 5 (very good)  

• Children are supported to achieve – 5 (very good)  

Fenton Barns Nursery’s manager, Lauren Peacock, said: “We are incredibly proud of our team and the caring, inspiring environment they create every day for our children.

“This report reflects the dedication of our staff, the support of our families, and our shared commitment to giving children the very best start in life through nurturing relationships, outdoor learning and child-led experiences.” 

The nursery says it will continue building on the positive feedback as part of its ongoing commitment to excellence in early years care and education.