14. Education Scotland Inspection of Hillview ELC ECSPB 21 08 25
Renfrewshire Council · 21 August 2025
Back to Education and Children's Services Policy Board — 21 August 2025 and its agenda
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Page 2 of 5 ___________________________________________________________________ To: Education and Children’s Services Policy Board On: 21 August 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Children’s Services ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Education Scotland Inspection of Hillview Early Learning and Childcare Centre ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 Education Scotland Inspection of Hillview Early Learning and Childcare Centre (ELC) was inspected by Education Scotland in May 2025 as part of a national sample of education. Education Scotland uses different models of inspection and at Hillview ELC the short model approach was deployed. Inspectors assessed the ELC with a focus on two quality indicators which are referenced in How Good is our Early Learning and Childcare, the national quality improvement framework for early learning and childcare. Quality Indicator 2.3 Learning, teaching and assessment. Quality Indicator 3.2 Securing children’s progress. 1.2 This was a positive inspection which evaluated quality indicators in the ELC Centre as: Quality Indicator 2.3 - Good Quality Indicator 3.2 - Good 1.4 As part of the inspection model the following area was also reviewed: Quality Indicator 2.1 Safeguarding and child protection 1.5 Education Scotland do not attach an evaluative grade to this. Instead in the Summary of Inspection Findings there are evaluative statements provided which are positive and contribute to the overall ELC Centre ratings. The inspection report in the form of a letter to parents, published by Education Scotland on 22 July 2025, is attached as an appendix to this report and is also available from the Director of Children’s Services or from the Education Scotland website. 1.6 The letter to parents identified four key strengths of the ELC centre:
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Page 3 of 5 • Happy children who enjoy their time at nursery. They show high levels of respect and kindness to each other when learning through play. • The warm nurturing ethos and staff who value children and their families. Children’s rights are central to the work of the setting and children learn in a calm and caring environment. • Senior leaders consistently track and monitor children’s progress. Their approach helps practitioners provide continuity for children’s learning. • Children’s skills in managing risk in the local woodland areas are developing well. Practitioners help children to understand that they need to take care when playing outside. 1.7 The following areas for improvement were identified and discussed with the head of centre and a representative from Renfrewshire Council: • Practitioners need to use high-quality observations of learning to improve further their planning to meet children’s needs more effectively. • Improve further children’s vocabulary through their involvement in meaningful discussions about their learning. • Continue to improve children’s literacy and numeracy experiences, including when they are playing outdoors ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 Members of the Education and Children’s Services Policy Board are asked to note and celebrate the key strengths and recognise the areas for further improvement in the Education Scotland report on Hillview ELC Centre. ___________________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 Children’s Services welcomes the process of audit undertaken by Education Scotland as supportive to continuous improvement in Renfrewshire’s education establishments. The team at Hillview ELC were positive about the inspection process and embraced it as a professional learning opportunity in partnership with colleagues at Education Scotland. 3.2 The report includes three areas for further improvement, and progress in addressing this will be monitored by Children’s Services officers through the Quality Improvement Framework. 3.3 The inspection report will inform planned improvement activity and will enable the ELC Centre to build on the recognised strengths and focus further development on areas for improvement to enable the Centre to continue to deliver a quality educational provision. ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – No financial implications 2. HR & Organisational Development – No HR implications 3. Community/Council Planning – engaging with, and learning from external
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Page 4 of 5 inspection, ensures that our Renfrewshire is thriving. High standards of education provision ensure that children and young people are given the best start in life so that they promote and contribute to a more prosperous, fairer society. It also ensures our Renfrewshire is well – by providing an environment which encourages care, welfare and development, establishments play a crucial role in developing children and young people so that they become responsible citizens. The inspection process also supports delivery of the Council Plan crosscutting theme of improving outcomes for children and families as well as other Council Plan key strategic outcomes. Economy Equipping all children and young people to achieve success in life Fair Creating inclusive and supportive learning environments for children and young people. Embedding children’s rights in our decision-making processes 4. Legal – no implications 5. Property/Assets – No risks to property/assets. 6. Information Technology – No information and technology risks. 7. Equality & Human Rights – No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report because the sustainable rate is being increased. If required, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health & Safety – No negative impacts on health and safety. 9. Procurement – No procurement risks 10. Risk – No risks identified. 11. Privacy Impact – No impact on privacy. 12. Cosla Policy Position – N/A 13. Climate Risk – None. 14. Children’s Rights - This links to, Article 3 (best interests of the child) - the best interests of the child must be a top priority in all decisions and actions that affect children. Article 28 (right to education) - every child has the right to an education. Article 29 (goals of education) - education must develop every child’s personality, talents and abilities to the full. It must encourage the child’s respect for human rights, as well as respect for their parents, their own and other cultures, and the environment. Article 31 (leisure, play and culture) -
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Page 5 of 5 every child has the right to relax, play and take part in a wide range of cultural and artistic activities. List of Background Papers - The inspection report and additional evidence is published on the Education Scotland website. __________________________________________________________ KMcD 18 July 2025 Author: Kathleen McDonagh, Education Manager, Telephone Number 07799034553 kathleen.mcdonagh@renfrewshire.gov.uk
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1 | Hillview Early Learning and Childcare Centre, Renfrewshire Council, 8634718 © Crown Copyright 22 July 2025 Dear Parent/Carer In May 2025, a team of inspectors from Education Scotland visited Hillview Early Learning and Childcare Centre. During our visit, we talked to parents/carers and worked closely with the manager/head of setting and staff. The inspection team found the following strengths in the setting’s work. • Happy children who enjoy their time at nursery. They show high levels of respect and kindness to each other when learning through play. • The warm nurturing ethos and staff who value children and their families. Children’s rights are central to the work of the setting and children learn in a calm and caring environment. • Senior leaders consistently track and monitor children’s progress. Their approach helps practitioners provide continuity for children’s learning. • Children’s skills in managing risk in the local woodland areas are developing well. Practitioners help children to understand that they need to take care when playing outside. The following areas for improvement were identified and discussed with the head of setting and a representative from Renfrewshire Council. • Practitioners need to use high-quality observations of learning to improve further their planning to meet children’s needs more effectively. • Improve further children’s vocabulary through their involvement in meaningful discussions about their learning. • Continue to improve children’s literacy and numeracy experiences, including when they are playing outdoors.
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2 | Hillview Early Learning and Childcare Centre, Renfrewshire Council, 8634718 © Crown Copyright We gathered evidence to enable us to evaluate the setting’s work using quality indicators from How good is our early learning and childcare?. Quality indicators help learning and childcare settings, local authorities and inspectors to judge what is working well and what needs to be improved. Here are Education Scotland’s evaluations for Hillview Early Learning and Childcare Centre Quality indicators for the nursery class Evaluation Learning, teaching and assessment good Securing children’s progress good Descriptions of the evaluations are available from: How good is our early learning and childcare? Appendix 1: The six-point scale A more detailed document called Summarised Inspection Findings (SIF) will be available on the Education Scotland website at: Hillview Nursery | Inspection Report | Education Scotland What happens next? We are confident that the setting has the capacity to continue to improve and so we will make no more visits in connection with this inspection. Renfrewshire Council will inform parents/carers about the school’s progress as part of its arrangements for reporting on the quality of its settings. Dr Elizabeth C Montgomery HM Inspector