INSPECTORS have praised a nursery which only opened last year.

Representatives from the Care Inspectorate visited Pear Tree Nursery, on Haddington’s West Road, in August.

Their report is broken down into quality of care and support; quality of environment; quality of staffing; and quality of management and leadership.

Pear Tree Nursery already has a nursery on the town’s Meadowpark.

The new facility opened in a former bed and breakfast and attracted more than 200 interested parents to an open day when it first opened.

Inspectors rated quality of care and support, as well as quality of staffing, as ‘good’, while quality of environment and quality of management and leadership were rated ‘very good’. Stephanie Dodds, director of Pear Tree Nursery, told the Courier: “We are absolutely delighted with our first Care Inspectorate report since opening our new nursery in July 2018.

“We have worked very hard over the last year and are very pleased that the Care Inspectorate recognised this and reflected this in our grades.

“We are still on a journey and are excited to continue to develop and enhance the nursery setting and experiences for our children. We would also like to thank all our management and staff for their dedication and hard work over the last year.”

The report noted: “Children had access to the secure garden area and we saw they enjoyed their time outdoors, regardless of the changeable weather.

“They benefited from the very good resources and play experiences on offer, many of which were natural materials and supported open-ended play. This encouraged children to use their imagination, problem solve and to be creative.”

Before the inspection, 30 questionnaires were given to parents, with 14 returned. All parents said they were ‘happy with the quality of care their child receives in the service’.

Other comments from parents included: “My child has a great time at nursery. The staff are caring and know children by name.”

Ward councillor Shamin Akhtar, East Lothian Council’s spokeswoman for education and children’s wellbeing, offered her congratulations to the nursery.

She said: “This was their first inspection report in their new premises and it graded highly for the relaxed and friendly environment that was created for children.

“This is good news for our ward that it has such high-quality children care provision for families in the area.”