EDUCATION watchdogs have issued a glowing report card to a centre providing day care for children in Barrhead.

Arthurlie Family Centre was graded as “excellent” for the quality of children’s care and support and “very good” for the quality of staffing.

The hub, in Auburn Drive, is registered to provide a care service for a maximum of 170 youngsters not yet attending primary school.

Officers from the Care Inspectorate who made an unannounced visit in February found children to be “happy, busy and engaged.”

Their report states: “Positive, nurturing relationships had developed between staff and the children, as well as with the children themselves.

“We found the whole staff team were very kind and caring, with respectful approaches observed.”

Inspectors issued 70 questionnaires to parents and carers so they could have their say on the services provided at the family centre.

Around 30 of these were completed and returned before the report was compiled.

The Care Inspectorate said: “Feedback from parents and carers was very positive and wide ranging.”

Under ‘what the service does well,’ the inspectors said planning approaches for children’s care, learning and development ensured they experienced high-quality outcomes.

“Throughout the various indoor and outdoor play sessions we observed, it was clear that children experienced sensitive and respectful caregiving,” they added.

“Children were spoken and listened to in ways that encouraged them to feel valued and included.”

Staff agreed to continue to monitor and review their approaches to ensure opportunities for children to engage in challenging and purposeful play were maximised.

Inspectors found no need to issue recommendations.

A spokesperson for East Renfrewshire Council said: “It’s extremely pleasing to see the excellent work which goes on every day in Arthurlie Family Centre being recognised in this positive report.

“The staff, children, parents and wider community connected to the family centre work hard to enrich the learning experiences of all the children who attend and deserve great credit.

“We will continue to work hard to strive for further improvements and look forward to welcoming our children back to nursery.”