STAFF from an Irvine nursery have come in for praise following a visit by an industry watchdog.

The Care Inspectorate hailed Burnside House Nursery in a positive report published this week following an unannounced visit to the Kilwinning Road establishment in August.

The report highlighted that staff were "kind, caring and nurturing" as the child day care service was given 'good' ratings across four assessed areas - with regards to staff, leadership, their setting and care, play and learning.

During the inspection, the watchdog spoke with 11 children using the nursery, as well as five of their families. They also interacted with staff and management while the observed their practices.

The evaluation of good, the third highest rating the Care Inspectorate can give, means that the Irvine nursery showed a number of important strengths which clearly outweigh areas for improvement.

The report explained: "Children were happy, safe and secure in the care of staff who knew them well. Staff had formed positive relationships with children and were responsive to their emotional and wellbeing needs.

"When children needed comfort or reassurance, staff were kind, caring and nurturing, ensuring their needs were met.

"They listened to children and respected their choices and wishes, for example, asking children for permission to help with their personal care.

"Staff were developing as a team following recent recruitment of new staff. The manager had worked well to provide stability to the service and was supporting staff to form as a new team.

"The management team was committed to improving the quality of the service and had identified areas for improvement."

This latest report continues a trend of improvement for the team at Burnside House who had previously received weak ratings from the watchdog.

A report of this nature was published in early-2022 however findings since have seen significant development.