The top ten nurseries in Scotland have been revealed in a league table compiled by The Times and The Sunday Times based on Care Inspectorate gradings.
The regulator awards grades ranging from six points for excellent to one point for unsatisfactory. The grades are applied across the four categories of setting, staff, leadership and quality of care, play and learning.
Using official data published by the care regulator, The Times and Sunday Times has published a full Scottish childcare league table. Under the gradings system, the maximum combined points achievable is 24.
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Wellside Kindergarten, a private nursery set in a detached Victorian house in Falkirk, emerged as the best in Scotland in the latest table.
It was the only nursery inspected in the last year that scored top marks for the quality of staff, facilities and leadership as well as care, play and learning.
Only one childcare provider was marked unsatisfactory right across the board in Scotland last year. Touch Trust in Dunfermline - a charity run out of a church hall - had such a bad inspection from the Care Inspectorate it was given until last month to clean up its act or face closure.
Based on the league table, here are the highest ranked nurseries in Scotland:
1. Wellside Kindergarten, Falkirk
Staff at Wellside Kindergarten were surprised when they received one of the best reports ever compiled in Scotland. They earned a grade of six - classed as "excellent" - across the board for its care, play and learning, setting, leadership and staff. They were graded on January 7, 2025. | Google
2. Poppies Pre-School Ltd, Laurencekirk
Poppies Pre-School in Aberdeenshire was also given a rating of six across every category. The nursery say they are advocates of outdoor play and learning. They were graded on May 5, 2023. | Google
3. Lomond School Nursery, Helensburgh
Lomond School Nursery is situated inside the Junior School building. The nursery say that having them in the same building as Primary 1 to 5 classes means "nursery children feel part of the Lomond School family from the very start". They received ratings of 6 across the board and were complimented for their "very nurturing, caring and respectful" staff. The nursery was graded on March 3, 2023. | Google
4. Woodlea Children’s Centre, Dundee
Woodlea Children's Centre was rated given a six rating across all categories with the inspectorate claiming staff were "highly skilled and experienced in meeting the needs of all children and supporting them to progress and achieve". The nursery was graded on February 15, 2023. | Google