Wheldrake with Thorganby Church of England Primary School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 16/03/2004 Inspector Name Jean Ainsworth-Smith

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name St Patrick's Montessori Nursery School Setting Address 91 Cornwall Rd London SE1 8TH

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name Radius Educational Services Limited 02851234

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Radius Educational Services Limited Address St Patricks School 91 Cornwall Road Waterloo London SE1 8TH

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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ABOUT THE INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public that the nursery education for funded three and four year old children is of an acceptable quality. Inspection of nursery education also identifies strengths and weaknesses so that providers can improve the quality of educational provision and help children to achieve the early learning goals (elgs) by the end of the Foundation Stage. This inspection report must be made available to all parents. If the setting has been inspected previously, an action plan will have been drawn up to tackle issues identified. This inspection, therefore, must also assess what progress has been made in the implementation of this plan.

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Information about the setting

St Patrick's Montessori Nursery School opened in Waterloo in 1994. The setting operates from a Victorian infant school building, which has been totally refurbished. The premises comprises of a baby unit, pre-school room, Montessori classroom, children's toilet and washing facilities, staff facilities, office, kitchen and outdoor play area. There are currently 74 children from 3 months to 4 years on roll. This includes 10 funded 3 year olds and 2 funded 4 year olds. The setting currently supports a number of funded childen who speak English as an additional language. None of the childen have special educational needs. The group opens five days a week all year round, except for one week at Christmas. Sessions are from 08:00 to 18:00. Sixteen full time staff work with the children. All have early years qualifications. Six staff are currently on training programmes. The school is accredited by Montessori

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Information about the setting

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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How effective is the nursery education?

St Patrick's Montessori Nursery School offers high quality provision which helps children to make very good progress towards the early learning goals. The quality of teaching is very good. The staff have good knowledge of the stepping stones leading towards the early learning goals, and the principles of Montessori education. They have combined this knowledge effectively to produce a very useful practice document and they plan an interesting and appropriate range of activities to help the children to learn. There are a few missed opportunities for children to write their names on their own pieces of work and to use mathematics spontaneously. There is a good range of equipment and resources, which help to support the children's progress in all areas of learning. The staff are good role models and the children behave well in response to the high expectations of the staff. Staff use observation sheets and recording sheets (based both on the early learning

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How effective is the nursery education?

goals and on Montessori individual learning plans) to check children's progress. This ensures that each child's progress is carefully monitored and recorded, and the information is used to plan for the next stage of their learning. Leadership and management are very good. The school benefits from the good leadership of the manager; the room where the 3 and 4 year olds are accommodated also benefits from clear guidance from the head of room. They both meet on a regular basis to discuss nursery matters and to evaluate the quality of the educational provison. This has a positive impact on the children's learning. There is a good staff team, whose members work well together. The partnership with parents is very good and this contributes to the children's progress towards the early learning goals. Parents feel they are kept well informed about the setting and their children's learning, and that their children are learning in a

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What is being done well?

• Relationships between staff and children and their parents are good. This helps children to develop their confidence and supports all aspects of their learning. • The children are offered a wide range of equipment and activities to promote and support their learning in all areas of the curriculum. • The children are well taught and this has a positive effect upon their learning. The staff are well deployed and they interact very well with each other as well as with the children. • Staff have worked together to produce useful documentation based on the early learning goals and Montessori individual learning plans. This is used

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What is being done well?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 very effectively to check children's progress. • The school is led and managed very well by the manager. The room where the 3 and 4 year olds are accommodated is also very well led by the head of room.

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What needs to be improved?

• further opportunities for the children to write their names on their own pieces of work • further opportunities for spontaneous mathematics in the immediate environment, as situations present themselves.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The setting has made very good progress since the last inspection. There is now very good planning and assessment in place, which includes all six areas of learning. Technological resources are now in place to support the children's learning. Children are able to develop their skills with a range of large and small physical play equipment. There is a very good policy for special educational needs in place; two members of staff now share the responsibility of special educational needs coordinator. This has had a positive impact on the children's learning.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good The children are confident and independent. Their behaviour is very good and they are polite and well mannered. They are very considerate of each other and are able to take turns and to share. They are interested to find out whatever they can, they want to learn and their concentration is very good. They relate well with each other and with adults. They know the difference between right and wrong. They are interested in other customs and cultures.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good The children are given very good opportunities to speak and to take turns when they are speaking. They are encouraged to listen to each other. They are introduced to new vocabulary and are encouraged to try out the new words they have learned. They clearly recognise that print conveys meaning and they have access to a wide selection of books and stories. There are a few missed opportunities for children to write their own names on their own pieces of work.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good The children are given many different opportunities to count and to use and recognise numerals. They are encouraged to find out about shape and size. They have access to very good mathematical resources. Occasionally, there are missed opportunities to use mathematics spontaneously, as situations present themselves.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good The children explore and investigate the world around them, especially through their senses, through a wide variety of media. They design and make many items using many different materials. They look at similarities and differences in the environment. They talk about what they have experienced in the past and are given the opportunity to use different types of technology, for example, cassette players and computers. They are encouraged to become aware of other cultures and beliefs.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good The children have access to, and use, a wide range of large and small equipment. There are very good resources available for them to use. They have many opportunities for practising their large and fine motor skills and they use the equipment confidently and competently. They learn of the need for safety, both for themselves and for others around them. They also learn of the need for hygiene.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good There are very good opportunities for the children to use their imaginations. They clearly enjoy art work, especially when using paint and collage materials. They like to sing and dance, and also to involve themselve in role play. They are very responsive to music, through which they often use movement to express themselves.

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Children's spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development is fostered

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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OUTCOME OF THE INSPECTION

The provision is acceptable and is of high quality. Children are making very good progress towards the early learning goals. The next inspection will take place in three to four years time.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT

There are no significant weaknesses to report, but considerations should be given to improving the following: • There are no significant weaknesses to report, but consideration should be given to improving the following: • offer the children further opportunities for writing their names on their own pieces of work • continue to develop the programme for mathematical development, through the use of spontaneous mathematical opportunities in the immediate environment as situations present themselves.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT

The provider must draw up an action plan within 40 working days of receipt of this report showing how the key issues detailed above will be addressed. The action plan must be made available to all parents and to the Local Authority if required. An evaluation of the action taken will form part of the next inspection of funded nursery education.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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