Churston Ferrers Grammar School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 16/03/2004 Inspector Name Joanne Aram

p.1

SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Holbrook Playgroup Setting Address North Heath Hall St. Marks Lane Horsham West Sussex RH12 5PU

p.1

REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Holbrook Playgroup Committee

p.1

ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Holbrook Playgroup Committee Address North Heath Hall North Heath Lane Horsham West Sussex RH12

p.1

ORGANISATION DETAILS

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

p.1

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.

p.2

Information about the setting

Holbrook Playgroup provides Sessional care for children aged between two and a half to five years of age. The facility operates within The North Heath Hall which is situated in the Holbrook area of Horsham, which comprises of a medium sized hall, toilet facilities which include facilities for the disabled and a kitchen area. Children also have access to an outside area. The Playgroup is run by a Committee of parents whose children attend the group. The Playgroup provides care for 18 children aged 21/2-5 Years each morning and up to ten children aged just under four to five at the Pre-school sessions, where children build on the knowledge gained at playgroup. Children come from the immediate and surrounding areas and attend a variety of sessions each week. Playgroup opens for 5 mornings a week. Pre-school opens from Tuesday to Friday inclusively. Sessions run from 9.30a.m. to 12.30 p.m. during term time only during

p.2

Information about the setting

Term time only. Staff working within the group hold appropriate qualifications and experience of childcare. All Staff members have First Aid Certificates and have attended Child Protection Training. The Playgroup holds membership of The Pre-School Learning Alliance and The Playgroup Network.

p.2

Information about the setting

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

p.2

How effective is the nursery education?

The provision for nursery education at Holbrook playgroup and pre-school is acceptable and is of a high standard. Children are making very good progress towards the early learning goals. The quality of teaching is very good. Children are becoming independent learners, with good communication skills. Their progress in numeracy is very good. They have a good understanding of the world and are learning skills to enable them to discover more. Children use their imagination well. Staff's knowledge of children's individual needs and abilities, gained informally and by the profiling system ensures that children are happy to learn. They are well supported and challenged by good teaching strategies to meet their full potential. There is good support for children with special educational needs and they are progressing well. Interesting planned activities in line with the children's interests and identified next steps for learning

p.3

How effective is the nursery education?

ensures all children are challenged and making progress in all areas of learning. Management and leadership is very good. The effective strong leadership and teamwork of the four joint supervisors ensures that children are continuously progressing in their learning. Regular staff meetings to plan and evaluate ensure children progress. Relationships between staff and the parent management committee are very good and impact positively on children's learning. Staff have a very good knowledge of the early learning goals and there strong commitment to training ensures there knowledge is kept up to date. An effective staff appraisal system is in place to monitoring staff’s performance but it lacks confidentiality as individual outcomes are discussed in an open meeting. Partnership with parents is very good and impacts positively on the children’s learning. Parents get useful initial and ongoing information about the curriculum to

p.3

How effective is the nursery education?

help them carry learning on at home. Information about children's progress is shared informally and in reports.

p.3

What is being done well?

• Children are able to access a wide range of planned and incidental, activities, indoors and outdoors, both adult directed and child initiated which progress their learning effectively across all six areas of learning in the Foundation Stage. • Children's motivation, interest and enjoyment of all their learning whether it be in adult directed activities or those which they initiate and resource themselves. • Consistently applied rules, routines and procedures, which result in children's good co-operative behaviour.

p.3

What is being done well?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 • Children's appropriate involvement in discussions, especially about past, present and future events in their lives and their involvement in stories to make their own suggestions as to what does or may happen next. • Children's development of writing skills, both conventional and of their own invention in a range of situations. • Children's ability to count accurately and their development of mathematical concepts. • Children's imaginative development, particularly their purposeful role play in a variety of scenarios and small world activities. • Children's development of children's sense of time and place, through talking about past and future events and through visits into the surrounding environment as well as visitors to the group. • Children's impressive manual dexterity in handling a broad range of tools and

p.3

What is being done well?

materials for a variety of purposes. • The development of caring attitudes, with children helping each other to success in activities. They also help adults, take care of the resources and show loving attitudes to their mothers through a Mothers' Day project.

p.4

What needs to be improved?

• confidentiality within the appraisal system.

p.4

What has improved since the last inspection?

Improvement since the last inspection is very good. The key issues from the last inspection were in relation to planning for the development of children's physical skills and the introduction of a staff appraisal system to assist with the monitoring of the provision. Planning for all children in all areas of learning is now very thorough and children are making very good progress in physical development. They are co-ordinated, controlled and safe in movement. They are able to use large and small equipment adeptly. They are aware of changes in their bodies brought about by exercise. They are aware of healthy eating and the importance of hygiene and cleanliness. The children's manual dexterity using a wide range of tools and materials is especially skilful. A staff appraisal system with appropriate forms for completion by staff has been introduced. However the completed forms are then discussed at a general meeting.

p.4

What has improved since the last inspection?

This allows for staff to then have any training needs identified and to be deployed according to their likes, dislikes and special talents and interests. However there is no confidentiality in this system to encourage openness. Building confidentiality into the appraisal system is to be a point for consideration from this inspection.

p.4

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

p.4

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children enter the setting with enthusiasm and settle at their chosen activity. They persevere to complete activities. Children work well in all groupings, taking turns and sharing caringly as on the beam. Children's behaviour is very good. They are appropriately aware of their own feelings and those of others. Children have good personal independence and can choose resources for the activities which they initiate.

p.5

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children are making very good progress in communication, language and literacy. Children are good listeners and communicators. They enjoy and are actively involved in rhymes and stories. They recognise the sounds and shapes of letters accurately. Children enjoy books and stories which they sometimes re-enact accurately like the Red Hen. They recognise their names and some words and phrases. They can write their names and some simple messages. They use their own writing systems well in role play.

p.5

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children recognise numbers to ten and often beyond and are competent in counting in a wide range of situations. They can compare numbers and know which is smaller or larger and can add and subtract small numbers. They use mathematical language to compare size and weight as with playdough. They are very familiar with common shapes which they can name and make into mosaic patterns. Children can recognise and recreate simple patterns and sequence successfully.

p.5

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children's progress in knowledge and understanding of the world is very good. Children investigate with interest and ask appropriate questions. They are learning the skills needed to discover more. They show significant skills in building using a wide range of resources and tools. They are able to use a computer to support their learning in writing. They are developing good senses of time and place and are becoming appropriately aware of their cultures and beliefs, as well as those of others.

p.5

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

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

p.5

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children's physical development is very good. They are confident, co-ordinated, and often imaginative movers with good bodily control and a keen awareness of space. They climb and balance agilely, moving in all directions along a beam. Children show an awareness of their bodily reactions and are aware of healthy eating and cleanliness. Children use a range of large and small equipment well. Children are extremely adept with a large range of tools and materials showing good manual dexterity.

p.6

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children's creative development is very good. They produce good artwork using a mixture of colours, materials and techniques. They join in and enjoy a variety of songs of their choosing and dance imaginatively and rhythmically to taped music. Children are purposefully involved in various role play and small world scenarios and act out stories they know with obvious enjoyment. Children respond well to what they detect through their senses painting mood pictures and smelling biscuits cooking.

p.6

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

p.6

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.

p.7

WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT

There are no significant weaknesses to report, but considerations should be given to improving the following: • Point for consideration : • to incorporate confidentiality into the staff appraisal system. 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.

p.7

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

p.7