The Old School House Montessori Nursery

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 27/01/2005 Inspector Name Bridget Richardson

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name The Old School House Nursery Setting Address The Old School House De Montfort Road Lewes East Sussex BN7 1SP

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REGISTERED PROVIDER 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

The Old School House Nursery opened in 2003 and operates from three rooms of a renovated school building close to the town centre of Lewes. A maximum of 26 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekdays from 08:00 to 18:00 for 51 weeks of the year. All children share access to an outdoor play area. There are currently 45 children aged from 2 to under 5 years on roll. Of these 26 children receive funding for nursery education. Children attending the setting come from the local and surrounding area. The nursery currently supports a number of children with special educational needs, and also supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery employs 8 staff. Six of the staff, including the manager hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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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?

The provision for nursery education at The Old School House Nursery is acceptable and of high quality. It enables children to make very good progress towards the early learning goals in all areas of learning. The quality of teaching is very good and staff interaction with the children is excellent. Staff have a secure knowledge of the individual children and provide activities that meet their needs, however limited opportunities are given to children to sing familiar songs or be independent by pouring their own drinks during snack time. Activities are varied, stimulating, and appropriate for the differing abilities of the children. The emphasis on child-initiated activities is particularly effective in promoting children's learning. Staff provide good support for children and promote their developing communication skills. Children behave well in response to the high expectations and sensitive support of staff.

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How effective is the nursery education?

The accommodation and resources are used well to promote children's learning and to encourage their independence. The daily organisation is flexible to enable staff to take into account children's individual needs. Clear written plans are in place, however focused activities are not evaluated to show if they require adapting or how the activity went. Observations are carried out on children on a regular basis and the assessment system is used to record children's progress and to inform future planning. The leadership and management of the setting is very good. Staff work well together and provide good support to each other. Ongoing staff training and development is encouraged. The group shows commitment to improving its knowledge and practices and regularly evaluates the effectiveness of the provision so that any weaknesses can be addressed. The partnership with parents is very good. Parents receive written information about

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How effective is the nursery education?

the group. They are kept informed about their child's progress and are able to contribute to the learning process.

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What is being done well?

• Children speak clearly and fluently as a result of the staff's consistent interest and engagement in their play and conversations. • Children's knowledge and understanding of the world is very good and activities and resources encourage them to explore and investigate . They talk in detail about themselves and the world around them. • Staff work well as a team to provide an interesting range of activities. They act as good role models for the children and offer them an harmonious learning environment.

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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 • Relationships within the nursery are very good. Staff value every child as an individual and have a good knowledge of each child's personal needs.

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What needs to be improved?

• the development of opportunities for children to sing familiar songs • the evaluation of focused activities • the opportunities for children to pour their own drinks at snack time.

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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 Children are well motivated and enjoy new challenges. They concentrate well at self chosen activities. Staff have established friendly, positive relationships with the children and use praise and encouragement effectively to make all children feel valued. Generally children operate independently and choose freely from the wide range of resources available, however they have limited opportunities at snack time to pour own drinks.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Staff question children effectively encouraging them to think and contribute their own ideas. They enjoy looking at books and listen avidly to stories in both small and large groups. Staff encourage children to participate and predict what will happen next. Children are confident writers. They learn to recognise and write letters during informal and meaningful activities.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children show an interest in number and counting and are beginning to represent numbers in various ways. Staff make good use of routines, activities and free play to introduce mathematical language and to consolidate concepts such as addition and subtraction. Children are confident at naming shapes and are given a range of opportunities throughout the session to describe and talk about them.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Staff provide activities that encourage children to explore and investigate allowing them to talk about themselves and the world around them. Children learn about themselves and the world around them through planned activities and themed topic work. They are confident and are beginning to gain an understanding of everyday technology and resources are available to give children an opportunity to explore.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children understand the importance of keeping healthy and personal hygiene. Topics such as 'all about me' help children understand the need for a balanced diet. An attractive range of large equipment is available to children that provides challenging opportunities for climbing, jumping and balancing. They move confidently on the equipment provided and negotiate space well and manoeuvre confidently around obstacles.

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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 Daily art and craft activities are organised and children are able to choose their own materials to create pictures and models, which challenges all abilities. They are given lots of opportunities to use their imagination to create pictures using a variety of mediums such as chalk, paint, crayons, pencils and spray guns. Children are encouraged by staff to listen to sounds around them and to explore musical instruments, however limited opportunities are given to sing simple songs from memory.

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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: • Continue the development of opportunities for children to sing familiar songs. • Develop the evaluation of focused activities so that it shows how the activity went and any changes that may be required. • Give children opportunities at snack time to pour their own drinks. 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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