St Jude's Church of England Primary School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 12/03/2004 Inspector Name Sandra Soper

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Montpelier Community Nursery Setting Address 115 Brecknock Road London N19 5AH

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name Camden Community Nurseries Limited 02575796 1002534

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Camden Community Nurseries Limited Address 99 Leighton Road London NW5 2RB

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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

Montpelier Nursery is one of four settings run by Camden Community Nurseries. It is situated in North London in a single storey purpose built building and comprises of one large room divided into separate play areas. There is also an outdoor play area, to which the children have regular access. The nursery is open for five days a week from 09.00 to 17.00, during term times only. There are currently 17 children on roll between the ages of 2 and 5 years, most of whom are from the local community. This includes four funded 4-year-olds and six funded 3-year-olds. None of the children have special educational needs. The setting currently supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language. There are three members of staff, all of whom work full time.

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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 nursery provision at Montpelier is of a high quality. All children make very good progress towards the early learning goals in all six areas of learning. The quality of teaching is very good. Staff have a sound understanding of the stepping stones and early learning goals, and use this knowledge well to plan an interesting range of activities that extend children's learning in all areas. The programme for communication, language and literacy is very good, although it would be further enhanced through the provision of more opportunities for children to write in role play areas. Staff effectively and regularly use assessments of children's progress to ensure that activities provide a good level of challenge for all children. Staff provide good role models for the children and have high expectations for their behaviour. They use a range of effective teaching methods to promote children's learning. They explain clearly and ask good open ended questions to encourage the

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How effective is the nursery education?

children to think for themselves. Good use is made of resources and accommodation, and children are grouped effectively. Staff encourage the children to use all five senses to explore the world around them and organise stimulating activities such as trips and outings to develop their learning. Leadership and management are very good. There is a shared commitment to ongoing improvement of the educational programme. Staff work well together as a team, communicate with one another effectively and make good use of informal and formal opportunities to evaluate the provision for nursery education. They use staff meetings to identify the nursery's strengths and any areas for improvement. The partnership with parents and carers is very good. Parents are kept well informed about their children's progress and are encouraged to contribute to the life of the nursery. There is effective two way communication and parents are highly satisfied

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What is being done well?

• The programme for personal and social development is very good. The children are independent and outgoing but also caring and mindful of one another. They are well on the way to becoming independent learners. • Staff encourage the children to talk with confidence and listen well. They are interested in books of all kinds and in writing for a variety of purposes. • There are very good opportunities for children to develop an interested in numbers and counting, and to solve simple mathematical problems. They show great concentration when working in small groups. • The programme for knowledge and understanding of the world encourages children to make good progress. The children are interested in the world

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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 around them and the people in it, and are keen to talk about the trips they have been on and the pets they look after. • Staff planning is comprehensive and clear and all staff understand what is to be learned from an activity.

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What needs to be improved?

• more opportunities and resources for children to use writing in role play areas.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The setting has made very good progress since the last inspection. Staff were required to review planning, to include all six areas of learning. Planning has been completely revised since the last inspection. In short, medium and long term plans, all six areas of learning are now covered well. Staff were further required to make sure that monitoring and assessment covered all six areas of learning. Monitoring now covers all six areas of learning and assessment sheets now provide a clear picture of the children's progress through all six areas.

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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 outgoing, and are well on their way to becoming independent learners. They are also mindful of one another and polite to adults. Older children often help younger ones with tasks and activities. They show personal independence in dressing and undressing, and in selecting suitable resources. They learn about their own and other cultures through the exploration of festivals.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good The children are interested in reading and writing. They are confident in speaking aloud and are attentive listeners to adults and to each other. They know a good selection of well known rhymes and stories and join in with enthusiasm and enjoyment They have access to well stocked book corners and these are used well by individual children and by groups. They have good opportunities to link letters to sounds and can write their own names with confidence.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good The children are interested in counting and in numbers, and have good opportunities to solve simple mathematical problems in everyday situations such as snack time and lining up. They use mathematical language accurately and talk about the activities as take part in them. There are good opportunities for comparing numbers in activities such as using the height chart and comparing the length of snakes.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good There are many stimulating activities on offer to develop the children's knowledge and understanding of the world. Children learn to work things out for themselves and make good use of technology to support their learning. Through activities such as trips to local places of interest, the children are developing a sense of the wider community. They have good opportunities to look after pets and to discover some of the features of living things.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good There are excellent resources and activities for the children to develop both small and large motor skills. They demonstrate good co-ordination when using the climbing frame and balancing equipment. When sitting together on the mat, they show an awareness of space. The children have many opportunities to learn about healthy living. They choose and handle a variety of tools with increasing control. For example, they cut and roll out malleable materials to make animals.

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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 many well planned activities to encourage creative development. The children paint, sing and make models. They use their imagination well in role play areas. There are regular movement and dance sessions, which the children join in with enthusiasm. The lively displays show that they handle colour and texture with confidence. They are encouraged to use their imagination in many ways.

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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; however, consideration should be given to improving the following: • provide increased resources and more opportunities for the children to take part in writing in role play areas.

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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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