Pipworth Junior School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 18/10/2004 Inspector Name Sue Davey

p.1

SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Magic Roundabout Nursery Setting Address 141 Coronation Road Southville Bristol BS3 1RE

p.1

REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The partnership of Janbarree Ltd 04019536

p.1

ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Janbarree Ltd Address 81 Joel Street Northwood Hills Hillingdon Middlesex HA6 1LL

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

The Magic Roundabout Day Nursery operates from a four-storey Victorian terraced property in Southville, Bristol. The nursery is managed by a company who run three other nurseries in the south east of England. The nursery provides full day care for children aged from birth to five years. The nursery is open from Monday to Friday, between the hours of 07.30 and 19.00. Overnight care is not provided. Children have access to all areas of the building except for the kitchen and staff facilities. There is large rear hard surfaced area, used for outdoor play. The Nursery serves the local community and parents working within the Bristol area. Currently there are 33 children on roll and six are in receipt of nursery education funding. The nursery can support children with special needs and who speak English as an additional language. There is a manager and 8 members of staff, including two deputies. More than half

p.2

Information about the setting

the staff have appropriate qualifications and experience and some are currently working towards an early years qualification.

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?

Magic Roundabout Day Nursery provides acceptable nursery education but has some significant areas for improvement. Children's progress towards the early learning goals is limited by significant weaknesses in the provision although some areas of learning are generally good. The quality of teaching has significant weaknesses, which affects the planning, and implementation of activities. Staff are not fully aware of the different aspects of learning within each of the six areas but are keen to attend training. They manage children's behaviour well and interact with them satisfactorily, although free play is not adequately supported. Staff plan topic based activities which are often too complicated for the children's level of understanding. The new assessment system is not yet used effectively. Leadership and management has significant weaknesses, regarding the learning environment, resources, and monitoring of the provision. There is limited

p.3

How effective is the nursery education?

communication between the nursery and the London head office where financial decisions are made. The manager conducts staff appraisals and organises training as necessary. She holds regular staff meetings and discusses curriculum planning with the deputy manager. Currently there is no formal system to evaluate the effectiveness of the provision of nursery education. However, the manager and staff are keen to improve the service offered and are planning to work towards a recognised quality assurance scheme. The nursery's partnership with parents is generally good. Parents receive clear information about the different areas of learning and regular newsletters keep them updated on future events. Parent's evenings are held twice a year plus 'Fun Days'. Parents are encourage to be involved with their child's learning and a recent 'grandparents day' proved to be very successful. Parents have access to their child's

p.3

How effective is the nursery education?

progress file at any time, however they are not asked to contribute to the overall assessment.

p.3

What is being done well?

• The consistent daily routine helps children to feel secure and gives them a sense of place. • Children are happy, confident and sociable. They enjoy the company of staff and interact well with each other. • Children are valued as individuals and they benefit from a wide range of cultural experiences. • Staff are keen to attend training and improve their skills.

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

p.3

What needs to be improved?

• the knowledge and understanding of all staff working with funded children, about the early learning goals • the effectiveness of assessment to ensure that activities extend children's learning appropriately • the learning environment: (i) to offer children more choice and independence; (ii) to develop their imagination; (iii) to provide greater access to books • the range of resources: (i) to develop their building and design skills; (ii) to encourage early writing skills; (iii) to encourage various investigations and develop understanding of shape, space and measure.

p.4

What has improved since the last inspection?

There are significant weaknesses in the progress that has been made since the last inspection and some key issues remain outstanding. The nursery was asked to: (1) Provide opportunities for children to become familiar with everyday uses of technology and to use some information and communication technology for themselves. There is now a computer in the playroom, which children regularly use. However, further provision is needed to offer children with alternative technological experiences. (2) Provide a wider range of books for children to choose, including those that present positive images of people from different ethnic groups and cultures. There is a reasonable range of books for children, some of which depict a diverse range of people and cultures. However, the books are in a separate room which limits children's access to them. (3) Improve the record-keeping system so that it tracks children's progress towards

p.4

What has improved since the last inspection?

the early learning goals in all six areas of learning. A combination of written observations and a tick list system of recording children's progress has been used until present time. The nursery is currently changing this system to adopt the local authority Child Profile. Staff appear unsure how to use their observations of children to plan the next steps in their learning. (4) Ensure that all staff who work with funded children have a secure knowledge and understanding of the early learning goals. Since the last inspection there have been a number of staff changes including the manager. Not all current staff have a sound understanding of the early learning goals which affects the planning of appropriate activities for children.

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: Generally Good Children are confident and eager to learn. They enthusiastically join in with activities and concentrate well. They are learning to take turns and share, and are generally well behaved, although, some find it hard to listen. Children are reasonably independent but they are limited by the environment. For example, coat hooks and some toys and resources are out of their reach. Children interact well with adults and peers and learn about each other's cultural differences.

p.5

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Children use language to communicate and make their needs known. They listen to stories being read and join in with familiar songs. Children recall past experiences and describe events, such as a trip to the park. They have access to books but only at set points in the day, which curbs any spontaneity. Children use pens and paper to draw, however, the range of writing materials in meaningful situations is limited. There is little emphasis put on linking sounds and letters.

p.5

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Children count by rote and some understand one to one correspondence. They use numbers and shapes in their language and are beginning to recognise and name numerals. Planned activities are satisfactory although staff do not encourage maths during everyday experiences and therefore learning is out of context. Some children are able to form simple repeat patterns. Children have too few opportunities to learn about shape, space or measure, for example, through sand, water or construction play.

p.5

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children explore their local environment through trips to the park, shops or nearby docks. They notice changes such as 'brown leaves are all crunchy'. Activities include children examining fruit and vegetables to discover that some had seeds. They regularly use a computer but there are too few resources with which to explore and investigate such as magnets or mechanical items. Nor is there regular support for children to design and build. Children enjoy the experience of various cultural events.

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: Generally Good Children are physically active. They run, jump, climb and descend stairs and pedal wheeled toys. They practise throwing and catching and use hoops for bowling and skipping. They are developing spatial awareness and can stop or avoid bumping into others. Children use a range of resources requiring eye to hand coordination such as scissors. However, malleable materials or small construction toys are rarely used. Children are aware of their bodily needs and recognise when they are tired or hot.

p.6

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Children explore paint, notice changes in colour and the patterns they make. They draw independently but it often goes unnoticed. Displays show art work that is very adult-directed. Children enjoy singing familiar songs and join in with actions. However, they do not often express themselves through movement or use musical instruments to learn about rhythm. Poor resources limit children's imaginative development and there is little encouragement to extend their interests and ideas.

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 but has some significant areas for improvement. Children's progress towards the early learning goals is limited by some significant weaknesses. The next inspection will take place in one to two years time.

p.7

WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

• develop staff's knowledge and understanding of the stepping stones towards the early learning goals in order to plan appropriate activities for children • make sure that staff use observation and assessment of individual children to plan future activities and extend their learning • improve the setting and resources to provide a stimulating learning environment with accessible materials which offer children more choice and play experiences across all areas of learning.

p.7

WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

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: THE KEY ISSUES

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

p.7