Ridgeway Under Fives Pre-School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 17/11/2004 Inspector Name Lynne Moodie

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Ridgeway Under Fives Pre-School Setting Address Main Road Ridgeway Sheffield South Yorkshire S12 3XR

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Ridgeway Under Fives 1031878

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Ridgeway Under Fives Address Ridgeway Sports and Social Centre Main Road Ridgeway, Sheffield S12 3XR

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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

Ridgeway Under Fives Pre-school was registered in 2001. It operates from the main room of the village sports and social centre. The group has access to toilets, kitchen and a hard and grassed outdoor area. There are currently 38 children aged between two years nine months and five years-of-age on roll. Of these, 17 three-year-old and 11 four-year-old children are in receipt of funding. There are no children attending the setting at present who have been identified as having special educational needs or who speak English as an additional language. The group is open for five sessions each weekday morning during school term times, from 09.30hours 12.00 hours. Children attend for a variety of sessions throughout the week and are mainly drawn from families who live in the local area. There are eight permanent members of staff who work with all the children. Four members of staff have recognised child care

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Information about the setting

qualifications and one is currently undertaking training. The group is managed by a committee. It benefits from the support of the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership. There is an associated toddler group.

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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?

Ridgeway Under Fives Pre-school provides a colourful environment for the children's education. Their progress towards the early learning goals has significant weaknesses overall. In the areas of personal and social development and physical and creative development however, their progress is generally good. The quality of teaching has significant weaknesses. The staff's knowledge and understanding of the early learning goals is generally good .They know the children well and are able to extend children's learning through skilled use of questioning. This works well in the short term. Weakness in planning, assessment and the use of time means that they do not promote effective teaching, enabling children to work systematically towards the early learning goals. Older children are not challenged effectively. This often leads to restless and noisy behaviour disturbing the other children. The assessments do not identify the next steps for their learning or inform

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How effective is the nursery education?

the planning for children to be taught in groups according to their individual attainment. There is an imbalance in the use of time for activities chosen by the children and those directed by the staff.. Leadership and management have significant weaknesses. The leader has built a team who are committed to professional development. They communicate well during the pre-school sessions. She has not however, implemented a system for monitoring the children's progress or for evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the setting's provision. The key issues identified in the last report have not been addressed and have not therefore, improved the quality of learning. The partnership with parents is generally good. Parents appreciate the friendly and welcoming discussions with staff about their child's progress. They take part in visits made by the setting such as to the library. They do not however, receive sufficient

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How effective is the nursery education?

information about the formal educational provision provided by the setting.

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What is being done well?

• The staff know the children well. They are able to support the children's learning through engaging them in conversation during some informal and planned activities. • The staff provide interesting experiences for the children to explore and investigate the features of living things. • The planning procedure gives regular opportunities for the children to further their physical development and to extend their creativtity through a range of interesting activities.

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What needs to be improved?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 • the planning of the curriculum • the assessment of the children's attainment and progress • the balance between directed and non-directed activities • the opportunities for children to routinely see positive images of people from other countries • and beliefs, those of different gender and with different abilites • the information given to parents with regard to the early learning goals and stepping stones.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Progress since the last inspection has significant weaknesses. There are now opportunities for children to sit quietly and listen but weakness in managing the children's behaviour means that it is often difficult for all the children to pay attention. The planning procedure does not organise appropriate groupings for children to develop specific skills in communication, language and literacy and in mathematical development. This key issue has been incorporated in a key issue identified in this report. These weaknesses mean that the children's steady progress towards all the early learning goals has not been improved.

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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: Generally Good There are many opportunities for children to make good relationships with staff and other children through the use of many interesting activities using high quality resources. They share equipment fairly and take turns such as when using the computer. When older children are not challenged sufficiently their noisy and restless behaviour affects the learning of the whole group. Some opportunities to develop independence are missed when staff peel satsumas for the children at snack time.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Through talking to staff and children at snack times and during activities, the children are encouraged to develop their language for communication. They talk about their favourite breakfast and fruit such as kiwi fruit, apples and pears. The planning does not ensure that linking sounds and letters, reading, writing and handwriting are taught sufficiently often through carefully planned and directed activities. The children are not taught in groups according to their individual attainment.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses The children are encouraged to look at the numbers on the carpet and they count the number of children and staff present each day. Many free-choice activities are planned to promote the teaching of numbers. Children count the fruit in their reading book. Opportunities for children to learn to add and subtract are missed at snack time when staff put out the correct number of chairs and plates. There are too few planned activities for children to learn about shape, space and measure.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Through learning about their senses by using a 'feely' bag, tasting biscuits they have made and listening to sounds they make using musical instruments, the children are learning to explore and investigate objects and materials. They go for autumn walks to collect leaves and visit a farm shop to look at vegetables such as carrots with soil on them. There are too few opportunities for the children to learn about a sense of time through finding out about past and present events in their own lives.

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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

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good The staff provide opportunities for the children to develop movement with control and coordination. The children climb on the climbing frame and use the slide and rope frame. They travel around, under, over and through balancing and soft equipment such as the tunnel and cube. They learn about their own health by eating fruit and drinking milk or water at snack times and wrapping up warmly when they go out in cold weather. Weakness in planning means that resources are often used recreationally.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good The children explore media and materials when they mix paint with a variety of brushes. They make three-dimensional models such as a robot and a tower using re-cycled boxes. The children explore texture by feeling foam toys and rollers and bursting the bubbles on bubble-wrap packaging material. They play with dinosaurs using paper 'straw' and cornflakes. Reliance on free choice activites means that not all children experience all activities.

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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 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.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

• continue to develop the present assessment procedure so that it includes all the early learning goals, shows the next steps for the children's learning according to their individual skills, knowledge and experience and share information with parents • continue to develop the formal planning procedure so that it is informed by the assessments, includes all the early learning goals on a more frequent basis, shows the deployment of staff and shows how the children will be taught in groups according to their individual skills, knowledge and experience • improve the balance between activities directed by the staff and those chosen by the children.

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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.

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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

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