Nurtured @ Northfield

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 19/03/2004 Inspector Name Maralyn Chiverton

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name NORTHFIELD UNDER 5`S Setting Address 57 Northfield Lane Wickersley Rotherham South Yorkshire S66 2HL

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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

North field Under Fives Pre- School is a sessional facility, situated in a first floor separate wing of private accommodation in a suburb of Rotherham. The Pre-School has a main playroom with toilet and wash facilities adjoining. On the ground floor is a reception foyer leading to the large secure outdoor play area to the rear of the premises. The pre school serves the local community of Wickersley and provides sessional care every day of the week, 09:15 to 11:45 and 12:15 to 14:45.

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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 Northfield Pre-school is of high quality. Children are making very good progress towards the early learning goals in all six areas. Some children have already achieved some of these goals in personal, social and emotional development where there is strong emphasis. The quality of teaching is very good. Staff have a good understanding and knowledge of the stepping-stones and early learning goals and this allows them to plan an interesting, well-balanced and stimulating range of activities and experiences for children in all six areas of learning. Effective planning incorporates the needs of individual children, and staff use appropriate teaching methods to meet the differing needs of three -and four- year-old children. Staff promote good relationships and have high expectations for behaviour. Staff use observations to assess children's work and extend children's learning through individual play plans.

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How effective is the nursery education?

Leadership and management are very good. Strong leadership by the manager with the support of the nursery owner leads to high quality provision. Leadership and management are committed to continually improving the care and education of the children. There is a strong partnership with parents. They are provided with quality information about the nursery provision. Parents are well informed about their children’s progress, both formally and in-formally and are encouraged to be involved in their children’s learning. Parents are encouraged to share information about their children through an entry booklet, which they complete when their child begins nursery.

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What is being done well?

• The effective leadership and management of the nursery ensures continual high quality. • Staff knowledge and understanding of the early learning goals results in children making very good progress in all six areas of learning through a well-balanced and stimulating range of activities and experiences. • Effective planning and appropriate teaching methods ensure all children’s needs are met. There is strong emphasis on exploring features of living things through planting, looking after the giant snails. Children access a wide variety of tools and materials to join and make models. • There is strong emphasis on personal, social and emotional development results in children being confident, independent, motivated learners who are very well behaved.

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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 are very good between adults and children, staff and parents.

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What needs to be improved?

• Opportunities for children to recognise and name musical instruments. • Opportunities for children to record their findings of differences and similarities.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The setting has extended it's resources to provide more challenging activities for 4 year olds by associating sounds with patterns in rhymes. The setting has introduced props, number rhymes and songs to teach numbers more effectively. The setting has provided greater opportunities for children to investigate how things work.

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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 settled, happy and confident. They relate well to adults and other children are confident speaking in a familiar group, one child talked about his nannan. Their behaviour is very good; they work well independently clearing away after snack time and in small groups. Children are interested in their learning environment, they show involvement in play. They share and take turns.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children interact and negotiate with each other. Children are confident and engage easily in conversation. They listen and respond with enjoyment to stories and enjoy looking at books. Older children are encouraged to recognise their name and some children are very competent in writing theirs. Opportunities for writing for a purpose are available through writing an order for lunch in role-play.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children can count up to ten and beyond. Children learn about shape and space through practical activities, jigsaws. Their understanding of numbers is reinforced as they take part in routine tasks such preparing fruit for snack time. Children are beginning to use mathematical language through play to describe the size and shape of objects. They are able to recognise numbers to ten and are developing addition and subtraction skills through simple sums.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good There are opportunities for children to explore and investigate resulting in children finding out and identifying some features of living things. They look closely at similarities, differences and patterns and are encouraged to discuss why and how things happen but there are limited opportunities to record the findings. Children are beginning to understand about their culture and beliefs and those of others through books, music and planned activities.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good The children have access to a wide variety of tools, which they control and handle safely through planned activities such as model making, planting of seeds. Opportunities for children to develop their skills in physical movement are provided through the use of large equipment and planned musical activities where children demonstrate growing confidence and skill. Children show awareness of the importance of staying healthy.

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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 Children explore media and materials through a good range of opportunities available in the collage area. They express their own ideas, have imagination to confidently engage in role-play and use instruments to explore sounds but have limited understanding of their names.Children recognise how sounds can be changed, match sounds to music and movements to sounds. They move confidently to music and join in with songs and rhymes.

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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: • Points for consideration • The provision of opportunities for children to record their findings. • Provide opportunities for children to recognise and name musical instruments.

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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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