Holmbridge Pre-School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 26/01/2005 Inspector Name Marilyn Ashley

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Holmbridge Pre-School Setting Address Holme Band Room Woodhead Road, Holmbridge Huddersfield West Yorkshire HD9 2SA

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Holmbridge Pre School 1036859

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Holmbridge Pre School Address Holme Band Room Woodhead Road, Holmbridge Huddersfield West Yorkshire HD9 2SA

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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

Holmbridge Pre-school opened in 1970. It operates from Holme Band Room in the village of Holmbridge. The group has access to a foyer, toilets, a large room, kitchen and an outdoor play area with storage facilities. The group serves the needs of the surrounding rural villages. A maximum of 24 children may attend the setting at any one time. The playgroup opens on Monday to Friday mornings in term time only. Sessions are from 09:30 to 12:00 and children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 24 children attending of whom 14 are receiving nursery education funding. Four staff work with the children, two of whom have a level three early years qualification and one of whom holds a level two. The setting receives support from an advisory teacher from the Kirklees Early Years Service.

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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?

Holmbridge Pre-School provides good quality nursery education overall which enables children to make generally good progress towards the early learning goals. The quality of teaching is generally good. Staff know the children well and are supportive of their individual needs. Good relationships are formed and staff manage the children well. They have clear expectations of their behaviour and the children respond. Staff make good use of their time and are well deployed. They provide an interesting indoor learning environment, but children's free access to resources to develop their own learning is not sufficient. Interesting activities are planned but are not always sufficiently extended to challenge the more able, particularly in literacy and mathematical development. Staff develop children's language and question the children well to extend thinking and understanding. The outdoor area is used to develop children's skills but children's learning opportunities are not maximised. Staff

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How effective is the nursery education?

observe and assess children's learning against the stepping stones and early learning goals but this is not, as yet, sufficiently effective to inform the next steps of learning to ensure the progress of all children and challenge of the more able. Leadership and management is generally good. There is a supportive committee of parents. The setting is well led by the supervisors through a collaborative approach and the staff work well as a team. They discuss and are committed to the development of the setting. There is not as yet a system to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the setting. Partnership with parents is generally good. Staff form good relationships with the parents who speak well of the setting. Parents are well informed about the provision and information on children's progress is shared informally. Parents,however, are not involved sufficiently in their children's learning and do not contribute to their

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What is being done well?

• Children are interested in new activities and are excited and willing to participate. They are becoming independent and are taking care of their own needs. • Good relationships are formed with parents and carers and staff are supportive of their needs. Parents speak well of the setting and its warm and relaxed atmosphere. • Staff know the children well and value them as individuals. • Staff make good use of support materials and transportable display boards to interest children and to extend their knowledge and understanding of the world around them.

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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

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What needs to be improved?

• the observation, planning and recording of children's learning • the involvement of parents and carers in their children's learning and records of achievement • the opportunities for children to select their own resources in order to promote their self chosen learning • the opportunities for the more able to explore writing and write for a purpose and to explore and represent numbers and develop their problem solving skills • the opportunities for children to express and communicate their thoughts, ideas and feelings.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Generally good progress has been made since the last inspection. Staff have extended the planning of the Knowledge and Understanding of the World area of development which was key issue in the last inspection. Staff use the local area to enable children to investigate first hand its features and people. Outings are now planned, with support from parents, to places of interest within walking and travelling distance. They visit woods, a farm and use the local bus. Interesting visitors such as a lady who owns a snake, have enhanced children's understanding of the care of living things. Finding and looking at minibeasts has extended children's natural curiosity. Support materials have enabled children to search for information to extend their knowledge. Opportunities, particularly for the more able, to record their discoveries are still not sufficient to extend children's emerging skills. Finding out about the lives and cultures of others, a second key issue, has increased

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What has improved since the last inspection?

children's understanding. They are beginning to explore different cultures through a range of materials, festivals and tasting a variety of different foods. Having a visit from a gentleman with a guide dog enabled the children to think about how other people live their lives. Children are now exploring and listening to music and have an increased repertoire of songs, often linked in with the theme. Staff encourage children to move to music in a variety of ways. They are increasing their knowledge and expertise through support and training. The brochure for parents and carers has been updated to enhance their understanding of the learning programme, but is still not sufficiently detailed to help them understand the Foundation Stage' stepping stones and early learning goals and how their children develop and progress. The parents do not access the planning, are not sufficiently involved in their children's learning or regularly share

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What has improved since the last inspection?

and contribute to the records of achievement.

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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 Children are interested, excited and willing to try new activities. They take care of their own needs and are becoming independent. Children are encouraged to behave well and are beginning to take turns and share fairly with support. Good relationships are formed with staff who understand their individual needs. They concentrate and are beginning to listen and respect the needs of others. Opportunities to select resources to develop their self chosen learning are not extended sufficiently.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children enjoy and join in with stories and rhymes. They talk readily with staff who extend their thinking about the jungle animals. They are beginning to explore print in the environment through a good range of stories and information supporting the jungle theme. Children have opportunities to explore writing for a purpose in their play, such as making appointments. These are not extended sufficiently in role play and everyday play activities, both indoors and out, to challenge the more able.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children enjoy number rhymes and songs and are beginning to sort and count and some to count reliably to ten. They compare size and quantity through talk and making clay snakes. Interesting materials and activities, linked to the theme, enable children to explore and talk about pattern. Children look at shapes and are beginning to use and recognise them. Opportunities to explore/represent numbers and to solve problems in everyday play activities, to challenge the more able, are not maximised.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Staff use the local area to increase children's knowledge of the woods and farm and arrange interesting visitors such as a snake and dentist. Children talk readily about themselves as babies, their own families and those of others. They use the computer with confidence. Children are beginning find out about the different lives and cultures of others. They build confidently with construction kits but opportunities to make and design, to extend their self chosen learning, are limited.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children move confidently and safely around an exciting jungle obstacle course. They negotiate the small outdoor space well and are becoming considerate of the needs of others. Interesting activities, such as moving like jungle animals, enable children to explore the movement of their bodies. They explore malleable materials with increasing skill and control. Planned opportunities for children's to use tools and equipment independently to increase their skills and co-ordination are insufficient.

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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: Generally Good Children enjoy songs and rhymes. Staff enable children to listen to a range of music, often to support the theme, and to make their own music. They explore movement to music. Interesting activities are set up for children to develop their imaginative skills, but are not maximised sufficiently to challenge and extend the more able. Children explore a range of media and materials, but opportunities are not planned sufficiently to enable them to freely express their thoughts, ideas and feelings.

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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 good quality overall. Children are making generally 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: THE KEY ISSUES

• further develop the observation, planning and recording of children's learning, linked to the stepping stones and early learning goals, to inform future planning and to ensure the progress of all children and the challenge of the more able • increase the opportunities for children to select their own resources in order to develop and extend their self chosen learning • extend the planned opportunities for children, particularly the more able, to freely express their ideas, thoughts and feelings through a wide range of materials, tools and imaginative play • extend the involvement of parents and carers in their children's learning and records of achievement.

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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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