Crosfield Nursery School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 03/02/2003 Inspector Name Linda Janet Witts

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SETTING DETAILS

Setting Name Alderton Playgroup Setting Address Alderton Village Hall Tewkesbury Gloucestershire GL20 8NT

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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

Alderton Playgroup offers sessional day care for a maximum of 26 pre-school children aged between two-years-nine months and five years of age. There are currently 19 children attending the playgroup, of whom three, four-year-olds and seven, three-year-olds have funded places. There are no children attending who have English as an additional language or special educational needs. They are open Monday to Thursday from 9.30 a.m. to midday, during term time. Children currently attending live either within Alderton or the surrounding villages. Alderton is to the east of Tewkesbury. It is a small, village with a post office, village hall, school and church. The playgroup has links with both the school and church. The playgroup operates from the village hall, using the main hall, small room, kitchen, toilets and garden. A team of four staff are employed by the voluntary management committee, of whom three are usually present at each session. They are supported by parents

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Information about the setting

on rota duty. The group receive teacher support from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.

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How effective is the nursery education?

Children attending Alderton Playgroup are making very good progress towards the early learning goals in all six areas of learning. The playgroup demonstrates many strengths and there were no weaknesses noted in the educational programme. Teaching is very good and staff support the children very well as they play and learn. Staff demonstrate a clear understanding of the early learning goals. They have detailed planning and assessment systems set up and make excellent use of questioning to extend the children's thinking. For example, during the inspection the children were asked who would they need to get to look after a sick dog, where the vet lived and what he looked like. Leadership and management of the playgroup is very good. There is close co-operation between the playgroup committee, staff and parents, who all take pride in the playgroup. Even better support could be made of rota parents with shared learning objectives for free-choice activities made available.

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How effective is the nursery education?

Staff and committee members are committed to ongoing training and there are good systems in place for self-assessment. All are committed to maintaining the high standard they have attained. Partnership with parents is very good. Parents are provided with very good, clear, information allowing them to feel involved with their child's education and aware of progress made. Parents share information with the playgroup before their child begins by filling in an information form regarding their child's likes, dislikes and abilities. They also contribute to ongoing assessments made by the staff to support the children to make progress.

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What is being done well?

Children develop very good relationships with both staff and other children. They are independent and motivated to learn. Children behave very well and staff actively involve them in discussions relating to acceptable behaviour. When a child was stopped from running around the hall the staff stopped the whole group and discussed why children must not run. Children offered reasons such as they might break something or they might hurt someone. Staff use excellent questioning techniques to extend children's thinking and problem solving skills. Time is allowed for children to think before responding. Staff listen carefully to the children, valuing their ideas and comments. For example during imaginative play staff asked questions such as "What should we do to keep him warm, or cool?". Children have many opportunities through planned, free choice and spontaneous activities to investigate, explore and create. Good use is made of the garden and local

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What is being done well?

environment where children can become involved in growing plants, observing nature and feeding birds. Children's development in music and creative development is well supported through staff-directed and free-choice activities. Children recognise musical instruments and play them with control, accompanying songs loudly and softly as required. Staff encourage children to count throughout the session and introduce mathematical language relating to size, shape and measurement through play activities. For example when building the train track children were encouraged to count carriages and discussed making the train longer or shorter. Staff work closely with parents to meet the needs of the children, effectively sharing information when they first join and throughout their time at the playgroup.

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What needs to be improved?

No significant weaknesses were noted, but further consideration could be given to: parent's awareness of objectives for free-choice activities. the provision of a wider range of opportunities for children to explore technology.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Very good progress has been made since the last inspection. The playgroup was asked to improve the programme for physical development and there are now daily opportunities for children to climb and balance in the 'active' area. Staff produce layout diagrams for the physical play. These change daily to encourage different movement and physical challenges. Rota parents are asked to encourage a range of movements from the children while they are using the apparatus. They were also asked to further develop written plans to include staff deployment and clear objectives for activities. The plans now include staff and rota parent deployment on a daily basis. Topic plans show clear objectives for activities and individual children are well supported to make progress in their learning.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Progress in personal, social and emotional development is very good with children forming good relationships with adults and children when playing and working together. They co-operate with each other, taking turns and sharing as seen when joining in with board games and in imaginative play. They are able to sit quietly and patiently during story and registration, responding to instructions about daily activities. Children are encouraged to make decisions and choices and to share ideas.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children are making very good progress in communication, language and literacy. Opportunities are provided for children to communicate and express themselves. Staff join in enthusiastically with role play, taking part in pretend telephone conversations. Children communicate clearly and are encouraged through careful, questioning to think and problem solve. Children listen well to stories and instructions. They link sounds to words and write recognisable, correctly-formed letters.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Progress in mathematical development is very good. Staff utilise opportunities for the children to count and calculate items through play activities, snack time and registration. Children recognise shapes, position, size and quantity with confidence. Willow pattern plates involved pattern matching, position and shape recognition as the children used the potato prints. Questioning is used very effectively to extend the children's thinking and encourage problem solving skills.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children are making very good progress. They enjoy using their senses to explore and investigate objects and materials. The local area is used well as a resource for investigations, planting growing and observing. Children demonstrate an understanding of time and are able to recall events from the past such as last summer's plants. Children build and design confidently, selecting correct resources and tools. They use some technology to support learning and staff plan to develop this further.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Progress in physical development is very good. Children move carefully and competently. Staff provide daily access to a range of large and small equipment to support physical development. Staff plan different layouts for the physical-play area to encourage different forms of movement such as climbing, throwing, sliding, balancing, pedalling. Children show understanding of safety through their response to well-structured questioning, for example "Why shouldn't we run around at playgroup?"

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Progress in creative development is very good. Children use their imagination well. They join in enthusiastically with music, art and craft. Staff support learning with excellent questioning to extend ideas, such as when in the 'hospital'. Staff plan and provide good resources for a wide range of free, and staff-directed, creative activities, including painting to music. Children sing songs and rhymes from memory. They name and play percussion instruments to accompany songs.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Children's spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development is fostered appropriately: Y

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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

Points for consideration: develop information for rota parents so that they are able to understand the purpose for the free-choice activities. develop a wider range of opportunities for children to explore technology.

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