Hemlington Hall Junior School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 25/12/2004 Inspector Name Marilyn Rosemary Peacock

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Eastwood Nursery Setting Address 56 Eastwood Road Goodmayes Ilford Essex IG3 8UU

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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

Eastwood Nursery is situated near to Goodmayes High Road and Barley Lane. The premises is an end of terraced property on two levels consisting of the following accommodation. Ground floor 3 group rooms, kitchen, children's toilets, staff room, door to cellar and outside play area. First floor three group rooms, children's toilets, staff toilets and two offices. The Registered Person has a staff team consisting of two managers, one deputy manager, one supervisor, one senior nursery officer , 17 full or part time staff, who work directly with the children in different roles, and two domestic staff. Over 50% of the staff hold a suitable childcare qualification. The nursery offers French and Dancing lessons and is registered to care for 46 children from one year to five years old. Opening times are from eight am to six pm Monday to Friday, overnight care is not offered.

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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?

Eastwood day nursery enables children to make generally good progress towards the early learning goals. Very good progress is being made in the areas of communication, language and literacy and in children's personal social and emotional development. The programme for children's physical development is also very good with good use being made of the safe outdoor play area to support learning across the curriculum. Generally good progress is being made in children's mathematical and creative development and in their knowledge and understanding of the world. The quality of teaching is generally good overall with some very good features. Staff have a good understanding of the early learning goals but activities are often adult led with a strong emphasis on the end product and does not allow for children's creativity. Staff have very good relationships with children and children are very well behaved. Staff plan a good variety of activities and children are confident and

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How effective is the nursery education?

motivated to learn. However there are insufficient opportunities for children to practice simple calculations, particularly in everyday activities. Assessments and regular observations are used well by the staff to plan the next steps for children's development. Resources are of a good quality and well organised for children's independence. They are sufficient across most areas with the exception of programmable toys and information technology. The leadership and management is generally good. The staff work well together. They are clear about their roles and responsibilities which impacts on the smooth running of the nursery. Informal assessments of teaching are in place but there is no formal way of recording this information or identifying future training needs. The partnership with parents is good. Plans and information are displayed in base rooms. There are good opportunities to talk to staff about the educational

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What is being done well?

• Children's personal, social and emotional development is very good. Children are very well behaved and confident, they show independence and are motivated to learn. • Children's early reading and writing skills are developing well with the help of the home reading programme. Children know the names and sounds of letters and many can write letters accurately. • Relationships between staff and children are very good. Staff know the children well and plan activities that interest them. Planning is informed by regular observations of children's progress within the early learning goals.

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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 • Use of the outdoor play area is often planned and is used well by staff to support learning across all early learning goals

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What needs to be improved?

• children's access to programmable toys and information technology to support all areas of learning • staff's understanding of creativity and opportunities for children to express their own ideas and feelings through creative activities • assessment of the quality of teaching to review practice and identify training needs • opportunities for children to practice problem solving and to make simple calculations in everyday activities.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The setting has made good progress on most issues from the last inspection. The nursery has developed effective systems which detail children's achievements and their developmental progress. Planning has been extend to cover all areas of learning and good balance has now been achieved. Information to parents has been reviewed and updated to give parents a comprehensive view of the nursery provision. Some progress has been made towards ensuring children have opportunities to think and express themselves by providing unguided play sessions, however this still remains an issue in the programme for children's creative development.

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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 making very good progress in personal, social and emotional development. Children are very well behaved they know right and wrong. They share and take turns and have excellent relationships with each other and the staff. They are confident in their surroundings, relaxed and motivated to learn. They show independence and concentrate well at tasks and activities.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children are making very good progress in this area. Children are confident speakers and have wide vocabularies. Most are becoming confident readers helped by the home reading scheme. Children use books well to support all areas of learning. Story time is well led. Staff create good opportunities for children to sound out letters of the alphabet and to name letters. Some children can confidently write their name and the name of other children in the nursery. when making greetings cards.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Generally good progress is being made by children in this area of learning. Most children can confidently count to 10 and above. They recreate mathematical patterns and record numbers in activities. The outside play area is used effectively to develop children's understanding of number. Good displays and labelling helps with number recognition. There are limited opportunities for children to add and subtract or to use mathematical ideas to solve problems particularly in everyday tasks.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children are making generally good progress in this area. They are learning about different cultural and religious events when celebrating Diwali and Chinese New Year. Similarities and differences are compared when cooking and looking at animals and where they live. Resources to build and construct are used effectively to support children's skills of design and construction. There are few opportunities for children to use information technology and programmable toys to support their learning.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children are making very good progress in this area. Children use a range of small tools and equipment confidently to support their learning when making holiday pictures and fruit and vegetables. They demonstrate a good understanding of keeping healthy and healthy eating. When using the outdoor play space children are learning balance, spacial awareness and co ordination.

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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 are making generally good progress in their creative development. They explore colour and texture using a variety of materials. They have good opportunities to use their senses when cooking and tasting fruits. Children respond to music and enjoy participating in creative dance activities. However there are few opportunities for children to express own ideas and feelings creatively.

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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

• Provide more opportunities for children to practice problem solving including simple addition and subtraction. • Extend opportunities for children to use programmable toy's and information technology to support their learning. • Introduce a system to monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching and to identify training needs. • Provide more opportunities for children to develop their own ideas and feelings creatively.

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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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