Walkley Junior School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 21/01/2005 Inspector Name Claire, Alexandra Parnell

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Swan Street Pre-School Setting Address 61 Swan Street West Malling Kent ME19 6LW

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name West Malling Baptist Church Address 61 Swan Street West Malling Kent ME19 6LW

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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

Swan street pre-school has been registered since 1997. The pre-school meet in the Baptist Church building in the village centre. The group have access to the main room, a smaller room, the kitchen, entrance hall and rear garden. The group operates five mornings and four afternoons (Tuesday to Friday) each week in term time only. the opening times are 09:15 until; 12:00 and 13:00 until 15:30. There are currently 53 children on role. Of these nine are funded four year olds and 31 are funded three year olds. Four children are attending the group at present who are supported with Special Educational Needs. No children currently attending speak English as an additional language. There are two joint Supervisors who hold an appropriate qualification, and six other members of staff, two of whom have hold appropriate qualifications. One staff member has trained as SENCO. There is on-going support from the PLA and the Advisory teacher from the LEA.

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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?

Swan Street Pre-school is an acceptable provision and of good quality overall. The children are making generally good progress towards the Early Learning Goals with very good progress in Personal,Social and Emotional Development,Communication,Language and Literacy and Creative Development. The teaching is generally good. The staff use effective questioning to extend children's thinking. They are calm and professional in their approach to teaching a varied and purposeful educational programme. They instill positive behaviour in all the children, encouraging respect for one another. The staff have an appropriate knowledge of the Early Learning Goals and implement some differentiation within their practice. There is a supportive system in place to provide individual education for children with special educational needs, taking into consideration advice and support from other professionals and parents. The staff emphasise communication,

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How effective is the nursery education?

language and literacy throughout all planned activities. However, observations of children's achievements have limited referral to the Stepping Stones and Early Learning Goals, therefore there is a limited record of where each child's development is currently at. The leadership and management is very good. The staff team are committed to providing the best service possible. They are willing to take advice and act upon it appropriately. All the staff are actively involved in the evaluation of the educational system and can bring new ideas to discussion. The partnership with parents is very good. The parents are well informed and have a general understanding about the curriculum and the importance of play. They receive regular information either verbally, written or displayed. Some parents receive up to date feedback regarding the development of their child, asking for advice on participating in their child's learning at home. The parents have

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What is being done well?

• The children are welcomed into a warm and friendly environment, where they settle quickly into a known routine. They show caring and respectful relationships towards each other and the staff. They confidently ask for help, or use activities and equipment independently. Children assert themselves in their play, making their feelings known, through role play and creative activities. • The activities provided for the children, have a strong emphasis to encourage all skills in Communication, Language and Literacy. The children mark make freely and independently, confidently making known and unknown marks to represent writing. Most of the children listen intently to stories, showing a keen interest in the text and pictures to follow the story. The children

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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 communicate effectively with all the staff and their peers, with the additional use of gestures and expressions. • The parents play an active part in the group, and contribute to their children's learning. Parents have regular opportunities to discuss their child's development and can view their records at any time. • Effective use is made of the outside area. The children have regular opportunities to use large and small physical equipment, as well as explore the environment of different areas, to discover and investigate the natural world.

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What needs to be improved?

• the links between the observations of children's achievements and the Early Learning Goals and Stepping Stones, to show the children's stage of development • the use of Stepping Stones within the planning of activities to allow further differentiation and assessment of the effectiveness of the activity • the further opportunities for children to use numbers; through counting, using numerals and comparisons, throughout all practical and routine activities • the resources, and understanding to positively implement their use, towards the children's understanding and awareness of other people's culture and ethnicity.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The improvements since the last inspection are limited. The group were given one key issue at the last inspection. This was to find ways to extend children's awareness of other people's culture outside their own immediate experiences. The group have celebrated some cultural festival, but not on a regular basis. There are some positive images of culture displayed in the use of posters and some books. Some staff lack the knowledge and understanding of how to implement this positively and regularly and where to find relevant information. There is a lack of resources and implementation on a daily basis, particularly in the role play activities and in discussion about the children's local and further environments.

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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 The children are interested and confident, and are willing to try new and familiar activities and experiences. They have close relationships with each other in the group, and show care and support for one another and the adults. Most of the children express their opinions freely of what they like and dislike. They confidently build skills in self help by independent toileting, snack times, selecting activities and in their relationships.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Most children have an awareness of their written name and can associate either the full word or the initial letter with their name. Some more able children can link most letters to the sounds and associated objects. They enjoy stories. listening intently, taking in the detail of the picture, in order to retell the story in detail. They communicate confidently either through speech or gestures. Some children with SEN confidently use expressions through support to communicate their opinions.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Some children count confidently up to 10 in adult supported activities. They understand mathematical language used by staff and use it in their play to describe shape, size and amounts. More able children can produce complex patterns, move them and then re-create them. Less able children use support to produce more simplified patterns. However, there are missed opportunities for children to use counting and associated numerals for a purpose in regular, daily routine activities.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children are intrigued and inquisitive. They express their experiences of the environment and show a great respect for it. More able children use familiar technology and show other children how to use it. They have a sense of place, associating local places with their experiences. They can relate to past events, expressing their wish to carry out future events. However, children have limited opportunities to reflect and respect other people's differences, culture and ethnicity on a daily basis.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children have good manipulative skills with both large and small equipment, given the correct procedures in which to use it. Most children have an awareness of space and the need for their own and other people's safety. More able children use complex tools effectively for a purpose, listening to staff for initial support, then carrying out the task independently.

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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 Most children use role play situations to re-live their own experiences acting out familiar people in familiar roles. They experiment with texture and materials to either create pre-planned objects or pictures or spontaneous creations. Some children express verbally, fantasy stories of roles they would like to fulfil, even though they know that it is not possible. Most children have an awareness of rhythm, listening to music, can match the movements and can relate this to feelings and words.

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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 extend the use of Stepping Stones and Early Learning Goals to refer to children's observations, to show their current stage of development. Review the planning of single stepping stones to ensure all children's differing development stages are catered for. • extend opportunities for children to count and use numerals practically and for a purpose, and introduce and implement regular opportunities for all children to experience other people's culture and ethnicity positively.

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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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