Honeypot Under 5's Centre

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 20/01/2005 Inspector Name Susan, Helen Spencer

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Creche Day Care, Full Day Care Setting Name Honeypot Under 5's Centre Setting Address Weeton Army Camp Minden Road Weeton Preston PR4 3JQ

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Honeypot Pre-School Address Weeton Army Camp Minden Road Weeton Preston PR4 3JQ

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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

Honeypot Under Fives Centre incorporates a full day care pre-school for thirty children aged two to five years. There is also a crèche facility which is Sessional that caters for nine children aged up to two years The Centre is situated within Weeton Army Barracks and the pre-school is located at Minden Road opposite Weeton Primary School. All staff at both sites are either Qualified or working towards qualifications in Early Years. There is a Childcare Practice Manager who has overall responsibility of both sites. There is secure outdoor play area at both sites There is currently one child with special educational needs in the crèche and two children within the pre-school. There are currently no children who are attending for whom English is an additional language. There are currently 18 children in receipt of funding. The Centre has support from the EYDCP.

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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 provision for nursery education at Weeton Army Camp is generally good. It enables children to make very good progress towards the early learning goals in their personal, social and emotional development, their knowledge and understand of the world and in their physical and creative development. Children make generally good progress in the areas of communication, language and literacy and in their mathematical development. The quality of teaching is generally good. Teachers have very good relationships with the children and this leads to their good behaviour. Some very good planning procedures are established. Teachers plan work for children of different ability and later review its success. They are able to do this because good assessment procedures enable them to use the information gathered about children to plan their next stage of learning. However, there are weaknesses still to be addressed in

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How effective is the nursery education?

planning and teaching. They include the need to make better use of opportunities to develop children's recognition of letter sounds. There is also the need to provide appropriate resources so that children can independently develop both their mathematical skills and mark making skills when they are playing. Leadership and management is generally good. The manager and her deputy together with the committee and its able chairperson have a established a clear action plan for development. Day-to-day management is smooth and efficient. All assosciated adults share a commitment to raise standards. The senior management team have not yet established strategies sufficiently rigorous to ensure areas of weakness in learning are quickly identified and improved.

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How effective is the nursery education?

Partnership with parents is very good. They appreciate all the nursery offers. That is, the good management of the nursery, how staff are kind and friendly to their children, the regular and very good quality information they receive, as well as valuable information about their children's progress.

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What is being done well?

• Staff are very kind and caring. Relationships are very good and this leads to the children's good behaviour. • The generous ratio of staff provides very good opportunities for children to share time with adults. As a result children have developed very good listening skills and their speech is good. • Children's physical skills are very well promoted through good provision of resources and well planned activities. • Parents are very happy with the provision offered. They appreciate the good information they receive about the nursery and the progress their 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 make.

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What needs to be improved?

• opportunities across all areas of learning to extend children's knowledge and recognition of letter sounds • resources to enable children to further develop their individual mathematical skills and their mark making skills.

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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 On arrival at nursery, children confidently and quickly settle with their friends.Throughout the day they show good concentration and sustain an interest in what they are doing. Relationships through the nursery are very good and children are well behaved. Children collaborate well. They share and tidy up. Social skills are good so that they use their manners at snacks and willingly offer help. All manage aspects of personal hygiene and are eager to manage their own change of footwear for games.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children listen very well to adults and other children. Their verbal responses are good. Children love looking at books and listening to stories, especially in the adjacent school library. They learn and know some letter sounds but its range is in need of extending. Most recognise their name and some write its initial letter. However, children do not practise enough at making marks independently.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children's counting and matching skills are good. They effectively practise them at registration. The older children can add on one or two more. When playing they use a wide range of mathematical words such as higher or longer. Children recognise and name several, regular 2-dimensional shapes and they enjoy weighing activities. Children do not sufficiently extend their knowledge and understanding of mathematics in play because resources, such as, tapes, money and measures are not provided.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children have a very good knowledge of weather changes and its effect on plants and trees through the seasons. They explain the workings of the lift and car wash on the garage. Children build tall towers and other interesting creations. Their sense of chronology and time is extended by comparing family ages and they break up the day into appropriate sections such as snacks, hometime and bedtime. Children talk about celebrations they have experienced, for example Bonfire Night and Christmas.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children make very good use of space, observe safety instructions and are confident when performing. They are well coordinated in their movements so that they run, jump and climb very well. They show good balance on bucket stilts or when walking across raised blocks. Children understand aspects of body health and hygiene such as eating good foods, cleaning teeth and washing hands. They show good control when handling small tools such as scissors or sticking small pieces of paper together.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children have a good knowledge of colour and they enjoy experimenting by mixing and blending paint, sometimes with other media. When making collages, children select their own papers and materials Singing is tuneful, words are well known and they request their favourite songs. Children provide good accompaniment through percussion instruments. They play softly and loudly and keep relatively good time. Children often show good imagination in play, especially when dressing up and involving others.

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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

• improve the use of resources to promote opportunities for children to improve their mark making skills and their mathematical skills • make better use of all opportunities across the areas of learning to improve children's initial sound and letter recognition

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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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