Highbank Junior School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 12/03/2003 Inspector Name Gerry Simonds

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SETTING DETAILS

Setting Name Tiddlers Day Nursery & Nursery School Setting Address 480 Bath Road Bristol BS31 3DJ

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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

Tiddlers Day Nursery and Nursery School is owned and managed by Sally and Alex Shannon and located on the main Bath road in Saltford. The premises includes four separate rooms for the children, kitchen, toilets and a paved and grassed enclosed garden which is used during fine weather. The nursery serves the local and surrounding areas. The nursery is registered to provide care for up to 27 children between the ages of 0 - 8 years of age. Sessions last from 8.00 am to 6.00 pm Monday to Friday and is closed bank holidays.The group accepts funded three and four year old children and there are currently two funded three year olds and six funded four years olds on role. The group cares for children with special needs and children for whom English is an additional language. As well as the leader and the deputy, all staff members are qualified or working towards a child care qualification.

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How effective is the nursery education?

Children are making generally good progress towards the early learning goals in all six areas of learning. The area of personal, social and emotional development is very good with no weaknesses. Communication, language and literacy is also very good. In mathematics progress is generally good and the areas of knowledge and understanding of the world and physical development are also generally good. Creative development is very good and has no weaknesses. Teaching is generally good. Staff interact well with the children, they plan their work carefully and use their assessments to inform future planning. Staff show a good understanding of the early learning goals. However, teaching could sometimes be extended for the oldest and most able children. Strong leadership from the manager and the deputy makes this nursery a happy and well managed setting. All policies and procedures are in place and the owners are very supportive. The manager and the deputy are committed to

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How effective is the nursery education?

providing a good programme of learning for the children in their care. Partnership with parents is effective and appropriate. Parents are provided with good information about the setting and the educational programme. They receive good feedback on their child's day and regular newsletters to keep them well informed.

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What is being done well?

Children's personal, social and emotional development is very good. They are confident and have a well developed sense of right and wrong. They are interested in all that they do and behaviour is very good. The very good programme for communication, language and literacy ensures that children are confident talkers, and are enthusiastic about stories and books. Children also enjoy learning about letter sounds and learning to write. The children's physical development is progressing well as children have more opportunity to climb and become spatially aware. The children's creative development is a strength of this nursery and children take part in a wide variety of craft activities and enjoy expressing themselves through music and song. The teaching is generally good. Staff speak very clearly and explain carefully to the children. This is beneficial to children with special educational needs or to children who have English as a second language. Staff plan

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What is being done well?

a good varied daily programme and are well organised. The nursery day runs smoothly. Staff show good understanding of the early learning goals and plan accordingly. The partnership with parents is also a strong feature of this nursery. Leadership from the manager and her deputy is very strong and the owners support them very well.

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What needs to be improved?

Staff's understanding of the need to extend the work for the older children, particularly in the area of mathematical problem solving and in knowledge and understanding of the world.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The improvement since the last inspection is generally good. At the last inspection children had no opportunity to climb and this was a key issue. Children now have more opportunity to climb both indoors and outside. There is a portable climbing frame which can be used inside and outside.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children's progress in personal, social and emotional development is very good. Children are developing independence, confidence and concentration. They show great enthusiasm for all that they do and are very well behaved. Relationships are good all round. Children understand the need to take care of themselves and have a good understanding of hygiene issues. They enjoy learning about the world around them and about other cultures.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children's progress in the area of communication, language and literacy is very good. Children are confident talkers and are progressing well towards the early learning goals. They enjoy learning about letters and the sounds that they make and are able to sound out simple words. They display good speaking and listening skills as they listen to stories or respond well to questions. They enjoy browsing amongst the books and recognise their names. They write for a purpose in their role play.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children's progress in mathematics is generally good and most aspects of mathematics is developing well. Children take part in activities which include counting to ten and recognising numbers. They learn about shape and make mathematical patterns. They sing number rhymes but staff do not point out that they are subtracting. Therefore, the learning for the older and more able children is not always extended appropriately.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children's progress in the area of knowledge and understanding of the world is generally good. Children talk about the weather and about their own lives and learn about their environment through visitors such as a local policemen. They are skilled at using a variety of constructional toys and technological equipment. Photographs show them enjoying other cultures and festivals. However, opportinities to extend the learning of older and more able children are not always taken.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children's progress in physical development is generally good. A wide range of activities are undertaken and children show increasing skill. They are able to use small tools such as scissors and glue sticks well and show good co-ordination when using bicycles and wheeled toys. They enjoy using bats and balls and hoops with good awareness of space. The group have a portable climbing frame which is used inside and outside.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children's progress in creative development is very good. The quality of the work and choice of activities is very good and ensures progress within the foundation stage. Children are able to express themselves through free choice art work and a good variety of media. They enjoy singing, dancing and listening to music. They also enjoy role play and express themselves freely.

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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 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

Extend the thinking and problem solving skills of the older and more able children in the nursery

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