Oaklands School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 10/05/2004 Inspector Name Olive Sumner

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Pagham Playgroup Setting Address Pagham Church Centre Nyetimber Lane, Pagham Bognor Regis West Sussex PO21 3JT

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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

Pagham Playgroup opened in 1970 and is privately owned. It is situated in Pagham Church Centre, Bognor Regis and is a sessional playgroup. The playgroup serves Pagham and the surrounding areas and children attend a variety of sessions. The playgroup is registered for children between the ages of two and five years and there are currently thirty three funded three year olds and six funded four year olds. The Pre-school support children identified with special educational needs. There are no children for whom English is an additional language. The playgroup opens five days a week during the school term times. Sessions are from 9.00 to 12.00 Monday to Friday, and 13.00 to 16.00 Monday and Friday. There are six members of staff. Three members of staff have relevant early years qualifications including NNEB and NVQ111. The playgroup is a member of the Preschool Learning Alliance and is registered with the West Sussex Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EDYCP) and

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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 Pagham Playgroup is generally good overall. Children make very good progress in creative development and physical development and generally good progress in all other areas. The quality of teaching is generally good. The setting provides a rich, stimulating environment. Children are confident, interact well with one another and can work on their own or as part of a group. Relationships are very good. Systems are in place to support children identified with special educational needs or for whom English is an additional language and children make good progress. Staff use a range of teaching methods and children are confident writing, drawing, painting and when using their imagination and make very good progress. Behaviour is good but when younger children sit too long they become restless and this restricts the opportunities for the older children to speak clearly and show awareness of the listener.

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How effective is the nursery education?

Planning is not linked to the stepping stones of the early learning goals of the Foundation Stage and activities lack learning objectives. Staff are not currently involved in planning and do not have specific learning outcomes for some activities. Opportunities to make use of the good resources and extend learning are missed especially in mathematical development because of a lack of focused support. Assessment is effective and linked to the stepping stones of the early learning goals. The leadership and management of the setting is generally good. The owner/manager is enthusiastic, well respected and valued by all. She is committed to the improvement of the care and education for all children. She has a supportive staff who are able to share responsibilities. Partnership with parents is generally good. Parents appreciate the caring environment and commitment of the staff. However there are not sufficient

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How effective is the nursery education?

opportunities to be informed about children's progress and the curriculum or to contribute to children's learning.

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What is being done well?

• Children are interested and motivated to learn in the richly resourced, well organised indoor and out door learning environment. Children are confident working on their own or in small groups and they interact well with each other and with adults and are able to take turns and share. They can independently access activities and show personal independence putting on coats and fastening them. • Children enjoy singing songs and rhymes and listening to stories. They show interest sharing books in the book corner with a friend or in a small group with an adult. They can recognise and are learning to write their own names.

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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 Children are confident exploring writing, painting and drawing. Children count confidently and reliably to ten and sometimes beyond and show confidence recognising numbers. They develop mathematical ideas from a good range of number rhymes. • They develop their imagination very well in role play scenarios and make very good progress developing control and co-ordination using a very good range of large and small equipment imaginatively and safely. • Staff are caring and supportive and have high expectations of behaviour. Children respond well and behaviour is good. Relationships are very good. • The owner/manager shows strong leadership and is supported by a willing and supportive staff. Her commitment to the children and the setting is valued by all and the provision is a long standing and valuable asset to the

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What is being done well?

community. Parents appreciate the caring, learning environment and the strong values it promotes.

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What needs to be improved?

• opportunities for children to speak clearly and show awareness of listener when talking about what they have been doing, the place where they live, past and present events in their own lives and those of their family in group situations; • the organisation of some large group activities to enable children to sit quietly and concentrate; • planned and focused opportunities to use the very good resources available to develop mathematical ideas and understanding through practical activities; • the activities in planning to include learning objectives relating to the stepping stones of the early learning goals so that children make consistent progress and build on what they already know; • staff involvement in planning so that they are aware of the learning objectives to be developed in the focused activities; • opportunities for parents to be involved in children's learning and to be informed about children's progress and achievement and the curriculum and

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What has improved since the last inspection?

There has been generally good progress in children's learning since the last inspection. At the last inspection the setting was asked to consider the organisation of displays when they were used as teaching tools in large group activities so that all children could participate and refer to them. The setting has re-organised the seating of children in large group activities and all now have a clear view of teaching aids such as the calendar, the alphabet frieze and shapes. However at present the limited

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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 display areas available are not used to display children's work. Progress has been generally good. The setting was also asked to provide a range of stimulating writing opportunities to encourage the use of writing in role play and to communicate and to explore writing for a variety of purposes. Children now have very good opportunities to explore writing in role play for example taking telephone messages in the doctor's surgery or at the fire station. Children also have daily opportunities to use the writing table to draw and write on their own or supported by staff. This is a popular and well used activity and children show confidence and enjoyment in exploring writing opportunities. Progress has been very good. The setting was asked to include in the programme for creative development opportunities for children to record their observations and to express their ideas

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What has improved since the last inspection?

using a variety of art materials. Children now have very good opportunities to express their ideas using a range of art materials including, paint, collage, found materials, playdough and chalk but opportunities for children to record their observations through painting and drawing could be developed further. Over all progress has been generally good.

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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: Generally Good Children are interested and motivated to learn. They are confident to access resources independently and try new activities. They can work quietly on their own or as part of a small group. Children's behaviour is good and children respond well to the high expectations of the staff. Relationships with adults and other children are very good. Children are developing skills of personal independence. Some children find it difficult to sit quietly and concentrate in large group situations.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children respond with enthusiasm to a good range of stories, songs and rhymes and enjoy sharing books. They use speech to organise ideas and explore what they are doing in role play for example in the fire station. They hear sounds and link them to letters of the alphabet They learn to recognise and write their names and are very confident attempting to write and draw in a variety of situations. Opportunities to speak clearly and show awareness of the listener in group situations are limited.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children very confidently recognising numbers and counting to ten and beyond. They begin to develop ideas about addition and subtraction singing, demonstrating with fingers and acting out a good range of number rhymes. However the very good resources and opportunities available are often wasted because activities do not have learning objectives and often lack appropriate adult support to ensure that children consistently make progress, extend their learning and build on what they already know.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children confidently explore and investigate magnets, gears and wheels, in water play and with playdough. They ask questions about how things work and why things happen and notice changes in the weather and how the wind blows the streamers. Children confidently build and construct selecting appropriate resources including found materials. Children have limited opportunities to contribute and talk about past and present events in their own lives, and the place where they live.

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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 move confidently, imaginatively and safely in the indoor and outdoor environment and show awareness of space. They are developing very good control and co-ordination using the wide range of resources available for example a climbing frame, big toys and small equipment including hoops and balls. They are encouraged to use resources for purposeful play as in the fire station role play scenario. Children handle small tools and materials with confidence and increasing skill.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children have very good opportunities to use their senses, express their feelings and explore and communicate ideas, using a range of media including paint, found materials, collage, playdough and water play. They develop their imagination through role play and through a very good range of small world activities. They create their own dances and games with wind streamers and explore the sounds the musical instruments make. They are confident to sing songs from memory in a group or on their own.

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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

• involve staff in developing a planning system which is focused on the learning objectives of the stepping stones of the early learning goals of the Foundation Stage so that children make consistent progress, are challenged and build on what they already know; • provide opportunities for children to have planned opportunities to speak clearly and be aware of the listener in small groups, talking about what they have been doing, past and present events in their own lives and the place where they live; • use the very good resources available to develop practical maths activities which have a focused learning objective; • provide opportunities for parents to access information about their children's progress and achievement, the curriculum and to contribute to children's learning.

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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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