Overton Playgroup

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 02/02/2004 Inspector Name Lynne Elizabeth Lewington

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Overton Playgroup Setting Address The Community Centre Winchester Street, Overton Basingstoke Hampshire RG25 3HS

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name Overton Preschool Playgroup 1075540

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Overton Preschool Playgroup Address The Community Centre Winchester Street, Overton Basingstoke Hampshire RG25 3HS

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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

The Overton Pre-school Playgroup opened in 1974. It operates from two rooms in a community centre, and a classroom at the local primary school in Overton, near Basingstoke. The playgroup serves the local village community. There are currently 63 children from two years and nine month to five years on roll. This includes 39 funded three year olds and 21 funded four year olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting currently supports four children with special needs and one child who speaks English as an additional language. The group opens five days a week during school term times. Sessions are from 09:00 to 11:30 and 12:00 to 15:00. A lunch club operates from 12:00 to 12:30 for pre-school children. Nine full time and two part time staff work with the children. Four members of staff have early years qualifications including NVQ level 2 or 3 and National Nursery Examination Board certificate. A member of staff is currently working towards a

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Information about the setting

recognised early years qualification. The setting receives support from an advisory teacher, Southampton Hearing implant team and the local Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (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?

Overton Pre-school playgroup provides very good nursery education. The children make excellent progress towards the early learning goals using the stepping stones in all areas of learning. Personal, social and emotional development is strongly promoted and as a result the children are independent, confident, caring and respectful of others. Children's behaviour is good and they display eagerness to learn and to share their experiences, children make very good use of the resources. The teaching is very good, staff are very knowledgeable of the ways children learn and they provide an interesting and stimulating environment for the children. They work alongside the children extending their experiences and encouraging children to ask questions, think, solve problems, and use all their senses. Planning is successfully delivered to enable children to express themselves freely within a structured environment.

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How effective is the nursery education?

Leadership and management is very good. The pre-school is led and managed to a very high standard. All staff work together as a team and the organisation is thorough. Staff meet weekly to discuss plans, evaluate work undertaken and share ideas. Key workers are allocated time to undertake their development records. The staff have appraisals and are encouraged to undertake training opportunities. The pre-school committee is active and supports the manager and staff in their work. Partnership with parents is very good. Parents help on a regular basis in the setting, they make story sacks and fundraise. Parents are kept informed of child's progress and each child has a plan, which indicates areas of development to work towards. Parents speak positively of the service provided by the staff of the pre-school.

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What is being done well?

• Children's personal, social and emotional development is developed very well. Children are confident show curiosity and are enthusiastic learners. They form good relationships with other children and adults. • The leadership and management is very good and provides both the staff and the children with support and a sense of security that results from a well planned and organised routine. • Staff support children's learning very skilfully using opportunities to expand children's vocabulary. Children are able to talk about their real and imagined experiences. • Staff provide very good support to children who have special educational needs, enabling the children to participate in all activities at their own level and to make generally good progress.

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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 • Staff provide a warm friendly welcoming environment for children and parents. Parents feel that they are able to assist and are kept informed of their child's progress.

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What needs to be improved?

• opportunities for children to use programmable toys and information technology equipment in each session • reference books, to be accessible and within the children's reach.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection four issues were raised. To improve language and literacy, ensure children access all activities, strengthen planning for physical activity and provide suitable technology equipment. Communication, language and literacy is promoted well, all sessions start with circle time where the children all have an opportunity to speak, take part in action songs or similar activity, children have opportunities to recognise their names and other written words and reference is made to the letters and the sounds. The routine of the session has been changed completely to enable the children to have a period of time together before they go and chose activities. Tracking sheets are available to use if staff feel any child is not making full use of the activities offered. Physical activity is included in plans and is an everyday activity. Children have opportunities for gross motor skills development and fine motor skills development

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What has improved since the last inspection?

throughout the session. Information and communication technology is now available although this is not included in the daily plan.

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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 relate confidently to each other and adults; they enquire what others are doing, greet each other when they arrive and show interest in others. They are well behaved and share toys and resources. Children enjoy a good range of activities and are eager to try new experiences. Children work independently and co-operate with each other. They worked as a group to clear out the lentils and then add corn flour to the tray. They have an awareness of right and wrong.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Staff extend and encourage communication and language at every opportunity; children compared fruits, they described the shape, texture and colour of the fruits. Children are confident in finding their names and beginning to understand that print carries meaning. Children's spoken language, listening and writing skills are developing well as a result of the good range of planned activities. They use books well although access to reference books is limited.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children have opportunities for calculating through practical daily activities. They count how many boys and girls, then they count how many all together. Many children count up to and beyond ten. They recognise the numbers from one to ten and are beginning to have some understanding of what larger numbers look like. There are opportunities for sorting, comparing, creating patterns and experimenting with size and shape every day. Staff utilise every opportunity to extend mathematical awareness.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children display natural curiosity to how things work, grow, live and change; an interesting display of items encourages them to explore mirrors, metal, the workings of a clock and textures. Planned activities enable children to learn about customs and culture; they made a Chinese dragon and made Chinese symbols for Chinese new year. They demonstrate an understanding of time by recalling birthdays and topics from the past.

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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 are able to use the outside area for play everyday; they ride trikes, scooters, and throw balls to develop gross motor movement. They competently use a variety of small tools, brushes, scissors, pencils and use spades and buckets purposefully in the sandpit. Some children have an awareness of changes to their bodies, after physical activity a child commented that he was out of 'puff'. They listen to their heartbeats with a visiting doctor, using a stethoscope.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children's imagination is stimulated with a good range of resources to develop ideas and promote spontaneous play situations;children have an office area with phone, envelopes, paper, hole punch, till, bell and home corner where they act out life events. They confidently sing along with familiar rhymes and join in with actions. Children have opportunities to experiment with colours and create pictures with a variety of materials.

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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 high quality. Children are making very 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

There are no significant weaknesses to report, but considerations should be given to improving the following: • increase access to programmable toys and information and communication technology to support learning in everyday activity • make reference books accessible to children. 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

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

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