Roche Pre-School Playgroup

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 17/01/2005 Inspector Name Glenda Sinclair

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Roche Pre-School Playgroup Setting Address Victory Hall Victoria Road Roche, St Austell Cornwall PL26 8JG

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Roche Pre-School Playgroup Address Victory Hall Victoria Road Roche, St Austell Cornwall PL26 8JG

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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

Roche Pre-School Playgroup first registered in 1978. It moved to its present address in 2004 and has the use of two rooms and adjacent toilets. The playgroup is managed by a committee of parents who employ a playleader and several assistants. The assistants, aided by a student and a voluntary helper, work a variety of shifts to cover the necessary adult to child ratio. The playgroup is registered to take 20 children between the ages of 2 and 5 years and opens on Monday to Friday from 09.00 to 11.30, during school terms. A lunch club operates on a Monday, Thursday and Friday and children attending may stay until 12.30. Children attend from the village of Roche and the surrounding rural area. Staff receive support from the Early Years and Childcare Services support worker.

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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?

Roche Pre-School Playgroup offers provision which is acceptable and of good quality overall. overall children are making generally good progress towards the early learning goals. They are making very good progress in personal, social and emotional, creative and mathematical development and knowledge and understanding of the world. Teaching is generally good. Staff have a sound knowledge of the Foundation Stage and stepping stones and cover the latter thoroughly in the planning. They provide a good variety and balance of activities and are completing regular and informative assessments on the children. However, the assessments are not being used to guide planning so that the needs of individual children can be assured. Staff generally extend and adapt activities well to cater for the very wide range of age and ability within the playgroup. Most behaviour is good but the younger children are not always well organised to prevent disruption of the older children's activities.

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How effective is the nursery education?

Leadership and management is generally good. Staff, students and volunteers work well together as a team, committed to ongoing training and prepared to accept responsibility. They have weekly staff meetings to plan and cascade information. The chairperson completes annual staff appraisals to help the staff develop professionally. Although staff are aware of the need for careful organisation of the younger children, they have not yet developed strategies to cope with this. Partnership with parents is generally good. There are good mechanisms in place for sharing information and staff keep parents well informed about activities. Parents are not fully involved with their children's learning and systematic progress through the stepping stones.

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What is being done well?

• Children separate happily from their parent or carer, form good relationships with each other and co-operate well in play. They also show concern for one another. • Children of all ages count at every opportunity and older children are beginning to estimate and problem solve. Children have a wide range of resources available to them to encourage their interest in shape and size, pattern making and number recognition. • Children use the computer confidently and are competent with the mouse. They enjoy investigating objects and identifying features. • Staff are doing regular and informative assessments.

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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

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What needs to be improved?

• the strategies for organising the younger children so that the older children are not distracted from their activities • the access to outdoor play and the opportunities to develop large muscle control • the link between assessment and planning so that planning shows how the needs of individual children can be met.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection, the staff were asked to include more opportunities for children to develop an awareness of cultural diversity by providing more multi-cultural resources and integrating their use into the educational programme. Staff have planned various activities connected with other cultures to enable children to develop their awareness of diversity. The staff were also asked to have regard to the Code of Practice on the Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Need to ensure appropriate support for all children. Arrangements were made for the playleader to undergo training. Unfortunately, she has now left the playgroup but her successor is currently attending the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) training and is receiving support from the Area SENCO. Staff were asked to encourage parents to share their knowledge of their children's achievements. Parents fill in an initial profile when their child first starts at the

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What has improved since the last inspection?

playgroup. Staff and parents have half-termly meetings to share information, look at records and discuss progress. Staff say that this pooling of information is very helpful in their understanding of the children.

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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 separate happily from their parent or carer. They form good relationships with one another and co-operate well in play, such as the girls 'reading' stories to each other in the book corner. They are able to concentrate for fairly lengthy periods on a chosen activity and staff foster independence by encouraging children to pour their own drink or put on their own coat. Children behave well, taking turns and sharing appropriately. Children are encouraged to help to tidy up.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good All children join in well with familiar songs and rhymes. They are beginning to recognise the initial sounds of words. Older children enjoy listening to stories and answer questions appropriately but their concentration is limited by interruptions from the younger children. Children handle books correctly and recognise their own written name. Some children are able to identify other children's name cards. Staff provide easily available and imaginative resources for children to 'write'.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Staff provide good resources to encourage mathematical thinking. Children count at every opportunity. Many of them are able to recognise written numerals. Four-year-olds are beginning to estimate, prompted by staff who ask questions such as 'How many do you think are in there?' They are beginning to problem-solve prompted by questions such as 'What can we do to make this fit?' They have opportunities to do shape recognition work and pattern making and they use size language naturally in play.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children enjoy investigating objects such as magnets. They are aware that an object cannot be picked up 'because it hasn't any metal'. Staff provide resources to allow children to experience different construction materials and techniques. Older children enjoy using the computer and show good mouse control. Staff are ready to accommodate the child who is anxious to finish the computer game. Children are aware of the day and month and are able to talk about significant events in their lives.

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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: Generally Good Children move about confidently in a small space, stopping at will. They are competent with pencils, rolling pins and scissors. One four-year-old is able to cut around a square quite accurately. Staff provide opportunities for exercise by encouraging children to 'jump like frogs', 'slither like snakes' and 'walk tall like a giraffe'. There are no opportunities, at the present time, for children to regularly play outside and develop their large muscle control.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children differentiate colours well. Staff make learning about colour fun by playing games like 'What is soft, pink and squidgy?' Staff provide a variety of different textures and materials for children to make collages. Children construct using recycled materials. They enjoy singing simple rhymes. One child sat building with bricks singing 'Jingle Bells'. Children have the opportunity to play musical instruments and staff have made a tape of children playing their own musical compositions.

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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

• link assessment to planning to show how all children will be support to build on what they already know • develop strategies to manage the wide diversity of ages and abilities so that the younger children do not impede the progress of the older children.

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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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