Partou The Village Day Nursery & Pre-School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 16/03/2005 Inspector Name Joan Isabel Madden

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care, Out of School Day Care Setting Name The Village Day Nursery Setting Address Crooke Road Standish Lower Ground Wigan Lancashire WN6 8LR

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Village Day Nursery Ltd 3932581

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name The Village Day Nursery Ltd Address 49 St. Leonards Avenue Lostock Bolton Lancashire BL6 4JE

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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 Village Day Nursery opened in 2000 and is situated in Standish Lower Ground, Wigan. It operates from a converted village primary school and provides accommodation on two floors. Children under three are cared for on the ground floor whilst the older children use the two pre-school rooms on the first floor. There is a secure outdoor play area. The nursery is privately owned. There are 108 children from birth to 8 years on roll and of these 37 are funded. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting supports children with special needs. The nursery offers full day care facilities and out of school care for older children. It is open from 7:30 until 18:00, Monday to Friday, throughout the year. The nursery's management structure consists of a principal, manager and deputy manager, all of whom hold child care qualifications to level three. There is a total of 25 staff, the majority of whom hold or are working towards a recognised qualification.

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Information about the setting

The setting receives support from a teacher from Sure Start.

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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 Village Day Nursery provides high quality nursery education overall which enables the children to make very good progress towards the early learning goals. The quality of teaching is very good. The teacher has a very good knowledge and understanding of the early learning goals and effectively guides the staff in both pre-school rooms into providing appropriate activities and learning outcomes. Planning and assessments of the children are comprehensively linked to the early learning goals that enables staff to maintain a good overview of the children's progress. Planning and grouping includes differentiation in activities for the older, more able children. The staff are conscientious and provide a calm, stimulating and consistent learning environment. The children respond well to this; they are enthusiastic and have a positive approach to learning. The provision for children with special educational needs is good. Generally, the children benefit from a good

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How effective is the nursery education?

balanced range of activities and resources that are organised into learning areas. Staff have high expectations of the children's behaviour. They give clear boundaries and are consistent in their approach to behaviour management, however, at times insufficient emphasis is put upon developing their independence. The leadership and management of the nursery are very good. Clear leadership successfully enables staff to work very much as a team including the qualified teacher who integrates well. They monitor the whole provision through regular meetings, are presently consolidating the implementation of the planning and assessments to help build up the confidence of all the staff involved in the Foundation Stage. The partnership with parents and carers is very good. Parents are very well informed about the provision through written information and regular communication between the staff and parents. The parents attend meetings on their children's progress and

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How effective is the nursery education?

are able to view their assessment records.

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What is being done well?

• Staff use positive strategies to promote good behaviour and consideration for others. They give children clear and consistent boundaries and help them understand the impact of unacceptable behaviour on others. Their calm and polite manner sets a very good example for children. • The planning is detailed and successfully links to the stepping-stones and early learning goals. Evaluations of activities are used effectively to inform future planning. • Children's assessments link directly to the early learning goals and stepping-stones. The method of recording assessments gives the staff a clear overview of the children's progress towards the early learning goals and

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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 whether there are any gaps in their achievements. • Leadership and management are a strength of the setting. There is a clear management structure and staff are clear about their roles and responsibilities in developing the children's learning. The staff are conscientious and hard working helping the children to become confident and motivated learners. • Partnership with parents is strong. Daily exchanges of information help to keep the parents informed and they are provided with comprehensive information on the Foundation Stage and the topics their children will be studying. They are well informed of their children's progress through parent meetings and viewing their children's assessment records. • The staff are innovative in helping the children to learn about the wider world by bringing it to them in the nursery. For example, animals and a farmer

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What is being done well?

visited and the children were able to handle and feed the animals in pens in the grounds of the nursery.

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What needs to be improved?

• the opportunities for children to develop their independence skills • the opportunities for children to develop their climbing 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 The children's self-esteem is successfully fostered through positive strategies, such as, reward stickers, praise and meeting children's individual needs. The children respond well to the staff's high expectation of behaviour and there are good relationships in the pre-school. The children choose from a range of activities and play co-operatively, however, at times full advantage is not taken of opportunities to develop the children's independence skills.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Throughout the sessions children interact with others talking about their interests and events in their lives. Children successfully use language to organise, sequence and clarify thinking, as they learn about such things as, the life cycles of the butterfly and chickens. They enjoy using imaginary language in the role-play area. Many children are able to recognise their own names and to sound out the letters. They are learning to appreciate and handle books appropriately.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Many children are able to count up to ten and use appropriate language to describe quantity, such as least and most. One child calculated that her friend had one more letter in her name than she did. Through playing tabletop games and creating pictures, children learn shape names and how to describe their properties. Children have good opportunities to recognise patterns by learning about life cycles, creating patterns on pegboards and threading.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Through the topic of 'On the Farm' children explore a range of living creatures, objects and materials; the highlight being when farm animals visited the nursery. The children respond to the theme by creating their own farmyard using a range of techniques and materials. They make good use of the computers in the pre-school to support their learning. Children successfully learn about their local environment by members of the community visiting the nursery and visits into the local area.

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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 the outdoor area to develop their physical skills as they confidently run around negotiating space successfully. They make good use of a range of equipment to develop large physical skills, however, they do not have opportunities to develop their climbing skills. Very good emphasis is put upon building up the children's health and bodily awareness as they learn sensible hygiene routines and how to eat healthily. Good opportunities to develop small physical skills.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children suggest and choose materials to work with when presented with the task of creating something. They go on to confidently work with these materials, thereby enabling them to explore materials and respond to their experiences. The children use all of their senses to explore food. They enjoy and become engrossed in imaginary play for long periods of time. They are able to sing a wide range of simple songs and nursery rhymes and enjoy experimenting with musical instruments.

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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: • There are no significant weaknesses to report, but consideration should be given to the following: • increase opportunities for children to develop their independence skills • provide the children with opportunities to develop their climbing skills 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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