Redbrook Middle School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 11/01/2005 Inspector Name Ann Revell

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Pennies Day Nursery LTD Setting Address Thornbank 149 Hockers Lane, Weavering Maidstone Kent ME14 5JY

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Pennies Day Nursery Ltd Address Thornbank, 149 Hockers Lane Weavering Maidstone Kent ME14 5JY

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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

Pennies Day Nursery opened in 1999. It is privately owned and operates from four rooms in a converted house in Weavering, near Maidstone. The nursery serves a wide area. The nursery is registered to take 43 children. There are currently 98 children from three months to five years on roll. This includes sixteen children, three-year-olds and six children, four-year-olds who are in receipt of nursery education funding. The nursery opens each week day throughout the year with the exception of public holidays. Children attend for a variety of sessions. They are grouped according to their age. The setting does not currently have any children with special educational needs or any who speak English as an additional language.

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Information about the setting

There are eleven staff who work with the children. Two of these work with the funded children. All the staff have an appropriate early years qualification. The setting receives support from 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?

Pennies Day Nursery provides high quality nursery education overall, which enables children to make very good progress towards the early learning goals. The quality of teaching in the nursery is very good. Staff are fully conversant with the Foundation Stage and plan varied and interesting activities that involve the children and encourage them to want to learn. They present activities in a lively way, give clear explanations and adapt their questioning to suit all the differing levels of development. They give good periods of time for children to reinforce skills. They arrange the room and the resources imaginatively to encourage children to make decisions and to be independent learners. Staff are deployed well and use their time effectively to support groups and individuals. Children learn many new skills at whole group times when teaching is focussed and the children are very attentive. There are

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How effective is the nursery education?

good strategies in place for children with special educational needs. Staff frequently observe and assess aspects of children's learning. They use this information to inform the overall planning and to set each child a target in order to ensure progress in an aspect of their learning. Children's learning would be enhanced if the practice of target setting were to be further developed. Leadership and management are very good. It has a positive impact on children's progress. Staff have a shared purpose and a collaborative approach to providing high quality care and education for the children. They monitor their provision and children's progress and use their evaluations to make improvements. Partnership with parents is very good. It helps children to achieve the early learning goals. Parents receive clear information about the educational provision and staff suggest aspects where parents might extend children's learning at home. Parents

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How effective is the nursery education?

have good opportunities to share what they know about their child and are well informed about their achievements and progress.

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What is being done well?

• Staff value all the children's contributions and achievements. This ensures that the children are confident and have very good self esteem. • The management of the children is calm and friendly. Staff give children clear and consistent boundaries and children respond by being kind and considerate to each other and are very well behaved. • Staff plan a wide variety of interesting, practical activities and present them in a lively way. This ensures that children are very motivated to learn and to try new experiences. • Children's communication skills are developing very well. Children confidently discuss ideas with staff, negotiate with each other and take turns in

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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 conversation. • Parents and staff enjoy a warm, supportive relationship. There is an on-going exchange of information about progress that supports children's learning effectively.

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What needs to be improved?

• the setting of targets for children's next steps in learning in order to include more curriculum areas.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Very good progress has been made since the last inspection. The staff have introduced a number of effective measures to improve planning and the assessment of children's progress that were raised as key issues in the previous inspection report. Plans now include activities that are specifically for the older children, particularly in literacy and mathematics. Staff are skilful in adapting their presentation of activities and their questioning so that the older children are appropriately challenged. A new system of recording children's progress has been put in place that reflects the stepping stones and the early learning goals. This provides a detailed and clear picture of each child's progress and is used effectively to inform the planning and for reporting to parents.

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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 are motivated to try all the interesting activities and concentrate for good periods of time, for example, at the computer and enjoying books independently. Children are very confident in their choice of resources and in asking for what they need. They are encouraged to make their own decisions about their work and behaviour and are developing an understanding of the feelings of others. Staff ensure that children are secure and happy and this enables them to enjoy each others company.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children are keen to communicate with staff and each other but also listen attentively without interrupting. Children clearly enjoy books. They listen to stories with rapt attention and join in with their favourites. Children can read their names and some familiar words, such as the days of the week. They are learning the sounds that letters make. They regularly use writing in their play, writing invitations and letters. Children practice writing their names using correctly formed letters.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children benefit from interesting, planned activities that are helping them to count accurately and to recognise numbers. Their understanding of numbers is reinforced as they work out the day's date and count the children present. They are developing an understanding of 'one more' as they add on themselves when counting the group. Children can create simple patterns with the bricks and use the names of shapes correctly. They are learning the language to describe quantity and position.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children grow plants in the garden, go for bug hunts and observe the changing seasons. They find out what floats and what sinks and look for metal objects with a detector. Children gain good skills making models and confidently decide which materials and fixings are best suited to the model they choose to make. Children confidently use the computer. They have good mouse control and can print out their work. Children learn about features of their locality as they walk to the supermarket.

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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 The many, varied physical activities give children very good opportunities for daily energetic play and to discover the many different ways of using and moving their bodies. They crouch down and jump up to raise the parachute and find pathways as the pedal their bikes. They are agile and coordinated. Children are taught to control and handle small objects. They build with small blocks, fit pieces into a puzzle board and draw detailed pictures. They are learning the rules for staying healthy.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Staff provide a stimulating environment where children have good opportunities to explore colour, sound and texture using all their senses. They paint and draw reflecting their own ideas. Children know a lot of songs by heart and sing tunefully. They are familiar with all the percussion instruments. They maintain a beat and respond to signals to start and stop. The children act out their own experiences and well known stories. They show good imagination in response to stories and music.

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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 improving the following: • extend the practice of setting a learning target for individual children by including targets for additional areas of the curriculum.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT

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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