Anglesey Infant School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 31/01/2005 Inspector Name Samantha Powis

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Puffins Day Nursery Setting Address Water-Ma-Trout Industrial Estate Helston Cornwall TR13 0LW

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Caroline Carter Address Puffins Day Nursery Water-ma-Trout Industrial estate Helston Cornwall TR13 OLW

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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

Puffins Day Nursery opened in 1991. This privately owned nursery operates from a converted industrial unit on the outskirts of Helston. The Dolphin Out of School Club, owned and operated by the nursery, also runs from the premises, with separate base room and facilities. The nursery and out of school club serve the local area, surrounding towns and villages. There are currently 76 children from birth to 8 years on roll, This includes 36 funded three and four-year-olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting supports children with special needs, and children for whom English as an additional language attending the nursery.

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Information about the setting

The group opens five days a week all year round. Sessions are from 08:30 until 18:00. The nursery and out of school club employs 14 staff to work with the children. All the staff have, or are working towards early years qualifications to NVQ level 2 or 3, and a qualified teacher is employed to lead the pre- school room. The setting receives support from an advisory teacher from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP). The nursery is a member of The Kernow Association of Day Nurseries (KADN) and The Pre-school Learning Alliance (PLA).

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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?

Puffins Day Nursery provides high quality nursery provision. Children are making very good progress along the stepping stones towards the early learning goals in all areas of learning. Teaching is very good. Staff use excellent open ended questioning during activities to extend children's learning and understanding. They encourage children to question their own ideas and to develop a "have a go" approach, offering constant praise and encouragement to build self-esteem and reward children's efforts. Comprehensive assessment records are maintained on all children, and are used effectively to plan the next steps in each child's learning. Activities are very well planned, and staff are skilful in adapting activities to challenge children of different ages and abilities. A broad range of experiences are offered to the children, encompassing all areas of learning. Staff apply a consistent approach to behaviour

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How effective is the nursery education?

management, and have realistic expectations according to a child's age and level of understanding. Leadership and management is very good. Effective support and encouragement is offered to staff to enable them to attend training, increasing their childcare knowledge which then has a positive impact on their work directly with the children. Managers work closely with staff, valuing and respecting the individual skills of each member, and encouraging them to share these skills with others to increase knowledge. Regular visits are made to the setting by an advisory teacher, who offers support on the effectiveness of the nursery education. Her comments are valued and acted upon to ensure continued development. Partnerships with parent are very good. They are provided with regular information about their child's progress, and play an active part in planning their child's education. They are given detailed information about the foundation stage

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How effective is the nursery education?

curriculum, and how this helps their child's development, enabling them to fully support their child's learning at home.

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What is being done well?

• Staff use skilful questioning when engaged in play with the children. They are aware of what stage the children are at in their learning, and use carefully considered discussion to challenge them appropriately. Sessions are well organised to offer children a good balance of both adult led and child initiated activities. • Children are confident and independent learners. They develop good relationships with their peers and with adults within the setting, and demonstrate a secure understanding of the fair and realistic boundaries established by staff.

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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 really enjoy stories and use books for a variety of purposes, handling them appropriately. They are developing a confident awareness of letter sounds and shape and have many opportunities to use writing for a purpose. • Children's awareness of number is developing very well. They regularly use numbers independently when engaged in their play, and are provided with many practical fun activities during group sessions to extend their understanding of number position and value. • Partnerships with parents are excellent. They are provided with detailed information about the foundation stage curriculum and their own child's development, enabling them to fully support their child's learning at home.

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What needs to be improved?

• the use of outdoor play space, to extend children's experiences and maximise learning opportunities.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection, the group were asked to review the organisation of sessions, they have completed this successfully, by introducing a good balance of adult led and child initiated activities, allowing children to explore for themselves throughout the session, making them confident and independent in their learning. They were also asked to increase children's interest in writing. They have introduced writing tools into the role play areas to encourage children's emergent writing, and adults often model writing for a purpose. Children regularly engage in role play, and use the note pads, pencils and pens to write messages to their friends or shopping lists. The final key issue related to the use of the outdoor area. Although they have started to make improvements to this area, it is not fully complete, and some minor opportunities are missed to extend the experiences the children are offered, due to

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What has improved since the last inspection?

the quality of the outdoor play space. Staff recognise this, and make good use of the indoor spaces available to try to compensate for this.

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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 very motivated and excited by the interesting and fun range of activities on offer. They demonstrate high levels of concentration during a well balanced session of both adult led and child initiated activities. They are confident and settled, and form understanding relationships with each other and with adults. They use resources and take part in activities with increasing independence. Children's behaviour is very good, and they demonstrate an awareness of right and wrong.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children's spoken language is developing very well, they talk confidently to each other, using an increasingly wide range of vocabulary to organise their play or explain what they have made. They listen with pleasure to stories, observing details in the pictures, and regularly use books for themselves handling them skilfully. Most children can hear and say some initial sounds in words they hear, and some children can recognise letters of the alphabet that are of importance to them.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children have many opportunities to use numbers throughout everyday activities and count with confidence. They work within an environment that is rich in print, and through this, are developing a good awareness of numerals. Children confidently and excitedly use their knowledge of number order and position to suggest possible solutions to simple practical problems. They compare shapes and size, naming simple two dimensional shapes and using mathematical language such as taller and shorter.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children are encouraged to think about why things happen, and question their own ideas. They have a strong exploratory nature, and give good explanations about what they have found out, for example, when using basic electrical circuits to make an alarm. Children are developing a good awareness of their own communities and the cultures and beliefs of others, however, opportunities to fully explore the learning potential of their own outdoor environment are not fully exploited.

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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 and safely showing a good awareness of space. They regularly have opportunities to engage in activities that develop their large muscle skills including climbing, running, jumping and riding a trike. They use a wide range of small tools and resources such as scissors and pegs, developing good small muscle control, and use pencils and writing implements with increasing care. They learn about the effect physical activity has on their bodies, and healthy eating practices.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children love to join in with singing and nursery rhymes, and have regular opportunities to use instruments. They listen closely to the sounds they hear and are able to recognise and identify subtle changes in sound. They take part in a weekly music session, moving their bodies imaginatively to music and copying rhythms. Children are keen to engage in role play, which is well resourced by staff. They play alongside other children, sometimes co-operatively, who are involved in the same theme.

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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: • continue to develop outdoor play space, to maximise learning opportunities in all areas of learning.

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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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