Plymouth High School for Girls

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 28/04/2004 Inspector Name Olive Sumner

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Hopscotch Pre-School Setting Address Aldingbourne Community Centre Olivers Meadow,Westergate Chichester West Sussex PO20 6YA

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REGISTERED PROVIDER 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

Hopscotch Pre-school is a sessional pre-school. It operates in the large hall of Aldingbourne Community Centre in Westergate, mid way between Chichester and Bognor Regis and it shares facilities with other community groups. The pre-school first opened in 1981 and is now privately owned.

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Information about the setting

Registration is for twenty-four children each session and there are currently fifty-four children on roll aged between two years six months and five years. This includes seventeen funded three year olds and nineteen funded four year olds. There are no funded children identified with special educational needs and no children for whom English is an additional language. The pre-school is open for five mornings from 09.30 to 12.00 and also Monday and Thursday afternoons from 13.00 to 15.30 during term time. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are five members of staff working with the children and four have relevant early years qualifications including NNEB, Diploma in Pre-school Practice and NVQ111. The pre-school is a member of the Pre-school Learning Alliance and is a member of West Sussex Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP) and values their support.

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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 provision for nursery education at Hopscotch Preschool is generally good overall. Children make very good progress in personal, social and emotional development and in knowledge and understanding of the world and generally good progress in all other areas. The quality of teaching is generally good. The setting provides a stimulating and motivating learning environment. Children are confident and can work quietly on their own or as part of a group. They confidently choose from a wide range of activities. Children interact well with each other and with adults and relationships are very good. They speak confidently in activities such as circle time well supported by staff. Behaviour is very good and children are well managed by a supportive staff. Systems are in place to support children identified with special needs or for whom English is an additional language. However in some aspects of mathematical

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How effective is the nursery education?

development and communication, language and literacy children need more consistent support from staff to make progress and build on what they already know. Planning is thorough and linked to the early learning goals of the Foundation Stage. Topics are interesting and well planned and the weekly activities are clear. However in practice staff sometimes lose sight of the learning objective to be taught and so opportunities for children to make progress are missed. Assessment is effective and linked to the stepping stones of the early learning goals. The leadership and management of the setting is very good. The leader has a clear philosophy and is very committed to improving care and education for the children in a well organised supportive environment. She is well supported by her deputy and the efficient staff team. Partnership with parents is generally good. Parents appreciate the friendly, caring atmosphere and the interesting activities provided. They have access to a good

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How effective is the nursery education?

range of information and are encouraged to be involved in children's learning.

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What is being done well?

• Children show motivation and enthusiasm in a stimulating learning environment. They interact confidently with one another and with adults and are friendly and out going. Children have very good skills of independence as for example when pouring drinks at snack time. Children enjoy talking in a familiar group such as circle time. They take turns and speak clearly and confidently and show an awareness of the listener. • Children show interest and enjoyment listening to stories. They eagerly persuade adults to share books in the book corner or are content to peruse

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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 books on their own. • Children use their imagination and learn about road safety in purposeful play stopping their bikes at traffic lights, the zebra crossing and for the lollipop person. • Children are confident and show interest when observing and identifying features of the place where they live and they look at photographs and find the buildings they have seen on walks around the village. • Staff are caring and supportive. In well planned activities and routines such as circle time and snack time children make very good progress. Children's behaviour is very good. • Children respond well in the calm atmosphere and understand what is right and wrong and the reasons why. They are well managed by staff. Relationships are very good. • Leadership and management is very good. The leader has a clear philosophy

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What is being done well?

and is committed to improving care and provision. The leader and her deputy work well together supported by an efficient staff team.

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What needs to be improved?

• regular and consistent opportunities to hear and say the sounds of letters and to link the sounds of letters to words and rhyme in everyday activities and games. • regular and consistent opportunities to count reliably, recognise numbers and develop mathematical language and ideas across the mathematical curriculum supported by all staff through games and practical activities. • staff awareness of the learning objectives of the daily activities and the time and input all staff spend supporting children at planned activities so children can build on what they already know and extend their knowledge. • the timing of the second half of the morning so that activities are not rushed and learning is enhanced.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

There has been generally good progress in children's learning since the last inspection. A point for development at the last inspection was to enhance the programme for language and literacy by providing more regular opportunities for children to recognise their names and to associate the sounds of the letters of the alphabet with patterns in rhymes, with syllables and words. Children now have good opportunities to recognise their names on a daily basis. They have named coat pegs and find their name place at snack time. All children have a named place where they can put the special things they have made. Some

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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 children use name cards to learn to write their names. Progress since the last inspection in name recognition is generally good. Children have some limited opportunities to listen to the sounds at the beginning of words on a daily basis but this would be improved by regular fun opportunities for children to listen to the sounds of letters at the beginning of words. Children sing rhymes and listen to rhyming stories but staff do not draw children's attention to the rhyming words and so opportunities to build on children's learning are missed. Progress in this area since the last inspection is limited. A second point for development was to enhance the programme for knowledge and understanding of the world by planning more opportunities for children to record their observations. Children now have good opportunities to talk, draw and write about what they have

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What has improved since the last inspection?

been doing and this is enhancing children's learning in knowledge and understanding of the world and in communication, language and literacy. Progress in children's learning for this point of development is generally good.

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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 friendly and outgoing and motivated to learn. They confidently choose from a range of resources and activities and can work independently or as part of a group. They are confident to speak in a familiar group and enjoy talking about what they are doing. Behaviour is very good and children respond very well to the supportive staff. Relationships with adults and other children are very good. Children have very good skills of independence as when pouring drinks at snack time.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children respond and listen to stories with enjoyment. They enjoy sharing books with each other or with an adult in the book corner. They use speech to organise ideas and to explore what they are doing and extend their vocabulary learning new words in topics such as 'Out and About'. Children are good at recognising their name and talk, draw and begin to write about what they have done. Children have insufficient opportunities to listen to the sounds letters make and to listen to rhyming words.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children are learning about shape through games and creative activities linked to the topic. They can talk about and recognise simple patterns and compare position, size and quantity. They are beginning to develop the language of addition and subtraction singing number rhymes. Children have insufficient regular opportunities to count reliably or to recognise numbers and to develop ideas and language across the mathematical curriculum so that they extend their knowledge and understanding.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children are confident observing and identifying features of the place where they live from visits and photographs in the very well planned topic 'Out and About'. They design and make their own models and they draw, discuss and ask questions about why things happen and how things work. Children confidently use computers to support their learning. They learn about past and present in their own lives and those of their families. They begin to learn about their own and the culture of others.

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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 confidently and safely in the large hall. They are learning control and a growing awareness of space using bikes in the road safety activity and in circle games and through action songs. They learn the importance of staying healthy washing their hands before snack time and through the healthy eating topic. They handle small tools with increasing confidence when using play dough and confidently build with construction toys. They use the outside space whenever weather permits.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children have good opportunities to use their senses, explore and communicate their ideas using a range of media including paint, play dough, and found materials. They have opportunities to develop their imagination and extend their ideas in role play scenarios such as the road safety game. They enjoy playing in the role play area or with good resources such as the train track. They enjoy singing songs from memory and joining in action songs accompanied by music on the cassette player.

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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

• ensure that all children have consistent enjoyable opportunities to listen and hear the sounds of letters and rhymes and to count reliably, recognise numbers and develop language and ideas across the mathematical curriculum through practical activities and in everyday situations; • ensure all staff are aware of the learning objective of the focused activities and that they give time and sufficient support to enable children to build on what they know and extend their knowledge especially in mathematical activities; • consider the use of time and the activities planned in the second half of the morning in order to make opportunities to enhance children's learning.

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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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