Roundthorn School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 07/04/2004 Inspector Name Beryl Witheridge

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Warden Bay Playgroup Setting Address Village Hall, Warden Bay Road Warden, Leysdown-on-Sea Sheerness Kent ME12 4NB

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Warden Bay Playgroup

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Warden Bay Playgroup Address Village Hall Warden Bay Road, Warden Sheerness Kent ME12 4NB

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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

Warden Bay Playgroup opened in 1995. It operates from one room in a village hall, in Sheerness. The pre-school serves the local area. There are currently 30 children from 2 to 5 years on roll. This includes 4 funded 3-year-olds and 18 funded 4-year-olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting currently supports 3 children with special needs and no children who speak English as an additional language. The group opens five days a week during school term times. Sessions are from 09.00 to 12.00. There are six staff who work with the children. There are four staff with early years qualifications to NVQ level 2 or 3. There are two staff who are currently working towards a recognised early years qualification. The setting receives support from a teacher 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?

Warden Bay Playgroup provision is acceptable and of good quality overall. Children are making generally good progress towards the early learning goals. Teaching is generally good. Most staff show a good basic knowledge of how children learn and the early learning goals. Staff provide the children with good role models and they have a good relationship with the children. Staff know the children well. They work with children in small groups and allow time for one-to-one work. Staff use every opportunity to introduce new vocabulary and give explanations of new words or concepts. They provide children with a wide selection of activities, toys and equipment to meet their needs. The staff assess and evaluate the activities regularly. All staff are involved in the planning. The differing needs of three and four-year-olds and children's individual needs are not clearly identified in the planning. Leadership and management is very good. The staff work together well as a team,

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How effective is the nursery education?

supporting each other and the children. Staff have yearly appraisals, they are able to identify training needs and attend relevant courses. Staff meetings are held regularly and staff are able to discuss future learning needs of the children. Staff deployment is effective. The partnership with parents is generally good. Parents are given regular newsletters to keep them up to date with what is happening in the group. Weekly plans are displayed on the parents' notice board but these are not always clear. Parents have access to their child's records and are able to talk to staff about their child's progress at any time, but there are no formal arrangements for staff to feed back to parents regarding their child's development. Parents can have an input into their child's future targets. Parents find staff friendly and approachable.

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What is being done well?

• Children's personal, social and emotional development is good. Children are confident and independent and form good relationships with staff and their peers. • The staff teach the children by example and are good role models. Children know how to behave and understand what is acceptable and what is not. • Staff work well together as a team supporting each other and the children. • Partnership with parents is positive and parents are encouraged to come into the group and take an active interest in their child's progress. • Children are confident communicators. They are able to use resources to act out every day activities and imaginary situations.

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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 arrangements for storytime, to enable all children to hear and enjoy the stories • the opportunities for staff and parents to discuss the children's records •• practical opportunities for addition and subtraction need to be more relevant to the children's understanding •• the use of outdoor space • the identification of children's individual learning needs in the planning.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection the group were asked to provide more time in the programme for mathematics with practical activities that promote counting, use of number, problem solving and number operations and to use the existing assessment records to inform planning, base the planning on what children already know and what they need to learn next; particularly in language, literacy and mathematics. Staff have introduced new ways to discuss number. They have provided practical opportunities for problem solving, and evaluate and update plans and practices. Children are grouped by their stage of development, rather than age, when doing activities. However, plans may require changing to cater for individual children's needs, activities should have an intended learning goal and assessments should be kept up to date.

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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: Generally Good Children are able to form relationships, take turns and play together in groups. There are good relationships between the children, their peers and the staff. The children's behaviour is good and they acknowledge the difference between what is right and wrong. Children show an interest and delight in their work and achievements. Children are not able to be totally independent or provide self care because of the building layout and lack of free access to toys and equipment.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children are confident speakers. They learn to extend their language with the introduction of new vocabulary, sometimes using language other than English. Children are provided with opportunities for writing, mark making and reading. They are able to recognise letters and sounds. Four-year-olds are more able at identifying letters and sounds than most of the three-year-olds. The acoustics of the hall can be distracting at group story time making it difficult for children to concentrate.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children can count reliably up to 10; some 4-year-olds are capable beyond this. They are able to recognise written numbers. Number displays are at child height so they are able to see, touch and use the display. Staff encourage the children in the use of comparative and descriptive language. Children are able to describe shape, size and quantity. They can recreate patterns. Practical opportunities for addition and subtraction are not always relevant to the children's understanding.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Staff provide opportunities for children to learn about the natural world. Activities are planned which allow the children to explore the world around them and to learn about how others live. Children are able to visit the local area and learn about living things. Staff provide play opportunities for children to think about the health and welfare of others.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children are confident and move with control and co-ordination; they have a good sense of space. They use the space well and show a good awareness of each other. They are able to use large and small equipment with increasing control and ability. There is limited use of the outdoor space.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children are able to explore media and materials and show a pride in their achievements. They use their imagination well, especially four-year-olds in role-play. Children are able to communicate and share their ideas. They are able to respond to what they see, hear, touch and feel. There is a minimal amount of messy play such as sand, water and clay because of the limited use of the outside play area.

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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

• Key issues:- • provide parents with opportunities to discuss their child's records with keyworkers • identify children's individual learning needs in the planning. 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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