Gilead Foundation Christian School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 24/05/2004 Inspector Name Joanne Aram

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Partridge Green Pre-School Playgroup Setting Address Partridge Green Pre-School Playgroup The Village Hall Partridge Green West Sussex RH13 8QN

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Partridge Green Pre-School Playgroup

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Partridge Green Pre-School Playgroup Address Village Hall Partridge Green West Sussex RH13 8QN

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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

Partridge Green Pre-school Playgroup is a community group, managed by a committee of parents. It is situated in the village hall in Partridge Green and has sole use of the premises and an outdoor play area during sessions. The pre-school serves the local community and surrounding villages. It is registered to provide sessional care for 26 children under five years and over two years. There are 26 children on role, who attend a variety of sessions each week. The Pre-school operates Monday to Friday, 09:15 to 12:00, during term time. They are in receipt of nursery education funding with 12 children aged 3 and 2 children aged 4 receiving funding. The pre-school support children with special educational needs. There are no children who speak English as an additional language. There are 6 members of staff employed to work with the children on a rota basis. All of the staff have attended a variety of Early Years training courses and hold

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Information about the setting

certificates in First Aid. A specialist music teacher visits the group each week. The setting receives support from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.

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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 Partridge Green Pre-school is of good quality overall. Children are making generally good progress towards the early learning goals. The quality of teaching is generally good. The staff have a very good knowledge of the early learning goals and use this to plan a wide range of interesting, stimulating and well resourced activities, using both natural and man-made materials. Planning states the intended learning outcomes, this ensure teaching is purposeful, learning takes place and covers the six areas of learning. Children are confident, well motivated, independent learners although they are not always encouraged to use mathematical processes to solve simple problems in practical situations or develop an awareness of the effect of exercise on their bodies. Staff use the space and resources effectively. Regular observations are used to identify children's stage in

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How effective is the nursery education?

learning. However children's next steps for learning are not used effectively in planning, to ensure challenge for all children to maximise their learning. Systems are in place to support children with special educational needs. Leadership and management is very good. The supervisor is a strong leader and staff work well as a team. Staff meetings are held at least half termly to plan and evaluate activities. Appropriate job descriptions are in place though the appraisal system has lapsed over the last year. A good staff development policy has been agreed and there is a strong commitment to in-service training for all staff. The partnership with parents is very good. Parents receive good initial and ongoing information about the curriculum so they can extend learning at home. A parent management committee is responsible for the business management of the Pre-school. Parents provide a good initial profile of their child but information sharing

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How effective is the nursery education?

about progress then becomes informal and unrecorded until a consultation meeting just before their child leaves.

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What is being done well?

• Children's behaviour is very good. They are aware of the rules and procedures of the setting and co-operate well. Children are involved in purposeful activity which they enjoy throughout the sessions. • Children show good listening skills in a range of situations, like stories, discussions and rhymes. They speak out about their activities and experiences with growing confidence. They also retell favourite stories and rhymes using books as prompts. • Children count well upwards to nine and beyond and also count downwards especially in rhymes and songs. They are familiar with mathematical language especially for making comparisons like bigger and smaller 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 lighter and heavier and know the names of shapes. • Children are developing good investigative skills using magnifying glasses to explore mini-beasts found in the outdoor area and observe the growth of plants from the seeds they set. • Children move safely and confidently with good co-ordination and an awareness of the space they and other people and objects need. • Children initiate and resource their own role play scenarios which they then sustain, like a train journey under the A-frame.

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What needs to be improved?

• children's use of mathematical processes to solve practical problems. • children's awareness of the effect of exercise on their bodies. • planning for challenge for individual children to reach their full potential, based on their next steps for learning, identified from their profiles to which parents contribute regularly.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Improvement since the last inspection is generally good. At the last inspection the setting was required to make more use of everyday situations and activities to encourage children to solve mathematical problems. This is still not apparent. Children do not show an awareness of the processes of addition and subtraction and so this should continue as a key issue from this inspection. The setting was further required to extend the assessment records to include statements for all areas of learning based on the early learning goals and parent's comments on their children's learning. This was to enable staff to make a more complete assessment of children's development in all six areas of learning and to plan for their future needs. The West Sussex assessment system, now used, covers all six areas of learning which ensures a more adequate coverage of the curriculum. Parents are also supplying a comprehensive initial profile of their child's stage of development when

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What has improved since the last inspection?

joining the setting. This ensures an informed starting point for the children's learning. However parents ongoing contributions about development are not recorded and the children's next steps needed for learning are not identified as a basis for planning for individual needs. This means that not all children are always challenged to reach their full potential. So this should continue in part to be a key issue from this inspection. The last requirement was for the setting to extend its weekly plans to include details of what children are intended to learn from the activities in relation to the early

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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 learning goals. This was to enable evaluations to be more effective. Weekly plans now state the intended learning outcomes in line with the six areas of learning which makes teaching more effective and has a positive impact on children's learning. Effective evaluations are also recorded on weekly plans in relation to key activities to help make future planning more efficient.

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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's behaviour is good. They are aware of rules and procedures and co-operate well. They are caring and work well together, taking turns and sharing a bug box, to watch mini beasts. Children enjoy the activities and are purposefully involved in a range of them throughout the session. They show growing self confidence, when clambering over the A frame. Children understand that people are different but of equal value as shown by their response to the end of the Big Brown Bear story.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children show good listening skills in a range of situations, especially listening to stories. They speak out well about their experiences over the weekend. Four year olds are beginning to recognise letters by shape and sound. Children enjoy stories and can use books and retell favourite stories like The Three Bears. Children show a growing awareness of the purposes of writing in role play, taking messages and putting entries in a diary. Some children write their names legibly on their work.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children count on accurately to nine and beyond and sometimes backwards in songs and rhymes. They recognise numbers well. They can use comparative mathematical language like bigger and smaller, heavier and lighter appropriately and recognise common shapes on bean bags. They can recognise and recreate patterns using a sorting board well. They can sort animals into categories and count each set correctly. Children still do not use mathematical processes to solve problems in practical situations.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children are developing good investigative skills, exploring mini beasts in the outdoor area and studying the growth of the seeds and plants they have set there. They make interesting models with cogs and spindles which they make work. They are developing an appropriate sense of time and increasing knowledge of their environment from walks in the area and from visitors, like a policeman. Children are becoming aware of their own and others cultures and beliefs, enjoying a range of festivals.

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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 around safely with a good awareness of the space they and others need when riding bikes in the yard. They climb and balance with good co-ordination on the A frame. They also use small equipment, well to throw, catch, kick and aim. Children are developing appropriate manual dexterity using a wide range of tools and materials. They are aware of some aspects of healthy living, like wearing hats in the sun but do not show an awareness of the effects of exercise on their bodies.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children use a wide range of colour, texture, materials and methods in art work like butterfly painting, bark rubbing and gradually combining two colours of dough with textured rollers. Children enjoy singing and joining in action songs, like Row, row the boat. They initiate and resource their own role play well making tickets for a train ride under the A frame. Children respond well to what they sense, making noises and twisting hands sticky with glue, when making caterpillars at collage table.

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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

• take advantage of opportunities which arise for children to use mathematical processes of addition and subtraction to solve practical problems and to become more aware of the effect of exercise on their bodies; • continue to develop the assessment system to incorporate ongoing parental contributions about their children's progress and development and identify accurately the children's next steps for learning. • develop plans based on the children's identified next steps for learning so that they incorporate challenge for all children to reach their full potential.

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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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