Barkston Ash Nursery School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 08/03/2005 Inspector Name Jenny Taylor

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Barkston Ash Pre School Nursery Setting Address The Village Hall Church Street Barkston Ash LS24 9PR

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The partnership of Barkston Ash Pre School Nursery

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Barkston Ash Pre School Nursery Address The Village Hall Church Street Barkston Ash LS24 9PR

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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

Barkston Ash Pre-School Nursery has been registered as a playgroup for 20 years and has operated as full day care since March 2003. The provision is situated in the village hall at Barkston Ash and serves the local communities of Barkston, Sherburn, Saxton, Church Fenton, South Milford, Monk Fryston and Tadcaster. The nursery has sole use of the premises for all sessions, with the support of the Village Hall Committee. The pre-school nursery operates from 08:30-15:00 from Monday to Thursday, an on Friday until 13:00 during term time only, with special sessions on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons for the rising 5s. The provision is registered for 26 children aged from 2 to 8 years and currently there are 48 children on roll, of whom 22 are receiving funding for nursery education. The nursery supports 1 child with special educational needs. The three owners provide the day-to-day care and there are two additional part time

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Information about the setting

staff. All staff have relevant qualifications and one member of staff is working towards a higher qualification.

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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?

Barkston Ash Pre-School Nursery is offering high quality education and children make very good progress towards the early learning goals. The quality of teaching is very good and staff have an easy rapport and warm relationship with children. They have a very good understanding of the Foundation Stage, how children learn and the value of a variety of methods to introduce new skills and knowledge. Planning through interesting topics, with appropriate activities for all ages and stages of development, gives a broad and balanced curriculum based on good knowledge of individual children whose learning they observe and assess for progress against the stepping stones. There are good links with the planning through ongoing development. Staff challenge children very well, pitching questions at an appropriate level to encourage thinking and communication. They organize resources and their own time very effectively to provide a good contrast of

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How effective is the nursery education?

activities and a lively pace of teaching. They also plan resources to allow children to have continuity in sustained play. Particularly good use is made of the outdoor area to extend learning in music, exploration of materials and observation of living things as well as to practice skills in physical development. Leadership and management are very good. Staff clearly articulate aims and have a strong collaborative approach and shared purpose. They constantly monitor, evaluate and review practice, children's progress and their own professional development. Partnership with parents is very good. They are given high quality comprehensive information on the Foundation Stage, regular informal information on their child's achievements and have access to children's records. Bertie Bear and his diary visiting children's homes at the weekend provides a very good home/nursery link. This strong partnership as well as the good liaison with local schools helps children

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What is being done well?

• The teaching of music and learning about sounds and children's enjoyment of singing. • Children's learning about writing for different purposes, such as noting phone messages and writing postcards, which they post. • The teaching about differences in beliefs and cultures using a good collection of resources such as musical instruments, dressing up clothes from other cultures and other artefacts. • Children's learning through their senses, for example poking and pulling cornflour mixture, smelling herbs and tasting Indian and Chinese food.

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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 way staff record children's progress and achievements in relation to the stepping stones.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Very good progress has been made with the key issues from the last inspection. Staff were required to base the nursery policy for Special Educational Needs(SEN)on the Code of Practice for the Identification and Assessment of SEN and to ensure staff are aware of the different stages in assessment and support. Staff have developed the policy with support from the local authority development worker and all staff have attended training, with two taking joint responsibility as Special Educational Needs Coordinators. The nursery was asked to develop the system of evaluating nursery activities by recording what went well and any ideas for improvements. They have designed a specific task observation sheet for staff to comment on activities and record what went well, and any further improvements identified. Evaluations of activities are also recorded on planning sheets. Staff hold weekly meetings to evaluate activities as

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What has improved since the last inspection?

well as discussing activities informally within their close working environment.

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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 have fun, are motivated and concentrate very well when trying new activities or practising existing skills. They concentrate very well, show great pride in achievements and are learning very effectively to be part of the nursery community as well as to show initiative and independence, when serving snacks to other children. They have confidence to sing to the group and they cooperate very well with adults and each other. Their behaviour is very good.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good When speaking children can express opinions, project into the future, direct others (roles in the shop)and express imagination. They can take turns in conversations and listen very well to others. Some 4 year olds know many letter sounds and some 3 year olds recognize some. Some 4 year olds write their names with very good letter formation and all of them can recognize their names. They enjoy books and know how they work and they can re-tell stories from pictures.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Numbers are an integral part of activities, such as counting candles on the playdough 'cake'. Four year olds can count to 10 and beyond, recognize to 10 and write some numbers. Three year olds can recognize and count numbers to 5. More able children are extended in their learning to know about simple addition and subtraction. Children measure lengths (of pets), their own heights and make long 'snakes'. They name two dimensional shapes and measure quantity when preparing pancakes.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good When playing outdoors children investigate the flow of water along pipes, and observe the bulbs they have planted growing. They compare water and ice and young and adult animals. After learning about the role of police in the community they made a police car from recycled materials. Children use a computer and operate a remote control car skilfully. They observe the features of the local area as they walk to the local farm and the features of the church interior next door.

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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 have a free choice of equipment during each session. They climb on a challenging frame, balance and move imaginatively around it using their whole bodies in a variety of ways, safely and with coordination. Action rhymes encourage moving different body parts and stopping and starting to the sound of bongo drums encourages good bodily control. They sometimes interpret music through dancing with a professional dancer. Many activities help them develop hand and eye control.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good When learning to apply colour children print with fruit. They mix textures in collage, create patterns with a marbling technique and make large scale models, e.g. a scarecrow. Very good activities teach them to recognize pitch and dynamics in music, while playing home made instruments and singing a good repertoire of rhymes and songs from memory. Their imagination is expressed through play with insects in a 'pond', as a shop assistant in the flower shop.

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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; • continue to develop the assessment system to include more detail in relation to the stepping stones so it becomes more closely linked to planning.

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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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