Lady Mount Pre-School Group

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 25/11/2002 Inspector Name Sheila May Price

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SETTING DETAILS

Setting Name Lady Mount Pre-School Group Setting Address Ladymount RC Primary School Pensby Wirral CH61 5YD

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name . Ladymount Pre School Management Committee

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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

Ladymount Pre-School opened in 1984. It operates from a purpose built room within Ladymount Primary School in Pensby, Wirral. The Pre-school serves the local suburban area. The group has close links with the school and is governed by a management committee. There are currently 40 children from two and a half to five years on roll. This includes twenty-three funded three year olds and three funded four year olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The staff are not currently supporting any children whom have been identified as having special needs or any children who speak English as an additional language. The group opens five days a week during school term times. Sessions are from 09:00 until 12:00 noon for the children during the twelve months preceding school and between 13:30 and 15:15 for the younger children. Three full time and one part time staff work with the children. Two have early years qualifications and another two staff are currently on

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Information about the setting

training programmes. The setting receives support from a teacher/mentor from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP) and follows the curriculum guidance for the Foundation Stage .

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How effective is the nursery education?

The quality of nursery education at Ladymount Pre-School is generally good overall and children make good progress towards early learning goals. All curriculum areas are equally well covered so that generally good progress is made throughout. Where there are weaknesses this is linked to planning and assessment systems which continue to be reviewed. Teaching is generally good overall. The warm and friendly staff manage the children's behaviour well and give appropriate encouragement to help both three and four year olds make generally good progress towards all early learning goals. The session timetable is well organised and resources easy to access. Some children do not gain access to all types of activity when planning is not specific enough in identifying which learning outcomes are intended for daily activities. Children's individual needs are less easy to identify when their progress is not comprehensively recorded. Leadership and management is generally good. The

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How effective is the nursery education?

organisation is willing to make improvements as demonstrated by the progress since the last inspection and the efforts of the pre-school supervisor to review practice with the assistance of the teacher advisors. There are good relationships between the pre-school supervisor and the staff and they work well together as a team The systems for communication between the management committee and the pre-school supervisor do not always work effectively enough for information to be shared when needed. Partnership with parents is generally good. Staff foster good relationships with parents which help children feel secure. Verbal Information about children's progress is shared on a daily basis, but parents do not routinely see or contribute to written reports. Not all parents know about the activities that are planned for children, although those who can attend coffee mornings are able to learn more about this.

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What is being done well?

Children's personal, social and emotional development is very good owing to the high expectations for behaviour and the warm and friendly approach of the staff. Children have good communication skills. They are encouraged to express themselves well and listen attentively . The staff provide regular opportunities and resources to help children to count, compare quantities and explore shape and space. The children have a good awareness of their bodies and move about safely. The staff work well together as a team and have good relationships with parents. The room is well organised and resources accessible to children.

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What needs to be improved?

the range of purposes for which children use books and are encouraged to write. the systems for recording observations and using written assessments to plan for next steps in learning. the identification of the strands within curriculum areas that are being covered in daily activities to ensure all children have the same access. the systems for communication between the committee and the staff. the methods for sharing written information with parents about what the children do and their individual progress

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Improvements since last inspection have been generally good. There is better timetabling of activities to include planned small group activities with an identified focus. This has ensured better coverage of the areas within language and maths which were highlighted as weaknesses in the last report. Considerable improvements have been made to resources and layout of the room to support the action plan. The way short term planning is managed is under review and still needs some adjustments to ensure learning outcomes are identified..

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children's behaviour is very good owing to the high expectations of the staff. The support from staff also helps younger or more timid children feel secure. Some three and four year olds are confident enough to ask questions and express feelings in front of the whole group. Children are increasingly self reliant in personal hygiene and remember to wash their hands without reminding.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good All children make good progress. In language for communication their ability to listen to and follow instructions and speak out in a large group is particularly good. Children respond enthusiastically to stories and rhymes. More able children are beginning to link letters to sounds and find the first letter in their name. The few opportunities for children to link reading and writing to different purposes or see this demonstrated by staff, limit progress in this area

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good All children are making good progress in using numbers as labels for counting as they count out people or objects to ten and beyond. Some children are beginning to compare quantity when objects are taken away. Children look for shapes in the environment and can make shapes with their bodies. The limited display of numerals and opportunities to match these to numbers affects the progress of more able children.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children progress well. They like to build with construction sets and use different materials to make pictures. They learn about the playgroup environment and talk about their homes and families. They learn about things that grow and compare the features of animals that go into the ark. Children take an interest in their own cultural beliefs. Some limitations in provision for children to use all their senses for investigation means that exploratory skills are not being fully developed.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Generally good progress is made overall. Children have a good spacial awareness and move about safely. They are learning about how their bodies work and the reasons for good hygiene. They enjoy responding to music and rhythms using different parts of their bodies. Some children handle tools with a high level of skill. The fewer opportunities to use equipment for aiming and catching, climbing, pushing and pulling, due to the way sessions are planned, affects progress for some children.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children make good progress in creative development. They enjoy drawing, painting and making collages where they explore colour and textures. They have fun singing action songs and playing ring games. Some children play imaginatively in the home corner. Use of musical instruments and responding creatively to music is not planned regularly enough to ensure all children have the same access to this experience.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Children's spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development is fostered appropriately: Y

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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

Key issues: improve systems for recording observations and ensure written assessments identify next steps for individual children so these can be used when planning activities. ensure daily plans identify strands within each curriculum area to make sure all children have the same breadth of experience. improve the systems for communication between the committee and the staff and ensure all parents receive information about the planned activities and see records of their child's progress

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