Box Pre School Playgroup

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 21/04/2004 Inspector Name Charlotte Jenkin

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Box Pre-School Playgroup Setting Address Jubilee Youth Centre Box Corsham Wiltshire SN13 8NZ

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Box Pre-School Playgroup 1035359

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Box Pre-School Playgroup Address Jubilee Youth Centre ,Box, Corsham Wiltshire SN13 8NZ

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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

Box Pre-school is a well established committee run group serving the community of Box. They meet every morning in term time from 09:00 to 12:00, and there is a lunch club offered on some days until 13:00 hours. The group have sole use of the downstairs rooms in the Jubilee Centre, which is in the centre of the village. They have shared use of the upstairs room and kitchen which are also used by a breakfast and after school club. The group uses a small tarmac area by the hall for outdoor play. The group receives funding for three and four-year-old children and there are currently eight funded three year olds and 13 funded four year olds on role. A new voluntary committee has been appointed since October 2003 and there have been changes in the staff team which now has six members. Three staff have Early Years Qualifications and two are currently on training programmes.

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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?

Box pre-school is an acceptable provision and of good quality, where children make generally good progress towards all the early learning goals, except in personal, social and emotional development where children make very good progress. Teaching is generally good. Most staff have a generally good knowledge of the early learning goals and all staff contribute their ideas for planning, and most areas of learning are covered. Activities are mostly stimulating and linked to children's interests, and staff encourage children to visit activities they are less confident in. Staff support children with special needs and help them develop and progress well. Sessional activity plans do not have clear learning outcomes for children, extension ideas for more able children, grouping and adult input, to ensure consistency of staff questioning and children's learning. Leadership and management is generally good. The committee works closely with

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How effective is the nursery education?

the supervisor to meet the needs of the staff and the pre-school. The supervisor has developed her skills in supporting staff in areas for development and staff communicate well sharing most responsibilities. Appraisals are effective in identifying strengths and weaknesses and areas for future development. Most staff are committed to training and have become qualified, although not all staff attend short courses to keep updated with the foundation stage curriculum. Partnership with parents is generally good. Parents receive good initial information regarding the pre-school curriculum, policies and routines. They are kept up to date with the current theme for learning and activity plans are available to view daily. Parents are aware that records are kept on their children and there are open days for parents to view work and discuss progress. Parents are encouraged to contribute knowledge of their child's achievements, although they are not given guidance on

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What is being done well?

• Children form good relationships with staff and peers, play co-operatively together and interact well. They show care for others and help one another during activities. • Children have favourite books and know who the author and illustrator is. They listen to stories with enjoyment and increasing attention and recall, and join in with repeated refrains with enthusiasm. • Staff praise children when playing nicely and for their achievements. They are good role models and treat one another and the children with respect. Their consistent approach creates a busy learning environment where children are engaged in play and behaviour is good.

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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 • Parents are given good opportunities to discuss their child's progress, both formally at open days where they can view their children's work, and through an open door policy, where staff are approachable and make time to share information with parents.

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What needs to be improved?

• challenges for older and more able children in everyday routines, to help them use their mathematical awareness to solve problems and recognise numerals; • opportunities for children to develop their climbing, sliding and balancing skills; • sessional activity plans to ensure consistency of staff questioning and children's learning, through detailing what children are expected to learn, grouping, resources and adult input; • access to training for staff to keep them updated with the foundation stage curriculum.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Box pre-school has made limited progress since the last inspection, although this is in part due to significant changes in the staffing structure and missing paperwork. At the last inspection the pre-school agreed to continue planning in detail to include what children are expected to learn from activities, grouping, resources and extension ideas for quick learners; ensuring that aspects such as story telling, imaginative play, spatial awareness and climbing and balancing are included more frequently, and for children's individual plans to be part of the process. They also agreed to provide more opportunities in the educational programme for children to explore natural and made objects, to observe closely and to question how things work. The pre-school has ensured that plans cover aspects such as story telling, imaginative play and spatial awareness and children have regular opportunities to develop skills in these areas. Planning does not detail learning outcomes for

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What has improved since the last inspection?

children, resources, grouping and adult input and there are no extension ideas for quick learners. Children do not have enough opportunities for developing their climbing and balancing skills. Children now examine living and natural objects and have opportunities to explore various textures. They observe change over time and talk about what they see. There are still limited opportunities for children to question how things work.

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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 willingly participate in activities, display high levels of involvement in these and complete tasks. They enter the pre-school with confidence, form good relationships with staff and peers and interact well. They are familiar with the routines of the group and make attachments to others, playing and engaging in activities together. Children demonstrate a sense of pride in their achievements, and develop turn taking and sharing skills.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children initiate conversations with adults and peers. They are confident when saying 'good morning' at registration and when using talk to describe their thoughts. Children select books, hold them correctly and turn the pages, and they have opportunities to recognise their names at snack time. Children draw, and more able children give meaning to their marks. More able children are not consistently challenged during routine activities to develop writing and linking sounds to letters, skills.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children show interest in counting when playing games and more able children count objects to 8, with confidence. They show interest in number problems when singing number rhymes and more able children say one less than a given number. Children develop the use of mathematical language to describe size and weight and solve simple puzzles, persevering until complete. More able children are not encouraged to use their mathematical awareness to solve simple problems through routine activities.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children examine living things and natural objects and observe change over time e.g. lifecycles. Children investigate construction materials and build and balance, and more able children construct with a purpose in mind. Children instruct programmable toys and develop the skills to operate simple computer programmes. They develop a sense of time and talk about significant events in the past. Children have limited opportunities to explore the wider outdoor environment and to ask how things work.

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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 show an awareness of themselves and others when moving around the room. They manage their bodies to create intended movements, and combine and repeat a range of movements during action rhymes. Children have opportunities to develop their skills in throwing, kicking and catching. They use writing implements and various tools and cutters with increasing control, and manipulate objects and malleable materials. They have limited opportunities to develop their climbing and balancing skills.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children explore paints and communicate their ideas clearly through drawing and painting, and create detailed pictures. They use representation as a means of communication, respond to questions and talk in detail about their creations. Children engage in role play based on first hand experiences and act out stories based on themselves. They join in action rhymes with enjoyment. Children's free expression through collage is often limited by an expectation to produce a pre-defined end product.

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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

• develop sessional activity plans to ensure staff are consistent in their questioning skills and have clear understanding of what children are expected to learn from activities; to include grouping of children, learning outcomes for children, extension ideas for more able children, resources and adult input, and ensure opportunities for children to develop their climbing and balancing skills are included; • ensure that everyday routines and activities offer appropriate challenges to older and more able children in using their mathematical awareness to solve simple problems and recognise numerals; • increase staff's access to training and short courses to keep them updated with knowledge of the foundation stage curriculum.

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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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