Wooldale Pre School Playgroup

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 08/05/2003 Inspector Name Valerie Craven

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SETTING DETAILS

Setting Name Wooldale Pre School Playgroup Setting Address Wooldale Community Centre Huddersfield West Yorkshire HD9 1HZ

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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

Wooldale Pre-School opened about thirty years ago and serves a rural area. This well established privately owned pre-school is located within the village of Wooldale, near to Holmfirth, in West Yorkshire. It is managed on a day-to-day basis by the owner. Care takes place in the Wooldale Community Centre building. The main part of the building that is accessible to the children consists of one large room. They have supervised access to a spacious hall, a section of the outdoor play area, also the centre's toilet facilities. Children who attend mostly come from the locality and surrounding villages. The pre-school has 66 children on roll, and is currently registered to care for a maximum of 26 during a session between the ages of two and a half up to five years old. This includes 45 three-year-olds, of whom 38 are in receipt of funding, also 7 four-year-olds, of whom 5 are in receipt of funding. None of

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Information about the setting

the funded children have been identified as having special educational needs, or are learning English as an additional language. The pre-school is open for ten sessions each week during local school term times. Morning sessions start at 9.15 am and finish at 12.00 noon. Afternoon sessions start at 1.00 pm and finish at 3.30 pm. There are a total of five part-time members of staff and one full-time member of staff who work with the pre-school children. This includes staff who make good use of their wide range of childcare experiences, some who hold recognised qualifications, whilst others are working towards these. Staff receive support from the local Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership, including regular teacher support, and opportunities to attend locally organised training courses. The pre-school staff are members of the Pre-School Learning Alliance.

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How effective is the nursery education?

Wooldale Pre-School is a well established setting that serves the locality and surrounding villages well. It provides a welcoming and stimulating environment for children to settle and learn. Children who are three-years-old and four-years-old are making generally good progress towards the achievement of the early learning goals in all of the six areas. This generally good progress is clearly achieved through planned activities in line with the colour coded stepping stones. There are, however, limited opportunities for the older children to participate in practical activities to help them further practice their calulating skills, including simple additions when two groups of objects are combined. Quality of teaching is generally good and this contributes positively to the generally good progress made by the children. Staff's calm, relaxed and supportive approach clearly helps to foster children's good

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How effective is the nursery education?

behaviour. This includes the consistent use of a range of strategies. There is, however, scope for staff to continue to monitor and evaluate their plans for the overall educational programme, incorporating plans for the use of the outdoor play area, and also the systems used to assess and record children's progress and achievements. Leadership and management is generally good, supported by the owner who makes good use of her wide range of childcare experiences. This includes a commitment to regularly assess the strengths and weaknesses of the setting, as highlighted in a recent evaluation of the provision. Partnership with parents and carers is generally good. They are frequently encouraged to be involved in their child's learning, often by helping their child further practice their early reading skills at home. Parents are well informed of their child's progress, and encouraged to share what they know about their child. There is, however, a limited range of good

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How effective is the nursery education?

quality helpful information about the pre-school and its provision.

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What is being done well?

Staff's calm, relaxed and supportive approach to help foster children's good behaviour, such as the consistent use of a range of strategies. A commitment to regularly assess the strengths and weaknesses of the setting, supported by the good use made of the owner's wide range of childcare experiences. This is clearly highlighted in a recent evaluation of the provision. Children's relationships with each other and the pre-school staff. They have formed many positive and lasting friendships, including showing a sensitivity to each other whilst working as part of a small group. Children's early reading skills, often when they spend some of their time in the comfortable and inviting book area, including the use of good quality books, puppets, story boards and story sacks. Children's ability to count a range of everyday objects, usually as part of daily routines or sometimes displays. This includes counting out how many biscuits they can eat during snack-time, how many

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What is being done well?

children are allowed into different activity areas, also how many coloured objects are featured in a display. Parent's involvement in their child's learning, often by helping their child to further practice their early reading skills at home.

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What needs to be improved?

Plans for the overall educational programme, incorporating more detailed plans for the use of the outdoor play area to further foster children's learning. The current systems used to assess and record children's progress and achievements. Opportunities for the older to children to practice their calculating skills through practical activities, including simple additions when two groups of objects are combined. Availability of good quality helpful information for parents about the pre-school and its provision.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The Wooldale Pre-School staff have made generally good progress since the last inspection, and this has had a positive impact on children's learning. There are four main improvements linked to the previous key issues: More priority is now given to planning a wider range of activities to help foster the development of children's communication, language and literacy skills, also their mathematical skills. The plans for the overall educational programme have improved that clearly identify the early learning goals targeted, including extension activities, such as for those children who may finish an activity more quickly. Staff's planning continues to remain an issue and requires further monitoring and evaluating, incorporating more detailed plans for the use of the outdoor play area to further foster children's learning. There are now more opportunities for children to use their imagination and express their ideas, thoughts

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What has improved since the last inspection?

and feelings in music, dance, role-play and stories, including the use of puppets and easily accessible musical instruments. The systems used to assess and record children's progress and achievements have improved, particularly to help inform staff's plans for the next steps in children's learning. These systems continue to remain an issue and require further monitoring and evaluating.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children are making progress and are learning effectively in this generally good area. Children have formed many positive and lasting friendships with each other and the pre-school staff, including showing a sensitivity to each other whilst working as part of a small group. They are very confident, keenly interested and motivated to learn, often shown when trying new activities, such as taking turns to decorate some 'rainbow buns'; they are aware of what is right and wrong and why.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children are making progress and are learning effectively in this generally good area. Children are developing their early reading skills well, often when they spend some of their time in the comfortable and inviting book area, including the use of good quality books, puppets, story boards and story sacks. They are skilful in talking and listening to each other, and clearly enjoy listening to stories. Children's handwriting skills are frequently practiced, such as writing their own names.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children are making progress and are learning effectively in this generally good area. Children are frequently encouraged to count a range of everyday objects, usually as part of daily routines or sometimes displays. This includes counting out how many biscuits they are allowed to eat during snack-time, also how many coloured objects are featured in a display. There are, however, limited opportunities for the older children to practice their calculating skills, including simple additions.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children are making progress and are learning effectively in this generally good area. Children are developing their designing and making skills, including the use of everyday materials to make three-dimensional models, also the use of a range of construction equipment to further extend their joining skills. They frequently explore and investigate, often encouraged through effective questioning, and have a clear sense of place, sometimes through visits into the locality.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children are making progress and are learning effectively in this generally good area. Children are developing their balancing and climbing skills as they work on a range of challenging indoor and outdoor equipment, including a very large indoor climbing frame. They are able to handle various tools, objects, construction and malleable materials to help promote the development of their small muscles, often as part of art and craft activities, also mark-making and writing activities.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children are making progress and are learning effectively in this generally good area. Children are often encouraged to explore colour, including collecting a set of objects of the same colour, comparing contrasting shades of the same colour, or mixing two colours together to make a new colour. They regularly enjoy recognising and exploring sounds, usually through handling a varied range of interesting and accessible musical instruments, including 'rain-makers' and shakers.

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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

Staff should address the following key issues in their action plan: Continue to monitor and evaluate the plans for the overall educational programme, incorporating more detailed plans for the use of the outdoor play area to further foster children's learning, and also continue to monitor and evaluate the current systems used to assess and record children's progress and achievements. Plan more opportunities for the older to children to practice their calculating skills through practical activities, including simple additions when two groups of objects are combined. Provide parents with additional good quality helpful information about the pre-school and its provision.

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