Thornham Middle School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 15/09/2004 Inspector Name Julie Steeples

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Penenden Heath Pre-School Setting Address Penenden Heath Social Hall Penenden Heath Maidstone Kent ME14 2DT

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Penenden Heath Pre School

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Penenden Heath Pre School Address Penenden Heath Pre School Penenden Heath Maidstone Kent ME14 2DT

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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

Penenden Heath Pre-School opened in 1966. It operates from one large room in the Penenden Heath Social Hall in Penenden Heath. The pre-school serves the local area. There are currently 52 children from two and a half years to five years on roll. This includes 38 children in receipt of funded nursery education. Children attend for a variety of sessions. No children attend who have special educational needs or have English as an additional language.

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Information about the setting

The group opens five days a week, term time only. Sessions are from 09:15 to 11:45 hours each morning and from 12:00 to 14:30 hours on a Monday and Thursday afternoon. Ten part time staff work with the children. Seven have an early years qualification. Two staff are currently on training programmes. The setting receives support from a teacher 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?

Penenden Heath Pre-School provides high quality nursery education overall which enables children to make very good progress towards the early learning goals. The quality of teaching is very good. Staff have a secure knowledge of the early learning goals. They plan a variety of interesting, practical activities to cover all areas of learning and understand what children learn from them. However written evaluations of activities do not always reflect the detailed knowledge the staff have of individual children's needs. Children have access to a very good range of resources that are well organised and used effectively to ensure the children's progress through the stepping stones. Children are confident and can work on their own or as part of a group. Staff are enthusiastic, good humoured, and work well together as a team to ensure all children are challenged effectively. Behaviour is very good. Staff make regular observations of children's progress and use them to

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How effective is the nursery education?

inform their planning. Systems are in place to support children identified with special educational needs or for those for whom English is an additional language. Leadership and management is very good. The supervisor provides clear vision and strong leadership. Staff receive regular appraisals and training needs are identified. Staff meets regularly to review and evaluate the effectiveness of the pre-school practice. Excellent co-ordination and direction from the supervisor ensures all staff work together to support and extend children's learning. Partnership with parents and carers is very good. This contributes significantly to children's progress. The pre-school gives out clear information for parents and carers about the educational programme. They issues regular newsletters and provide notice boards giving parents up to date information. Parents receive regular opportunities to discuss their child's progress and achievements with staff and to

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What is being done well?

• Children are confident and motivated to learn. They work well together and can share and take turns. They have a strong sense of right and wrong. • Staff consistently use open ended questions to support and extend the children's thinking. • Staff manage behaviour extremely well and are good role models for the children. The children's behaviour is very good. • The enthusiastic team ensures learning is fun and exciting for the children. Well planned activities challenge children and encourage them to be independent thinkers. • The pre-school is well led and managed. Supervisors show a commitment to

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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 an ongoing improvement in the educational provision.

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What needs to be improved?

• There are no significant weakness to report, but consideration should be given to improve the following: • written systems for evaluating activities and sharing the information with all staff.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection the setting was asked to: 1: improve the assessment system by including all aspects of the programme for language and literacy and mathematics. 2: use the records to ensure that children who learn more quickly continued to progress in all areas, but particularly in language and literacy. 3: ensure parents are informed of the children's achievements and progress. The pre-school has made very good progress since the last inspection. All the issues have been addressed. New assessment records have been introduced which clearly show the children's progress through the stepping stones in all areas. Additional records for children who learn more quickly are now in place to ensure that their progress is monitored and supported. Parents are encouraged to discuss their children's development and achievements during open evenings and afternoons, and regular meetings are held with the key workers where information

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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 Staff provide a secure, caring, and friendly setting which builds on children's confidence and self-esteem. Children are interested, motivated to learn, and show good levels of concentration. They are confident to access resources independently and to try new activities, such as the parachute game. Children's behaviour is very good; they are well mannered and eager to help each other.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children speak clearly and confidently, and listen well when conversing with each other and adults. They enjoy sharing books with each other in the book corner. Children learn to recognise their names and are beginning to write these with correctly formed letters. They are beginning to link sounds and letters, for example, when 'fishing' for cut out letters in the water tray. They use their phonetic knowledge to build simple words.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children count confidently to ten and beyond during whole group activities and daily routines. Staff encourage children to use mathematical language and identify and name shapes, for example, when building houses from wooden bricks. Children solve simple problems using mathematics, for instance, counting how many cups are needed at snack time. They demonstrate a developing understanding of addition and subtraction when singing familiar number songs.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Staff provide activities that encourage children to investigate and explore change, for example, seeing the effect of breaking an egg into a bowl, and examining what happens to a jelly when you start squeezing it between your fingers. The children design and build their own creations using straws and bricks, adapting their plans to make improvements as they go. Visits to the nearby recycling plant in the park and to the library allow them to find out about the wider world.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Regular opportunities to use large equipment ensure children move confidently and safely with good control, such as when the whole group play a large parachute game. They show good spatial awareness, catching and kicking balls and whirling streamers outdoors. Fine motor skills are developed well during cutting, painting, and construction activities. Children learn about the importance of personal hygiene and healthy eating through daily routines, discussions and themes about healthy food.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children clearly enjoy the opportunities provided in role play as they use their imaginations and express their ideas. Staff stimulate children's creativity as they experiment with a variety of painting techniques. Children are encouraged to explore and investigate sounds as they use a wide range of familiar and unusual instruments independently. Children enjoy singing and have a wide repertoire of songs.

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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: • further develop the new written system of evaluating activities and ensure that all staff have access to the information.

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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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