Pelsall Community School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 11/03/2004 Inspector Name Christine Robinson

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Frittenden Pre-School Setting Address Frittenden Cranbrook Kent TN17 2DD

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Frittenden Pre School

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Frittenden Pre School Address Frittenden Cranbrook Kent TN17 2DD

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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

Frittenden Pre-School opened in 1985 and is run by a parent management committee. It operates from a single-storey purpose-built building with its own kitchen and cloakroom facilities in the grounds of the local primary school. Children have time-tabled use of the school playground for outside play. The group serves Frittenden and the surrounding villages and rural area. There are currently 17 children from 2-4 years on roll. This includes three funded three year olds and one funded four year old. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting supports children with special needs; currently all children speak English. The group opens five days a week during term-time. Sessions are from 09:00-12:00. Four staff work with the children and all hold a recognised early years qualification.The setting receives support from an early years advisory teacher. The group is a member of the Pre-School Learning Alliance.

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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?

Frittenden Pre-School provides many worthwhile learning opportunities in a happy and caring community group. Children are making very good progress in all the early learning goals. The quality of teaching is very good. Staff have a good awareness of the stepping stones and use this knowledge to plan a well organised and stimulating programme that promotes all aspects of learning through a six day rotation of everyday activities. Staff deployment remains flexible to allow staff to follow the interests of children. The grouping of children is largely informal but staff work well as a team and know children well. They work with them in small groups to incorporate each child's learning targets. Effective short-term plans are drawn up using a thematic approach and integrated well across all the early learning goals. Activities are evaluated daily and used to inform future curriculum planning. Children's progress on focussed activities is also

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How effective is the nursery education?

assessed daily and used to inform planning by key workers for children's individual learning. Leadership and management is very good. The committee is strong and supportive but largely delegates the responsibility for the Foundation Stage to the staff. There are regular planning and staff meetings and good liaison with the local school to help provide continuity and therefore a sense of security for the majority of children. Staff are committed to the care and education of all children and are willing to accept change and find new ways of working. The committee are keen to introduce a staff appraisal system to improve the group's self-evaluation systems further. Partnership with parents is very good. Good strategies are in place to ensure a regular exchange of information thorugh verbal interaction and when children leave through interviews and the transfer document scheme. Parents are encouraged to

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How effective is the nursery education?

become involved in their children's learning in a variety of ways and they find staff to be friendly and caring.

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What is being done well?

• Staff are able to plan effectively for children's individual learning needs by very thorough and regular daily observations. • Over the last year, more emphasis has been placed on the interaction of topic-work through the early learning goals. A recent topic on 'opposites' has successfully enabled staff to reinforce concepts through a variety of play activities. For example, the positional language of 'over, under and through' as told in the 'Bear Hunt' story is reinforced through role-playing the story and the use of an obstacle course.

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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 • Children take part enthusiastically in music sessions whether it is simple singing, playing instruments or acting out stories to music. A parent helper comes in regularly to take sessions where children learn to tap simple rhythms with percussion instruments and listen to a variety of different sounds. • Strong partnerships are evident between parents, staff, the adjacent primary school and the village community. The majority of pre-school children go to the school and are able to use the school playground and computer room which helps them build first links with the school. Parents are able to take an active part in their children's learning by serving on the management committee or acting as a parent helper and by bringing in items to support topic-work.

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What needs to be improved?

• regular opportunities for children to: • (i) enjoy water play • (ii) find out more about cultural diversity • the provision of a formal staff appraisal system.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection in 1999, two points for consideration were raised. The first concerned more attention being given to the planning for musical activities and the second concerned parent helpers being given more information about the specific learning objectives for the session. Very good progress has been made in meeting these points. Musical activities, including the use of instruments, are now included in the six day rotation of regular activities that is used to ensure that children receive access to all parts of the nursery curriculum. One of the parents and committee members is also a musician and comes in regularly to help teach the children about rhyme, rhythm, pitch and tone. Parent helpers are now given the 'stepping stone of the day/week' to enable them to help the staff further children's learning and staff give appropriate guidance in this matter.

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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 generally play with interest and concentration and are familiar with group routines. They are keen to explore, confident to try new experiences and respond well to staff direction. Children learn to be independent by taking care of their personal needs, helping to tidy up and selecting their own resources.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children enjoy books and acquiring new words and as a result, their language is clear and confident. They are beginning to know the sounds for the letters of their name and can also recognise their name. Children are beginning to link sounds and letters, understand that print carries meaning and find out about the purposes of writing.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children acquire the concept of number through regular planned and spontaneous opportunities; for example, children are able to see if there enough drinks by corrresponding milk cartons to name-cards. Children play with a good range of toys that encourage pattern- making and sequencing. They are helped to notice shape and size as they build with bricks and other construction toys and find out about volume and quantity through regular sand play, and less frequently, through water play.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good There are many opportunities for children to find out about the local community and the natural world through visitors and activities such as planting sunflowers, studying insects and handling small domestic animals. Children are developing designing and building skills through the use of scrap materials and they are able to support their learning by using the school computers. Children learn about the wider world through extended topic work and some limited experiences of cultural diversity.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children have regular access to outside play in the school playground and are developing skills like climbing, pedalling and are learning an awareness of space and position. Children's competence and control in using small tools is also developing as they use equipment like chopsticks, wood-working tools and pencils and brushes.

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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 have very good opportunities to explore colour, shape and form as they use and play regularly with paint, sand, dough and glue. Children enjoy a variety of musical activities and learn about rhythm, pitch and tone through the use of simple musical instruments. Children are able to express their feelings and use their imagination through regular access to home-corner, dressing-up and role-play activities.

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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: • provide more regular opportunities for children to: • (i) enjoy water play • (ii) find out about cultural diversity • consider the introduction of a formal staff appraisal system. 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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