Kingsbury Academy

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 07/10/2004 Inspector Name Denys Rasmussen

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Christ Church Fledgelings Pre School Setting Address Christ Church Hall Christchurch Park Sutton Surrey SM2 5TN

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Christ Church Pre-School

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Christ Church Pre-School Address Christ Church Hall Christchurch Park Sutton Surrey SM2 5TN

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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

Christ Church Pre School is a committee run provision with a Christian based ethos. The pre school has been established since 1994 and is situated in a residential area of South Sutton. It operates from the church hall which consists of a large room, separate toilet provision and kitchen. There is an adjacent outside play area. The pre school serve the local area. There are currently 31 children aged two years six months to four years on roll. This includes 20 funded three-year-olds and two funded four-year-olds. There are children attending who have been identified with special needs and some children speak English as a second language. The pre school is open five days a week during term time only. Sessions are from 9:30 until 12:00, and an optional lunch time club from 12:00 until 1:00. There are seven members of staff working full and part time, one volunteer and one student. Of these, five hold recognised child care qualifications and one staff is

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Information about the setting

currently on a training programme. The pre school receives support from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP) and have the Pre School Learning Alliance (PSLA) accreditation.

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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?

Christ Church Fledgelings Pre School provides high quality nursery education which enables children to make very good progress towards the early learning goals. The quality of teaching is very good. Staff have a sound understanding of child development and the foundation stage, they manage the children in a calm, gentle and attentive manner. The staff have a warm relationship with the children. The hall is organised to create an interesting learning environment, encouraging children's independence. Good practical activities are offered where staff engage children well to encourage them to think and talk about what they are doing, sustaining their interest and enhancing their play. Staff give individual children a good level of support and those with special needs are encouraged to participate in the full range of pre school activities. Assessment is used very well to plan suitable activities for the children in 'fledgling fours', individual

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How effective is the nursery education?

needs are well met and the children make rapid progress. Assessment for the three-year-olds has improved considerably and is effective for the group as a whole, however the recording of observations do not always clearly link to the stepping stones/ early learning goals to enable individual next steps to be identified in some activity plans. Leadership and management is very good. The staff team are well established and they are clear about their roles and responsibilities. There is a strong commitment to the professional development of the staff who are valued for their contribution. They are aware of their strengths and weaknesses and act to make improvements. The partnership with parents and carers is very good. Good information is given to parents about the pre school and excellent guidance to continue helping their child practise skills at home. The pre school invite parents to a parent evening to meet

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How effective is the nursery education?

their child's key worker and discuss their child's needs. Parents gave very positive feedback.

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What is being done well?

• Staff use excellent strategies to promote good behaviour and consideration for others. • Their calm, polite and attentive manner sets a very good example for children. Children are happy and work well together in an atmosphere of mutual respect. • The children have access to a good range of quality resources which they access independently, the garden is used well to develop physical skills and to discover nature. The staff plan worthwhile practical activities covering all areas of learning .

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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 • The four-year-olds benefit from effective teaching to help them learn about the world around them, to practise and consolidate their learning particularly their knowledge of letter sounds and letter formation. This is in consultation with parents and in consultation with local schools to ensure consistency. • Staff are good at developing children's language and confidence. They value what children say and encourage them to listen to others. A visiting teddy bear is taken home for the weekend, the child relates their news to the group or leader with the aid of the bear. • The partnership with parents is sound, the parents are more than satisfied with the service provided, they particularly commented on the staff's approachability, good educational approach and supportive manner. The parents are invited to a parent evening to meet their child's key worker and to

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What is being done well?

exchange information about their child. They are given written guidance on the pre school approach to enable them to help their children to practise skills at home.

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What needs to be improved?

• the recording of observations in the three-year-old assessment records, to relate them clearly to the stepping stones/early learning goals, to enable individual next steps of learning to be identified on activity plans.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Very good progress has been made since the last inspection. The group have introduced a number of effective measures to improve information given to parents and are developing the assessment and planning systems for the funded three-year-olds. A major factor in improving the information given to parents has been the introduction of a parents' evening, written notification of the child's key worker and excellent guidance given to encourage parents to be part of their child's learning. The assessment system for three-year-olds has been improved. An area of learning is targeted each month and staff plan specific activities to meet children's learning needs, the staff record good observations of what children can do which helps to inform the planning, this can be further improved and will form the basis for the point for consideration

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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 are confident to speak out in group time and listen to each other, they are co operative and are interested in the activities provided. Children's self help skills are routinely encouraged e.g. using the toilet, washing their hands, putting on an apron and making choices about which resources to work with. Children behave well, staff are calm and polite, helping children to work well as part of a group. Children settle well into the group with staff's skilful guidance and support.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Staff are skilled at questioning children to extend language. Children negotiate with each other and make up stories which they act out. They enjoy participating during story time, they remember the story and predict the outcome. Children are developing good pen control and some children attempt to write. They recognise their names and those of their friends and four-year-olds are given excellent opportunities to learn the sounds of letters and practice correct letter formation.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Staff introduce shape names during practical activities, rolling the dough to make a sphere. Children are using size language such as bigger and smaller. They sing number songs, sort objects and experiment with sand and water to develop their understanding of adding and subtracting. Good practical activities help children understand how to measure e.g. conkers in scales and measuring ingredients to make bread. Children are encouraged to count throughout the routine of the day.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children develop an understanding about people in their community prompted by role play, positive imagery within resources and visitors to the pre school. Planned activities help children notice changes e.g. cooking bread. Children are encouraged to find out about and investigate living things, they explore the grounds around the church looking for mini beasts, collecting leaves etc. Children are introduced to everyday technology and relate their news to others with the aid of a visiting teddy.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children are beginning to be aware of their own physical needs, they use the toilet, wash their hands and have a drink when thirsty. Good practical activities are planned to encourage co ordination and control e.g. parachute game. Children's manipulative skills are well developed,they pour water, they cut, paste and thread with skill. Good opportunities are provided for children to use gross motor skills, they ride wheeled toys, climb, slide, jump, crawl and run.

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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 experiment with colour at the paint easel and enjoying making things at the creative table, they explore texture and shape and make 3D objects out of recycled materials. Children use their imagination well during role play and small world play. They act out from their own experiences e.g. searching for spiders with a torch inside the tent. Children are confident and communicate their thoughts and ideas creatively. Music is explored, children recognise sounds and make their own music.

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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 the following: • clearly linking observations of the children to the stepping stones/early learning goals in the three-year-olds assessments, to ensure that individual three-year-olds next steps for learning are clearly identified in activity plans.

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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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