Mitchell Brook Primary School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 20/07/2004 Inspector Name Glenda Sinclair

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Sharpness Playgroup Setting Address c/o Sharpness Primary School Newtown Berkeley Gloucestershire GL13 9NU

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Sharpness Playgroup Address c/o Sharpness Primary School Newtown Berkeley Gloucestershire GL13 9NU

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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

Sharpness Playgroup opened in 1982. It operates from a building in the grounds of the village primary school in Sharpness in Gloucestershire. It serves the local community and surrounding villages. The group is run by a management committee elected from parents of children who attend. There are currently 34 children on roll. This includes 10 funded 3-year-olds and 7 funded 4-year-olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions and are admitted from the age of two-years-nine-months. The setting supports children with special needs. There are currently no children on roll, who have English as an additional language. The group opens five days a week during school term times. Sessions are from 09.15-11.45 and 12.30-15.00 on Tuesdays. Three staff work with the children and parents provide additional support on a rota system. Two staff are studying for National Vocational Qualifications in Childcare and Education at Level 3. The setting receives support from the Early Years and

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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?

Sharpness Playgroup offers provision which is acceptable and is of good quality overall. Children are making generally good progress towards the early learning goals. Teaching is generally good. The staff have a sound knowledge of the Foundation Stage. They plan a wide and varied range of activities to help children progress through the stepping stones, towards the early learning goals. Relationships with the children are very good. Staff are prepared to cuddle and reassure less confident children. They encourage children to respect and value each other, positively encourage politeness and reward children with an instinctive use of praise. Staff have good strategies for managing children's behaviour at potentially difficult times. Staff are not planning work to help children to learn to distinguish sounds. They are not making the link between assessment and planning so that the needs of individual children can be clearly identified and supported.

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How effective is the nursery education?

Leadership and management is generally good. Staff work well together as a team, complementing each others strengths. Individual roles are laid down in the plans and staff spend the whole session working directly with the children. They support duty parents well, enabling parents to become more fully involved in the sessions. Staff also evaluate every session to enable them to monitor which activities are most successful. They have identified the need to link assessment and planning but have not put systems in place. Partnership with parents is generally good. The interaction between staff and parents is very good. Information about the Foundation Stage and stepping stones is readily available to parents and the parents of pre-school children are kept well informed of their child's progress. Parents of younger children are not as fully informed.

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What is being done well?

• Children have very good relationships with each other and with the staff. Their self-esteem is enhanced by attractive displays of their work. They are encouraged to respect each other's likes and dislikes. They are polite and well-behaved. • Children talk confidently, listen attentively to stories and handle books correctly. • Children use number well. Older children are beginning to make simple calculations and they use shape, size and positional language naturally in play. • Children are gaining very good knowledge of the natural world. They show great excitement about what they see.

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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

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What needs to be improved?

• the planning to include activities to help children begin to distinguish sounds • the information given to the parents of younger children • the link between assessment and planning so that planning shows how the needs of individual children will be met.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Improvement since the last inspection is generally good. At the last inspection, the group was asked to develop information for parents and carers to include useful detail of the educational programme and associated activities. Information about the Foundation Stage and stepping stones is displayed on an easily accessible notice- board. Parents are given copies of topic webs and newsletters. Parents are also actively involved, whilst doing 'duty'. The parents are now better informed about the educational programme. Staff were also asked to ensure that parents and carers are kept well informed of their children's attainment and progress in all areas of learning, and that they are encouraged to contribute their observations of the children's learning at home to support the assessment process. This has been partially achieved. The group holds a parent's evening for the parents of pre-school children. This has improved the

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What has improved since the last inspection?

two-way flow of information. The parents of younger children do not get the same benefit and parents are not able to contribute to assessment on a regular basis.

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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 have excellent relationships with the staff and with each other. Staff are pro-active in encouraging respect and politeness and the children are very well-behaved. Children have good self-esteem and the staff help by putting up attractive displays of the children's own work. Children play co-operatively and share well. Two boys chalking on a blackboard were quite happy to share the rubber. Children apologise spontaneously when they accidentally bump into someone else.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children talk confidently. One four-year-old even tried to tell a joke. They pretend to read, telling a story to others. They handle books well and listen very attentively to stories. Older children are able to write their name, forming letters well. Staff have put name cards on a board and many children are able to recognise other people's names. Adults provide good resources to encourage mark making. Older, more able, children are not sufficiently encouraged to distinguish sounds.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children are given every opportunity to count. They enjoy number rhymes. Staff encourage the children to make simple calculations by asking questions like 'How many more hoops do we need?' Children use shape, size and positional language quite naturally in their play. They were able to name all the shapes that went into a posting toy. Staff help younger children to recognise shapes by using simple objects such as pizza. Children make patterns using toys such as peg boards.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children have access to everyday technology in the form of computers, tape players, cameras, mobile phones and video cameras. Staff take them regularly to the pond in the grounds. They are able to identify dragon flies, pond snails and pond skaters. They are aware of the passage of time, know the days of the week and express excitement about leaving playgroup and going to 'big' school. They enjoy cookery and know that they need heat to melt jelly cubes.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children move about confidently. They have the advantage of a large school field to run about in and bowl hoops. Some children are able to 'hula hoop'. They have their own adventure play area and staff can encourage children to climb, balance, crawl over and under in a safe and pleasant environment. They show awareness of their own physical needs and know that their stomachs rumble when they are hungry. The older children use scissors, pencils and paintbrushes very competently.

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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 opportunities to print, paint, cut, make collages and do woodwork. They make models using re-cycled materials. They play musical instruments, accompanying themselves or a tape and they enjoy singing simple songs. They play imaginatively, often using good resources, provided by the staff. For example, some boys enjoyed being 'postmen' using the materials in the home corner to make 'letters'. Staff also encourage children to use their own ideas in their paintings and other art work.

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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

• Link assessment to the planning so that planning shows how the needs of individual children will be met. • Ensure that all parents are kept informed of their children's progress. 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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