Old Clee Primary Academy

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 13/01/2005 Inspector Name Jane Rea

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name St Pauls Second Steps Pre School Setting Address St Paul's Church Hall Torquay Road, Preston Paignton Devon TQ3 1DZ

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of St Pauls Second Steps Pre School

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name St Pauls Second Steps Pre School Address St Pauls Church Hall Torquay Road Preston, Paignton Devon

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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

St Pauls Second Steps Pre-School is a well established pre-school that operates from the premises of St Pauls Church in the Preston area of Paignton. The pre-school uses the large church hall except on Wednesdays when it operates from the nearby Scout Hut as the church hall is unavailable. It is open between 09.00 and 12.00 from Monday to Friday for 38 weeks per year. A mother and toddler group runs from 09.30 to 11.30 alongside the pre-school on Mondays. The pre-school is registered for 26 children aged between three and five years of age. There are currently 12 funded three- and four-year-olds on roll. Two year old children attend the pre-school in the term in which they become three. All staff are qualified. The pre-school supports children with special educational needs. There are currently no children attending who have English as an additional language. The pre-school is managed by a committee of parents and is supported by an adviser from the Torbay

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Information about the setting

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?

St Pauls Second Steps Pre-school provides high quality nursery education and children make very good progress towards the early learning goals in all six areas of learning. The quality of teaching is very good. Staff have a very good understanding of the Foundation Stage curriculum and plan activities for all six areas of learning that children find interesting. Staff have high expectations of what children can achieve and their involvement in children's play ensures they receive the support and challenge they need to learn very well. Children with special educational needs are supported very well. There is a good balance of adult led and free choice activities and good quality resources are used well. Staff work very effectively as a team and manage children very well. Relationships are very productive. An effective assessment system ensures children's progress is recorded. Staff use this information well when planning future activities.

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How effective is the nursery education?

Leadership and management are very good. The pre-school leader provides strong leadership and is supported very well by the active committee. Staff are keen to improve their skills and regularly attend additional training. They are committed to improvement and evaluate their work on a weekly basis. They identify what they need to do next to improve the provision further and recognise the importance of refining the current system so that priorities and the progress towards achieving them are recorded with greater clarity. The partnership with parents is very good. Parents have a very constructive relationship with staff which enables them to share what they know about their child and to be involved in their learning. Parents think highly of the pre-school and receive very good information about what their children will be learning and the progress they make. The pre-school has plans to improve its prospectus which

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How effective is the nursery education?

currently contains valuable information but does not accurately reflect the pre-school's high quality provision.

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What is being done well?

• Very good teaching and teamwork ensures children experience a very good balance of activities that motivate them to learn. • Children's personal, social and emotional development is very good. They behave very well and develop very positive relationships with staff and each other. • Communication, language and literacy are very well supported and children make very good progress in their development of speaking and listening skills and their knowledge of letters and sounds.

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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 pre-school is very well led and managed. • The partnership with parents is very productive. Parents are kept very well informed about their child's achievements and the progress they are making.

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What needs to be improved?

• the system used to record the results of evaluating the provision to identify priorities more clearly • the style and content of the pre-school prospectus so that it reflects accurately the very good provision made.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Very good improvement has been made since the last inspection. Improvements have been secured in the information provided for parents, the opportunities provided to support children's learning in the area of communication, language and literacy and the provision made for children with special educational needs. Provision for children with special educational needs is now very effective. Staff seek, and act on specialist advice and work very constructively with parents to ensure children make very good progress. Regular newsletters provide parents with good information about the activities planned by the pre-school and they are encouraged to be actively involved in their child's learning at home. Planning for all six areas of learning has improved and staff are very clear about what they want children to learn. Communication, language and literacy are very well supported and children now have many opportunities to make up their own

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What has improved since the last inspection?

stories, write for a variety of purposes and recognise their own names.

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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, motivated and keen to explore their world. They share, take turns and negotiate as they play harmoniously together. Children behave very well and develop productive relationships with staff and each other. The high expectations of staff, clear daily routines and the very good support provided ensures children develop very good levels of independence and the ability to concentrate on activities for extended periods of time. They develop a good sense of community.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children enjoy talking to staff and each other during their play. They are confident communicators and listen attentively. They express their ideas clearly, ask questions about how things work and give reasons for their ideas. Children can read their own names and identify many letters and the sounds they make. They write for a variety of purposes and are beginning to form letters correctly. Children know that print carries meaning and enjoy listening to and joining in with stories.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Very effective questioning by staff and the very good use of resources ensures children develop a good understanding of number and calculation. They recognise numerals and use a good range of mathematical vocabulary in their play. Games and number rhymes are used well to support children's knowledge and understanding of mathematics. Children learn about the features of flat shapes through activities such as printing with shapes and by playing games which require them to find matching shapes.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children confidently explore their world using all their senses. They investigate, for example, how toys work and the texture of dough and shaving foam. They use technology to support their learning and construct complex structures from a wide range of kits and craft materials. They use a variety of methods to join materials together. Children develop a good sense of time and place through discussions and visits. Through stories and celebrations children are increasingly aware of other cultures.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

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

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children's physical skills develop well because staff provide them with very good support. For example, because staff guide children's hands they become increasingly competent in using scissors. Children are well co-ordinated and have a good awareness of space and each other. They avoid collisions when controlling large wheeled toys and negotiate obstacles skilfully. Children are aware of the effect exercise has on their bodies and know that eating fruit helps to keep them healthy.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children use their imagination very well during their role-play and other creative activities. For example, they take orders and serve food in the "Café" and send for a fireman to come and put out a fire that develops. Children express their ideas and communicate their feelings through dance, music and when building with construction materials. They join in enthusiastically when singing songs and rhymes and demonstrate a good sense of rhythm for their age when clapping a steady beat.

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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: • Refine the recording of the results of evaluating the provision so that priorities are clearly identifiable • Re-consider the style and content of the prospectus so that it reflects accurately the very good quality of the provision.

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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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