Old Stratford Primary School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 23/09/2003 Inspector Name Gerry Simonds

p.1

SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name South Hills Nursery School Setting Address South Hills School Home Farm Road,Wilton, SALISBURY Wiltshire SP2 8PJ

p.1

ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name South Hills Nursery School Address South Hills School Home Farm Road,Wilton, SALISBURY Wiltshire SP2 8PJ

p.1

ORGANISATION DETAILS

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

p.1

ABOUT THE INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality and standard of day care in accordance with the National Standards for Under Eights Day Care and Childminding; and 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.

p.2

Information about the setting

South Hills Nursery School is an independent school, established 11 years ago. It has sole occupancy of converted farm buildings and farm land. There are three enclosed gardens for the different age groups. There is a separate baby unit for 18 babies. The school serves the local area and surrounding villages. It is situated in a farm setting in rural Wilton near Salisbury. The school operates from 8.00 to 18.00 Monday to Friday and for 36 weeks of the year. It is registered for a maximum of 50 children under eight years. The nursery accepts funded three and four year olds. Children are grouped by age. There are 24 staff who work regularly with the children, 18 of whom are qualified and the remainder are working towards qualification in early years care and education. There are three qualified teachers and three qualified first aiders in post. The school caters for children who do not have English as a first language and for

p.2

Information about the setting

those who have special needs. This is a farm setting so children are able to see and care for many animals.

p.2

How good is the Day Care?

South Hills Nursery School provides good quality care for children. The Principal, who teaches the four-year-old class is a qualified teacher and has over 20 years experience of working with young children. All staff are willing to attend training and 18 staff at the school have relevant qualifications. Seven other staff are also undertaking training for qualification. The setting is keen to develop and improve practice. It is well organised and each room is set out well, ratios are good and space is well used to meet children's needs. The premises are very welcoming and child friendly. Good quality equipment is provided inside and in the gardens. The equipment conforms to safety standards and the environment is very stimulating. The nursery has all policies and procedures in place and these are updated regularly, but some require more detail. Staff take positive steps to keep all children safe and risk assessment is carried out

p.2

How good is the Day Care?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 regularly. Good health is promoted and positive steps taken to prevent the spread of infection and staff act in the best interests of the children at all times. Children are given regular drinks and food brought in by the children is refrigerated appropriately. Equal opportunities are well promoted as staff give children appropriate individual care and good resources are provided to reflect positive images of other cultures, disability and gender. Festivals such as Diwali are talked about as part of the curriculum. There is an appropriate child protection policy which is shared with staff and parents. A very good variety of activities are provided throughout the school, staff use their written observations on the children to plan their work. Baby care is particularly good

p.2

How good is the Day Care?

as staff talk to babies well and sing to them. Special needs are well catered for and behaviour is very good in all rooms. Parents are very happy with the provision;they are well informed and have opportunities to talk about their children's progress.

p.3

What has improved since the last inspection?

There were several actions to be completed at the last inspection. The school were asked to ensure that ratios were kept at all times, this is now done. They were asked to record the times that staff and children are present, this they now do. They were also asked to assign children to key groups and to maintain medical records, both these actions have been carried out. They also had to obtain written permission for medical emergency treatment and advice and they now have these permissions. They were asked to ensure that children do not share bedding and now children have their own bedding. The final action was to send a member of staff on a child protection course and this is to happen soon, a member of staff is booked on a suitable course.

p.3

What is being done well?

• The group has completed the Investors in People award and is now undertaking the Effective Early Learning project. • Staff are experienced and well qualified and this shows in the good interaction with children. • Baby care is very good, the staff interact well with the babies, talking appropriately to them, providing them with good stimulation and singing to them. • Equipment throughout the school is of very good quality, both indoors and out. • The setting is a farm and children are very fortunate to be able to see animals such as sheep, donkeys, chickens, goats, rabbits, a pony and a pot bellied pig so regularly. • The staff provide a very happy, safe and child friendly environment for all the children. The behaviour throughout the school is very good.

p.3

What is being done well?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

p.3

What needs to be improved?

• the inclusion of the Ofsted telephone number on the complaints procedure for parents • the attendance details in the visitor's book.

p.4

CONDITIONS OF REGISTRATION

All registered persons must comply with all conditions of registration included on his/her certificate of registration. As a result of this inspection conditions of registration have been imposed / varied / removed and a new certificate of registration will be issued.

p.4

by the time of the next inspection

Std Recommendation 6 Include time in and time out in the visitors book. 12 Include Ofsted’s telephone number on the complaints procedure.

p.4

by the time of the next inspection

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

p.4

How effective is the nursery education?

South Hills nursery offers good quality provision overall which helps children to make generally good progress towards the early learning goals. Very good progress is made in personal, social and emotional development, communication language and literacy, knowledge and understanding of the world and physical development. Progress in mathematical development and creative development is generally good. Teaching is generally good, however it is stronger for four-year-olds. Staff interact well with the children, talking carefully and clearly to them. All staff question children appropriately, allowing children think for themselves. Relationships are good and children are happy in the school. Behaviour is very good and all staff encourage this in every way. Children are reminded to think of others and are often praised when they help others. Work is planned for all six areas of the curriculum satisfactorily,

p.5

How effective is the nursery education?

however, it does not have enough balance between adult directed and child initiated activities for three year old children. Leadership of the whole school is generally good and the Principal sets an excellent example of good teaching in her class. She is an experienced teacher. All policies and procedures in place for staff to follow. General organisation is good and staff are committed to developing the best provision for the children, but they have not addressed the aforementioned issue for three-year-olds. There is an appraisal system for all staff. Partnership with parents is very good, parents are well informed with a good prospectus, newsletters and parent's evenings. Parents feel that they are well informed and that staff are very accommodating when parents wish to talk to them.

p.5

What is being done well?

• The Principal gives a good lead in the example that she sets staff through her own teaching. • Communication language and literacy is very well taught throughout the school, children speak confidently are learning letter sounds and some four year olds are able to read. Staff extend all children's language well. • The area of knowledge and understanding of the world is very strong, children are given good activities on this spacious farm setting. • Personal, social and emotional development has many strengths as children learn to think of others and behave extremely well. • Physical development is very good and children are given good opportunities for movement and use of equipment. • Partnership with parents is a strength of the nursery. Parents feel they are well informed and actively involved in their children's learning.

p.5

What is being done well?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

p.5

What needs to be improved?

• the balance between free choice activities and teacher directed activities for the younger funded children • the planning of practical mathematical activities for three year old children, not relying on work sheets for this age group • children's creative freedom in hand on experiences, such as cooking.

p.6

What has improved since the last inspection?

Improvement since the last inspection is generally good. At the last inspection the setting were asked to continue to build on the good work being carried out. This they have continued to do, children are given good experiences such as the work in knowledge and understanding of the world, being able to see animals first hand in this way adds dimension to the curriculum. Children at the school are very fortunate in the experiences provided for them and the equipment and space that they are able to use. They were also asked to ensure that the balance was kept between free and structured play. This has been maintained for older funded children but not for the-three-year olds who have a very directed morning. This then remains an issue for the nursery.

p.6

What has improved since the last inspection?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

p.6

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good The area for personal, social and emotional development is very good. Children are encouraged to be kind to others, to look after the animals and relationships are very good all round. Children are very confident and respond well to activities offered to them. Staff are sensitive to children's needs and are caring. Behaviour is good all round.

p.7

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good The area of communication language and literacy is very good. Staff speak clearly, question effectively and give children opportunities to speak on a one to one basis. Children listen and respond well to stories and they sing with enthusiasm. They are learning letter sounds and reading simple words. They write their names and four-year-olds are able to write several words unaided. Children are confident speakers and answer questions well, being unafraid to speak in front of the whole group.

p.7

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good The area for mathematical development is generally good. Four-year-olds are given appropriate practical activities and are able to estimate the number of puppets in a bag or take away and add on with the help of a song such as 'Two little Dickey birds' but in the three year old room there is too much reliance on work sheets when practical counting would be more appropriate. Children are able to name and recognise shapes and can recreate them and solve simple problems.

p.7

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good This is a very strong area of development for all children. In this farm setting children are able to see and care for animals. They also are able to look at pattern and change as they cook or print their shoes in the sand. They have opportunities to choose materials when making 3D models, and use computers to assist their learning in other areas. They talk about past and present events as they learn about themselves and learn about their own culture and other cultures.

p.7

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children's physical development is very good. They have opportunities to move around outside with climbing and wheeled toys and do so with control and awareness of others. Good control is also shown inside in physical education lessons. Children are reminded about staying healthy, for example taking off sweatshirts when too hot, or washing hands after using the toilet. They use a variety of large and small equipment with increasing skill and malleable materials well.

p.7

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

p.7

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good The area for creative development is generally good. Many good creative opportunities are provided such as model making, printing, and using dough. Children sing with enthusiasm and are given sessions with a specialist musician which includes using percussion instruments. Children have good opportunities for role play. However, staff are sometimes tempted to improve children's work and over-direct practical activities such as decorating biscuits in cooking.

p.8

Children's spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development is fostered

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

p.8

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.

p.9

WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

• Plan for a balance in the programme for the younger children between teacher directed activities and child initiated ones, and monitor practical activities to ensure children have hands on experience and opportunities to learn through trial and error. • Make mathematical activities for three-year-olds more practical for example counting real objects rather than counting items on a work sheet.

p.9

WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

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.

p.9

WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

p.9

STANDARD 1 - SUITABLE PERSON

Adults providing day care, looking after children or having unsupervised access to them are suitable to do so.

p.10

STANDARD 2 - ORGANISATION

The registered person meets required adult: child ratios, ensures that training and qualifications requirements are met and organises space and resources to meet the children's needs effectively.

p.10

STANDARD 3 - CARE, LEARNING AND PLAY

The registered person meets children's individual needs and promotes their welfare. They plan and provide activities and play opportunities to develop children's emotional, physical, social and intellectual capabilities.

p.10

STANDARD 4 - PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

The premises are safe, secure and suitable for their purpose. They provide adequate space in an appropriate location, are welcoming to children and offer access to the necessary facilities for a range of activities which promote their development.

p.10

STANDARD 5 - EQUIPMENT

Furniture, equipment and toys are provided which are appropriate for their purpose and help to create an accessible and stimulating environment. They are of suitable design and condition, well maintained and conform to safety standards.

p.10

STANDARD 6 - SAFETY

The registered person takes positive steps to promote safety within the setting and on outings and ensures proper precautions are taken to prevent accidents.

p.10

STANDARD 7 - HEALTH

The registered person promotes the good health of children and takes positive steps to prevent the spread of infection and appropriate measures when they are ill.

p.10

STANDARD 8 - FOOD AND DRINK

Children are provided with regular drinks and food in adequate quantities for their needs. Food and drink is properly prepared, nutritious and complies with dietary and religious requirements.

p.10

STANDARD 9 - EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

The registered person and staff actively promote equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice for all children.

p.10

NEEDS AND DISABILITIES)

The registered person is aware that some children may have special needs and is

p.10

NEEDS AND DISABILITIES)

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 proactive in ensuring that appropriate action can be taken when such a child is identified or admitted to the provision. Steps are taken to promote the welfare and development of the child within the setting in partnership with the parents and other relevant parties.

p.10

STANDARD 11 - BEHAVIOUR

Adults caring for children in the provision are able to manage a wide range of children's behaviour in a way which promotes their welfare and development.

p.11

STANDARD 12 - WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS AND CARERS

The registered person and staff work in partnership with parents and to meet the needs of the children, both individually and as a group. Information is shared.

p.11

STANDARD 13 - CHILD PROTECTION

The registered person complies with local child protection procedures approved by the Area Child Protection Committee and ensures that all adults working and looking after children in the provision are able to put the procedures into practice.

p.11

STANDARD 14 - DOCUMENTATION

Records, policies and procedures which are required for the efficient and safe management of the provision, or to promote the welfare, care and learning of children are maintained. Records about individual children are shared with the child's parent.

p.11

STANDARD 14 - DOCUMENTATION

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

p.11