Thorpe on the Hill Playgroup

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 04/02/2004 Inspector Name Gill Ogden

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Thorpe on the Hill Playgroup Setting Address The Portacabin Thorpe on the Hill CE School,School Lane,Thorpe on the Hill Lincoln Lincs LN6 9BN

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Thorpe on the Hill Committee 1087733

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Thorpe on the Hill Committee Address The Portacabin Thorpe on the Hill CE School,School Lane,Thorpe on the Hill Lincoln Lincs

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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

Thorpe On The Hill Playgroup opened in 1992. It is a committee-run provision and operates from a small porta-cabin in the grounds of the St Michaels C of E School in the village of Thorpe on the Hill, on the southern outskirts of Lincoln. The group serves the local community and surrounding rural areas. There are currently 26 children from two-and-a-half to five years on roll. This includes 17 funded 3-year-olds and three funded 4-year-olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are no children currently attending who have special needs or who speak English as an additional language. The group opens each weekday morning and also on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons during school term time. Sessions are from 09:00 until 11:45 and 12:30 until 15:00. Five part-time staff work with the children. Half the staff have early years qualifications to NVQ level 2 or 3. One member of staff is currently working towards

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Information about the setting

a recognised eary years qualification. The setting can get support from a curriculum adviser from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP). The setting 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?

Thorpe-on-the-Hill Playgroup offers a small, friendly and stimulating environment where children make generally good progress towards the early learning goals in all areas. They make very good progress in personal, social and emotional development and physical development. The quality of teaching is generally good. The staff work well together as a team and are very good role models for the children. They are enthusiastic about their work and effectively motivate the children to take part in and enjoy all the activities. They manage and organise the limited space very well and store and rotate the good quality resources efficiently. They have a good understanding of the early learning goals, however, the planning and assessment systems they use do not always identify well enough what children will learn and what they should be doing next. The leadership and management of the setting is generally good. The supervisor

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How effective is the nursery education?

works closely with the committee to ensure that staff attend appropriate training and children have the right kind of toys and equipment to support their learning. However, lack of a staff appraisal system reduces the group's effectiveness in its overall monitoring. The partnership with parents is generally good. Parents receive useful written information about the Foundation Stage curriculum and plans are displayed which show the curent theme and what the children are doing on a daily basis. Parents are pleased with the written report they receive when their child moves on to school and the information they are able to share with staff on a daily basis. However, there are some missed opportunities for involving parents in their children's learning and assessment.

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What is being done well?

• Children's personal, social and emotional development is excellent. They are very confident and independent. They quickly become engrossed in activities and concentrate for long periods. They behave extremely well. • The good quality equipment and range of physical activities offered ensure that children quickly develop good co-ordination, confidently manouevre large equipment and are adventurous outdoors. • The staff's warm, loving relationships with the children result in the children responding to them positively and being eager to learn. • Staff use the local environment and community regularly and effectively to support children's 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

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What needs to be improved?

• the planning system to ensure that it relates more closely to the stepping stones in all the areas of learning • the assesment of children's progress to ensure that their next steps are more clearly identified in all the areas of learning • the overall monitoring of the provision.

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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 very confident and keen to become involved in all activities. They pay attention and behave extremely well at all times. They take pride in their achievements and happily work in a small group and with adults to successfully complete a project. They take care of each other and are becoming increasingly independent in caring for themselves and initiating and developing activities.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children are good communicators. They listen, talk and negotiate with each other to organise their play. They handle books very well and choose stories to read to themselves and in small groups. They respond enthusiastically to stories at circle time. They all recognise their own name. Many children are keen to write their names and are beginning to form letters correctly. However, there are limited opportunities for children to regularly write for a purpose during role play.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children enjoy counting in sequence and many children can count beyond ten. They are developing an awareness of numerals and calculation through useful practical activities. They recognise shapes and are skilled in pattern matching. They are gradually developing an understanding of mathematical language. They enjoy playing with water to discuss capacity. However, some opportunities are missed during daily routines to develop their mathamatical thinking.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children have regular opportunities to explore their environment and investigate change in the natural world. They talk about past experiences in their own lives and are interested in others in the community as well as beginning to gain an awareness about differing cultures and beliefs. They construct purposefully using various tools and materials. They are becoming skilled in operating the computer.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children have well-developed whole body skills through regular opportunities to play outside and practice using large apparatus. They are developing a strong sense of spacial awareness and manouevre large pieces of equipment confidently. They demonstrate good co-ordination when using tools, brushes and pencils. They have a growing awareness of healthy practices relating to hygiene and diet.

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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: Generally Good Children enjoy regular opportunities to experiment with colour and texture and to stimulate their senses. They respond excitedly using facial expressions and body language as well as words to express their thoughts and feelings. They enjoy using their imaginations in painting, collage and model making. They develop role play and small world situations, relating them to their own experiences. They enjoy singing, dancing and moving to 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 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

• review the planning system to ensure it links more closely to the stepping stones in all the areas of learning • review how children's progress is assessed to ensure that their next steps are more clearly identified in all the areas of learning.

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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.

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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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