Sale Boys' Grammar School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 11/10/2004 Inspector Name Christine Clint

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Shoreham Village Pre-School Setting Address Shoreham County Primary School Church Street, Shoreham Sevenoaks Kent TN14 7SN

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Shoreham Village Pre-School

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Shoreham Village Pre-School Address Shoreham County Primary School Church Street, Shoreham, Sevenoaks Kent TN14 7SN

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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

Shoreham Village Pre-school has a permanent building within the grounds of Shoreham Village School. Access to the group is on one level making it easy for parents with buggies and young children and for children with physical disabilities. There is an enclosed outdoor play area with access to the main school playground. The group is open five days a week, term time only, from 09:00 - 12.00 and from 12:45 - 15:20. There are currently 27 children on roll, which includes 16 funded three and four year olds. The pre-school supports children who have additional needs or are learning English as a second language. There is an established staff team and a bank of staff that can be called on if required. Over half of the staff have early years qualifications to NVQ level 2 or 3. The setting receives support from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP).

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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?

Shoreham Village Pre-school offers acceptable provision for nursery education, children are making generally good progress in most areas of learning and very good progress in personal, social and emotional development. Teaching is generally good. Staff plan and provide activities to link with themes and topics, they include daily focus activities and use group discussion times well to include and extend the current topic. Staff are not involved in children's role play and provide few opportunities for children's own creative design. Younger children have ample choice during free play and staff use pictures and symbols to assist the progress of children with additional needs. Staff offer understanding and praise children to encourage good behaviour. They record children's progress and ensure that observations confirm children's achievements. Sessions for older children offer more formal teaching and children have less choice and challenge.

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How effective is the nursery education?

Leadership and management is generally good. The committee provide strong support for all staff. Activity evaluations are used to inform staff appraisals. All staff are currently evaluating daily practice to ensure that the new building is used effectively and continues to provide a close link with the school. The systems for monitoring the educational provision do not fully highlight the weaknesses in the areas of learning, they do not always relate to the learning objectives for children. Partnership with parents is generally good. Parents are informed about the curriculum and have regular copies of the medium term planning. They receive newsletters and termly reports, they can link with topics for 'show and tell' time. They know about their children's records of progress and can link with key workers. Parents enjoy the close links with the school and see the benefits for children when they transfer, but do not enter the provision regularly and have few opportunities to

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How effective is the nursery education?

see the resources or children's work displayed.

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What is being done well?

• Children show enthusiasm and are keen to be involved, especially when joining their siblings in the play ground. They are confident and choose where to play during the morning session. They repond well to staff and each other, they show interest during group discussion times. Older children are forming relationships and show that they can manage independently. • There are close links with the school and children transfer with ease. Older children enjoy regular visits and shared story times with the reception class in the primary school and all pre-school children learn the 'wake up' song to join in with school assembly. There are also times when children from the school visit to read stories to the pre-school children.

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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 • Children have ample freedom for physical development. Many children choose to play in the outside play area during free play, they find and collect conkers and there are opportunities to climb and balance on the wooden train and the slide. They use the larger playground for practising control and co-ordination with hoops, they follow each other as trains, walking on the lines. Children enjoy well supervised, shared play times with children in the primary school, they run and play with siblings.

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What needs to be improved?

• the systems for evaluating the educational provision to ensure that all areas of learning are fully included • choices for older children, to include more challenge in activities • staff involvement in children's imaginative play to extend role play and to include children's own creative designs • opportunities for parents to enter the provision regularly.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The pre-school have made very good progress since the last inspection. The provider was asked to develop staff knowledge of the Code of Practice for the identification of special educational needs and to inform parents. Staff have increased their knowledge through attending training for nominated co-ordinators and have obtained advice from professional special needs teachers. They have included play plans to support the needs of individual children and they obtain regular advice and liaison which is shared with parents. The provider was also asked to inform parents of the curriculum and of what children are expected to learn. All parents have access to full information about the early learning goals and are provided with copies of the medium term planning, which identifies the outcomes for children under the six areas of learning.

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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 keen to enter the pre-school and take part in activities, they respond well to the regular routines of the morning. Older children are confident and have a strong awareness of their own needs, they enjoy the opportunities to mix with their siblings in the school playground and are forming relationships with their peer group. Children are learning to be independent and to follow codes of behaviour, they make choices and manage their play during free time, they are happy and involved.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children communicate well, they are encouraged to think about the topic of the week and describe items that represent 'hot' and 'cold'. They are connecting written words with meaning and have regular opportunities to recognise their own names. Children listen well, they enjoy and recite favourite stories with staff. There are organised times for older children to link sounds with letters and to write their names but less encouragement for writing for a variety of purposes.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children can count confidently at group time and there are regular routines and activities which include number recognition. There is ample mathematical language to describe shape, size and position during many activities and children understand and repeat this in their conversations. Older children are learning to identify shapes and can follow patterns, but have few opportunities to learn simple calculations and mathematical ideas are not developed to include problem solving.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children are observing and identifying natural items, they discuss the seasons and know how to explain and describe the changes around them. They have access to everyday technology. They are encouraged to learn about the wider world through themes and topics and have knowledge of places outside their daily lives. Children are able to share information about themselves and relay events that have recently taken place. There is less evidence of children designing, making or constructing.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children have freedom to choose outdoor activities during the morning, they can climb and balance on the apparatus and dig in the sand with tools. The larger playground is used for practising control and co-ordination with a variety of equipment and children can run and use the space well when sharing play times with school children. There are some missed opportunities for children to learn about health and to recognise changes to their bodies after activities.

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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 singing to themselves during their play, they regularly practice songs and actions to join in with school assembly; they recognise music which is used to signify a change of routine. Older children are learning to respond to experiences, they talk about what they can hear, see and feel, they can express and communicate their ideas. Children can identify and name colours. There is less encouragement for children to extend role play or to use their imagination in creative design.

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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

• develop an action plan to show how the educational provision can be monitored to ensure that all areas of learning are fully included and that all children are challenged • increase opportunities for all children to develop and extend their imagination in role play and creative design • ensure that parents have regular opportunities to enter the pre-school with their children.

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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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