Wales Childcare Partnership

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 15/11/2004 Inspector Name Glenys Swift

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Out of School Day Care, Full Day Care Setting Name Wales Childcare Partnership Setting Address Wales Primary School School Road, Wales Sheffield South Yorkshire S26 5QG

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Wales Childcare Partnership

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Wales Childcare Partnership Address Wales Primary School School Road, Wales Sheffield South Yorkshire S26 5QG

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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

Wales Childcare Partnership is a community organisation run as a non-profit making by a committee, which includes parents and staff. It first opened in 2003 and is based in premises in Wales Primary School. Children attending are from the local areas. Childcare is provided in a large purpose-built portakabin linked to the main school building by a corridor. The setting uses 2 adjacent rooms. One provides a playgroup for 12 children aged f2 to 3 years, whilst the main room provides care to 16 pre-school children aged 3 to under 5 years. This area is the foundation stage unit and children and staff share it with the reception class. Pre-school children and reception class children have their own designated bases within the room but interaction between children and staff is actively encouraged. There is also an outdoor play area with safety surfaces and grassed areas. The Partnership provides wrap around care, which includes a breakfast club and

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Information about the setting

after-school care for 16 children aged over three and a lunch club for 12 children aged 2 to under 5 years. There are currently 51 children from 2 to 8 years on roll, including 16 who receive funding for nursery education. Children attend for a variety of sessions and those who have special educational needs receive support. The group is open 5 days a week during school term times from 08.00 to 17.30. Sessions vary depending on the facility children are attending. Ten members of staff work with the children on a full-time and part-time basis. Six of them are qualified and one is working to achieve a qualification. The setting receives support from a teacher from the local authority and staff work very closely with school staff, especially the teacher in the foundation stage unit..

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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?

Wales Childcare Partnership provides a welcoming, stimulating environment. Children are happy, confident and eager to learn. They take part in a good range of activities and are making very good progress towards the early learning goals in all areas of learning. The quality of teaching is very good. Staff understand the early learning goals and how young children learn. They work well as a team to thoroughly plan a worthwhile programme with clear learning objectives. They provide interesting practical activities to challenge children to think, work out what is happening, solve simple problems and encourage imagination. Staff know children well and adapt their teaching to meet individual needs. They give good support to all children, including those with special educational needs. Relationships and behaviour are very good. Staff help children to treat each other with respect. They explain clearly, praise

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How effective is the nursery education?

achievements and support language development well. They use activities very effectively to introduce mathematical ideas and help children to solve simple problems. There is an excellent range of resources inside and out. These are presented attractively and used to give a balanced programme of activities with time for individual, small and larger group work. Staff assess children's progress and record it clearly to plan further opportunities to promote their learning. Leadership and management are very good. There is a clear operational plan with responsibilities of the committee and leaders clearly defined. Thorough systems are in place to monitor and evaluate the provision. Staff are very committed to improvement and set targets and implement actions plans to achieve this. Partnership with parents is very good. Parents receive clear information about the provision and have many opportunities to be involved with their child's learning.

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What is being done well?

• Children are happy, confident and eager to learn. They develop very good relationships with staff and each other. • Children are helped to develop good skills in speaking and listening with excellent opportunities to discuss their own ideas and recall stories. • Staff use practical activities well to introduce children to a range of mathematical ideas and encourage them to solve simple problems. • Staff plan together with the reception teacher in school to provide a variety of interesting activities with clear objectives for the children's learning. • Staff give very good support to individual children, including those with special educational needs, to help them to progress in their learning. • Effective systems are in place to monitor and evaluate the provision.

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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 Managers and staff are very committed to providing a service of high quality. • An excellent range of resources are used extremely well both indoors and out to provide worthwhile learning opportunities.

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What needs to be improved?

• implementation of plans for staff to actively encourage children to use information and communication technology to support their learning. • opportunities for children to express their own ideas more freely in collage activities.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Not applicable - first inspection of nursery education.

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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 happy, confident and eager to learn. They independently choose their own activities and concentrate extremely well, for example as they draw pictures and persevere to complete jigsaws. Children co-operate in play in the shop and share resources and ideas well. They are developing very good relationships with staff and each other. Their behaviour is very good. Staff help them to consider and respect the needs of others.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children talk clearly and confidently sharing ideas at group time and in their play. They really enjoy stories and listen well. Staff give good support helping them to recall stories, organise their ideas and widen their vocabulary. They make lovely books from the children's pictures and children tell stories from them. Children have many chances to make marks freely using a wide range of materials. They see written words, including their own names, and represent them using marks or letters.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children learn to count, use and recognise numbers confidently. They explore shape, size, quantity and position and compare numbers through practical activities, constructing models and weighing buns and sweets in the shop. Staff introduce mathematical language and help children to solve simple mathematical problems, such as how many altogether? how many are left?, while matching buttons to gingerbread men and playing with frogs in the water. They use rhymes well to reinforce this learning.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children explore sand, water and clay with interest. They learn about the needs of living things caring for the pet guinea pig. They use a wide variety of construction materials skilfully. Visits to the woods and role play in the shop help them to learn about the environment. Resources and work on festivals is helping to raise their cultural awareness. Recently a programmable toy, listening station and computer have been introduced. Staff have identified that children need support to use them.

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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 are developing good co-ordination and control of their bodies as they run quickly along the winding paths, crawl through tunnels and balance on blocks. They move confidently and imaginatively using musical instruments. They use an excellent range of large and small equipment to increase their physical skills, including the apparatus in school. Children develop manipulative skills as they mould dough and handle tools, such as cutters and paint brushes safely, with increasing control.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children use a wide range of materials for painting, drawing , collage and making models. They play musical instruments and move imaginatively to them. They enjoy singing, joining in actions eagerly. Staff provide excellent resources to support songs and encourage imaginative play. Children express their own ideas well in pictures, models and role play. They use a good variety of textures in collage activities but pre-cut shapes inhibit their opportunities to create their own interpretations.

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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: • implement plans for staff to actively encourage children to use information and communication technology to support their learning. • improve opportunities for children to express their own ideas more freely in collage activities

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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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