St Hugh's CofE Primary School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 04/02/2005 Inspector Name Linda Close

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Holland Park Pre-School Setting Address Abbotsbury Road Stable Yard, Holland Park London W8 6LU

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Holland Park Pre-School, Address Stable Yard, Holland Park London W8 6LU

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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

Holland Park Pre-School has been running for approximately 30 years. It is run by a committee of parents and serves the local community and families living in neighbouring London Boroughs. The setting is based in a single storey building located in Holland Park in the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It has the use of one room with adjacent toilet and kitchen facilities. There is direct access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The pre-school is open every weekday from 09:30 to 15:30 during term time only. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are no children on the roll at present who have identified special educational needs. Several children are learning English as an additional language. There are currently 19 children on roll from two years six months to five years of age. This includes 13 three and four-year-olds who are in receipt of Nursery Education Grant. Three members of staff work with the children and this includes the

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Information about the setting

person-in-charge. All three members of staff hold appropriate early years qualifications. Parents provide additional support to staff and children at every session. The group receives support from a mentor from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP) and the Pre-School Learning Alliance (PSLA). This group is a member of PSLA, which is a registered charity.

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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?

The educational provision at Holland Park Pre-school is acceptable and of good quality overall. Children are making generally good progress in most areas of learning and very good progress in creative and physical development. However, progress for older children in some aspects of communication, language and literacy is limited by significant weaknesses. The quality of teaching is generally good. Staff are confident in their knowledge and understanding of the early learning goals in most areas. They are less secure in knowing how to promote early literacy and problem solving skills for older children. Staff plan together as a team to provide an appropriate balance of activities each day but they do not closely monitor what each child chooses to do. Three-year-olds are supported very well. They are gaining the confidence to leave their parents and approach new experiences positively. Staff successfully promote good relationships between the children and behaviour is

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How effective is the nursery education?

good. Children learning English as an additional language are supported effectively. The adults do most of the work at tidy up time and snack time. Records of progress are made but the records lack clarity. The quality of leadership and management is generally good. The management team includes staff and committee working together. The team works well overall to ensure good provision for the children and is committed to ongoing improvement. However, not all aspects of the action plan arising from the last inspection have been addressed. Partnership with parents and carers is generally good. Useful information is available about the activities and the general organisation of the pre-school. Parents are warmly welcomed each day and meetings with keyworkers are arranged. Records may not give parents a clear picture of children's attainment.

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What is being done well?

• Staff manage children's behaviour sensitively. They are firm but do not raise their voices. They treat children with kindness and respect and the children are well behaved. • Children are actively encouraged to express their own ideas in their creative work. They have free access to a good selection of materials and they are given freedom to experiment. • Children are gaining good skills with their hands. They fit puzzles together, play with construction toys and use scissors very well.

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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 development of children's independence and their respect for their toys and resources. • The staff's knowledge and understanding of ways in which to develop early reading and writing skills and problem solving for the older or more mature children in the group. • The organisation of children's records of attainment and progress. • The way in which staff monitor what each child chooses to do each day to ensure that all children benefit from the full range of learning experiences provided.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Three key issues for improvement were identified at the last inspection. Staff have made limited progress in addressing them. Staff agreed to organise snack time to ensure that children's interest is sustained. The time devoted to this part of the programme has been reduced and the children are now content to sit together and enjoy this social occasion. Staff agreed to promote children's personal independence, particularly at snack time. This has not been addressed. Staff pour the drinks and hand each child their snack. Children's independence is not promoted sufficiently. Staff agreed to improve the programme for communication, language and literacy for the four-year-olds to ensure that they have more play opportunities to develop their interest in early reading and writing. Staff set out writing materials as a free play activity but they do not do enough to actively stimulate all of the older children to

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What has improved since the last inspection?

make good use of them. Some of the older children show little interest in developing their early reading and writing skills.

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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: Generally Good Three and four-year-old children are interested in their play. They express their own ideas confidently in small and large groups. They are involved in a good range of worthwhile activities that help them to understand and respect different cultures and beliefs. Children enjoy each other's company and they play well together. Older children are forming firm friendships. Children do not always help to put away their toys and resources. Independence is not consistently promoted.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Children's vocabulary is extended well. Most children listen well at circle and story time. Children are learning to recognise the shapes of letters and the sounds that they make. Some children can recognise their own names and the names of their friends. Mark making resources are made available. Staff do not expect enough of the older children. Opportunities are missed to help them to make their first attempts at writing and not enough is done to help them to recognise familiar words.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children are encouraged to count aloud at registration time and in the course of their activities. Older children can count competently up to 10. Many examples of numbers on display are used well to help children to recognise figures. Children learn about shape, position, size and quantity and they use correct terms to describe them. Staff overlook opportunities for asking children to solve simple practical problems. Tasks are not always sufficiently demanding for the older children.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children are encouraged to handle and explore a good range of objects and materials. They learn how to join things together to make models. Well chosen topic work enables children to find out about living things. For example, they learn what mini-beasts eat, how they change and what their body parts are called. Children discuss past and present events in their own lives. A modern computer is available to children but not used fully as the pre-school has little suitable software.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children run fast, steer their tricycles and scooters confidently and rarely collide. They show a good awareness of space, obstacles and each other. A visiting teacher gives lessons in outdoor games that are energetic and enjoyable. Children enjoy throwing and catching activities and other games using small equipment. Children use large fixed apparatus and smaller portable resources to develop their confidence in climbing and balancing. They are gaining very good skills with their hands.

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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: Very Good Older children are very imaginative in free play. They adopt different roles, exchange ideas and use toys for different purposes. For example, a plastic pan became a helicopter complete with sound effects. Children explore the sounds that can be made with musical instruments. They sing many songs by heart. Art work on display and observations of the children provide ample evidence that children produce art work according to their own ideas and they have access to a good range of resources.

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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

• Ensure that children's independence is actively encouraged and set higher expectations for children to take care of their toys and resources. • Extend staff's knowledge and understanding of the early learning goals with particular reference to early reading and writing and problem solving for the older children in the group. • Review and improve the organisation of the records of children's attainment and progress to provide a clearer picture of how they are moving towards the early learning goals. • Record children's take up of the activities that are provided to ensure that all children have equal access to learning experiences.

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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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