Foxyards Primary School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 10/03/2004 Inspector Name Ann Revell

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Boundary Road Pre-School Setting Address Rycroft Hall Boundary Road Chatham Kent ME4 6UW

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The partnership of Boundary Road Pre-School

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Boundary Road Pre-School Address Rycroft Hall Boundary Road Chatham Kent ME4 6UW

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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

Boundary Road Pre-School registered in 1997. It operates from one room at the Scout Hut, Rycroft Hall, Boundary Road, Chatham. The pre-school serves the local community. There are currently 28 children from two and a half to five years on roll. This includes 24 funded three and four years olds. Children attend a variety of sessions. The Pre-school support children with special needs and children who speak English as an additional language. The group opens five days a week during school term times only. Sessions are from 9:30 until 12:00. Seven full time and part time staff work with the children. Four have early years qualifications. The setting receives support from a teacher from the 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?

The provision for nursery education at Boundary Road Pre-School is very good. An effective programme of activities and committed teaching is ensuring that all the children, including those with special educational needs, are making very good progress towards the early learning goals in all the areas of learning. The quality of teaching is very good. Staff present children with interesting activities in a lively manner, which ensures they are very motivated to learn. Children with English as an additional language particularly benefit from staff skills at developing language. Staff ask questions that encourage all children to talk about what they are doing, and to find things out. They maximise many learning opportunities throughout the session although opportunities to reinforce name writing are sometimes missed. Children benefit from working individually with staff on their steps in learning, ensuring each child's progress. The older children's learning is further extended in

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How effective is the nursery education?

the Friday sessions when many challenging activities, such as, naming three-dimensional shapes, making up stories and experiments are provided. Children are polite and considerate and behaviour is very good. The leadership and the management of the pre-school is very good. The supervisor and deputy have built up a strong team who are committed to providing the best of care and learning opportunities for the children. They constantly monitor their teaching and provision and regularly update their skills by attending training courses. The partnership with parents is very good. Parents are welcome to help in the sessions. They have good formal and informal opportunities to learn about their children's progress. They have good information about the curriculum that enables them to support children' s learning at home.

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What is being done well?

• Staff build up caring relationships with the children. They praise all their small achievements which ensures that children have good self esteem. • The high ratio of staff to children enables the key workers to spend time with individual children, including those with special educational needs and with English as an additional language, ensuring they are making progress towards their learning targets. • Staff regularly update their training. This enhances their skills which benefits all of the children. • Children are excited by the interesting activities and are well motivated to learn. • Parents are welcome in the pre-school. The information provided about the curriculum enables them to support children's learning at home.

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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?

• opportunities for children to practise writing their names during free choice time.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Improvement since the last inspection has been very good. Children now confidently recognise their names as they register themselves and are now learning familiar words, such as, the days of the week. Long term planning is now in place and this enables checks to be made for coverage of the curriculum. Planning now fully supports children's learning. Children enjoy the outside space and this is further enhancing the development of their physical skills. They are also able to further develop their understanding of the natural world.

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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 secure with the staff in the pre-school and have good self-esteem. They all enjoy being a 'special helper'. They are confident in initiating their own learning and are excited by the interesting activities. They are polite and considerate to each other and are learning to share favourite toys. Their behaviour is very good. Children enjoy being independent as they help them selves to drink and bread sticks. They responsibly take them and sit down in the special chairs.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children have excellent listening skills and understand turn taking in conversation at group times. All children, including those with special needs and with English as an additional language, are extending their vocabulary as they share books with an adult and explore a 'feely' bag. Older children 'read' books enthusiastically, and confidently make up their own stories. Children easily recognise their names. They practise writing them but opportunities to reinforce this are occasionally missed.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children benefit from enjoyable activities and daily routines, such as register time, that are enabling them to recognise numbers and to accurately count to ten and beyond. They are beginning to compare numbers and develop an understanding of adding and taking away in the course of many practical activities. They compare lengths of wood as they make models and find their place, for example, at the 'crescent' table at snack time. The older children can recognise some three dimensional shapes.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children's interest in nature is stimulated by interesting topics, good use of the outside space and Poppy the pre-school dog. They enjoy experiments, such as turning celery blue, and are curious as to how things work. They design and make interesting models with wood and recyclable materials and take photos with a digital camera. The children learn about their locality as the walk to the shop and the park. They are interested in learning about the cultures of all the members of the group.

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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 have very good opportunities for energetic play and for extending their confidence and physical skills as they daily use a range of large and small apparatus. They are developing good coordination and control as they play such games as 'Duck, duck , goose'. They handle small tools confidently as they cut the dough and are learning to use woodworking tools safely. Children are learning about healthy eating at snack time and know that drinking milk helps to build strong teeth.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children enjoy drawing, painting and making models. They confidently choose their own resources and use them effectively to express their own thoughts and ideas. They constantly use the interesting role-play scenarios, such as the surgery, where they bandage the doll's poorly leg. The older children use their imagination to make up stories, for instance, about dinosaurs. They sing enthusiastically and are learning to use the musical instruments to play both softly and loudly.

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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: • Point for consideration: • use opportunities during free choice time to further develop children's name writing skills

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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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