Brighton College Prep Kensington

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 15/11/2004 Inspector Name Malini Parmar

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Chaston Nursery School Setting Address 30-31 Palmerston Road London NW6 2JL

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name The Partnership of Mr & Mrs Witten Address 30-31 Palmerston Road London NW6 2JL

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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

Chaston Nursery is situated near Grange Park, close to public transport and amenities.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is privately owned, and serves the local and wider community; there are 33 children on role aged six months to five years, providing full and part-time places, operating between the hours of 08:00 to 18:00 hrs. This includes 3 funded three year old children. The setting can support children with special needs and who speak English as an additional language. Most of the staff have early years qualifications. The ground floor of the purpose-built premises comprise entrance hall, large extendable playroom which interconnects with the three under two's rooms, bathroom / toilets, storeroom/office and a front garden. Access for wheelchair users is available. There are 8 members of staff including the manager and deputy. Most of the staff have early years qualifications. The nursery actively promotes staff's personal and professional development through training.

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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?

Chaston Nursery School provides a range of worthwhile activities, in a friendly and secure environment. Children are making generally good progress overall. The quality of the teaching is generally good. Core staff, have a secure knowledge of the foundation stage, which enables them to plan and provide an interesting range of practical activities. The system for planning and assessment is evolving. There is a long-term plan in place and staff meet weekly to evaluate and coordinate a programme of activities. They make observations of the children's progress and identify children's next steps. The process of using these to inform future plans is developing. Staff interact positively with children and form firm relationships with them. They consistently ask carefully framed questions to enable meaningful learning to arise. Staff are skillful when they maximise on spontaneous opportunities to promote children's learning. However, sometimes staff miss opportunities to

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How effective is the nursery education?

enable children’s learning because they are not sufficiently organised and do not spend their time working directly with the children. Staff are respectful to the children and have high expectations of their behaviour, their sensitive support and encouragement, is reflected in the children's generally good behaviour. There are effective systems in place to provide support for children with special educational needs. Leadership and management is generally good. The supervisor works hard to develop a strong team and there is a commitment to providing opportunities for staff development. Systems in place to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the nursery and that of the educational programme as yet lacks sufficient impact. Partnership with parents is very good which contributes significantly to children's progress. They receive useful information and are provided with programmed opportunities to access records. There are systems in place to include parents in

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What is being done well?

• Staff consistently employ useful questioning techniques to enable meaningful learning to arise from opportunities provided. • Staff consistently use mathematical language and provide regular opportunities for children to understand the meaning of numbers through play. They maximise on opportunities to use mathematical language to describe shape, size and position. • Children have access to a good range of activities with emphasis on sensory exploration and investigation. Children delight in the daily opportunities for

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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 sand, water, painting and messy activities. • Good communication with parents enables parents and staff to work together to ensure the children's progress in all areas of learning. Parents receive useful information and are continually updated with detailed records about children's progress. There are interesting opportunities to encourage full participation in the programme.

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What needs to be improved?

• the continued use of assessments to inform planning • the deployment and organisation of staff to ensure children consistently receive suitable challenges • more opportunities for children to develop their independence.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Generally good progress has been made since the last inspection. Staff plan and provide consistent opportunities for children to use their senses of smell, taste and touch. Meal times are now used to promote children's' personal independence and social skills. Lunchtime routines enable children to serve themselves and staff encourages social skills. Snack time routines are developing in order to encourage independence more fluently.

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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 Children arrive happily and settle quickly in a warm and secure environment. Firm relationships are established as children learn to share, take turns and work co operatively. Children show good levels of concentration and motivation in their chosen tasks for example when completing puzzles. Children are confident and generally behave well. Occasionally, challenges set for more able children are insufficient and children receive inconsistent opportunities to develop independence.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children speak clearly and confidently, they engage both adults and their friends in conversation. They develop writing skills at the mark-making table and through creative activities. They delight in tracing letters in cornflour. Children are encouraged to notice the sounds of letters in words for example when completing puzzles. They successfully identify their names when placing work in their trays. Children receive inconsistent chances to label their work or write for a variety of purpose.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children benefit from the consistent use of mathematical language and receive good support to recognise, numbers, shapes, colours and sizes. They eagerly compare the size of their constructed towers and successfully use language for calculating. Songs are used well to enable children to gain an awareness of simple addition and subtraction. Children enjoy using sand and water but opportunities to raise an awareness of space and measure are insufficiently exploited.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children successfully build and construct with a wide variety of objects, they look at differences, patterns and change, for example change to corn flour when water is added and delight in mixing paint colours. They explore features of the local and wider world through regular trips. There is a programme of visitors to the nursery. Children enjoy investigating the functions of tills, telephones and tape recorders. Children receive inconsistent opportunities to develop sense of time.

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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: Generally Good Fine manipulative skills are developed well, children display good skills when painting, drawing and constructing. They handle tools and equipment confidently and for example, successfully cut. Children move freely; jumping, hoping, skipping and running, they skilfully manoeuvre around objects to stay safe. They delight in successfully parking their cars. Children learn about personal hygiene through the routine but receive inconsistent opportunities to raise health and bodily awareness.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children eagerly paint and play with sand to communicate their thoughts ideas and feelings. They participate enthusiastically in the music sessions as they match their movements to the rhythm of the beats. They respond in a variety of ways expressing delight and disgust to the texture of corn flour. Role-play activities are varied, interesting and well resourced, although the quality of children's play varies with the amount of support they receive.

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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

• continue to develop effective use of observations in order to regularly identify individual children's next steps in learning and use any information gained from observations to inform future plans • improve the organisation and deployment of staff to ensure children consistently experience suitable challenges and all available opportunities are sufficiently exploited • promote children's independence consistently throughout the routine. 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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