Orleans Primary School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 25/01/2005 Inspector Name Mo Roberts

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Calstock Under Fives Setting Address The Village Hall The Quay Calstock Cornwall PL18 9QA

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Calstock Under Fives

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Calstock Under Fives Address The Village Hall The Quay Calstock Cornwall PL18 9QA

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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

Calstock Under Fives opened around 20 years ago. It is held in Calstock village hall on the Quay for four mornings each week during term time from 09:30 to 12:00. Older children meet for one morning each week from 9:15 to 11:45 in the village Primary School. There are currently 24 children on roll aged two and a half to five years. Two four-year-olds are funded and thirteen three-year-olds. None have identified special needs at present. The group has had experience helping children with special needs. All children speak English as their first language. Two qualified, and two staff who are training, work with the children. The children come from the local area and are from varied backgrounds. The group has support from the Early Years Development 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?

Calstock Under Fives provides high quality nursery education where children make very good progress in all six areas of learning. The quality of teaching is very good. An experienced play leader is ably assisted by other staff. This includes an effective job-share arrangement. Staff bring different talents but have a consistent approach to promoting good behaviour. Planning covers all six areas and various themes are used which help them to create a good level of interest amongst the children. Activities are well timed and make good use of the abundant resources to support children's learning. Staff are skilled at quietly extending activities to suit the needs of various children including those who are less self assured. Any child with special educational needs will be well supported. Assessments are completed regularly and they are used to adapt planning, but there is scope to refine this to try and engage the boys more frequently in writing and

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How effective is the nursery education?

mathematics. Also although the oldest have a session at the local school there is not quite enough time within the other sessions for staff to discuss ideas with them as a group. The leadership and management of the group is very good. The management committee is supportive and helps with the appraisal process. A high priority is put on training. Staff are well led and work as an effective team. They have to set up the hall every day. As they pack up they discuss and evaluate the session. They act on monitoring suggestions made by the EYDCP. This has led to improvements. Staff adjust things as they identify the need to do so and are constantly looking for ways to improve the nursery education provided. The partnership with parents is very good. They are given an informative introductory booklet which includes reference to the early learning goals. They have access to the overall yearly plan and they have good opportunities to discuss their

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How effective is the nursery education?

child's progress. They support their children's learning.

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What is being done well?

• Children are well settled and are able to make confident choices from the wide array of activities and resources on offer each day. • Behaviour is good and children mostly listen attentively to stories and to staff as they talk to them during their activities. Consequently children's language develops very well. • There is a strong sense of community and children come in confidently from the toddler group and go on with equal confidence to their weekly session at the school, this organisation promotes continued confidence and learning. • Children's imaginations are well extended by exacting activities like preparing a picnic for their teddy bears. Their knowledge of the real world is also 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 developed alongside this.

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What needs to be improved?

• outdoor activities to include things that encourage mathematical activity and writing, especially to grab the interest of the boys • a amount of quiet discussion time available for the older or more able children so they can have more challenging discussions about the stories read

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection two key issues were raised. The setting has made very good progress on dealing with these. The committee has purchased a computer for the setting although children still need some suitable height seating to go with it. Children consequently are becoming familiar and confident with IT. The planning and assessments have also been developed. The system is clear and works effectively. Children's learning needs are well meet but they are minor adjustments still required to the feedback from the assessment into the plans for more able mathematicians.

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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 confident and independent as they move around the setting selecting activities. They settle well at the start of the day and many are able to concentrate for extended periods on activities such as imaginative play with small toys. Children are kind and considerate of each other and are learning to take turns on popular equipment. There is a strong sense of community and the children participate in the local village May Festival. They also learn appropriately about other cultures.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children's language develops well as staff engage them in conversations. Their vocabulary is extended by the activities. They learn that forests and woods are similar. Each week they concentrate on the sound of two letters and enjoy activities where they try to sort out one sound from the other. They listen well for their age to the group stories. They show an interest in books and know which way the pages turn. Pre-writing skills develop well and some are able to write their name clearly.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children have access to a bold child height set of numerals and to daily activities on mathematics. Staff encourage them to use numbers in their play in a natural manner, for instance counting the number of jumps they make on the trampet. Children enjoy playing with shapes and can name common ones. They are aware of positional language from stories and physical development; going 'over' and 'under' things. From number songs they learn to subtract one. Some can also sort items by categories.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children explore various things including the feel of corn flour paste. They experiment with water and notice it 'disappearing' (evaporating) as they play painting the fence. They have many opportunities to build and join items and are largely adept at doing so. They have begun to master the recently introduced computer. They are aware of the passage of time due to the good routine. They know about the village and local environment as well as about other places and festivals such as Divali.

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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 The children move confidently and use the space well. They are good at riding the bikes and manoeuvre them with skill, stopping as needed. They have plenty of robust activity and are aware of each other as they play - generally avoiding collisions. Since they use a wide range of tools, including small knives to spread their sandwich fillings, they become dexterous and confident in the use of their small muscles as well. They learn to wash their hands and how to look after their personal needs.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Their imaginations are well developed by the range of toys and the props in the role play area. They enjoy acting out a teddy bears picnic. They also like doing actions to songs and stories that they follow closely. They know a few simple songs and some will sing solos. They have free access to painting which they engage in confidently. Other activities such as play dough encourage them to make and pretend all sorts of things. They use their senses when tasting kiwi fruit.

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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: • There are no key issues to report but staff should consider the following points to develop the provision further: • adapt outdoor activities to include things that encourage mathematical activity and writing, particularly to gain the interest of the boys • find more quiet uninterrupted time for the older or more able children to have discussions about the stories read to them.

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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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