Wrenn School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 18/10/2004 Inspector Name Lisa-Marie Jones

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name St Barnabas Pre-School Setting Address St Barnabas Hall St Barnabas Road, Sutton Surrey

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Mrs Denise Tuck & Mrs Val Hilton Address 6 Longford Gardens Sutton Surrey SM1 3DR

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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

St Barnabas Pre-school is privately owned, it opened in 1990. The provision is situated within St Barnabas church hall in Sutton. There are two separate main halls with the pre-school having sole use during the hours of opening. There is a fully enclosed garden for outside play. There are currently 54 children from two tears six months to five years on the register. This includes funded three and four year olds. The group also provide a daily lunch time club for the children already attending that day and a holiday play scheme during the summer for two mornings a week. Children who have special needs can attend and the pre-school supports children with English as a second language. The provision opens five days a week during term time and Wednesday and Thursday during the summer holidays. Sessions are from 9:30 until 12:00, 12:00 until 1:00p.m for lunch time club and 9:00 until 12:30 during the holidays.

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Information about the setting

There are 13 full and part time staff working with the children, 10 staff have early years qualifications. Two staff are currently on training programmes. The pre-school have recently achieved Pre School Learning Alliance accreditation.

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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?

St Barnabas Pre-school provides high quality education overall which enables children to make very good progress towards all the early learning goals. The quality of teaching is very good. All staff have sound knowledge of the learning goals and have access to ongoing training. Staff manage the children well and have good relationships with them. They plan a variety of practical activities, they understand what children learn from them and make learning fun. Children have ample opportunities to take part in creative activities, although these need to be organised so that they can express their imaginations independently. Detailed observations and children's assessments clearly show how children have moved from one stage of development to the next. The staff team communicate well and are very supportive of each other, they know what is expected of them and are committed to working as a team. Staff need to reorganise the environment so that

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How effective is the nursery education?

children can access mathematical and reading and writing materials independently. Leadership and Management is very good. The setting is clearly managed with the managers taking responsibility for the organisation and deployment of staff. Staff are given the opportunity to put forward ideas to contribute to the written planning. The providers are committed to improvement and are fully aware of areas that need improvement. The partnership with parents is very good. Parents have ample opportunities to discuss children's progress formally and informally and are informed about forthcoming events and the curriculum. Children are given a record of achievement on a regular basis which highlights the six areas of learning.

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What is being done well?

• Parents are kept very well informed of their children's progress. There are good opportunities to share information regarding children's progress on a regular basis and they have access to records and contribute to children's learning through individual planning. Parents are well aware of the importance of the six areas of learning and how they feature in children's development. They have regular information regarding topics covered and can contribute their own ideas. All strategies ensure effective partnership with parents to ensure continuity of education at home and in the pre-school. • Staff plan a varied cirriculum which is flexible and can be changed depending on the children's needs and contributions. They ensure that topics are explored fully and provide fun learning experiences for children. This enables children to make very good progress in all areas of learning. • Children with special educational needs are fully included in the pre-school.

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What is being done well?

Staff work well with other professionals and parents. They have attended

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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 relevant training to ensure they have a full understanding of the children needs and are able to ensure that individual targets set are achievable.

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What needs to be improved?

• the organisation of resources for creative activities • the accessibility to mathamatical, pre-reading and writing materials • assesments to aid planning.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Very good progress has been made since the last inspection. The management have introduced effective measures to improve resources and assessments, which were raised as points for consideration in the previous inspection report. A number of musical instruments have been purchased and children have music and movement sessions planned in to the curriculum on a regular basis, which they explore independently and during structured teaching sessions. Improvements have been made to assessments that are undertaken for younger funded children. A clear assessment programme runs throughout the pre-school for both age groups to ensure consistency, although these still need to be included in to the overall planning to show children's individual needs.

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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 well behaved, polite and courteous with staff providing consistent and realistic boundaries. They relate well to each other and staff and are able to share and take turns. Children are confident and motivated to learn and concentrate well on chosen tasks. Children have good opportunities to develop their independence and self help skills through everyday activities. They have a good understanding of their own and other peoples cultures and beliefs.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children are keen to communicate with each other to express ideas and feelings. They enjoy looking at books, having stories read to them and writing their own stories. There are good opportunities for children to practice and develop writing skills and they are able to read and write their names, simple sentences and other words. Good resources are available but are not always organised to ensure children can access them independently.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children can count confidently up to ten and older children beyond 20. They have a good understanding of shapes, space and can compare size and quantity. There are good opportunities to recognise numbers and use maths in everyday activities including the use of simple addition and subtraction and recording of experiments. Children have access to good resources for mathematical development, but there is not always the opportunity for children to explore independently.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children can recall past and present events and show an understanding of time. They learn about their own community and other cultures as well as their own. They can use information and communication technology independently and staff provide opportunities for children to explore a range of equipment and question why and how things work. Children have good opportunities to explore and investigate with all their senses and show good understanding of the natural world.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children move confidentially with control and co-ordination and use equipment to develop their large motor skills in the garden and during organised sessions in music and movement. They are developing fine motor skills with the use of pencils, rolling pins, cutters and scissors. Children have many opportunities to practice and develop their pencil control. They know about the importance of staying healthy and how the body works.

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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 Children are confident to use their imagination in role play, music, storytelling, and dance. Staff need to reorganise resources to develop children's own ideas during creative activities. Children know their colours and are able to match, mix and grade colours. Children have opportunities to take part in drama and music and movement sessions

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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 significant weaknesses to report, but consideration should be given to the following: • Develop the current systems for assessments to ensure that they inform planning for children's individual needs. • Ensure that the environment is organised well to maximise the space available to accommodate all areas of learning and give children the opportunity to explore independently.

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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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