St Andrews with St Peters Preschool

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 09/03/2005 Inspector Name Sally Ann Smith

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name St Andrews Pre-School Setting Address Weston Road Weston Coyney Stoke-on-Trent Staffordshire ST3 6HB

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name St Andrews Pre School Address St Andrews Church 375 Weston Road Stoke-on-Trent Staffordshire ST3 6HB

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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 Andrews Pre-School opened in 1971. It operates from St Andrews Church hall in Weston Coyney. The group serves a wide local area. There are currently 39 children from 2 years to 4 years on roll. This includes 12 funded 3-year-olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting supports children with special needs and who speak English as an additional language. The group opens four days a week during school term times. Sessions are from 09:25 to 11:55. There are four part-time staff working with the children. One member of staff has NVQ level 2 and one member of staf has commenced NVQ level 2. Another member of staff is near to completion for NVQ level 3. The setting receives support from a teacher/mentor from the Early Years Development and Childcare 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?

The provision of nursery education at St Andrews Pre-School has significant weaknesses. Teaching has significant weaknesses. Planning is shared between staff and covers the six areas of learning. Staff are familiar with the stepping stones and generally there is a good balance of activities except in the area of physical play. However, some activities have limited success in moving children's learning forward due to ineffective organisation of resources and deployment of staff, who at times leave the children too much to their own devices. Staff are inconsistent when responding to children's levels of interest and do not always ask appropriate questions to extend children's knowledge and understanding and provide sufficient challenge. However, staff are friendly, approachable and provide an environment where children are confident to engage staff in conversation and seek reassurance if necessary. Children are learning to share and take turns, although they are not always clear

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How effective is the nursery education?

what is expected of them with regards to acceptable behaviour. Leadership and management has significant weaknesses. Strategies are in place to discuss and evaluate the educational programme with staff but there is no monitoring of how effectively the activities and routines provided are contributing to the children's general well being and learning. Areas for improvement have been identified but changes have not been implemented. Partnerships with parents has significant weaknesses. Information about the setting and the provision is accessible to all parents. Parents are made welcome and help out on a rota basis enabling them to observe their child's learning and play. An example of children's development profiles are displayed on the notice board. However, the pre-school lacks a systematic approach to enable all parents to share their observations of their child's learning or be informed of their progress.

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What is being done well?

• Staff share ideas for planning and they are familiar with the stepping stones and early learning goals. • Staff are welcoming, friendly and approachable and form good relationships with the children offering reassurance when necessary. • Staff have identified areas for improvement and are receptive to ideas and support from other agencies to enhance practice. • Staff foster warm, informal relationships with parents who are welcomed into the setting at any time.

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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 daily routine and organisation of activities and resources to meet children's individual needs according to their age and stage of development • the strategies for managing children's behaviour which is consistently implemented by all staff so that children know what is expected of them • the deployment of staff so that children receive appropriate support in activities • the opportunities for children to paint independently and self select and initiate their own creative activities to enable them to develop their imagination and creativity • staff's awareness of learning intentions for activities to provide sufficient challenge and stimulate children's interests • the effective use of assessments to inform planning and identify how activities are differentiated according to the individual child • the input from staff to develop children's language by asking questions which encourage children to think and talk about what they are doing

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What needs to be improved?

• increased opportunities for children to dress up, calculate, look at how things work, weigh, measure and develop their physical play • the opportunities for children to speak out in a familiar group and share their experiences of past and present events in their lives.

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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: Significant Weaknesses Children settle into the routine, relate well to staff and approach new activities with enthusiasm. When their interest is maintained in small group activities, they concentrate until they have completed the activity. However, in the large group they are not encouraged to sit and concentrate and are unclear of behaviour expectations, at times lacking self discipline. There are limited opportunities for children to speak about their experiences or develop their personal independence.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Children attempt to write their names and on occasions write letters, post them and wait for them to be delivered to the pre-school. When in small groups or individually, children listen to stories and play with puppets acting out real life and imaginary experiences. However, they do not concentrate well when listening to stories in the large group, becoming easily distracted by the younger children. Opportunities to speak, listen, extend their vocabulary and explore new words are limited.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Children count at registration but this has little meaning for the children. They see some numbers in their environment but little reference is made to these. However, they sort farm animals into pairs and groups of three and four and use appropriate language such as more or less. Children are able to recognise shapes and are involved in sustained construction activities. Children use little calculation, weighing, measuring and problem solving in everyday practical activities.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Children learn about different cultures and have completed a Japanese topic looking at lifestyle, food and clothes. Children do not have access to a computer but play with telephones, mobile phones and cash tills. They look at how torches work and clockwork toys and develop some investigative skills but are not sufficiently challenged. They have few opportunities to talk about past, present and personal events or to develop an understanding of time and place.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Poor Children are developing their hand-eye co-ordination such as threading pasta and using scissors independently and safely, taking time to perfect their skills. Children travel over and under and around climbing equipment and are encouraged to walk both up the slide and come down. However, there are insufficient opportunities and challenge to use large equipment in imaginative ways and control their movements through music and movement.

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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: Significant Weaknesses Children have few opportunities to sing songs and rhymes. They are beginning to develop their imagination although activities and resources do not always encourage this area of their development. Children have some opportunities to learn about colour, texture and shape through directed activities but opportunities for self initiated art activities and to explore different materials are limited.

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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 but has some significant areas for improvement. Children's progress towards the early learning goals is limited by some significant weaknesses. The next inspection will take place in one to two years time.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

• increase staff's awareness of learning intentions for activities so as they are challenging and maintain children's interest according to their age and stage of development. Use assessments to inform planning and share these with parents • organise the daily routine to make effective use of space, resources and staff so as opportunities for children's learning, particularly in the area of physical play are increased and maximised • develop and improve staff's skills in questioning children to challenge and respond to children's interests and consolidate their knowledge and understanding in all six areas of learning • improve staff's understanding of appropriate behaviour management strategies to help children respond to the boundaries set and enable them to develop their self-discipline.

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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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