Frisby Pre-School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 03/12/2002 Inspector Name Alison Edwards

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SETTING DETAILS

Setting Name FRISBY PRE-SCHOOL Setting Address THE OLD SCHOOL MELTON MOWBRAY LEICESTERSHIRE LE14 2NQ

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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

Frisby Pre-school opened in 1974. It is registered to provide sessional day care for 24 children aged from two and a half to under five years old and offers funded nursery education to three and four-year-olds. There are currently 43 children on roll, including 17 funded three-year-olds and 11 funded four-year-olds. There are currently no children attending with identified special educational needs or with English as an additional language. The pre-school operates from the former primary school in the centre of the village and serves the local community and surrounding villages. The group has access to two inter-connecting playrooms, kitchen area, toilets and enclosed outdoor playground. The pre-school operates during term-times and opens from 9.10 a.m. to noon on Mondays to Fridays and from 1.00 p.m. to 3.45 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday afternoons. Children attend a variety of sessions. Eight part time staff work with the children . Two have currently recognised Level 3

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Information about the setting

early years qualifications and one is attending training. The pre-school is a member of the Pre-school Learning Alliance and also receives support from a teacher mentor from the Early Years Development Childcare Partnership.

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How effective is the nursery education?

Frisby Pre-School offers good quality nursery education where children enjoy learning through a range of interesting activities. Children make generally good progress towards the early learning goals in all areas of learning. Staff manage children's behaviour well, helping them to be confident and motivated to learn. The setting has systems in place to support children with special educational needs, although none currently attend. Staff make effective use of resources, creating an attractive environment that helps children be self-sufficient. However, there are significant weaknesses in how children are taught. Assessment of children's progress is not yet used consistently to identify the next stage of their learning and so does not effectively inform planning, or enable staff to provide suitable differentiation and challenge for younger and more able children. Effective teaching is hindered because staff are sometimes unclear on the learning objectives of

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How effective is the nursery education?

planned activities or on what has been previously been undertaken at other sessions. Management of the setting has significant weaknesses although a development plan has been drawn up taking account of external advice following several changes to management and staffing. Current management systems do not effectively promote consistent working practices or a shared understanding of the setting's aims. Whilst there is a commitment to offering good quality care and education, the provision for nursery education is not yet effectively evaluated, and systems to manage professional development, although planned, are not yet in place. The partnership with parents and carers is generally good. Parents receive useful information on the setting and are encouraged to be involved with their child's learning, but receive only limited information on their child's progress.

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What is being done well?

Children have good opportunities to investigate and explore materials and their properties through practical activities. Staff create an environment where children are confident and motivated to learn Provision for role-play supports children's learning across different areas of learning and enables them to recreate and develop their own imaginative ideas Children have good opportunities to develop skill and control in use of a wide range of accessible tools and small equipment

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What needs to be improved?

Arrangements to ensure staff have a shared understanding of aims and working practices and are able to implement these Assessment of children's progress to identify the next stage in their learning, inform planning, and provide information for parents Opportunities to help children to be aware of diversity and to respect different cultures and lifestyles

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The setting has made generally good improvement since the last inspection despite a number of changes in staffing and management structure. The balance of adult-directed and child-initiated activities has been reviewed and children now have very good opportunities to choose from a worthwhile range of activities. Provision for role play is now very good, and includes opportunities for children to write in meaningful play situations. Use of a climbing frame and balance beam now offers more opportunities for children to develop these skills, and staff push back tables to make space for large physical activity indoors in bad weather. Children are now encouraged to use numbers in a range of practical situations counting how many children are present and how many fruit portions there are at snack time but there are still too few opportunities for children to solve practical number problems. Current staff have attended training on observation and assessment and a

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What has improved since the last inspection?

commercially-developed recording system has been incorporated in children's folders. However assessments do not yet effectively identify children's progress or identify the next step in their learning.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children's progress in this area is generally good. They show sustained interest in self-chosen activities such as water play and co-operate in well-planned role-play activities. They relate well to each other and to adults but do not have sufficient opportunities to develop their awareness of other cultures and lifestyles.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children make generally good progress in this area. They confidently use spoken language to develop role-play in which they imagine and recreate experiences. They enjoy good opportunities to make marks and practise writing for different purposes in a range of activities. They do not have effective planned opportunities to develop their understanding of rhyme and letter sounds.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children make generally good progress in mathematical development. Good use of practical activities such as water play and present-wrapping extends children's individual learning about shape, space and measurement. Children enjoy using numbers in rhymes and practical counting activities but there are too few challenging opportunities for more able children to explore number combining and comparing.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children's progress in this area is generally good. They show sustained interest in exploring materials, tools and everyday technology through a well-resourced range of first-hand experiences and develop simple design and construction skills through practical play. Children sometimes do not receive enough encouragement to discuss or extend their ideas. They have too few opportunities to gain an awareness of the cultures and beliefs of others.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children make generally good progress in physical development. They confidently and competently use simple tools and equipment. They negotiate space successfully when using bikes outside or moving to music indoors and now have a range of equipment enabling them to balance and climb. Physical actively is often not effectively planned to support other areas of children's learning.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children's progress in creative development is generally good. Effective role-play provision enables them to engage in co-operative imaginative play to act out a narrative. They have access to a good range of resources and materials of different textures, shapes, forms and colours but some planned creative activities lack opportunity for children to express and develop their own ideas.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Children's spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development is fostered appropriately: Y

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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

Develop management structures and systems to ensure staff have a shared understanding of the setting's aims and working practices and are able to implement these. Develop use of assessment of children's progress to identify the next stage in their learning, inform planning and provide information for parents. Provide opportunities for play and learning to reflect diversity and encourage non-stereotypical attitudes to gender, ethnicity, religion, culture and disability.

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