Grange Junior School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 12/02/2003 Inspector Name Kanwal Sonia Lobo

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SETTING DETAILS

Setting Name Fullers Hall Day Nursery Setting Address 64a Fullers Road London E18 2QA

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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

Fullers Hall Day Nursery opened in 1973. It operates from a large room within a purposefully converted Hall. There is suitable outside play space. The setting is located in a residential street close to local amenities which include: shops, parks, a public library and a forest. The nursery serves families from the local and wider community. The setting is registered for thirty children aged two to five years. There are currently 25 on roll. This includes fourteen funded three year olds and three funded four year olds. The children attend a variety of sessions. The provision caters for children with Special Educational Needs. There are no children currently attending for whom English is an additional language. The group is open weekdays, all year round. Sessions are from 8:00 a.m until 6:00 p.m. There are six full time members of staff and one part time member who work directly with the children. In

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Information about the setting

addition the manager is supernumerary. All staff hold Early Years Qualification, two of whom are extending their training. The setting receives support from teacher from the Early Years Developmental Partnership.

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How effective is the nursery education?

Fullers Hall Day Nursery offers good quality nursery education where children enjoy learning through a wide range of interesting activities. Effective teaching helps children to make generally good progress toward the early learning goals. They make very good progress in personal, social and emotional development and in mathematic skills. Teaching is generally good with some very good aspects. The key strengths in personal, social and emotional development are due to staffs effective delivery of the settings behaviour management strategy. Staff a calm, gently spoken and the children are happy and co operative. Staffs knowledge of the foundation stage enables them to plan an interesting and appropriate range of activities. All children are encouraged to be independent and are confident in the way that they select their own activities and concentrate on their learning for good periods of time. Large group sessions do not always extend the learning of the older and more able

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How effective is the nursery education?

children. There are not always enough opportunities for children to write for a variety of purposes within every day activities. Older children are not encouraged to begin to link sounds to letters of the alphabet. Leadership and management are very good. Success of the setting is due to the well structured management system and an effective staff team who work well together. Staff share a good understanding of early years practice and are committed to developing the quality of the provision through ongoing evaluation and training. Partnerships with parents are very good. Parent's are well informed about the curriculum which allows them to support and extend their children's learning. They openly express satisfaction with the service they receive.

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What is being done well?

Staff work well as a team to provide an interesting range of activities. Strong leadership creates a shared ethos of good early years principals. There are good periods of uninterrupted free play which allows the children to explore their learning potential extensively Personal, social and emotional development is very good. Children are confident, independent and very well behaved. There is a wide range of activities and resources offered to the children through a carefully planned curriculum. Children speak clearly and fluently as a direct result of staff engaging in their play and conversations.

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What needs to be improved?

Additional opportunities for children to write for a variety of purposes within every day activities. Large group musical instrument sessions must be organised to provide more challenge for older children. Opportunities for more able children to link sounds with letters and understand the sound that letters make.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Generally good progress has been made in implementing the action plan drawn up to address the four key issues for action identified at the previous inspection. As a result significant improvements have been made to the education programme which have a beneficial effect on children's learning. Continue to evaluate the effectiveness of large group musical instrument sessions.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children make very good progress in personal social and emotional development. Their behaviour is excellent and they understand the need to agree codes for groups to work together harmoniously. Children are independent and self confident, they select their own play materials and are clearly interested and motivated learners. They experience different cultural events and understand that people have different needs.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children are making generally good progress in communication, language and literacy. They are confident communicators. Children enjoy listening to stories and singing songs. They are interested in books and use them appropriately. Younger children are developing writing skills and some four year olds can write their name. Not enough opportunities are provided for children to write for a variety of purposes. More able children are not taught the sounds that letters make.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children are making very good progress in mathematical development. Every day activities are supported by staff to provide children with good opportunities to extend their understanding of calculation. When setting the lunch table children are challenged to consider simple addition and subtraction. Many children can count reliably to ten and some beyond. Older children can recognise written numbers. Staff encourage children to use mathematical language with appropriate meaning.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children make very good progress in knowledge and understanding of the world. The current curriculum theme about plants is successfully offering children extensive opportunities to learn about the natural world, features of living things and to closely observe similarities and change. Information and communication technology is a well supported area of learning. Children can describe features of their environment and enjoy a varied range of activities in which they can build and construct.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children are making very good progress in physical development. They use a wide range of equipment both in and outdoors which promote and develop skills such as balancing and climbing. They are confident movers and demonstrate a good understanding of their awareness of space. They are taught the importance of good hygiene. Children use tools and malleable materials with increasing control.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children make very good progress in creative development. They express their ideas freely through a good range of activities such as moving to music, painting, junk modelling and role play.

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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

1. Provide more opportunities for children to write for a purpose during every day activities and support the four year old children to recognise the sounds that letters make. 2. Organise music sessions to provide greater challenge for more able children.

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