Domino Pre-School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 18/11/2003 Inspector Name Emma Louise Bright

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Domino Nursery School Setting Address UNITED REFORM CHURCH HOME END,FULBOURN CAMBRIDGE CAMBRIDGESHIRE CB1 5BS

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Domino Nursery School 1060555

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Domino Nursery School Address The United Reform Church Hall Home End,Fulbourn Cambridge Cambridgeshire CB1 5BS

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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

Domino Nursery School opened in 1990. The group is run by a parent's co-operative committee. It operates from the hall attached to the United Reformed Church in Fulbourn. The group serves the local area. There are currently 21 children from 3 to 4 years on roll. This includes five funded three-year-olds and one funded four-year-old. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The group is able to accept children with special needs and children who speak English as a second language, although currently there are none on roll. The group opens five days a week during school term times. Sessions are from 09:15 until 12.00, and on four days of the week they offer a lunch club from 12.00 to 13.00. There is one full-time and four part-time members of staff working with the children. Over half the staff have early years qualifications to NVQ level 2 or 3. Two staff are currently working towards a recognised early years qualification. The setting

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Information about the setting

receives support from a teacher/mentor from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP) and they are members of the Pre-school Learning Alliance.

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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 for nursery education at Domino Nursery School is good. It enables children to make generally good progress towards the early learning goals, and very good progress towards some. Teaching is very good. Staff have a sound knowledge of the foundation stage curriculum, and their effective planning of interesting and practical activities help children to learn and make good progress. Staff use particularly good questioning skills to encourage children to think and give them lots of opportunities to demonstrate what they know. Staff have very good relationships with the children and they know them well; children respond to their positive behaviour management. There is an effective system in place to support children with special educational needs. Leadership and management is generally good. The supervisor is a strong leader and committed to improving the provision and the way they care for children.

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How effective is the nursery education?

Regular staff meetings and appraisals identify areas for individual professional development and to develop their practice as a group. Communication between staff is good; they work well together as a team, sharing their knowledge and skills. A self-evaluation schedule for monitoring and improving practice is in place. The staff are supported by an effective management committee. The partnership with parents is generally good. Parents receive good information about the setting, it's provision and aims for children. Regular notices, newsletters and meetings keep them informed of coming events and topics the children are working on. Parents are encouraged to take part in their child's learning and welcomed into the group to share their cultures, traditions or special interests with the children. Parents are comfortable to approach staff to discuss their child and their relationships are good. Parents have access to their children's records, but do

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How effective is the nursery education?

not contribute what they know about their child's progress at home.

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What is being done well?

• The staff form very good relationships with the children and they manage the children's behaviour consistently. They encourage children to share and take turns and to co-operate well with one another. • Children's letter recognition and their pre-reading skills are progressing well. They are able to recognise their own names and are interested in how letters and words are formed. • The staff have a good understanding of how children learn through practical activities. Their knowledge of the foundation stage curriculum helps to provide a good range of interesting activities for children to experience, such as taking photographs of their local community.

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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 • Children are very confident and independent. They have high levels of self-esteem and can speak in large or small groups with confidence, using a wide range of vocabulary. • Planning is very good. It is based on a secure knowledge of the early learning goals and makes clear what children should be learning from each activity; this enables staff to offer good support for children according to their age and ability.

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What needs to be improved?

• opportunities for children to write for a purpose • children's opportunities to explore their imagination in self-chosen role-play on a daily basis • staff's use of parents' contributions towards their children's assessments.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The nursery has made generally good progress since the last inspection. Children confidently use numbers in a broad range of planned activities and in the daily routine. However, children do not always have opportunities to record numbers in activities.

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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 form good relationships with the staff and interact well with one another. They are good negotiators, sharing and taking turns; they show concern for each other, helping one another during activities. Children are very confident and initiate interactions with adults. They behave well and understand what is expected of them. They show good levels of concentration and are highly motivated by the activities on offer.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children's spoken language is developing well; they are confident communicators and can sustain conversations with adults and each other. Children show a great interest in books and understand that print carries meaning. They read together and alone, following the text and use books correctly. Children are beginning to give meaning to marks on the paper and some three-year-olds are beginning to write their own name. However, children are not always encouraged to write for a purpose.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children use number names and both three and four-year-olds can count confidently to 10 and beyond. They can re-create simple patterns and sequences and use mathematical language to describe shape, size and quantity. Children have good opportunities to learn about shape through a variety of interesting activities, reinforcing what they already know and encouraging them to find shape and design in everyday objects. However, there are limited opportunities for children to practice calculation.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children have lots of opportunities to explore and observe their environment and the natural world through a range of interesting activities. They have planned times to use the computer and have used a camera to take photographs of their local community. Children show a sense of time and place pointing to photographs of themselves, recalling what they were doing. They have a good awareness of other cultures and they learn about the lives of other people through practical activities.

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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 Children move confidently during outdoor play, showing an awareness of space and demonstrating good co-ordination to avoid collision with others. They can run, jump, hop and climb with confidence and can manipulate small items, such as fitting elastic bands on to pegs and fastening large buttons. Children are developing a very good awareness of healthy practices such as hand-washing and healthy eating.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children learn about shape, colour and texture through a variety of practical activities, such as playdough, sand, cooking and their individual artwork. Children enjoy singing familiar songs, joining in enthusiastically at circle time and have opportunities to explore rhythm and sound using musical instruments. They explore their imagination through planned role-play situations, however, they do not always have opportunities to use their imagination in self-chosen role-play on a daily basis.

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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 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: THE KEY ISSUES

• continue to develop the system of assessment, using parents' comments about their child's achievement and what they know about their child's progress at home.

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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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