St Wilfrids

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 07/03/2005 Inspector Name Susan, Helen Spencer

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name St Wilfrids Setting Address Mabel Street Newton Heath Manchester Lancashire M40 1GB

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REGISTERED PROVIDER 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 Wilfred's playgroup has been established for approximately 17 years. It operates independently inside St Wilfred's Church of England Primary School in the Newton Heath area of Manchester. The playgroup has the use of a large classroom and bathroom facilities. It has access to a large outdoor play area which is shared with the school's nursery class. The playgroup is registered to provide 12 places for children aged from two to five years. The group is currently open from 9.00 to 11.30 Monday to Thursday, and from 13.00 to 15.30 on Monday and Tuesday during term time only. There are currently 12 children on roll. Of these, five children receive funding for nursery education. Children come from the local community. Two staff work directly with the children, one holds a relevant qualification and the other is working towards it.

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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 Wilfred's Playgroup provides good quality nursery education which enables children to make generally good progress overall towards the early learning goals. They make very good progress in personal, social and emotional, mathematical and physical development. Teaching is generally good. Staff are kind, friendly and consistentt, managing behaviour and learning well. They extend children's thinking and understanding by giving them well considered explanations and demonstrations. Children are challenged at an appropriate level. The learning environment is well organised facilitating children's free and independent choices overall. Planning is effective overall. Long and medium term plans reflect the stepping stones but this is less clear in short term plans. Assessment has some significant weaknesses. It is not clearly related to the six areas of learning and does not show how children progress along

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How effective is the nursery education?

the steppijg stones. Staff have a good understanding of the early learning goals overall. Time and resources are well manged overall and staff are well deployed. The leadership and management are generally good. The staff team work well together and show good levels of commitment to improoving provision. Staff work closely with the local Sure Start team to develop provision. The leader presents as a positive role model to carers, staff and children. There are few clear systems to review and evaluate strengths and areas for improvement. The partnership with parents has some significant weaknesses. Parents and carers find staff friendly and approachable and feel welcome to stay. There are some opportunities for staff and carers to share information about the children. There is little information available about children's activities other then by newsletters. Carers have few opportunities to contribute to their child's record or discus learning

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How effective is the nursery education?

and progress. Parents and carers are not actively involved in children's learning and progress.

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What is being done well?

• The relationship between staff and children is very good. Staff praise and applaud children's efforts and achievements. They value children's views and ideas listening carefully to what they say. They respond positively to children's interests and preferences. Staff and children have fun as they play and learn together. • The learning environment is attractive and well organised to promote learning and children's independent choices. Wall displays promote positive images of a range of cultural and religious groups. There are areas where children can play quietly if they wish to. The arrangement of furnishings gives children privacy for role play.

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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 • The provision for children's personal, social and emotional development underpins much of the good work going on in the playgroup. Children are confident and express their own ideas and feelings freely. Routines are well established to support children's behaviour and help them feel safe and secure. There is a clear pattern to the day that supports children's developing personal independence. • Opportunities for physical play are exciting and interesting for children. They enjoy taking part in outdoor energetic play using the imaginative large physical play apparatus. Cycle tracks and obstacles help children to steer and negotiate wheeled toys. Staff manage children well to promote their safe and sensible use of the equipment. • Children's mathematical development is well provided for and promoted well

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What is being done well?

through routines and structured play activities. Children learn about number in ways that they can relate to easily. As a consequence they are confident in their use of numbers. • Staff use effective strategies to extend children's language and thinking. Questions are carefully worded to help children think, solve problems and make decisions. Staff use a gentle but effective approach with children who need extra help to develop maturity in their use of language.

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What needs to be improved?

• the information for parents and their contribution to make comments on their child's learning and progress • the assessments systems • the plans

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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 happy and confident. They take part willingly in their self-chosen activities showing enthusiasm and pride in their achievements. They play well together showing care, concern and affection for their friends and others. They share fairly and understand the need to take turns. Behaviour is good and simple rules like the need to wear an armband when using the climbing frame are adhered to. They are willing helpers at tidy up times and manage their own clothing and hygiene needs.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children speak confidently. They listen carefully when using the listening centre and at circle and story times. They enjoy stories and particaipate fully. They learn about letter shapes and sounds but have few chances to recognise their own names and some familiar words. Books are available and accessible but not generally used by children for themselves. They have good opportunities to write as part of their play but little attention is paid to hand writing skills.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good This is a well integrated aspect of children's routines and play experiences. Children count confidently and have good chances to relate number to numerals. They learn about numbers in practical ways that hold meaning for them. When using bead frames they are introduced to ideas of more and less. They learn about size and shape as they play and most children show confidence in shape recognition. They learn about shape and pattern using interesting materials that appeal to them.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good There are many good chances for children to observe, explore and investigate the natural and made world. They design and build for themselves using interesting materials. Information and communication technology skills are developing well. Children learn about a sense of place through role play but they have few first hand experiences. A sense of time is not promoted sufficiently regularly to be meaningful. Resources to support learning about the wider world are not used fully or effectively.

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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 show good control and co-ordianation over their body movements. They climb and balance with confidence. When using wheeled toys they steer and pedal confidently respecting other children's space. They move around safely and sensibly. Small equipment is used regularly to promote their skills of kicking, aiming and targeting. They learn about the changes that occur in their body as a result of exercise. They use the good range of tools and associated materials with skill and dexterity.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children use paint freely in a range of ways. Collage and modelling materials are available but not easily accessed by children for their free use. Their repertoire of songs is constantly expanding and they sing well. They use good quality musical instruments to explore sound for themselves. Role play is used well to support other learning through themes and topics. They have few chances to dance and move freely to music. Overall children's access to some creative materials is restricted.

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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

• provide more information for parents and carers to show how children learn through play in all six areas of learning, share information about children's progess and learning regularly and create opportunities to add their comments to children's records of progress and attainment • develop the system of assessment to show how children make progress along the stepping stones towards the early learning goals and include parents and carers observations of their child's learning at home • improve and extend short term plans to show how the stepping stones will be promoted to provide full coverage of the early learning goals, place emphasis on children's use of books and writing materials, activities to foster a sense of time and place, and children's free and expressive use of creative materials.

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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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