Building Blocks Kindergarten

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 08/03/2004 Inspector Name Mary Freeland

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Building Blocks Kindergarten Setting Address Exeter Street Bourne Lincs PE10 9NS

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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

Building Blocks Kindergarten opened in October 2000. It operates from purpose built premises in the centre of the town of Bourne. The provision serves the local area. The provision offers full day care to children aged from birth to eleven years. It is registered to care for up to one hundred and seven children. Children attend for a variety of sessions. Some children have special needs. The provision opens five days a week throughout the year with the exception of bank holidays from 7:30 to 18:00. At least half of the staff employed to care for the children hold a relevant childcare qualification. The nursery is registered to receive the nursery education grant.

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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 Building Blocks Kindergarten is generally good. Children are making generally good progress towards the early learning goals across all six areas of learning, in a happy and supportive environment. The quality of teaching is generally good, staff use the very good range of resources to provide interesting activities that engage the children and promote learning. Planning is developing well, but does not yet make sufficient links to the six areas of learning or clearly identify what children are expected to learn. Staff have established good relationships with children and manage their behaviour very well, children are polite and considerate to others. Staff are patient and sensitive in judging when to support and encourage children. Group activities for the funded children are not always organised in a way which fully promotes children' learning, especially in the areas of literacy and mathematics. Staff

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How effective is the nursery education?

are developing a system for assessing children's progress, they observe and record what children can do but these records do not show how a child is developing over time. The leadership and management of the nursery is generally good. The nursery owner has built up a strong, committed staff team with a clear management structure. The quality of the nursery setting is regularly monitored using the Day Nursery Quality Assurance scheme. The partnership with parents and carers is generally good. Good relationships have been established with parents and they regularly receive good quality information about the setting. Parents are generally well informed about their child's progress through looking at individual folders and workbooks and through regular open evenings.

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What is being done well?

• Children are helpful and well behaved. Staff are skilled in helping children to understand what is right and wrong and what the rules are. • Children are interested and excited by the range of activities, they are confident learners, select their own resources, persevere at tasks and play well together. • Children communicate well with adults and other children, they make their needs known and converse easily with friends. • Children develop design and making skills, they join and construct with a purpose in mind, for example making shakers from recycled materials, using a variety of techniques and resources.

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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 learning to operate everyday technology such as switching the cassette recorder on and off and showing skill in operating the computer mouse. • Children use the soft play area effectively to move freely and with developing confidence and co-ordination. • Children play imaginatively in the well-resourced role-play areas.

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What needs to be improved?

• the grouping of children, particularly at story-time, to promote learning for younger children at their own pace and to present more challenge to older and more able children. • staff's understanding of how to promote numbers in everyday play situations to reinforce children's mathematical learning and provide greater challenge for older and more able children to solve mathematical problems. • planned activities to challenge children's physical abilities and to maximise the use of outside play area and soft play room to support other areas of learning. • the planning of activities to show links with the stepping stones and early learning goals and to clearly identify what children are expected to learn. • written records to show how children are developing in all six areas of learning and ensure that assessments are used to plan the next steps in children's learning.

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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: Generally Good Children are interested and excited by the range of activities, they are confident learners, select their own resources, persevere at tasks and play well together. Children are well behaved, polite and helpful. They are learning to understand simple rules and understand what is right and wrong. Staff help children to develop independence in toileting skills and making choices, but do not always extend independence skills for older and more able children.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children speak clearly and confidently, communicate well with adults and other children. They understand that print carries meaning, make marks in the well resourced writing area, practice copying their own names and progress to writing simple words. They are beginning to link sounds to letters, but this is not always sufficiently challenging for older children. Children enjoy listening to stories, but the large size of the group does not sufficiently promote learning for individual children.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children are learning to count and enjoy counting and number rhymes. Staff plan maths activities such as combining two groups of objects in order to develop an understanding of addition. They are learning to recognise shape, colour and size. However, counting and mathematical problem solving is not sufficiently used in everyday play situations to reinforce children's learning.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children are developing their design and making skills. They join and construct using man-made construction kits and recycled materials using a variety of techniques. They use their senses to investigate objects and natural materials. Children are learning to operate everyday technology such as the cassette recorder and show skills in operating the computer mouse. They take part in relevant topics to learn about other cultures and beliefs.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children enjoy using the outdoor area to run, climb and ride wheeled toys. They are excited when using the soft play room to move freely and with developing confidence and co-ordination. They use the excellent resources to develop large and small muscle control. However, staff do not plan sufficiently challenging activities to maximise learning in both of these areas or use them to promote learning in other areas. Children regularly use small tools such as scissors, cutters and cutlery.

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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: Generally Good Children use their imagination when mixing colours and painting freely. Staff support the children well in creating collages and models in two and three dimensions, using a very good range of resources. They play imaginative games in the well-resourced role-play areas such as the home corner. They manipulate malleable materials such as clay and playdough.

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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

• develop the current system for planning to ensure that activities are planned across all six areas of learning, and that the learning intentions are clearly identified. • improve the assessment and recording of children's progress to provide a clear link with the stepping stones and early learning goals. Use these assessments to plan for children's future learning. • increase staff's understanding of how to promote numbers in everyday play situations in order to reinforce children's mathematical learning and provide greater challenge for older and more able children to solve mathematical problems. • plan activities to challenge children's physical abilities and support other areas of learning when using the outside play area and the soft play room. • ensure that children are grouped appropriately, particularly at story-time, to promote learning for younger children at their own pace and to present more

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

challenge to older and more able children, particularly in the areas of language and mathematics.

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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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