Happy Days Pre-School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 22/11/2004 Inspector Name Barbara Christie

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care, Full Day Care Setting Name Happy Days Pre-School Setting Address Shorts Road Fair Oak Eastleigh Hampshire SO50 7EJ

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Happy Days Pre-School Address Shorts Road Fair Oak Eastleigh Hampshire SO50 7EJ

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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

Happy Days Pre-school is privately owned and opened in 2001. It operates from the Village Hall in Fair Oak. The pre-school has use of the main hall, two smaller rooms and outdoor play space, providing care mainly for children from the local community. Registration is for a maximum of 26 children aged from two years to five years. It is the policy of the group to accept children from two years, nine months. There are currently 43 children on roll, including 29 funded three year olds. The group are able to support children with special needs. The pre-school is open five days a week during term times. Sessions are Monday to Friday 09:30 - 12:00 and Thursday/Friday, 13:00 - 15:30, with additional sessions during spring and summer terms on Tuesday and Wednesday, 13:00 - 15:30. There is an opportunity for a small number of children to attend an all day session. Ten members of staff and one regular volunteer work with the children. The majority

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Information about the setting

have early years qualifications or are currently on training programmes. The setting receives support from a teacher from the local infant school.

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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 Happy Days Pre-school is of good-quality overall. Children are making generally good progress towards the early learning goals. Children's progress in physical and creative development is very good.

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How effective is the nursery education?

The quality is teaching is generally good. Staffs' knowledge and understanding of the early learning goals is good. They plan access to a range of resources and worthwhile activities to promote the children's learning, but miss opportunities to display children's work or to use visual aids during group times. Staff work with parents and other external agencies to ensure suitable provision for children with special educational needs. Resources are adequate, of good educational value, and easy to access. Staff are kind and caring they work alongside children and question effectively. They listen to children, treat them with respect and ensure all are included and supported at all times. They set clear goals and boundaries and manage behaviour very well. Assessment records are detailed and used well to recognise progress and to inform planning. The structure of the day, however, misses opportunities to provide a more balanced programme of teacher-led and free

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How effective is the nursery education?

choice activities. This results in some shortcomings in the areas of learning and extending the learning of children who finish before others. Leadership and management are generally good. Staff meet regularly to review the educational programme, and are able to recognise strengths and weaknesses of the group. Training needs are well supported and training events attended are appropriately recorded. Team meetings are used to identify planning. Partnership with parents is very good. Parents are very well informed of the educational provision and have access to plans; regular newsletters inform them of changes and events. Parent's evenings are used well to inform parents of their child's progress in the group and how they can be involved in their child's learning at home.

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What is being done well?

• Staff work effectively with parents and carers to find out about the children in their care and to identify the support required for children with special educational needs. There are good links with external agencies and appropriate arrangements are in place. • Staff are kind and caring and provide a safe, comfortable and happy environment in which all children are valued and treated with respect. • Staff listen carefully to children and question effectively to develop confidence and self-esteem, language and counting skills; this is effective and helps children to build on what they already know and understand.

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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 • Staff plan a range of worthwhile play-based activities; they work as a team to ensure that all children have easy access, and children are encouraged to select from a range of resources to instigate their own ideas in their play. • Clear goals and boundaries are set with regard to expectations in the group and children's behaviour is good. • Parents and carers are well informed of the educational provision in the group, and are kept informed of their child's progress and attainment towards the early learning goals.

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What needs to be improved?

• use of resources during group gatherings so that children are able to begin to learn about and recognise, for example, letters, numbers and shapes • ways of displaying children's art and design work so that they are given more and better opportunities to recall past events and to investigate and observe how natural objects change • the way in which the day is structured so that a more appropriate balance of teacher-led and free choice activities can develop, and recognise how more time can be given for meaningful discussions that both supports and extends aspects of learning across each of the six areas of learning.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

This is the first inspection for Happy Days Pre-school.

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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 in activities offered. They work well in small groups and respond well to instructions from staff. They accept and understand the need to take turns and to share fairly when using equipment. They have good opportunities to select from a range of resources. Children's confidence and self-esteem is raised by appropriate praise and encouragement. Behaviour is good but some opportunities to reinforce expectations and to discuss activities at the start of the day are missed.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children listen well during activities, group gatherings and stories, and they use a wide vocabulary to extend meaning. Children have very good and easy access to books and they understand how books work. Children collect name templates on arrival and during snack time. Some older children recognise their name but show little knowledge of the names or sounds of letters. There are no displays of alphabet letters and few opportunities to write and record for a variety of purposes.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Counting skills are developing and good use is made of number songs to count and perform simple addition and subtraction. There are generally good opportunities to recognise shapes and patterns using puzzles and games, and mathematical language is developing. Problem solving results from completing jigsaws, joining train tracks and fitting shapes into boxes. Opportunities for a headcount at the start of day, to recognise numbers or to make use of other artefacts during counting songs are missed.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children use a range of recycled materials to design posters and collages and use construction kits for building purposes. They have good opportunities for folding and joining and make good use sticky tape. Access to technology is suitable and used well to extend learning in this area. Plans show evidence of collection and use of seasonal items, Displays of children's work is very limited resulting in few opportunities to recall past events. Ways of overcoming this have not been explored.

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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 use a range of small and large equipment, and coordinated movements are developing well. They are confident when accessing climbing frames and balancing bars, and use wheeled toys with increasing control. Children are aware of the space required to ensure safety. During snacks they have good opportunities to talk about healthy foods. Children have very good access to a range of tools and materials, and skills of hand-eye coordination and manual dexterity are increasing very well.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children have very good opportunities to explore colours and use a wide range of textures to form in two and three dimension. Children's work is valued but mostly taken home at the end of the day. Some work has been retained to decorate the Christmas tree. Children select from the resources set out and use these to instigate their own ideas, this stimulates imagination well. Dressings up clothes are available at all sessions and the home corner is made good use of for a variety of purposes.

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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

• review the way in which the session is structured so that a more appropriate balance of teacher-led and free choice activities can develop, to ensure learning can be extended and children who finish before others adequately challenged • find ways of displaying the outcomes of children's art and design work to give better opportunities to recall past events, and ways of displaying alphabet letters and numbers in appropriate positions around the rooms; to aid teaching and increase opportunities to learn particular aspects of communication, language and literacy, 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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