Churchward School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 18/03/2004 Inspector Name Carole Argles

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Codford Caterpillars Pre School Setting Address The Cocoon, Codford School Cherry Orchard,Codford Warminster Wiltshire BA12 0PN

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name Codford Caterpillars Pre School 1026038

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Codford Caterpillars Pre School Address Codford Caterpillars Pre School The Cocoon, Codford, Cherry Orchard Warminster Wiltshire BA12 0PN

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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

Codford Caterpillars Pre-School has been open for approximately 20 years. It operates from purpose built premises in the grounds of Codford C of E Primary School in Codford, near Warminster. Children have access to two playrooms and cloakrooms. There is a fully enclosed outside play area. The pre-school serves a wide local area. The pre-school is managed by a parent committee. There are currently 24 children from 2 to 4 years on roll. This includes four funded-three-year olds and four funded four-year-olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. At present no children have special needs or speak English as an additional language.

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Information about the setting

The group opens five days a week during school term times. Sessions are from 09.00 until 14.45 and from 09.00 to 12.00 on Tuesdays and Fridays. One full-time member of staff and three part-time staff work with the children. Two have early years qualifications and two members of staff are currently on training programmes. The setting receives support from a teacher from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.

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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?

Codford Caterpillars Pre School provides nursery education which is acceptable and of good quality. Children are making generally good progress towards the early learning goals and very good progress in some areas of learning. The teaching is very good. Staff have created a well planned and attractive environment. There is a wide range of resources and staff borrow additional items from libraries. Staff make good use of time and work directly with the children. They plan and provide a wide range of interesting and practical activities and outings which support children's development well in most areas of the curriculum. They assess children's progress and use this information to plan the next steps in their learning and set suitable levels of challenge for them. They ask children open questions to encourage them to think. Staff form good relationships with the children. They manage their behaviour well, reminding them of their expectations and giving

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How effective is the nursery education?

them praise and encouragement. The partnership between staff and parents is generally good. There is a friendly relationship between them. They take many informal opportunities to share information about the children's care. Parents receive good quality general information about the pre-school in the prospectus. Information about what children will be learning in sessions and their progress towards the early learning goals is more limited. Sometimes staff suggest activities to parents so they can help their child at home. The leadership and management is generally good. The manager is a good role model for her staff. The sessions run smoothly and staff are aware of their roles and responsibilities. Staff are committed to improvement and take regular training. They monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of some activities in supporting children's learning. The management committee are newly elected and at present have not

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How effective is the nursery education?

fully established their role in assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the pre-school.

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What is being done well?

• Children are making very good progress in their personal, social and emotional development. They separate readily from their carers and settle quickly. They are happy and lively and keen to take part in the activities. Children are becoming independent and can carry out tasks without direct staff supervision, for example, working cooperatively together to wash up the cooking utensils. • Children are making very good progress in their creative development. Children have many opportunities to respond to what they see, feel, smell and hear. Staff provide a wide range of experiences and encourage children talk about their feelings, for example the texture, smell and look of the

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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 cooking ingredients. Children often respond to their experiences through painting, drawing and dance. • Children are developing a good understanding of number and shape. Staff make learning about number fun and use songs, catching and board games to encourage children to count. Children find out about shape, measuring and patterns through many practical activities. They are learning the correct vocabulary to describe size, number and position. • The quality of the teaching is very good. Staff plan and provide interesting activities for the children which are well supported by a wide range of resources. They form good relationships with the children and talk with them about their homes and experiences. They praise and encourage them and respond to their interests, for example organising a topic on the jungle. Staff

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What is being done well?

manage children's behaviour well reminding of their expectations and treating them with courtesy at all times.

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What needs to be improved?

• opportunities for children to design, build and try out ways of assembling a wide range of materials • the partnership with parents by further developing procedures for keeping them well informed about what their children will be doing in the sessions and the progress they are making • the leadership and management of the nursery by establishing the role of the committee in evaluating the effectiveness of the pre-school.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection there were no significant weaknesses to report, but the following points for development were made: Time the length of group discussion sessions appropriately, taking into consideration the ages and attention span of the children. Ensure that all staff are familiar and secure with their understanding of the 1994 Code of Practice for children with Special Educational Needs. Ensure that all staff are secure with all aspects of the desirable learning outcomes and the management of children with special educational needs. Include all aspects of learning in the plans. The progress since the last inspection is generally good. Staff make sure that the length of group times is short and that the children are interested at all times. Staff group the children by age and ability during some sessions so that they can provide a suitable level of challenge for each child. The manager is the special needs coordinator (SENCO) of the pre-school and is

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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 taking training to enable her to carry out this role effectively and is developing a good understanding of the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice. At present there are no children at the pre-school who have been identified as having special needs. Since the previous inspection the early years curriculum has been revised and the early learning goals have replaced the desirable learning outcomes. The manager has a very good knowledge and understanding of these and uses this to help her plan and provide suitable activities for the children. She is helping other members of staff develop their knowledge and understanding of the early learning goals by displaying notices around the premises showing the stepping stones that the children are working towards. Two members of staff are also attending training.

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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, confident and settled. They are interested in the activities and eager to take part. They show sustained concentration on self-chosen and adult-led activities. The children are developing good independence both with their personal care and when working alone at activities. Children behave very well. They understand there are times when they should sit quietly. They form good relationships with others, playing cooperatively together, sharing fairly and taking turns.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children speak clearly and confidently, taking turns in conversation. They use language to express real and imaginary ideas, readily contributing these at circle times. Children enjoy singing and group stories and join in with repeated words. There is a wide range of books but children rarely select from these to look at independently or share with members of staff. Most children can recognise their names. They are beginning to form recognisable letters and use this skill to name their pictures.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children are interested in numbers and often use them in their play. Many children are beginning to count competently and to compare groups of objects, saying when numbers are the same. Some children can recognise numerals to 9 and link these to the number of objects. Children are beginning to develop a good sense of shape and can name simple shapes in the environment around them. They take part in many sorting and matching activities. Some children can recognise and recreate patterns.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children have many opportunities to find out about the world they live in through topic work and outings. They investigate a wide range of objects using their senses and discovering how things work. They have many opportunities to use everyday technology and computers. Children often use a range of construction toys but have limited opportunities to design and assemble models using and joining a wide range of materials. They are finding out about their own and other cultures.

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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: Generally Good Children move with confidence and control and in safety. They move with pleasure and in a variety of ways, matching movements to music. Children show a good awareness of space of themselves and others when playing together. They are developing good hand-eye coordination and can skilfully handle a wide range of small equipment and malleable materials. They use a range of large equipment and wheeled toys. Children learn about good hygiene, health and safety through activities and daily routines.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children have many opportunities to explore objects using their senses and often talk about what they feel, smell, hear and see. They express their imaginations and develop their own ideas in art activities such as collage and painting. Children use their imaginations and introduce a storyline when playing with others in role and small world play. They enjoy music and singing and join in enthusiastically with words and actions. They explore the sounds made by musical instruments.

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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 further opportunities for children to design, build and try out ways of assembling a wide range of materials • continue to develop the partnership with parents by extending the information available for them to keep them well informed about what their children will be doing in the sessions and the progress they are making • develop the role of the committee in evaluating the effectiveness of the pre-school.

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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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