Hawkchurch Church of England School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 29/03/2004 Inspector Name Joanne Aram

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Amber Pre-School Setting Address Scout Hut, Amberley Road Horsham West Sussex RH12 4LN

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Amber Pre-School 1020291

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Amber Pre-School Address Scout Hut Amberley Road Horsham West Sussex RH12 4LN

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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

Amber Pre-school was first registered in November 1990 and operates from a scout hall in the Roffey area of Horsham. The Pre-school have access to a hall, the kitchen and toilet facilities. The group have access to outdoor play in the form of a grassed area. The Pre-school group is managed by a committee of volunteers mainly elected from the parents and carers of children who are of have attended the group. The Pre-school offer 16 places for children aged from two to eight years and opens five days per week during term times only. The Pre-school is in receipt of nursery education funding for 3 and 4 year old children. Families using the group come from the surrounding areas and reflect the social and economic diversity of their local community. There are currently five staff members working within the group four of whom have a relevant childcare qualification with one working towards qualifying. Staff have

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Information about the setting

attended Child Protection and First Aid training. Registered charity number: 1020291

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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 Amber Pre-school is acceptable and is of good quality. Children are making generally good progress towards the early learning goals. In mathematics, knowledge and understanding of the world and physical development progress is very good and in all other areas progress is generally good. Children do not always treat resources with due care and respect. They do not use their own writing systems to show an awareness of the purposes of writing. Their role play is not always purposeful and sustained. The quality of teaching is generally good. Staff use good teaching strategies. Planning is thorough for the group overall. Staff have good knowledge of their keyworker children whom they observe regularly. They record these observations appropriately in profiles, which identify children's next steps for learning. Targets in plans are for the group as a whole, but children's individual learning, so that they can

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How effective is the nursery education?

be supported and challenged effectively, is not planned for. However individual systems used for children with special educational needs are effective. Leadership and management of the setting is very good. The supervisor leads a good team of staff well. They are supported by a keen parent management committee and a paid administrator with good management skills. Everyone, including parents, are consulted in assessing the provision. Regular staff meetings are held. An improved appraisal system is proposed for next term. There is a strong commitment to in-service training. The partnership with parents is very good and impacts positively on children's learning. Throughout parents are given useful information about the provision and their children's progress. They share information about their children and this is recorded. They have good opportunities to be involved in their children's learning in the group and at home, finding items for topics and sharing library books.

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What is being done well?

• Impressive improvement in the provision for musical activities with children singing songs and doing appropriate actions with obvious enjoyment, playing instruments with sensitivity and control and moving imaginatively. • Children access to good provision for mathematical development including the recognition and recreation of mathematical patterns involving several factors which children achieve. They are very eager to take a turn at this activity and determined to complete it. They also use a number line well for addition and subtraction and to work out quantities which are more and less. • The development of appropriate and necessary self-care skills. Children

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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 independently provide for their own toileting and hygiene needs. They change for PE and help themselves to their packed lunches, take them to the table and eat them sensibly. • Children enjoy books for stories to which they listen attentively, like the Easter Egg Hunt. They are impressively able to accurately relate the contents of the books they have borrowed from the book corner to read at home when they return and exchange them. • Children are developing good investigative skills for future learning. They ask appropriate questions and make appropriate observations about the tadpoles developing in a tank. • Children move with imagination, co-ordination confidence and control in music and movement, toddler aerobics and PE. They show an awareness of the space they and others need, showing they have it by holding out their

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What needs to be improved?

• the quality of role play and small world provision so that children's activity is more purposeful and sustained; • effective opportunities for children to use their own writing systems and develop an awareness of the many purposes of writing; • extend planning to ensure that the needs of individual children, as identified through the thorough assessment system, are covered so that individual children are always appropriately supported and challenged.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Improvement since the last inspection is generally good. At the last inspection the setting was required to develop the programme for creative development further. They were to extend the opportunities which children have to use musical instruments and explore sound in imaginative ways. They were also to allow children more opportunities to select art and craft materials to enable them to express their own ideas and feelings. The provision for mathematics was to be extended especially by planning more activities which enable children to recognise and recreate mathematical patterns. The third requirement was to further develop children's assessment records to ensure that sufficient information is recorded to document children's progress towards the desirable learning outcomes fully and use the information recorded to support staff when they are planning to ensure that children's individual needs are addressed through the provision made.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The provision for music, with a specialist teacher, is now excellent and children are enjoying an extensive range of musical activities including using instruments

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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 sensitively. Children are able to select resources to produce art work which is their own creation, especially in free painting. Children are now well able to successfully recognise and recreate mathematical patterns involving factors such as colours and types and numbers of objects in their patterns. The children's assessment records are based on regular observations of key workers. They are recorded in line with the stepping stones for learning and provide sufficient information. However this information is not used to plan for individual learning to ensure that all children are adequately supported and especially challenged. Planning is for outcomes for whole group attending. Therefore this is to remain as a key issue from this inspection

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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's progress in personal, social and emotional development is generally good. They are keen to try activities, like making Easter nests, with interest and excitement. They work well in all groupings, speaking out well in a large group and concentrating well at individual work. They take turns at cake making and share resources. They are developing appropriate independence, changing for PE. Their behaviour is mainly good but they do not always treat resources with due care and respect.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children's progress in communication, language and literacy is generally good. Children listen carefully to adults and peers and contribute appropriately in a range of groups. They correctly recognise the sounds and shapes of letters, in books and on puzzles. They enjoy books and stories, especially the books they take home. They recognise their names and can write them, some freehand and others traced, but they do not use their own writing systems with an awareness of the purposes of writing.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children's progress in mathematics is very good. They count well for a variety of purposes like a head count at registration. They recognise numbers to ten and circle them correctly on worksheets. Children are able to do simple addition and subtraction with low numbers and work out 'more' and 'less' on a number line successfully. Children can recognise and recreate patterns which involve factors like colour and type of objects accurately. Children use mathematical language appropriately.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children's progress in knowledge and understanding of the world is very good. They are developing good investigative skills asking appropriate questions and thoughtfully observing tadpoles. Children enjoy using an audio system appropriately to support their learning, listening to stories and music. They are developing a good sense of time, looking forward to Easter and back to other events. They are finding out about many features of their environment from walks and visitors.

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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's progress in physical development is very good. They move with imagination, co-ordination, and control in music and movement, aerobics and PE. They are well aware of the space they and others need and show that they have enough by holding out their arms and spinning round. Children confidently use a range of small and large equipment, racing with plastic eggs and spoons, throwing bean bags and kicking balls with accuracy. They show good manual dexterity using a wide range of tools.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children's progress in creative development is generally good. They use their imaginations well in creating art work using a range of colours and materials. They enjoy music sessions in which they are excitedly involved, joining in songs with appropriate actions and playing instruments with sensitivity. They respond sensitively to what they hear, see and feel, and what they smell, like cooking ingredients. Unfortunately their role and small world play is not always purposeful or sustained.

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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

• to provide effectively resourced opportunities for children to use their own writing systems and become aware of a range of purposes for writing; • to extend planning to ensure that the learning needs of individual children, as identified in their profiles, are covered so that they are always appropriately supported and especially challenged; • to improve the quality of role play and small world provision so that children's activity in these areas is more purposeful and sustained.

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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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