Tynemouth Nursery at Billy Mill

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 17/03/2003 Inspector Name Marie Mcconville

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Tynemouth Lilliput Nursery Setting Address 142-144 Queen Alexandra Road West North Shields Tyne and Wear NE29 9AF

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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

Tynemouth Lilliput Nursery is one of two nurseries owned by Tynemouth Nursery group Limited. The nursery opened in 1995, and was taken over by the new owners in 2000. One of the owners is on site on a daily basis to oversee the management of the nursery. There is also a manager who has day to day responsibility for the care and education of the children. There are four members of staff who work with three and four year olds, each have an appropriate qualification in the care and education of children. The Nursery is situated in a mature residential area which borders Tynemouth and North Shields, and is set in a house conversion. The nursery is open from 8.00a.m. - 6p.m., Monday -Friday, 52 weeks per year. Children attending the nursery generally come from the local community, however some children travel from further a field. Children aged three and four years have access to five rooms on the ground floor to

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Information about the setting

take part in a range of activities, an enclosed rear garden is available for outdoor play. The Nursery is registered to provide care and education for 56 children aged nought to five years, there are 92 children on roll, of these, there are 26 children aged three and four years on roll, with 12 three year olds and two four year olds receiving funding. The main teaching emphasis is Learning Through Play. There are no children attending who have English as an additional language, staff are gaining experience of working with children who have Special Educational Needs. The nursery receives regular teacher support from the Early Years Development and childcare Partnership. This is the nurseries first inspection.

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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?

Tynemouth Lilliput Nursery provides a caring, welcoming environment for children who are settling well, enabling them to make generally good progress towards the early learning goals in areas of learning, except creative development where satisfactory progress is made. Staff deployment and the inaccessibility to some resources restrict children’s creative development. The quality of teaching is generally good and contributes to the generally good progress children are making. The programme of activities is of a wide range that successfully motivates the children. Children’s behaviour is generally good; staff provide positive role models, however there are a limited range of praise and reward strategies to foster positive behaviour of younger children. Staff are skilled at questioning children enabling them to become 'problem solvers'. Assessments for all children are completed regularly using a variety of methods. The assessments

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How effective is the nursery education?

effectively inform future planning. Leadership and management is very good. Through a democratic approach a strong staff team is evolving. Owners and the manager are available on a daily basis and have developed good relationships with parents. Owners are committed to developing regular staff appraisals to identify training issues, however daily monitoring of the nursery rooms is not yet rigorous enough to fully identify gaps in the educational provision. Partnership with parents is generally good. Parents are well informed about their children’s progress on a daily basis and are invited to attend children’s reviews quarterly. Parents are successfully involved in their children’s learning through access to programmes of activities and information about current topics. Parents are effectively encouraged to share in their children’s learning, for example, through helping children with their homework folders.

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What is being done well?

• The staff have very good questioning techniques to help children solve problems. • There are regular assessments of all children that incorporate a range of methods to inform future planning. • The leadership and management shows commitment to the ongoing improvement of the nursery. • There are well-planned activities to support letter and word recognition. • Children are happy, confident and developing good personal and social skills. • The staff organise a well-balanced range of outings, invite visitors to the nursery and provide a wide range of activates to support children’s learning.

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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

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What needs to be improved?

• the range of opportunities to promote spontaneous, creative development and opportunities to explore colour and texture. • the strategies staff use to foster positive behaviour of younger children and help them develop their concentration during story and circle time. • the organisation of staff and resources to promote independent learning. • the opportunities for children to match and recognise number and explore natural materials in every day activities. .

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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 making generally good progress in this area of learning. Their behaviour is generally good with staff providing positive role models. Children are confident, have good manners and are beginning to think about each other. They are working cooperatively in groups and developing good concentration skills, but younger children have difficulty in concentrating. Some resources are not within easy reach, this impacts upon independent learning.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children make generally good progress in this area of learning. Children are able to link letter sounds together to form words they recognise and say. Older children are writing their names in clearly formed letters, younger children are beginning to write their names with support. Children are becoming effective listeners and enjoy long stories, however story/circle time for younger children is too challenging resulting in them becoming bored and losing interest.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Generally good progress is made in this area of learning. Children count reliably and are developing their mathematical language. Children count backwards from 10 and then shout 'blast off'. Children are developing an understanding of number through unplanned activities e.g. sorting by colour and counting objects in the sand tray. However, there are few opportunities for them to recognise and match numbers in everyday activities.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children are making generally good progress in this area of learning. Children are skilful when using the computer and choosing and installing programmes. Children are aware of their own and the wider community through outings and activities that link into themes, e.g. transport, and visitors to the nursery such as Zoo Lab. However there are few opportunities for children to explore natural objects. Children are learning about other cultures through celebrations such as Chinese New Year.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children are making very good progress in this area of learning. Children are able to use a variety of tools to develop their small muscles, often as part of a craft activity, during mark making and at meal times. Children use a range of climbing equipment and sit and ride toys outdoors to develop large motor skills. Children are successfully learning about how their body works, and talk about food giving energy, the importance of hand washing and identifying germs as harmful.

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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: Significant Weaknesses Children are making satisfactory progress in this area of learning. Children join in singing nursery rhymes with delight, moving in time to the sounds they make and developing a good sense of rhythm. They are exploring two-dimensional shapes during planned craft activities. However, the restrictions of staff deployment and access to some resources hamper children’s spontaneous, creative development in areas such as imaginative play and colour and texture.

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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

• Evaluate staff deployment and organisation of resources to promote independent learning, and improve opportunities for children to explore colour and texture. • Extend praise and reward strategies used by staff to foster positive behaviour of younger children and help them improve their concentration and interest during story and circle time.. • Extend opportunities for children to recognise and match numbers and explore natural materials in every day activities.

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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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