St Andrews Pre-School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 08/11/2004 Inspector Name Susan, Helen Spencer

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name St. Andrews Pre-School Setting Address Trent Road Shaw Oldham Lancashire OL2 7QU

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name St. Andrews Methodist Church Pre-School Playgroup 1033572

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name St. Andrews Methodist Church Pre-School Playgroup Address St. Andrews Methodist Church Trent Road, Shaw Oldham Lancashire OL2 7QU

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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

St Andrew's Pre-school opened in 1968. It operates from St Andrew's Church Hall where it has the use of a large hall with an adjacent room for sand and creative activities with a further lounge area for quiet activities. It is situated in a semi-rural area of Shaw near Oldham and serves the local community. There are currently 32 children on roll aged between two years six months and four years. This includes 15 funded three year olds. Children with special educational needs are represented in the pre-school. The group opens three days a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday during school term times. Sessions are from 9.30 until 12.00 and 13.30 to 16.00. Seven full and part-time staff work with the children, four of whom hold recognised early years and child care qualifications. Pre-school receives support from an advisory teacher from Oldham's Early Years' Team.

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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?

St Andrew's Pre-School provides good quality nursery education overall which enables children to make generally good progress towards the early learning goals. They make very good progress in all areas except communication,language and literacy where progress is generally good. Teaching is generally good. Clear plans show intended learning outcomes and how the early learning goals will be met over time. Staff make careful, regular observations of children's achievement and progress to ensure that children's individual needs are both identified and met. Children are presented with challenge. Those with special educational needs are well catered for through effective use of individual educational plans. Staff ensure that all children have access to, and are included in the full range of activities. Staff are kind, friendly and consistent. They use positive strategies to manage a range of behaviours. Some large group

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How effective is the nursery education?

activates are less successful in sustaining all children's interest. This results in some missed opportunities by staff for teaching through stories and books. Staff manage time well overall but the organisation of resources inhibits children's ability to help with tidying up of equipment. The leadership and management are generally good. The staff and the committee have clearly defined roles and responsibilities. They meet regularly to ensure that information is shared. There are systems in place to monitor and review strengths and areas for improvement through recently introduced evaluations of provision. At the moment it is still unclear how these will influence developments. Partnership with parents is very good. Parents are well-informed when their children start pre-school. Notices and displays provide good information about children's play and learning Parents appreciate the friendly attitudes of staff and the regular

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How effective is the nursery education?

feedback they provide. Parents are able to contribute comments to their child's record.

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What is being done well?

• Staff show great enthusiasm for children's achievements and successes which provides an effective reward system that motivates and challenges children to fulfil their potential. They also make good and effective use of systems and strategies to manage children's behaviour positively. • Role play is well organised and prioritised so that children can use the good quality resources freely and imaginatively. Children use the resources extensively to develop other areas of their learning. They use the climbing frame as a two storey house, take their babies shopping, write shopping lists and visit the shop to make purchases. • Support for children with special educational needs and disabilities is well

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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 managed. Two members of staff share the role of co-ordinating provision for such children. Special needs are identified and assessed at an early stage. Staff work closely with parents and a range of relevant agencies to ensure the full inclusion of all children regardless of their ability. • Good use is made of the extensive accommodation to provide a good range of opportunities for children to take part in small and large group activates that are well supervised. The large hall provides space for children to move around freely as well as taking part in floor-based and table-top activities. Smaller rooms are used well to provide quieter areas where children can play and learn using the computer, paint, water, dough and sand. • Children have lots of chances to observe, explore and investigate natural

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What is being done well?

materials. They enjoy using magnifiers both indoors and outside to closely investigate the structure of living things. They also enjoy and understand the changes that take place over time as a result of seasonal changes.

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What needs to be improved?

• the management of some large group activities to maximise learning opportunities through stories and rhymes. • the presentation of books to enable children to use them comfortably, freely and carefully and so that staff can help children to use books as a source of information to support learning in other areas • The organisation of resources to ensure that children can recognise the contents of the containers and be more helpful to staff at tidy-up-times.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Very good progress has been made since the last inspection. The staff have devised a system to ensure that staff's observations of children are used to inform planning for the future learning and keep parents informed about their children's progress and achievement. Familiar words are now introduced to children in displays and labels on resources and equipment. Staff keep regular and ongoing records of children's progress by recording their observations of children's learning as they play and engage in planned activities. This information is passed to the child's key worker who is responsible for entering the information on the child's record and sharing the information with parents. Staff meet regularly to share this information and ensure that children's individual learning needs are met. Displays and photographs contain captions using familiar words. Many of these have been written or traced by the children which means that they are

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What has improved since the last inspection?

gaining familiarity with words and letters other than those that make up their names. This has had a positive effect on both teaching and learning by contributing positively to the planning of activities to meet individual learning needs. It also ensures that parents receive regular feedback on children's development and progress. Children are now gaining more experience in seeing the written word and

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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 are beginning to recognise letters that make up familiar words that they can relate to..

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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 keen and enthusiastic, they enjoy pre-school. They are confident, talking and singing willingly for other children and staff. They play well together sharing the sand and water trays. Behaviour is good, children understand that they need to sit quietly and respect staff's polite requests for help. Their personal independence is developing well as they wash their hands and attempt to manage their own aprons. They help less well at tidy up time due to the organisation of resources.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children are confident speakers. They enjoy stories but story groups are sometimes too large to sustain their interest. Children are making good associations between the shapes of letters and the sounds they make. They generally recognise their own names. Children write purposefully when playing in the shop and home area. Good attention is given to early handwriting skills. The book area does not support children and staff's full and careful use of books.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good This area is well-supported through planned and spontaneous play activities. Children use numbers confidently. They recognise and count sometimes to 10 and beyond. Staff meet individual needs well. They learn about size, shape and quantity as they play in the water and sand and at the dough table. Children are beginning to associate size and numbers as they thread coloured shapes. Staff miss some opportunities for children to make simple calculations of one less when singing number songs.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children enjoy exploring and investigating the natural world. They learn about sinking and floating in practical ways that interest them. They are well-supported at the computer to learn about number and colour. They enjoy visiting local shops and receiving visits from local delivery men and their vehicles. Staff introduce them to the wider world as they use the globe to find countries associated with planned themes. Their interest in seasonal changes is also extended by stories and rhymes.

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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 have lots of good opportunities to develop and improve their large muscles using climbing apparatus. They move confidently and safely as they use large and small equipment. They stretch and curl with confidence and enjoyment as they perform action songs and rhymes. They learn about their bodies and how their heart is affected as a result of exercise. They have good chances to use a wide range of tools and associated materials to develop their manual dexterity.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good There are many opportunities for children to explore a good range of creative media. They use paint and collage materials freely in a range of ways that encourages the full use of all their senses. They enjoy music and sing their developing repertoire of songs tunefully and lustily. Children particularly enjoy playing imaginatively, making full use of the good quality materials to act out their own scenarios throughout the pre-school.

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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 management of some large group activities such as story and music times, to ensure that all children's needs are met and their interests sustained • review the organisation of resources to enable children to become more indepentent when selecting and tidying toys • present books in ways that encourage staff and children's careful use to promote learning.

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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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