Park Hall Day Nursery

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 08/02/2004 Inspector Name Susan, Helen Spencer

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Park Hall Day Nursery Setting Address 2 Liverpool Road West, Church Lawton Stoke-on-Trent Staffordshire ST7 3DH

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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

Park Hall Day Nursery opened in 1992. It operates from five rooms in a converted village school building in Church Lawton, near Alsager, Cheshire. Park Hall serves the community in south Cheshire and north Staffordshire. There are currently 30 children aged from birth to five years on roll in the nursery, this includes 12 funded children. The setting supports children with special educational needs. Children can attend for a variety of sessions. They also offer a "before school" facility for 12 children and currently have two children on roll. The nursery opens five days a week all year round. Sessions are from 07:00 to 17:30. Eight full time staff work with the children. Six staff have early years qualifications to NVQ level 2 or 3, and one staff member is working towards a recognised early years qualification. The setting receives support from a teacher from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership and have successfully completed the

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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?

Provision at Park Hall Day Nursery is of good quality where children make generally good progress overall towards the early learning goals. They make very good progress in most areas of learning and generally good progress in their knowledge and understanding of the world and creative development. The quality of teaching is generally good overall. Staff have a very good knowledge of the early learning goals in most areas of learning. The nursery is well resourced. The planning of the educational programme is generally good. Planning is currently done by an external agency who do not know the children, but staff who work with the children skilfully adapt the written plans to make the activities provided appropriate for the children in their care. This means that written plans do not always represent activities that are taking place with the children. Written assessments of the children's attainment and progress are incomplete and do not plot the children's

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How effective is the nursery education?

progress towards the early learning goals. Staff know the children well, but the lack of adquate assessments means that sometimes the children are not challenged in activities. Staff lack the knowledge and understanding required to help children with additional needs which means that this aspect has significant weaknesses. Leadership and management is generally good. Staff are aware of their roles and responsibilities within the nursery. The manager works closely with staff and children on a regular basis. However, current weaknesses, although identified, have not been addressed because staff lack confidence and experience. The manager and staff attend any training that is available, but report that access to these is very limited. Partnership with parents is generally good. Staff work hard to develop a good rapport with parents. They are provided with good quality information about the areas of learning and activities that their children will take part in. But do not

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What is being done well?

• The programme of learning for the development of the children's personal, social and emotional development, communication, language and literacy and mathematics. • Activities planned are exciting and stimulating for the children and they are developing a love of learning. • Staff are cheerful and work alongside the children as they learn. • Staff work well as a team and each is aware of their roles and responsibilities within the nursery.

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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?

• staff knowledge and understanding of identifying and supporting children with additional needs • planning to ensure that activities planned are what is actually carried out during the course of the session • assessment procedures to ensure that each child's progress towards the early learning goals is plotted for each area of learning and linked to planning to ensure that activities planned build on what the children already know. Ensure parents are included in this information • the programme for the development of the children's knowledge and understanding of the world and creative skills to ensure that work produced is less adult directed and comes from the children themselves

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Progress with has been generally good in addressing the three key issues imposed at the last imspection. Staff have developed the programme for the development of the children's communication, language and literacy to ensure that all areas within it are very good. However, changes to the planning and assessment procedures have failed to ensure that the weaknesses identified at the last inspection are rectified and weaknesses still exist in the provision.

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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 The children enter the setting keen, eager and motivated to learn. They are very keen to join in activities with adults and are confident to sing their favourite songs and rhymes to the whole group. The children are forming good relationships with each other, the older children taking it in turns to use equipment. Behaviour is good for most children. The children are developing a good level of independence by pouring their own drink for snack and putting on their own apron for water play.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good The children enjoy recognising rhyming words in their favourite nursery rhymes. They use imaginative language in role play, taking on the roles of adults. The children begin to recognie letters of the alphabet when working with magnetic letters. They regularly choose books as a free choice activity, choosing their favourite books when visiting the library van. The children are beginning to write their own name and familiar words in their role play.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good The children are able to count to ten and beyond when counting the number of children in the group. They recognise numbers to ten when working with flash cards at circle time. The children count the number of cups of sand it takes to fill another container and are beginning to calculate when giving out the apple for snack. The children are learning the names of shapes and compare each others heights, using language including tallest and shortest.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good The children peel bananas and observe the change in its skin over the passing time in the day. They plant seeds and watch them grow, noticing the changes. The children complete a weather chart daily, talking about the changes from day to day. They use programmable toys outside, working out how to get a car under a bridge accurately. Although the children make their own phones from bricks, designing and making skills are not developing because adults over direct choice of tools and materials.

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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 The children balance with ease when working on the tyres outside. They pedal on the bicycles and use the climbing frame to develop their climbing skills outside. The children negotiate space successfully when finding a space for circle time and story. They are learning about foods that are good and bad for their teeth. The children are developing their throwing and catching skills when working with balls and use a variety of tools, cutters and rollers in the dough.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good The children collect items from around the nursery for the colour of the week table. They are able to play the musical instruments, alternating between loud and soft sounds. The children enjoy a wide range of role play situations, taking on the roles of adults. Some creative activities are over directed by adults with no element of each child's individual creative style as they lack independent choices in their art.

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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

• improve staff knowledge and understanding of identifying and supporting children with additional needs • develop planning to ensure that activities planned are what is actually carried out during the course of the session • improve assessment procedures to ensure that each child's progress towards the early learning goals is plotted for each area of learning and linked to planning. Share these with parents on a regular basis • develop the children's knowledge and understanding of the world and creative skills by ensuring that work produced is less adult directed and comes from the children themselves.

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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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