St John's Junior Girls' RC School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 22/03/2004 Inspector Name Annie Williams

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Kingsdown Pre-School Setting Address Upper Street Kingsdown Deal Kent CT14 8BJ

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Kingsdown Pre-School

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Kingsdown Pre-School Address Upper Street Kingsdown Deal Kent CT14 8BH

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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

Kingsdown Pre-school opened in 1976. It operates from the village hall in Kingsdown village near Deal. The Pre-School has access to one room, toilets, a kitchen and an outside area. The Pre-School serves the local area and surrounding towns. There are currently forty children on roll. This includes eleven funded four-year-olds and seventeen funded three-year-olds. Children attend a variety of sessions each week. The Pre-School has experience of working with children who have special needs and children who speak English as an additional language. Kingsdown Pre-School opens five day a week term time. Sessions last from 9:15 to 12:15 everyday except Tuesday. The Tuesday session begins at 12:00 and ends at 15:00. Children are invited to stay until 13:00 on a Monday and Thursday when the pre-school offer a lunch club. Parents provide the packed lunch. There are seven staff who work with the children of whom five have early years qualifications. The

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Information about the setting

pre-school receives support from a Pre-school Learning Alliance Development Worker and a teacher from the Early Years 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?

Kingsdown Pre-school provides a caring and welcoming environment for children. Children are making generally good progress towards the early learning goals. Teaching is generally good. Staff have a secure knowledge of the early learning goals and effective planning is developing to help children make good progress. Staff know children well and are sensitive to their needs helping all children to feel valued. They frequently praise and encourage children, consequently they are eager and motivated to learn. The curriculum is generally well balanced, but the long-term plan does not ensure that aspects across the six areas are systematically covered. Questioning techniques are used effectively to help children to think. However, there is no general explanation of the activities available during the session and children receive little warning of tidy up time, to enable them to plan. The sessions are generally well organised, but children wait too long for snack time.

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How effective is the nursery education?

The system of assessment and record keeping is evolving and provides staff with useful information to monitor children's learning. Staff are familiar with the Code of Practice for the Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Needs and have monitoring systems in place. Leadership and management is generally good. Staff are well supported in the care and education that they provide for young children. The supervisor and staff have worked hard to develop a strong team and are committed. They meet regularly but systems to review, evaluate and monitor the effectiveness of the curriculum are not yet formalised. Partnership with parents is generally good. Parents are greeted warmly by staff and welcomed into the group. The pre-school provides information for parents about the setting and regular newsletters, photographs and displays keep them informed of latest themes. They receive opportunities to discuss their child's progress informally, but there are no

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What is being done well?

• Staff provide a varied and interesting programme to develop children's knowledge and understanding of the world. • Staff make use of the local and wider environment to stimulate children's interest and curiosity in the world about them. • Develops and supports children's personal, social and emotional development. Children are happy, settled, well behaved, eager to learn and excited about what they do. • Children are kind to each other and learn to take turns and share fairly.

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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 • Role-play is imaginatively planned and well resourced to stimulate children's imaginary play and to encourage acting out real situations. • Staff provide many opportunities for children to use their imaginations in art and design. Children speak clearly and confidently to their friends and adults. Staff place emphasis on developing writing through experiences that are meaningful to children. • Children receive regular opportunities to use a range of small and large equipment. They are developing control as they travel around, under, over and through balancing and climbing equipment.

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What needs to be improved?

• the system of planning and assessment • the programme for mathematics • information given to parents • the snack time routine • explanations of planned daily activities and tidy up time.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

There were two key issues identified following the last Ofsted inspection in May 1999. The pre-school has made generally good progress in addressing the weaknesses in assessment by ensuring all areas of learning are included in the records. The setting has purchased a system that key workers use to identify children's progress along the stepping-stones. The assessments are not yet use effectively to plan. Staff have purchased new equipment to promote the programme of mathematics, however the weakness in opportunities for children to develop awareness of number operations such as addition and subtraction, in everyday activities remains and forms a key issue of 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 Staff provide a secure, friendly and caring setting, which builds children's confidence and self-esteem. Many positive relationships are developing. Children learn to take turns and share fairly. They are happy, settled, well behaved and eager to learn. Staff present activities attractively, praise and encourage children's achievements, making them eager and motivated to learn. Some opportunities are missed to develop independence and children sometimes wait too long for snack.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children receive daily opportunities to recognise their names.They join in enthusiastically with songs and actions.Children receive regular opportunities to link sounds to letters and speak clearly and confidently as they engage friends in conversation. Writing is developing well through imaginative play activities,such as the'pet shop'when children explore writing telephone messages.The book area is sometimes disrupted by physical play and dressing up, but children enjoy books and stories.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Children enjoy joining in with number rhymes and songs and learn to use language such as 'big' and 'little'. They explore measuring as they compare lengths of worms. Children explore shape for example as they construct and complete puzzles. Infrequent opportunities are provided for children to be aware of simple ideas of addition and subtraction through the daily play routine. Numbers are displayed but opportunities are missed for children to recognise numbers as part of their play and routine.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children clearly enjoy finding out and identifying features of living things such as the visiting rabbit during pet week. There are good opportunities for children to look closely at differences, patterns and change, for example as they trace with their finger along the worms in the wormery. Children develop a sense of time through themes such as 'growing'. They investigate and identify features of the local and wider world through outings and learn about other cultures through planned topics.

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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 Fine manipulative skills are developed well as children display very good skills when cutting, painting, drawing and constructing. Frequent opportunities to use large equipment ensure that children move around freely and safely. Children display a good awareness of themselves and others. Children learn about the importance of personal hygiene through discussion and regular hand washing. Opportunities for children to recognise changes that happen to their bodies when active are missed.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children clearly enjoy the opportunities provided in role-play, as they express and communicate their ideas. Past photographs show children sharing musical instruments, but planned opportunities in 'free-play' to explore musical sounds are infrequent. Children eagerly play with the art activities staff provide and enjoy exploring painting techniques such as printing and bubble painting. They receive good opportunities and support to enable them to use their imaginations in role-play.

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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

• consider how the range of daily activities could be introduced to the children and how to give prior warning of 'tidy-up' time to enable them to plan and consolidate their learning as they play • provide more opportunities for children to develop an understanding of addition and subtraction through practical activities and include mathematical development in the daily routine • continue to develop planning to include a broad range of practical activities linked to the stepping-stones within the aspects of the six areas of learning and include details of i) what children are expected to learn; ii) staff deployment; iii) how staff will differentiate to develop individual children's progress based on what the children already know and what they need to learn next.

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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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