St Paul's Day Nursery

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 22/07/2004 Inspector Name Jan Georgeson

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care, Out of School Day Care Setting Name St Paul's Day Nursery Setting Address 405A Belchers Lane Bordesley Green Birmingham B9 5SY

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name St Paul's Nursery, Bordesley Green, Ltd

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name St Paul's Nursery, Bordesley Green, Ltd Address 405A Belchers Lane Birmingham West Midlands B9 5SY

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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 Paul's Day Nursery registered in 1994. It operates from a purpose built building in Bordesley Green within walking distance of the main high street and bus routes across the city. The group serves the local community and is open to children of parents who are willing to commute across the city. There are currently 51 children on roll. This includes 19 funded 3 year olds and 7 funded 4 year olds. Children can attend for a variety of sessions. The group supports children who speak English as an additional language. The group opens five days a week for 51 weeks of the year. Sessions are from 07:00 until 18:00. There are 15 staff working with the children; of these, 80% hold early years qualifications and the remaining staff are currently on training courses.

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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. Paul's Day Nursery offers children good quality provision for nursery education and children are making generally good progress towards the early learning goals in mathematical development and knowledge and understanding of the world, with very good progress in all other areas. The quality of teaching is generally good. Staff plan structured activities carefully to meet the different needs of older and younger children and sustain an appropriate level of challenge. The planning process ensures that the programme covers all early learning goals over time, but some goals are covered only once during the year and children are less able to develop their skills, knowledge and understanding in these areas. Staff build up detailed records of children's achievements. However, the way in which these are complied makes it difficult to use them to inform future planning and to identity gaps in children's learning. Resources are arranged well to

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How effective is the nursery education?

encourage independent learning and good use is made of the outside area to extend children's learning. The leadership and management of the playgroup are very good. The manager has a clear idea of the strengths and weaknesses of provision and has taken steps to remedy weaknesses. There are effective procedures to monitor activities and good opportunities in staff meetings to discuss successful teaching strategies. Strong emphasis on training enables staff to develop their skills and understanding, and this is particularly evident in those areas of the curriculum where children are making very good progress. The partnership with parents is very good. Parents are provided with a good range of information about the educational provision, particularly through the use of photographs and displays. Through newsletters and invitations to special events, the nursery seeks to involve busy parents in their children's learning and parents

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How effective is the nursery education?

appreciate the formal and informal opportunities to discuss their children's progress.

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What is being done well?

• Detailed planning for structured activities ensures that staff give due consideration to the needs of children who are at different stages in their development, including older, more able children as well as very young children and those developing confidence with language. • Children are encouraged to learn to work and play together, to cope with having to consider other people's needs and to be comfortable with being different and recognising when others are different. • There is a strong approach to early literacy and creative development; children have plenty of access to writing tools and other creative materials to express their own ideas and communicate these to other people.

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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 • Children develop confidence in numbers and counting as they take part in structured activities and daily routines. They also learn to compare shape, size and position and can use their knowledge and appropriate vocabulary spontaneously in their play. • Imaginative use of the outside area and the immediate surroundings extends children's learning in many areas, but especially promotes their physical development and sense of place.

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What needs to be improved?

• the range of activities to encourage children to build a firm foundation for the understanding of calculation, through comparison of small quantities and appreciation that the total of a group will remain the same in spite of re-arrangement of its elements • opportunities for children to observe objects and events, to ask questions, to predict, to notice patterns and change, and to develop their sense of time • planning and assessment, so that enough opportunities are provided during the year to allow children to make steady progress towards all the early learning goals.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The nursery has made very good progress since the last inspection and has addressed all the issues that were raised in the subsequent report. Planning and assessment processes have been completely reviewed and the system is now based on the early learning goals. The new planning procedures also take into account the needs of children who may be at different stages in their development. In addition staff have taken part in training to address issues of behaviour management and knowledge of the Code of Practice for identification and assessment of special educational needs. Partnership with parents is now very good and the programmes for creative development and physical development are now both strengths of the educational provision and offer a full range of 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: Very Good Children make very good progress in personal, social and emotional development. They learn to work together in groups and take turns, accepting that they might have to wait to use popular resources. Children learn to look after their personal needs and show pride in their achievements. They can operate independently in the nursery environment, where resources are set out well to encourage independence. Children learn to be comfortable with themselves and tolerant of difference in others.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children make very good progress in communication, language and literacy. They use language well to communicate and negotiate. Children develop confidence in themselves as writers and frequently choose to write or draw to communicate. They develop skill with writing tools, producing letter-like forms and sometimes writing their names. Children learn that they can derive meaning from print, both in the environment and in books, and become involved in stories, suggesting how they might develop.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children make generally good progress in mathematics. They are enthusiastic about numbers and counting in different situations. Older children can recognise numerals, count by rote to 20 and show good one-to-one correspondence as they count. They are also able to use their counting skills to compare quantities, but some children do not have enough opportunities to work with small quantities. Children develop interest in shape and size and use this language in conversation to compare objects.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children make generally good progress in knowledge and understanding of the world. They show great interest in simple programmes on the computer and use the mouse skilfully. They develop a sense of place through planned activities and local trips, but do not have enough opportunities to develop their sense of time. Children are introduced to plants and growing but do not have enough opportunities to predict and ask questions about other simple physical processes involving non-living things.

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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 make very good progress in physical development. They learn to move confidently in different ways, with control and co-ordination, holding positions and adjusting their movements to different spaces. Children learn how to use a good range of large and small equipment, practising what they find difficult and setting up games. They develop control with a wide range of construction kits and modelling materials, and have daily opportunities to develop skills with mark-making tools.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children make very good progress in creative development. They use different materials to express their own ideas and their work on themes that they have chosen themselves is valued and displayed alongside adult-chosen themes. This develops children's confidence in their own ideas. Children explore line, colour and shape and use these elements purposefully in their creations. They respond to experiences via their senses and use their imagination in artwork and role-play and to make up stories.

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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

• ensure that there are sufficient opportunities for children to engage in activities to promote all the early learning goals, and that assessment of their response to these activities is used more effectively to inform future planning • extend the range of opportunities for children to compare quantities, to predict what happens in simple physical processes, and to develop their sense of time.

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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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