Kilsby Pre-School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 03/02/2003 Inspector Name Kristin Judith Hatherly

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SETTING DETAILS

Setting Name Kilsby Pre-School Setting Address In the Grounds of Kilsby Church of England Primary School Kilsby Northamptonshire CV23 8XS

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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

Kilsby Pre-school was first established as a community playgroup in 1969. It takes place in a mobile in the grounds of the primary school. It is managed by an elected parent committee although the supervisor has responsibility for the day to day management of the pre-school. There was a change of supervisor in April 2002. The pre-school is open four mornings a week during term time, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday between 9 am and 12 pm. One session a week, on Mondays, includes a lunch club so operates until 12.30 p.m. It is registered for 21 children but usually has approximately 11 children on the roll. Children are from Kilsby and surrounding villages. At the time of inspection, there were 9 children on roll of which 7 were funded children, 2 three year olds and 5 four year olds. There are no funded children with recognised special needs or English as an additional language. There are three members of staff and one parent helper. The Supervisor and her Deputy

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Information about the setting

are both attending NVQ training. The Pre-school works closely with the Pre-School Learning Alliance and the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.

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How effective is the nursery education?

Kilsby Pre-school provides a welcoming and busy atmosphere where the children are making good progress towards the early learning goals. The children's personal, social and emotional development is very good. The staff promote the children's confidence and independence. They are developing positive self images and their sense of community is well resourced and promoted. The quality of teaching is generally good and staff have a sound knowledge of the Foundation Stage and a good understanding of how children learn. There is a wide range and balance of adult directed and free choice activities.The staff do not use their observations to assess the children nor do they evaluate activities to inform planning. Children have a good understanding of routines and expectations. The staff have extremely good relationships with the children and ask challenging questions which encourage the children to think through what they are doing and to develop and extend their

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How effective is the nursery education?

understanding. Physical development is generally good and the children now have more opportunity for extended outdoor play in the school playground. The quality of leadership and management is generally good and the staff work together well with a commitment to improvement and training. The collaborative style of working has a positive impact on the children. Partnership with parents is very good. Parents are able to talk informally to staff when dropping off and picking up their children. They are involved in the initial assessment of their children. The Pre-school is run by a parent committee and there is a parent rota for parents to help in the pre-school.

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What is being done well?

- Children's independence and self-esteem is being well promoted. Children are developing positive self-images - Learning through talk including development of vocabulary - Children are developing a good understanding of a sense of time and place through discussion and there is a good variety of activities which relate to the local community - Children are given a wide range of opportunities to increase their gross motor skills through indoor and outdoor activities - Collaborative approach to teaching and management. - High level of commitment of staff to improve the care and education of the children through training - Good level of support from parents together with wide range of information

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What needs to be improved?

use of observation and assessment of children to inform planning develop system for evaluation of activities to inform planning to ensure meets developmental level of children use of rhyme and aliteration to enhance and re-enforce language and maths concepts opportunities for the children to operate simple programmes or functions as there is no computer or table top technological toys provision of wider range of tools and variety of maleable materials to assist their fine and gross motor skills

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The setting has improved the opportunities that the children have for developing gross motor skills through planning more indoor activities and also through negotiating with the school for the use of the school's playground on a daily basis. There has been an improvement in giving the children opportunities for the use of imagination through story although there is little evidence of use of dance to enhance imagination. The Supervisor and Deputy Supervisor are both attending NVQ training and although they are taking copious observations of the children have not really been using them to assess the children's progress and help with their planning.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good The children's confidence and independence is promoted effectively and they have a very positive attitude to learning. They are developing positive self images and their sense of community is well resourced and promoted.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children are learning through talk and the introduction of new vocabulary, and use what they have learnt when they confidently initiate conversations. They make good use of a variety of mark-making tools. However, children have too little opportunity to develop rhyme and aliteration.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children are able to count and calculate in a variety of activities throughout the sessions. Children show some confidence in the use of mathematical language to describe shape and to measure. However, there is little evidence of the use of number rhymes or songs

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children are developing a good understanding of a sense of time and place through discussion and a good variety of activities relating to the local community and other festivals. They are also developing a good awareness of cultures and beliefs. There are no opportunities for the children to operate simple programmes or functions as there is no computer or table top technological toys.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good The children are developing skills and control through a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities, which now includes the use of the school playground. However, children could be provided with more opportunity to use tools and to experiment with a variety of maleable materials.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children have constant access to activities for drawing, stick and painting. There are good conversations where children explore and respond to how they feel, and to their sense of smell, touch and sight. However, there is little opportunity for them to express their imagination through dance or role play.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Children's spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development is Y fostered appropriately:

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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

1. Use observations to assess the children to enhance the planning 2. Develop a system to evaluate activities to inform planning 3. Develop use of rhyme and aliteration to enhance language and mathematical concepts.

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