Britannia Village Primary School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 24/01/2005 Inspector Name Lisa Jane Cupples

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Sunshine Pre-School and Day Nursery Setting Address 36 Thornbury Avenue Southampton Hampshire SO15 5BR

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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

Sunshine Day Nursery opened in 1991. It operates from 6 rooms in a detached house in the Shirley area of Southampton. Children have access to a fully secure outdoor play area. The nursery serves both the local and wider community. There are currently 34 children on roll from 0 to 5 years. This includes 16 children who receive nursery education funding. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting supports children with special educational needs and who speak English as an additional language. The group opens 5 days a week for 51 weeks of the year. Sessions are from 08.00 until 18.00. There are 6 full and part-time staff who work directly with children. There are 5 staff who hold relevant early years qualifications and 1 member of the staff team is currently working towards further qualifications. The setting receives support from a teacher/mentor from the Early Years Development and Childcare 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?

Sunshine Nursery and Pre-school provide acceptable nursery education of high quality. Children are making very good progress in all six areas of learning. Quality of teaching is very good. All staff have a very clear understanding of the Foundation Stage. They get to know each child extremely well. Staff observe and monitor children's progress effectively, enabling them to provide a balanced curriculum designed to meet their individual needs. Staff ask open-ended questions to extend the children's learning, understanding and vocabulary. They provide sufficient challenges for all children and interact fully. The Senco has sound procedures and systems in place to support children who have special educational needs or English as an additional language. Staff manage behaviour consistently, children behave well and are very polite. Leadership and management of the setting is very good. The owners have high

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How effective is the nursery education?

expectations and staff respond well. Roles and responsibilities are clearly defined providing a well-organised working environment. Staff appraisals are used to monitor performance and delivery of the curriculum. Daily activities are evaluated effectively and used to identify strengths and weaknesses. All staff attend training regularly to ensure their practice remains up-to-date and of a high standard. The setting has good links with other agencies and is currently working towards an accreditation scheme. Partnership with parents is very good. Parents receive a prospectus, which includes details of the Foundation Stage. The curriculum is clearly displayed. Newsletters and the notice board hold up-to-date information. Parents have access to their children's records and are given a monthly written report covering their child's progress in all six areas of learning. Parents are able to make written contributions about their

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How effective is the nursery education?

children's learning at home. Staff are available every day to discuss individual needs or concerns with the parents.

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What is being done well?

• Children's progress in mathematics is developing very well. Many opportunities are provided throughout the day to extend the children's knowledge and understanding of numbers in differing contexts. Staff make the most of opportunities which arise during session's to reinforce the children's learning, for example, counting children as they line up, talking about patterns and creating simple problems for the children to solve. • Children's progress in all areas of their development is very good. Children have excellent opportunities to develop their knowledge, understanding and learning in all areas through a wide range of well planned exciting, stimulating and interesting activities both indoors and outdoors. Staff effectively use discussion to extend activities children are engaged in which sustains their

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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 interest and motivates them to learn and develop through their play. • Children are actively involved in the learning. They are confident, work well independently, take initiative and show high levels of concentration in a variety of situations; for example - during free-play, registration time, story-time and more structured activities. • The leadership and management of the provision is very good. The owners are very knowledgeable. They have a clear vision of the standard of education children should receive and have high expectations of all staff. Staff work well together as a team and they enthusiastically join in with the children's play. The provision is regularly monitored and evaluated by the owners and staff, which ensures the nursery education provided is effective and meets and supports the individual learning and development needs of all

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What needs to be improved?

• the opportunities for children to develop their climbing skills during physical activities.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Progress since the last inspection has been very good. The setting was asked to address the following: build on the current good work in planning by improving upon the short-term plans to include specific learning objectives for focussed activities. Also consider developing a method of checking the long-term plan against the desirable learning outcomes to ensure that all of the criteria are covered in the curriculum formulate a new special educational needs policy, making direct reference to the DfEE's 1994 Code of Practice on the Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Needs and the stages of identification indicated in the Code. Planned daily activities target specific stepping stones to ensure children are working towards the early learning goals. Medium and long-term plans are monitored to ensure all areas are fully covered during each term. This enables staff to provide a balanced curriculum, which is aimed at meeting the individual needs of

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What has improved since the last inspection?

each child who attends. The settings special needs policy includes clear information about the DfEE's 1994 Code of Practice. Staff have attending training and have a good understanding of the correct procedures.

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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 interested and extremely keen to learn. They ask questions to find out more and suggest their own ideas. Children form good relationships with adults and their peers. They are able to share and take turns fairly during practical activities. Children show high levels of independence. They behave well, are polite and show consideration for others. Children are able to sit quietly and concentrate well when required.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children are confident speakers in a variety of situations. They listen well to stories and often retell their favourite narratives during free-play. Children are able to clearly express their feelings and explain their ideas. They have a good vocabulary and often describe what they are doing. Children recognise shapes and sounds of letters. They practice emergent writing at every opportunity for a variety of purposes. Younger children are beginning to form clear, recognisable letters.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children are able to count confidently up to and sometimes above 16. They count everyday objects using one-to-one correspondence well. Children are beginning to problem solve using mathematical concepts. They can compare numbers and are beginning to calculate using groups of objects to add and subtract. They use mathematical language in context to describe weight, size, quantity, position and shape. Children recognise and recreate patterns during practical activities and free-play.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children investigate and explore a wide range of natural and man-made resources, indoors and outdoors. They grow plants, make weather gardens and experiment with materials. Children use everyday technology with confidence and can competently use the computer. They build and construct models using a range of techniques. Children are developing a good sense of time and place. They are beginning to understand other cultures and beliefs through many topics and themes.

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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 move around the setting with purpose and confidence. They display good hand/eye co-ordination during outdoor activities. Children have many opportunities to travel over, under and through large pieces of equipment. However, there are few opportunities for children to develop their climbing skills. Children have good spatial awareness during activities and in large groups. Children are able to handle and manipulate tools, objects and malleable materials with increasing control.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children are able to recognise and name a wide range of colours and shapes during activities and free-play. They describe the textures of the materials they are using well. Children sing a range of songs from memory, independently during play and during whole group activities. They use their imaginations extremely well during miniature world games, role-play, art and craft and musical activities. Children use all of their senses to investigate the resources and world around them.

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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 high quality. Children are making very 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

There are no significant weaknesses to report, but considerations should be given to improving the following: • There are no significant weaknesses to report, but consideration should be given to improving the following: • provide more opportunities for children to practice and develop their climbing skills.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT

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

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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