Borras Park Junior C.P. School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 09/03/2005 Inspector Name Jenny Taylor

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Selby Community Pre School Setting Address The Community Centre Scott Road Selby North Yorkshire YO8 4BL

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Selby Community Pre-School 1049138

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Selby Community Pre-School Address Community Centre Scott Road SELBY North Yorkshire YO8 0BL

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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

Selby Community Pre-School opened in approximately 1980. It operates from within the Selby Community Centre in Selby Town centre. The Pre-School has use of a large play room a kitchen area and toilets. There is an enclosed outdoor play area. It serves families from the local community. Sessional care is provided for 26 children. There are currently 62 children on roll, this includes 27 funded three and four year olds. Children attend the group for a variety of sessions. The group support children with English as an additional language. The group opens Monday to Friday during school term times. Sessions are from 09:30 to 12:00 and 12:30 to 15:00. Children attend for a maximum of five sessions per week. There are eight members of staff who work with the children at a variety of sessions. Four of whom hold appropriate childcare qualifications, whilst the others have attended a variety of relevant childcare courses. The setting receives support from

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Information about the setting

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?

Selby Community Pre-School is of good quality overall and children are making generally good progress towards the early learning goals. The quality of teaching is generally good. Staff have a collaborative approach to the planning and organization of activities and provide a stimulating learning environment. Staff know the children well and are warm and friendly with them. They use effective strategies to show children appropriate behaviour when the boundaries of what is acceptable are challenged. They make good efforts to develop children's spoken language. Staff plan interesting topics and base teaching on the stepping stones. Written plans do not show enough detail of what is to be learned or how to support those children who need more help with speech, language and social skills problems. Planning does not identify challenges for the older children in aspects of communication, language and literature and, for all children, how to develop more

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How effective is the nursery education?

awareness of number and mathematical language. Staff record children's progress against the stepping stones but observations to inform these assessments are not completed regularly or systematically enough.

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How effective is the nursery education?

Leadership and management are generally good. Staff are very committed to developing the group and themselves and are working towards Kitemark accreditation. They know areas which need developing and how to address the appropriate issues to do so. Teaching is monitored annually but appraisals do not identify specific training needs for the pre-school. Partnership with parents is very good and staff make very good efforts to try and involve parents in the running of the pre-school and the raising of funds to maintain the group. They give them detailed information on the Foundation Stage, newsletters to inform about activities and interviews to discuss children's progress. Parents on the committee are supportive.

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What is being done well?

• Staff use good methods for questioning children to challenge thinking • Children's enjoyment of books is fostered well. • Staff use consistent efforts to inform parents about their children's learning and to give them detailed information about the Foundation Stage of their child's education. • There are good opportunities to challenge children's own physical skills on the climbing, balancing and sliding equipment.

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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?

• e planning of activities so that topics are extended more across all six areas of learning • assessments and observations of children's progress and achievements • the challenges for the 4 year olds and more able 3 year olds in the areas of learning where weaknesses are identified • the use of appraisals to identify specific training needs for individual staff members.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The pre-school has made generally good progress overall with the key issues from the last inspection. They were required to develop a system of staff appraisal that staff feel happy with and use it to ensure all training needs are met precisely. The committee and group created an annual appraisal system based on job descriptions. However, these are not used to identify specific training needs for the setting as a whole. Generally good progress has been made with this key issue but this aspect will be carried forward to the key issues from this inspection. The group was asked to develop a way to assess and record children's progress to give more detail and by involving parents in the assessment process. Progress records have been implemented, completed by key workers with specific responsibility for a group of children and their families. Staff give specific appointment times for parents to discuss their child's progress. They give parents a

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What has improved since the last inspection?

booklet to complete with information about their child. Generally good progress has been made with this key issue but, as assessments are not working sufficiently well yet, this aspect will be carried forward to the key issues for this inspection. Staff were asked to find ways to ensure children choose to sit in the book area and handle books themselves as often as they choose other activities. They have bought new books and beanbags to make the book area more tempting for the children. They have Story Sacks containing books and props to enhance stories and are continuing to develop these. They read stories to individuals and small groups of children and children choose books to look at for themselves. Staff also develop children's interest in popular books by creating a large collage display of, for example, Chicken Licken. Very good progress has been made with this key issue.

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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 As they arrive children join the whole group and learn to be sociable, after which they choose their own activities with confidence, enthusiasm and initiative. However, some lack the confidence to join in some whole group activities. They are learning to control their own feelings and to be considerate of others, although some children struggle to share toys with others or respect equipment. Children cooperate very well with adults, helping them to set out chairs and lining up to wash hands

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Adult-led activities, stories and topic work help children learn new vocabulary. Photos on the computer help recall past activities, some can draw inferences and make connections between objects during a language game. They enjoy books, rhymes and songs, listening and participating well. Some 4 year olds can recognize their names however children do not experience enough challenges to learn letter sounds and write letters, although they make marks freely.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Number rhymes and other activities help 4-year-old children to count to 10 and 3 year olds to 5 and recognize numerals to 5. Older children are not learning enough about numbers in practical activities due to missed opportunities and insufficient challenges. Some activities develop mathematical language to describe size, shape and balancing when weighing cooking ingredients, but they are insufficient. Children do not learn enough about mathematical patterns.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children observe living things, e.g. frog spawn, investigate how cogs and wheels turn and compare raw and cooked ingredients. They join constructions in different ways, e.g. using split pins to make moving wheels. They use the computer skilfully by operating the mouse. Although they visit the Railway Museum and have visitors, including the fire brigade, which help them understand about the roles of people in the community, they do not learn enough about the local area and some of its features.

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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 Good opportunities are given for children to challenge themselves and move with control and coordination while climbing, balancing and moving imaginatively under, over and through equipment. They move different parts of their bodies well during action rhymes and while interpreting music. They develop new skills well when throwing and catching balls. Many activities help develop their hand and eye coordination. They are not developing an awareness the value of exercise.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children enjoy many activities to make 3D objects such as clay hedgehogs, feel textures, wax resist pictures, and to mix own colours. They are learning to recognize sounds in the environment well and how they can be changed but are not learning enough through their other senses. They have many opportunities to use imagination and express feelings skilfully in imaginative play, as well as when playing with small world objects such as the train track or being 'a teacher' in the book corner.

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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

• identify the most appropriate training needs for the pre-school during appraisals • record plans to show more clearly what is to be learned across all six areas of the curriculum, showing how the 4 year olds and more able 3 year olds will be challenged in learning to recognize sounds and their names and to write letters • identify in planning how the needs of individual children with specific language and social skills problems will be met and implement in the programme of activities • base assessments more closely on observations made during activities with children and ensure these are recorded regularly and systematically and linked to plans, so it is clear what are the next stages in individual children's learning.

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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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