Darul-Arqum Nursery

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 20/05/2004 Inspector Name Valerie Craven

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Darul-Arqum Nursery Setting Address Purlwell Lane Batley West Yorkshire WF17 7NQ

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Darul-Arqum Nursery

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Darul-Arqum Nursery Address c/o Madressa Islamiya Purlwell Lane Batley WF17 7NQ

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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

Darul-Arqum Pre-School opened in 2002, and incorporates an Islamic theme. The setting provides sessional care for the local community and surrounding areas. It is situated in Mount Pleasant, on the outskirts of Batley, in West Yorkshire. The setting is managed by a committee, and on a day-to-day basis by the pre-school supervisor. Care takes place in a newly built Supplementary School building, referred to as Madrasah. Sessions take place in a spacious open plan room on the ground floor level of the building. Children have access to the toilet facilities, and an adjoining outdoor play area. The pre-school has 26 children currently on roll, including 23 children aged 3 years and 3 children aged 4 years in receipt of funding. None of the funded children have been identified as having special educational needs. All of the children are learning English as an additional language. The pre-school is open for five morning sessions

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Information about the setting

each week during local school term times. Morning sessions start at 9.00 and finish at 11.30. There are four part-time members of staff who work with the funded children. All of these staff hold recognised qualifications in childcare and early years education. Staff receive support from the local Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership, including visits from an advisory teacher, with opportunities to attend a range of locally organised training courses. The pre-school staff are members of the Pre-School Learning Alliance.

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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?

Darul-Arqum Pre-School provides a welcoming and stimulating environment for all children to settle and learn. Children who are 3 and 4-years-old are making generally good progress overall towards the achievement of the early learning goals. They are making generally good progress in the areas of personal, social and emotional development, communication, language and literacy, mathematical development, physical development, and creative development. Limited progress is made in the area of knowledge and understanding of the world. Quality of teaching is generally good. Staff use a range of flexible methods to help all children to progress. This includes the use of good quality resources, such as reading books written in children's first language and in English, and through assessments of children who may have identified special educational needs, working closely with parents, staff, and other professionals involved. The current

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How effective is the nursery education?

way of planning, and the record keeping system used to assess children's progress is limited. Leadership and management is generally good. There is a commitment to improve the care and education for all children. This includes ensuring that children have access to good quality resources, and a welcoming and stimulating learning environment. The level of monitoring and evaluating of the provision for nursery education is limited, such as staff's planning, and the record keeping system used to assess progress. Partnership with parents and carers is very good. They are provided with good quality information about the pre-school and its provision, featured well on the notice board located at the entrance part of the setting. Parents are encouraged to be involved in their child's learning, are encouraged to share what they know about their child, and are well informed about their child's achievements and progress,

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How effective is the nursery education?

supported by the use of a key worker system.

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What is being done well?

• Staff's use of a range of flexible methods to help all children to progress. This includes the use of good quality resources, such as reading books written in children's first language and in English, and through assessments of children who may have identified special educational needs, working closely with parents, staff, and other professionals involved. • The commitment to improve the care and education for all children. This includes ensuring that children have access to good quality resources, and a welcoming and stimulating learning environment. • Children's aptitude to form good relationships with each other and the

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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 pre-school staff, shown well when working together as part of a small group, such as during a practical 'railway track' • construction activity, taking turns and sharing the resources fairly. • Children's developing ability to speak clearly, in their first language and in English, and their ability to show an awareness of the listener, illustrated well during 'circle times'. • Children's ability to count a variety of everyday objects, often through daily routines and practical activities, such as counting how many children have arrived at the start of sessions, • and how many spots are featured on a picture of a ladybird during an enjoyable story. • Parent's level of awareness of the pre-school and its provision, featured well on the notice board located at the entrance part of the setting, including

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What is being done well?

information about the 'shape of the week', the 'number of the week' and the 'colour of the week'.

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What needs to be improved?

• Development of all children's personal independence skills, also activities to foster all children's ability to attempt writing for a variety of purposes, and to link sounds and letters. • Children's understanding of simple addition, including combining two groups of objects, particularly the four-year-olds and more able children. • Encouragement of children to operate everyday technology items to help support their learning, especially the three-year-olds and less able children, and all children's ability to develop an awareness of festivals around the world. • Opportunities for all children to work on challenging balancing equipment, also planned activities to promote all children's ability to explore sound, such as their ability to recognise repeated sounds and sound patterns. • Development of staff's planning and the record keeping system used to assess children's achievements and progress, also the level of monitoring

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What needs to be improved?

and evaluating of the provision for nursery education, such as staff's planning, and the record keeping system used to assess children's progress.

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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 Children are developing an aptitude to form good relationships with each other and the staff, shown well when working together as part of a small group, such as during a practical 'railway track' construction activity, taking turns and sharing fairly. They are motivated to learn, are confident to try new activities, and are able to understand that people have different beliefs and needs. There are, however, limited opportunities for all children to develop their personal independence skills.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children are developing their ability to speak clearly, in their first language and in English, and their ability to show an awareness of the listener, illustrated well during 'circle times'. They are developing their early reading skills, often through handling very good quality books, some written in their first language, and some written in English. There are, however, limited opportunities for all children to attempt writing for a variety of purposes, and to link sounds and letters.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children are able to count a variety of everyday objects, often through daily routines and practical activities, such as counting how many children have arrived at the start of sessions. They are developing an understanding of simple subtraction through songs, including 'five speckled frogs', and are able to use mathematical language to compare and describe size, such as 'tall' and 'taller'. There are, however, limited opportunities for children to develop an understanding of simple addition.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Children are developing their ability to design and make, shown well when handling large construction materials. They are able to observe changes to the weather, and features of living things, highlighted well in children's observational drawings. There are, however, limited opportunities for children to operate technology items to help support their learning, and to become aware of festivals from around the world.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children are developing their hand and eye co-ordination, highlighted well through many threading activities. They are able to show a sense of space and of others, sometimes during enjoyable outdoor singing and action activities, and are skilful at handling small equipment and operating large equipment, such as a range of popular large wheeled vehicles and toys during outdoor play times. There are, however, limited opportunities for all children to work on challenging balancing equipment.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

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

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children are skilful at using their imagination through role play activities, often when spending time in the well resourced and inviting role play area, including setting the table, sweeping the floor, and polishing the units. They are able to explore colour, sometimes by focusing on the 'colour of the week', such as green, and can respond in a variety of ways using their senses, including their sense of taste. There are, however, limited opportunities for all children to explore sound.

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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

• Further develop staff's planning and the record keeping system used to assess children's achievements and progress, also heighten the level of monitoring and evaluating of the provision for nursery education, such as staff's planning, and the record keeping system used to assess children's progress. • Provide more opportunities for children to develop their; personal independence skills, • ability to attempt writing for a variety of purposes and to link sounds and letters, also their understanding of simple addition, including combining two groups of objects. • Plan more activities to encourage children to; operate everyday technology items to help support their learning and to develop an awareness of festivals around the world, work on challenging balancing equipment, also to explore sound, such as their ability to recognise repeated sounds and sound patterns.

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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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