Carleton Rode Preschool

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 23/01/2003 Inspector Name Jane Louise Tallent

p.1

SETTING DETAILS

Setting Name Carleton Rode Playgroup Setting Address Jubilee Hall CARLETON RODE Norfolk NR16

p.1

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.

p.2

Information about the setting

Carlton Rode playgroup is a committee run provision which serves the local rural community and surrounding villages. The playgroup operates from the village hall Thursdays and Fridays between 10.00 a.m. and 12.15 p.m. The playgroup is registered to provide sessional care for 26 children between the ages of two and five years old. There are currently 11 children on roll, one of whom is a funded four-year-old and another five of whom are funded three-year-olds. No children currently attending have been identified with special educational needs. None of the children have English as an additional language. The playgroup is a member of the Pre-School Network Alliance. There are four members of staff, three of whom have childcare qualifications. The playgroup are currently receiving teacher support from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.

p.2

How effective is the nursery education?

Children attending Carleton Rode Playgroup are making generally good progress towards the early learning goals in all six areas. Teaching is generally good. Staff work closely with the children supporting them in their chosen activities. Staff make good use of questioning to promote children's language for thinking. This enables children to consolidate and progress in their learning. Children behave well and staff reinforce the boundaries through sensitive explanation. There are currently no children in attendance with special needs. There is a system in place to provide support when children are identified as having a special need. Children's progress is monitored using the stepping stones. Leadership and management is generally good. Management is by a committee of parents who support each other effectively. The two play leaders work well together to provide continuity in topic work and activities provided for the children over the two sessions a week. Partnership with

p.3

How effective is the nursery education?

parents is generally good. Parents are able to take an active role in their child's education through participating in the session, borrowing books and being part of the management committee. Parents are very well informed about the playgroups planned activities through a regular newsletter.

p.3

What is being done well?

Children are provided with well presented activities to promote progress towards the early learning goals in the six areas of learning. Behaviour is good. Interaction between staff and children is good. The leaders provide continuity across the planned curriculum during the two sessions. Parents are encouraged to be involved in their child's early learning.

p.3

What needs to be improved?

Number recognition through the use of resources and during children's play. Children's self selection of resources so that they can express their own ideas and develop their creative skills.

p.3

What has improved since the last inspection?

Generally good progress has been made since the last inspection. In mathematical development, there are still weaknesses around number recognition and representation in resources. The improvement to the planning is good. Planning sheets provided by the EYDCP are used. The specific learning objective is stated along with the grouping of children and staff deployment. The balance to ensure a higher priority is allocated to personal and social and emotional development, language and literacy has been addressed well. A new assessment system that clearly relates to the stepping stones has been introduced. Parents have access to these, however they do not have a chance to contribute to them. The encouragement of children to take more responsibility of their environment and themselves has improved. Children tidy away the resources and sweep up the spilt sand.

p.3

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children's progress in personal, social and emotional development is generally good. They are beginning to understand a range of feelings through topics and stories. Children are developing understanding about agreed codes of behaviour in the group by sharing, taking turns and listening to explanations why they should not do things. Children are involved in their own learning, initiating their own play, however they are not given sufficient independence at snack time.

p.5

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children's progress in communication, language and literacy is generally good. Children speak clearly and show awareness of the listener, respond with enjoyment to songs and rhymes and explore the sounds of words. Children use talk to recall events that occurred during previous sessions, outside the playroom and in imaginary situations so developing their thinking skills. Children are learning to use mark making for a variety of purposes however they are not sufficiently encouraged to use books.

p.5

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children's progress in mathematical development is generally good. Children are developing recognition of shapes including circle, triangle, square and rectangle in two and three dimensions. Children are developing an understanding of simple patterns, addition, subtraction and are using the vocabulary to compare size and quantity. However children are not sufficiently able to develop recognition and representation of number using the play resources.

p.5

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children's progress in knowledge and understanding of the world is generally good. Children are developing good investigation and exploration skills using their senses. Children are learning to describe simple features of objects like fruit at snack time. Children are developing a sense of place through topic work and local outings where they are encouraged to identify features of the environment. Children are unable to develop their design and making skills effectively.

p.5

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children's physical development is generally good. Children are developing increasing control in climbing, balancing and crawling when using large physical play equipment and during imaginative activities. Children are gaining confidence in using tools for mark making, imaginative play and caring for the environment. Access to play dough and clay is limited and children are not able to progress in their learning using malleable materials effectively.

p.5

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children are making generally good progress in creative development. Children are building up a repertoire of song and rhymes. They are developing their imagination in role play, acting out traditional stories and through small worlds. Children are able to explore colour and shape using a varity of resources, however they have limited access to self select craft resources to use their imagination and be creative in their own right.

p.6

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

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

p.6

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.

p.7

WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT

Use the full range of resources available and children's play to develop and consolidate children's learning in mathematics particularly in recognition and representation of number. Improve children's opportunities to select their own resources from a wide range and to use these to express their own ideas.

p.7