Ashmount Infant School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 02/02/2005 Inspector Name Carole Argles

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care, Out of School Day Care Setting Name Beaufort Childcare Groups Setting Address Beaufort Road Bournemouth Dorset BH6 5LB

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Beaufort Childcare Groups Address Beaufort Road Bournemouth Dorset BH6 5LB

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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

Beaufort Childcare Groups began offering out of school care in 1993 and the pre-school opened in 2001. The group is run by the committee of Beaufort Community Centre, Southbourne, Bournemouth. It operates from the community centre in Southbourne, Bournemouth. Children have access to rooms five to eight, the cafeteria, the gymnasium and toilet facilities. There is a fenced play area for outdoor play during term time and a portion of the adjoining school playground is used during school holidays. The children attending mainly come from the local area. The group is registered for 42 children aged from 2 to under 8 years. The pre-school opens Monday to Friday from 09.00 to 12.00 during term times and accepts children aged two to four years. There is a breakfast club, and an after school club which accepts children aged from 4 years to 8 years and opens Monday to Friday from 15.00 to 18.00 during term times. The holiday club is open Monday to Friday from

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Information about the setting

08.30 to 18.00 during school holidays for children aged over four years. There are currently 42 children on roll in the pre-school aged from 2 to 4 years. Of these, 38 receive funding for nursery education. The group supports children who have special needs but at present no children who speak English as an additional language. The pre-school employs seven staff, of whom six, including the manager, hold an early years qualification.

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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?

Beaufort Childcare Groups provides nursery education which is acceptable but has some significant areas for improvement which limit children's progress towards the Early Learning Goals. Teaching has some significant weaknesses. Staff have a friendly relationship with the children. They respect their individual differences and provide suitable support for children who have special needs. Usually staff manage children's behaviour well, helping them learn to play cooperatively. However, some group times are not well organised and staff do not always have high expectations for children's behaviour. Some children do not concentrate and disrupt others. Staff provide a range of activities daily but their planning does not give equal emphasis to all areas of children's learning. Some staff do not have a sound understanding of how children learn. Many ask few questions which encourage children to think or solve problems.

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How effective is the nursery education?

Staff frequently observe what children can do and record their development. However they do not always use this information well to set suitable levels of challenge for them. There is a suitable range of equipment and resources but staff do not always used this effectively to support children's development. Staff create a welcoming environment with displays. The leadership and management has some significant areas for improvement. The new manager has not fully established her role. At times, some staff are not clear about how they should use activities to support children's learning. Procedures to monitor the teaching and children's learning are not fully effective. Staff are committed to improvement and often attend training. The partnership between parents and staff is generally good. Parents receive suitable information about what the children will learn. Staff keep parents informed about their child's progress but do not ask them to contribute to their records. They

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How effective is the nursery education?

provide information sheets to encourage parents help their child at home.

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What is being done well?

• The children are happy and settled and form good relationships with the staff. Many are confident and readily offer their ideas at group times. • Children join in readily with singing and music activities. They enjoy using musical instruments and are sometimes accompanied by a member staff playing a guitar. • Staff and parents exchange information regularly about the children's care and progress. Staff encourage parents to become involved with their child's learning. They produce interesting sheets of information about some of the activities provided and explain how parents can support their child at home.

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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?

• the staff's knowledge and understanding of the foundation stage curriculum to enable them to support children's learning effectively • the planning and provision of activities to ensure equal emphasis is give to all areas of children's learning • the use of the observation and assessment of children's progress to ensure staff set appropriate levels of challenge for each child • the monitoring of the effectiveness of the teaching and children's learning to ensure that the children are making good 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 readily leave their carers and are happy and settled. Some are beginning to show good concentration. Generally children are interested in the activities but at group times many do not sit still or pay attention. Usually they behave well, playing cooperatively together. Many children talk readily to the staff about themselves. They receive praise. Opportunities for children to become independent, for example putting on their own coats, or to make choices for themselves are limited.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Many children speak clearly and confidently and talk readily in group situations. They talk about real and imaginary ideas. They enjoy phonics activities which are helping them to link sounds to letters. Many children enjoy stories and ask staff to read books to them. Sometimes group stories do not provide a suitable level of challenge for all children and some do not concentrate, disturbing others. Children take part in mark making activities and some are beginning to form letters.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Some children are beginning to count and correctly link objects to the number. Some can recognise numerals to 10 and match to the right number of objects. However, there are few activities which encourage children to think or solve number problems, or compare or combine groups of objects in meaningful situations. Some children are beginning to use the correct words to describe size or position. They use shapes to make pictures and in construction and puzzle making activities.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Children can use a computer to support their learning and some complete simple tasks and control the mouse well. Children are beginning to find out about cultures and beliefs by looking at festivals. However there are few opportunities for children to investigate a wide range objects to find out how they work, or to observe change and the natural world around them. They make models with construction toys but they rarely explore and assemble a wide range of other materials or use tools.

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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: Significant Weaknesses Children move with control and coordination, and can move in a variety of ways for example when jumping or rolling. They have a physical activity each day but there is limited space or opportunity for vigorous exercise. They rarely use climbing equipment or wheeled toys to develop their large muscle movements. Children develop their hand-eye coordination in construction and threading but have less opportunity to use one-handed tools. They are starting to learn about good heath and hygiene.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children enjoy singing and many join in with the words and actions, some choosing to sing alone to the larger group. They have opportunities to use musical instruments and some begin to tap out rhythms. Children use their imaginations in dance and pretend play, sometimes playing cooperatively together talking about their ideas. There are art activities daily but often children have limited scope to use their imaginations or develop their ideas, or to select from a wide range of resources.

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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 but has some significant areas for improvement. Children's progress towards the early learning goals is limited by some significant weaknesses. The next inspection will take place in one to two years time.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

• develop staff's knowledge and understanding of the foundation stage curriculum to enable them to support children's learning more effectively • ensure that the planning and provision of activities gives equal emphasis to all areas of children's learning • develop the use of the observation and assessment of children's progress to ensure that staff set appropriate levels of challenge for each child • extend and develop the monitoring of the effectiveness of the teaching and children's learning to ensure children are making good progress.

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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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