Bendarroch School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 08/06/2004 Inspector Name Joanne Aram

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Milton Mount Playgroup Setting Address Milton Mount Community Centre Milton Mount Avenue, Pound Hill Crawley West Sussex RH10 3DY

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Milton Mount Playgroup Committee

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Milton Mount Playgroup Committee Address Milton Mount Community Centre Milton Mount Crawley West Sussex RH10 3DY

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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

Milton Mount Playgroup provides Sessional care for children aged between three to five years of age. The facility operates within the Milton Mount Community Centre which is situated in the Pound Hill area of Crawley, which comprises of a large hall, toilet facilities which include facilities for the disabled and a kitchen area. The Playgroup is run by a Committee of parents whose children attend the group. Children also have access to an enclosed outside area. The Playgroup provides care and education for 24 children aged 3-5 years old at each session. There are 55 children attending the Playgroup that are in receipt of nursery education funding. Children attend for a variety of sessions each week. The Playgroup serves the children from the immediate and surrounding areas. The facility opens for 5 days a week, providing morning and afternoon sessions. The Playgroup is open term-time only. Staff working within the group have experience of childcare, with some holding

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Information about the setting

qualifications to support the needs of the group. Most Staff members have First Aid Certificates and have attended Child Protection Training.

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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?

The provision for nursery education at Milton Mount Playgroup is of high quality overall. Children are making very good progress towards the early learning goals. The quality of teaching is very good. Staff plan an interesting and stimulating range of well-resourced activities that cover all areas of learning and motivates children to learn. Children respond positively to consistent rules and procedures and the staff's high expectations for their behaviour. Children behave very well. Useful strategies are employed to encourage and extend children's learning. These work well for children with special educational needs or English as an additional language. Staff record observations frequently and these are used effectively to inform planning. A comprehensive profiling system identifies children's next steps for learning, however children's individual next steps are not highlighted in plans. The leadership and management are very good. The joint supervisors work well

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How effective is the nursery education?

together and support the staff team very effectively. They plan together after consultation at staff meetings. Staff have good relationships and work well as a team holding regular meetings to plan, evaluate and produce reports for the parent management committee. There is a strong commitment to training with attendance at available courses and when necessary the course content is cascaded at staff meetings. Staff support one another well but no formal appraisal system is used. The partnership with parents is very good. They receive good initial and ongoing information about the curriculum and provision. They are well informed about their children's progress through observation diaries and profiles to which they also contribute. They are involved in their children's learning by contributing to topics, letter of the week and selecting items for 'Show and tell'. They help look after sunflowers and Millie the Bear when it is the family's turn and help complete Millie's

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What is being done well?

• Children's behaviour is very good, They are well aware of the rules and procedures which consistently apply and co-operate with them well. • Children's listening, concentration and participation skills are developing very well. • Children's development of an understanding of mathematical concepts is very good. The groundwork of counting, number recognition, sorting, matching and pattern following is well established. • Children's skill in model making using a range of materials and methods helps them to resource their self initiated role play interestingly. • Children's development of confident, co-ordinated and safe movement using

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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 both large and small equipment with an awareness of the space they and others need and their effective manual dexterity which supports well their imaginative activities.

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What needs to be improved?

• the transference of children's identified next steps needed for learning from their profiles to plans so that all children can be challenged to reach their full potential • the monitoring of staff, their effectiveness, their strengths and their training needs through an appropriate appraisal system.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Improvement since the last inspection has been very good. At that inspection the setting was required to extend pre-reading opportunities. There is now a letter of the week activity which is raising children's awareness of the shape and sound of letters. They also show good familiarity with the use of books and how text works. They can retell familiar stories. The setting was further required to ensure that group work was effective in promoting children's learning especially in communication, language and literacy and mathematics and met children's needs. Children's progress in these two areas is now very good. Children's next steps needed for learning are identified through the profiling system. It is not obvious how these are carried through to plans but children's abilities and weaknesses are well known to staff. However targets for individuals within plans so that they are fully challenged to reach their potential

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What has improved since the last inspection?

should remain a point for consideration from this inspection. The setting was also required to ensure that teaching skills, particularly during whole group sessions, were improved to extend children's learning. Children's listening, concentration and participation skills in whole group activities are now remarkable due to high expectations of staff and the help of an hour glass. During the falling of the sand no extraneous noise is allowed and the rule is kindly but firmly applied. Staff also speak quietly so that children have to listen. The last requirement was to develop systems to encourage the sharing of information with parents. The progress with this has been very good. The West Sussex profiling system has been adopted and is being fully used including the recording of parental contributions and comments. A new system now informs parents of their children's activity and achievements. This is a 'Look what I can do

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What has improved since the last inspection?

now' diary containing observations of staff on children during sessions. These are taken home and added to by parents.

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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's behaviour is very good. They respond well to instruction and are aware of rules which they keep. They are developing extremely good listening skills and concentration. They speak out confidently about their experiences. They work well in all groupings, taking turns on the climbing frame and sharing construction pieces fairly. Children are helpful and kind to each other. All children, from a variety of ethnic groups, are well integrated and play together well at many activities.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children are developing good listening skills in all situations. They talk about their experiences with excitement in different sized groupings. Children are aware of the sound of letters and can identify objects with the same initial letters well. Children use books in ways which show an awareness of how text works and they can repeat their favourite stories like Snow White and Jack and the Beanstalk. Children write their names on their work and make good attempts at other words like 'Mummy'.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children count well in a wide range of practical situations, like registration and recognise numbers to 10 and often beyond. Children can match objects like Compare Bears by shape size and colour. They follow, discuss and recreate patterns well using a variety of materials like plasticine. Children compare objects like constructions with blocks by quantity, height, weight and length well. Children are beginning to carry out simple addition in practical situations like balancing Bears on a scale.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children are developing appropriate investigative skills including recording as with the drawings of growing sunflowers. They use a variety of materials and methods to build models, which are often used as resources for imaginative play, like trains. They show a good sense of time, telling of past events and future plans. They are gaining appropriate knowledge of their environment and some people in it, like policemen. They are developing an awareness of a variety of cultures and beliefs.

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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 confidently and safely with good co-ordination, often imaginatively like trees in the wind, and with an appropriate awareness of the space they and others need. They are aware of several factors for healthy living and of some effects of exercise on their bodies, like 'thumping' hearts. Children use large and small equipment, like trampette and hoops, with growing confidence and co-ordination. They demonstrate good manual dexterity with a range of mark making and cutting tools.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children produce interesting art work using a wide range of colour, texture, materials and methods, like finger painting and collage. They join in and enjoy many simple songs and singing games, especially those with actions like Tommy Thumb and Farmer's in his den. They play imaginatively in a range of scenarios some of which they self initiate like trains from building blocks. They respond excitedly to what they touch and feel like fur on animal books. They move imaginatively like wind in trees

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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: • Points for consideration: • ensure children's next steps for learning, as identified in their profiles are used as targets in planning so that all children are appropriately challenged to reach their full potential; • introduction an appropriate appraisal system to ensure that all staff are valued and being used to the best advantage of the setting.

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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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