Windmill Nursery

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 31/01/2005 Inspector Name Jenny Taylor

p.1

SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Windmill Nursery Setting Address Landing Lane Riccall York North Yorkshire YO19 6TJ

p.1

ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Riccall Regen 2000 Address Landing Lane Riccall York North Yorkshire YO19 6TJ

p.1

ORGANISATION DETAILS

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

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

Windmill Nursery opened in January 2002 and is owned and managed by Riccall Regen 2000 which is a charity run organisation. They operate from within the Regen building which is for community use providing sport, training facilities, and childcare for the local community and wider area. The funded children are in one room, with a conservatory for creative and messy play, and an enclosed outdoor play area.

p.2

Information about the setting

A maximum of 12 children aged 2 to 4 years may attend the nursery at any one time. It is open Monday to Friday from 08.00 to 18.00, all year except for Bank Holidays and one week over the Christmas period. There are currently 26 children on roll, of which 7 are in receipt of nursery education funding. There are eight staff employed to work with the children including a manager and deputy; of these six hold a relevant childcare qualification; with three working towards a higher qualification. The setting receives support from the Local Authority.

p.2

Information about the setting

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

p.2

How effective is the nursery education?

Windmill Nursery provides an acceptable quality of education but children's progress towards the early learning goals is limited by some significant weaknesses in provision. The quality of teaching has significant weaknesses. Staff have very good relationships with children and they feel happy, secure and motivated to learn. They teach children about their local area with interesting visits and they invite visitors to the nursery to develop their knowledge about people's roles in the community. However, staff do not question children enough to challenge their thinking or give detailed explanations to encourage learning. Planning indicates a lack of understanding of the stepping stones. Plans do not include enough detail, such as language to be learned, nor does it show what activities led by adults will take place each day. Plans do not show which activities will challenge the older children and staff do not monitor children's participation in activities to ensure a broad and

p.3

How effective is the nursery education?

balanced curriculum. Short-term and medium-term plans do not relate well. Although staff assess, observe and record children's progress against the stepping stones these are not based sufficiently on on-going observations of their learning. Some assessments are not up-dated accurately. Leadership and management have significant weaknesses. The manager is a good role model for developing relationships with children and adults, showing enthusiasm and an awareness of how children learn. She is committed to developing the provision. However, the monitoring and evaluation of teaching and planning is insufficient to ensure children are receiving a broad and balanced curriculum. Staff development is not evaluated in relation to the needs of the provision. Partnership with parents is very good. Good quality information is given to them on the Foundation Stage and planning is displayed. They have access to children's

p.3

How effective is the nursery education?

progress files and are invited to share their skills with the nursery.

p.3

What is being done well?

• Children's learning about cultural traditions and religious celebrations. • Staff's teaching to develop children's imagination in art and craft. • The encouragement and strategies used to manage children's behaviour have a positive impact and children respond well.

p.3

What needs to be improved?

• staff's knowledge of the early learning goals and stepping stones, especially communication, language and literacy, mathematics, physical development

p.3

What needs to be improved?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 and use of everyday technology • staff's questioning of children to challenge their thinking and use of explanations to develop children's understanding and their use of spoken language • the short and medium-term plans planning, to ensure learning objectives are identified clearly, for example, what language children are to learn, details of activities that are to challenge the more able 3 year and 4 year olds and details of daily focused activities • the systems that monitor children's participation in activities to ensure they are receiving a broad and balanced curriculum • the systems that monitor and evaluate closely, staff teaching and planning, also identify areas for staff development.

p.3

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

p.4

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children's concentration is developing well and they are motivated to learn. However, there are not enough chances to show their independence and initiative in, e.g. dressing themselves. They show consideration for others, cooperate very well with adults and each other and their behaviour is very good. Children are learning to show, understand and control their feelings. They learn to respect their own cultural and religious traditions and those which are different.

p.5

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Children have very good opportunities to enjoy stories, books and props to enhance the story, and choose these as an activity. They learn writing can be for different purposes, e.g. shopping lists but older children do not have opportunities to develop letter formation. They use language to describe, recall and direct others but their spoken language, including learning new vocabulary, is not developed enough. There are insufficient activities for them to learn about initial sounds of words.

p.5

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses As they count the number of children in the group they are learning to relate objects to numbers. They sort animals to different criteria However, opportunities to learn to count, recognize and write numbers in focused activities, play and during routine activities, e.g. snack time are not exploited, particularly for older children. Children learn to use mathematical language to describe size, shape and position, but are not learning enough about quantity. They do not learn about patterns.

p.5

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children enjoy investigating minibeasts, observing donkeys and compare the differences between a baby's growth and their own. They design and make a forest construction area. They learn about the past when looking at photographs of themselves and their parents. They have very good chances to learn about the local area with a range of visits and visitors, which encourage them to learn about the roles of people in the community. They do not learn enough about everyday technology.

p.5

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

p.5

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Children learn very well about keeping healthy. They move their bodies in different ways and are learning to respect each other's space as they move around the room. Good opportunities to use tools and equipment helps them develop hand and eye coordination. However, they do not have enough chances to develop physical skills. There are not enough resources to develop skills such as throwing and catching and older children are not challenged enough with the climbing and balancing equipment.

p.6

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children learn about textures, e.g. bark rubbings, colour and different ways to apply it, making 3 dimensional objects, patterns, line and form. They listen to rhythm in sounds, different styles of music and record their own singing. They use their imagination in many ways, such as role-play in a supermarket, dancing and sand play with dinosaurs. They learn through some of their senses, eg a variety of objects to touch, such as shaving foam, but not enough through taste and smell.

p.6

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

p.6

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.

p.7

WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

• improve staff knowledge of the early learning goals and stepping stones, especially in communication, language and literacy, mathematical, physical development and everyday technology. • develop staff's questioning skills, to challenge children's thinking and their explanations to extend children's understanding and their use of spoken language. • develop plans to ensure the learning objectives identified in the long-term planning are related to the medium and short-term plans; ensure these plans identify learning objectives, appropriate challenges, adult led activities and language children are to learn. • improve the systems that monitor and record children’s responses to activities • monitor and evaluate more closely staff teaching, planning and identify areas for training.

p.7

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.

p.7

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

p.7