St Michael's School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 09/07/2004 Inspector Name Lisa Jane Cupples

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Lindens Pre-School Group Setting Address 39 Highdown Avenue Worthing West Sussex BN13 1QL

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REGISTERED PROVIDER 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

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?

Linden Pre-school provides acceptable nursery education of good quality. Children are making very good progress towards the early learning goals in all six areas. The quality of teaching is very good. Staff have a clear understanding of the Foundation Stage. They observe and monitor the children's progress well, enabling them to identify individual needs. They use the information gathered to plan a balanced curriculum, ensuring the children make very good progress and reach their full potential. Staff effectively question the children to extend their learning opportunities. Staff implement behaviour policies consistently and are positive role models. The group Senco liaises extremely well with parents and other professionals. Specific strategies are incorporated into the plans and routines to ensure all children can participate fully. The leadership and management of the setting is very good. Roles and

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How effective is the nursery education?

responsibilities are clearly defined and each member of staff joins in fully with the day-to-day organisation of the setting. Staff appraisals are in place to monitor the performance and identify any training needs. Daily activities and routines are effectively evaluated to continuously improve the delivery of the curriculum. The well-established staff team work extremely well together and are committed to improving the quality of care and education for all children. Partnership with parents is very good. Parents receive a detailed prospectus and the policies are clearly displayed on the parents' notice board. Keyworkers are available at the beginning and end of each session to discuss individual needs or concerns. Parents have access to their children's achievement records. However, there are currently no opportunities for them to make written contributions about the children's home learning. Although this is a privately owned group, there is a parents

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How effective is the nursery education?

committee. This encourages parents to share their knowledge and skills with the group.

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What is being done well?

• Children's communication, language and literacy skills are developing well. Older children write words and sentences at every opportunity, often adding captions to their own work. Some children are able to read stories to the whole group, developing their enjoyment and understanding of books. • Staff have a very good understanding of what they want the children to gain from the activities. They make use of opportunities that arise during the session to reinforce children's learning and understanding. Deployment of staff is exceptional, ensuring that all children are fully supported and are able to move from one activity to another without having to wait. • Children are actively involved in their learning. They work well independently,

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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 are confident and show high levels of concentration, for example, children talk about what they are going to do, then select the appropriate resources and tools to meet their own aims. • Staff make good use of the outdoor play area. The planning ensures children participate in a wide range of activities, for example, planting and growing vegetable and flowers, growing grass in a sand try to make a farm for the animals, completing obstacle course, climbing and role-play in the Wendy House. In hot weather a gazebo is provided to protect the children from the sun, as most of the session and activities take place outside.

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What needs to be improved?

• the availability of more programmable toys, ensuring the children can access • them on a regular basis, to support and extend their learning • the opportunities provided for parents to make written contributions about their children's learning at home.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection the setting was asked to address the following: Within knowledge and understanding of the world, extend the planning to include opportunities for the children to explore features of different objects and to develop an interest about why things happen and how thongs work. Simple, practical experiments would also develop this curiosity and enable children to explore how things change or stay the same. Ensure that assessments kept charting the children's progress are manageable, but also thorough in terms of recording children's progress towards the desirable learning outcomes. Parents should be encouraged to contribute to these records. Start to plan how individual children's learning will be extended, particularly in mathematics and language and literacy, so all reach their potential. Progress since the last inspection has been very good. Children have ample opportunities to explore a wide range of objects. They complete experiments, such

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What has improved since the last inspection?

as floating and sinking and ask questions about how and why things work. They use natural and man-made objects during practical activities, talking about the differences while making patterns with buttons and seashells. Children's assessment records are thorough and identify the children's next steps towards the early learning goals. The information is used to inform the parents and to plan the curriculum to ensure individual needs are taken into account. However, parents still do not have the opportunity to contribute towards these records. Keyworkers observe the children and get to know them well. This enable them to provide suitable challenges to extend the children's learning, for example, older

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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 children can confidently read simple stories to the group, younger children recognise the shape and sounds of letters. Mathematics is also differentiated to meet the needs of individual children.

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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 are keen and eager to learn. They participate fully and with enthusiasm. Children are able to sit quietly and concentrate well when required. They form good relationships with adults. Children confidently share their own experiences in large and small groups. They understand simple rules and are able to follow them. Children behave well and are polite. They show high levels of independence and are able to co-operate well with their peers in a variety of situations.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children are confident speakers. They explain their ideas and express their feelings with ease. Children listen to stories and often predict the endings. They recognise the shape and sounds of letters. Older children can read simple books and labels. Children use books correctly and retell narratives during free-play. Children practice emergent writing skills at every opportunity. They write their names and other words. Younger children are able to form clear recognisable letters.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children count confidently up to and above 20 during free-play and structured activities. They recognise numerals up to 9 in different contexts. Children are beginning to compare numbers during practical activities. They calculate competently, using groups of objects to add and subtract. Children problem solve and are able to recognise and recreate patterns accurately. They use mathematical language to describe size, shape, position, weight and quantity.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children explore a range of natural and man-made materials. They are curious and often ask how or why things work. Children experiment with resources, such as, floating and sinking activities and record their findings. They use everyday technology during play. Some opportunities for children to use programmable toys to support their learning are provided. Children have a good sense of time and place. They show interest in the local environment and the world around them.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children move around the setting with ease. They confidently run, jump, skip and balance during physical activities. Children have good spatial awareness and are considerate of others, often making room or moving out of the way. Children recognise the changes to their bodies during and after exercise. They are beginning to understand the importance of staying healthy. Children use large and small pieces of equipment with good co-ordination. They manipulate tools with increasing control.

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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: Very Good Children recognise shapes and colours. They self-select resources to develop their ideas during craft activities. Children describe textures and use a wide range of materials. Children use their imaginations extremely well during role-play, talking about real and imagined experiences. They sing songs from memory and confidently match movements to action rhymes. Children play a selection of musical instruments. They are able to explore the world around them using all of their senses.

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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: • There are no significant weaknesses to report, but consideration should be given to improving the following: • provide more opportunities for children to use programmable toys to support and extend their learning • provide opportunities for the parents to make written contributions about their children's learning at home.

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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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