Kidderminster, St John's CofE First School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 27/04/2004 Inspector Name Joanne Graham

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Emmer Green Pre School Setting Address Youth and Community Centre Grove Road, Emmer Green Reading Berkshrie RG4 8LN

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Emmer Green Pre School Address Youth and Community Centre Grove Road, Emmer Green Reading Berkshire RG4 8LU

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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

Emmer Green Pre-School opened in 1965. It is held in the Youth & Community Centre, Emmer Green, and serves the families of the local area. The Pre-School has use of the large hall and securely fenced outside area. Emmer Green is situated on the north side of Reading. There are currently 71 children on roll. This includes 40 funded 3 years olds and 16 funded 4 year olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting supports children with special needs and who speak English as an additional language. The group opens five days a week term time only. Sessions are from 09:00 - 11:30 Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesday and Friday and 12:30 - 15:00 Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Currently there are 3 part-time and 5 full-time staff work with the children, as well as 2 volunteers and a 1 child's support team member. Of these 4 staff have suitable early years qualifications and 2 staff are working towards a recognised early years

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Information about the setting

qualifications. The setting receives support from teacher/mentor from the Early years Development and Childcare Partnership.

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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?

Emmer Green Pre-school provides good quality nursery education overall which enables children to make generally good progress towards the early learning goals. Children make generally good progress in communication, language and literacy development and very good progress in all other areas of learning. The quality of teaching is generally good. It is effective and stimulating with regard to the children’s learning. Staff have a generally good knowledge of the early learning goals and implement this well. Activities are well planned, resourced and varied. Children have opportunities to access books and mark make, however, opportunities to write their own names and to label their work is limited. The children’s behaviour is very good due to the high expectations of staff. The current assessment system is up dated regularly by the key worker, but contains limited information. Support for children with special needs is generally good and they are included and able to

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How effective is the nursery education?

access all activities, moving their learning forward. Leadership and management are generally good. The deployment of staff ensures the children receive good support, continually developing their skills. Staff are clear about their roles and aims to extend the learning opportunities for the children. Evaluation of planned activities is effective and influences future planning. However, insufficient time is allocated for staff to complete the children’s records. Staff are receptive to new ideas and challenges, which they introduce and the children respond to positively. Partnership with parents is very good. Parents contribute to their child’s progress towards the early learning goals. Staff welcome parents into the setting and establish good relations with them, they share their observations about their child and discuss their child’s progress. There is frequent written correspondence.

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What is being done well?

• Children have an awareness of the boundaries set and behavioural expectations from staff. They take turns, negotiate and share very well. Children are confident to try new activities and are showing increasing independence; they change into their outdoor coats. • Children have opportunities to investigate objects through their senses; they taste the salt water and make the ice-lollies. The children predict the timings, three minutes and one hour, to freeze the ice-lollies and they investigate the results with the staff. They have regular opportunities to find out about their own culture and beliefs and those of other people, through effective planning of staff. • Children have opportunities to handle tools, objects, construction and malleable materials safely and with increasing control. They develop their

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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 skills to peddle, scoot, catch and throw regularly and to jump off objects and land correctly. • The staff have a very good understanding of the foundation stage. Effective questioning and planning ensures the children’s skills are extended and meet their individual developmental needs. The staff are able to bring the outside curriculum inside and inside curriculum to the outside area to maximise the learning opportunities for the children • The staff evaluate the planned activities comprehensively, they contain useful information, which is used for future planning. They attend regular team and planning meetings to ensure their teaching methods and learning aims are consistent.

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What needs to be improved?

• opportunities for older and more able children to write their own name and to label their own work • the monitoring and assessment system to increase the information recorded regarding the children's development, and allow time for staff to complete these sufficiently.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Generally good progress has been made since the last inspection. The key issues at the last inspection were to provide sufficient opportunities for children to recognise and recreate mathematical patterns, increase the variety of planned activities for the teaching of letter sounds to ensure that children recognise letters of the alphabet by shape and sound and to increase the opportunities for developing children’s imagination through dance, music and stories. Extra resources have been purchased and staff ensure a variety of opportunities are offered for the children to recreate patterns during planned activities, for example using shells on the day of the inspection. Children recognise and recreate mathematical patterns. Planned teaching of letter sounds to ensure the children recognise letters of the alphabet by shape and sound have increased. The ‘I Spy’, treasure hunt and lotto games have been purchased, letter sounds are reinforced at registration by using

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What has improved since the last inspection?

name cards and introducing a letter of the week. Letter bags were introduced but these are no longer available. Staff plan to re- establish these. The children benefit from opportunities to develop their skills in recognising letters by sound and shape, however, there is limited opportunity to practice the writing of these letters, especially with labelling their own work. The children have opportunities to experience dance and ring games within the large hall space and outside. They are encouraged to develop their imagination when expressing their movements to music and under staff direction. Musical instruments, CD player and CDs have been purchased. The staff encourage the children to

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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 participate in story time. Staff have purchased large story books and a stand and this benefits the children’s imaginative development. During story time children predict, discussing and adding their own parts to the story with huge enjoyment.

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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 The children have positive attitudes to learning. They are confident, competent and they express themselves well. Relationships are very good and children show consideration and support for others. Children respond to the high expectations of staff for acceptable behaviour. Staff and visitors to the group develop children's sense of community; the visit by the fire brigade.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children listen well to each other and the staff, showing awareness of the listener. Children’s contributions to registration time are encouraged and valued. Many of the children are beginning to recognise their own name, however, there is limited opportunities to write their own name and label their work. The use of varied story telling methods reinforces and develops children’s language and literacy. Children and staff value and effectively use books. They enjoy sharing stories together.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children count in everyday situations, including using number rhymes to count forward and back. Simple addition and subtraction has been introduced enabling the children to add and take away small numbers. They are able to recognise and name simple shapes. Good opportunities are created for the children to problem solve within everyday play situations and to use a wide range of mathematical language; they use the hopscotch mat and the numbered skittles.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children show an interest in their surroundings, notice changes in the weather and ask questions about their observations. They make ice lollies and predict the freezing times. They have the confidence to share past and present events in their lives, staff support children and extend this further. There is good evidence of the children having an understanding of their own culture and beliefs and those of other people.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children move confidently and imaginatively, showing an awareness of space for themselves and others in their physical play. They have access and opportunity to develop and extend their physical co-ordination in a variety of situations; for example, they use the climbing frame and slide. Children handle tools, materials and objects safely with increasing control. Staff plan a wide range of opportunities for children to practice and refine their skills.

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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 participate in songs and rhymes eagerly. They enjoy the opportunity of free expression in role play; developing their imaginative skills. Children access a wide range of art and craft activities; they develop their creative skills sticking, painting and drawing. The children enjoy music and opportunities to explore sound they match movement to music.

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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 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.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

• create opportunities for older and more able children to write their own name and to label their own work • develop an effective monitoring and assessment system to increase the information recorded regarding the children's development, and allow time for staff to complete these sufficiently.

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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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