Glenhurst Nursery & Pre-School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 06/07/2004 Inspector Name Alison Jane Kaplonek

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Out of School Day Care Setting Name Glenhurst School Setting Address 16 Beechworth Road Havant Hampshire PO9 1AX

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Glenhurst School Address 16 Beechworth Road Havant Hampshire PO9 1AX

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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

Glenhurst School is an Independent School. The School came under new ownership in 1999. It operates from a house in the centre of Havant. The school is open to children aged 3-9 years of age during term times. There is a breakfast and after school club provided for children who attend the school. There are currently 69 children on roll. This includes 7 funded 3 year olds and 13 funded 4year olds. The school is able to support children with special needs and those for whom English is an additional language. All staff in the school are appropriately qualified. The setting receives support 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?

Glenhurst School provides acceptable nursery education but has some significant areas for improvement. Children's progress towards the early learning goals is limited by some significant weaknesses. Provision for their personal, social and emotional development, physical development and knowledge and understanding of the world is generally good. The quality of teaching has significant weaknesses. Staff have little knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage curriculum. They provide older children with a good selection of resources and use assessments to inform the future planning for children in the reception class. This is not in place for children in the kindergarten. There are no clear strategies in place to enable staff to manage children's behaviour and provide them with the support they require to become independent learners. Planning and learning opportunities are not consistent across the Foundation Stage

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How effective is the nursery education?

and children do not always make sufficient progress. Activities for younger children sometimes lack purpose. There are systems in place to support children with special educational needs. The leadership and management has significant weaknesses. Staff have regular appraisals to monitor their training needs and discuss planning, but this does not include all staff and some remain unsupported in their work. There is no system in place to monitor and evaluate the provision for nursery education. The partnership with parents and carers is generally good. They are provided with good information about the school and are regularly updated about their children's progress at parents evenings. They find staff approachable and can discuss their children's care and education at any time.

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What is being done well?

• Children's personal, social and emotional development is generally good. Children are able to concentrate and persevere when involved in activities. They know the rules and routines of the school day and are able to share and take turns. Some children are confident and able to initiate interaction with staff and each other. • Staff provide the older children with a good selection of resources. They use their assessment records to inform future planning of activities for the children. • Children's progress in the areas of knowledge and understanding of the world and physical development are generally good. The children enjoy finding out about living things in their environment and are able to complete simple programmes on the computer. The children use the outside play area with

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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 confidence. • Parents are provided with good information about the setting and are able to discuss their child's progress at regular parent's evenings. They find staff approachable and are able to talk about any concerns regarding their children.

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What needs to be improved?

• the staffs knowledge of the Foundation Stage curriculum and how children learn. • the opportunities for children to be independent in their care and learning. • the implementation of behaviour management strategies and procedures to support staff in their management of children and enable them to identify children who have special needs. • the encouragement for younger children to share and enjoy books individually and in small groups. • the opportunities for children, with particular regard to 3year olds, to practice their pre-writing skills, count and calculate, select their own materials and tools, use their imaginations, and gain an awareness of the cultures and beliefs of others through practical activities and everyday routines. • the system to plan for the Foundation Stage curriculum to ensure that it is consistent throughout the school , includes the use of the outdoor environment to extend the curriculum, includes children's physical

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What needs to be improved?

development, and enables learning opportunities which provide the correct challenge for children ensuring that they make sufficient 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 concentrate well during practical activities. Some children are confident and they are able to approach adults and each other and initiate conversation. Children share and take turns and know right from wrong. They know the rules and routines of the school day. Children are not sufficiently encouraged to develop their independence.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Children are confident speakers. They converse easily with adults and each other. They enjoy familiar rhymes and stories during whole class sessions and are beginning to learn the sounds and shapes of letters and words which have meaning for them. Children do not often develop their writing skills during their play. Staff miss opportunities to extend younger children's use of language, introduce new words or encourage them to enjoy books.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Children count confidently to 10.They are able to recognise some numbers and to identify many shapes. Younger children do not sufficiently learn about pattern, size, shape and mathematical language during activities. Children are provided with few opportunities to learn about number, addition or subtraction, during practical activities or everyday routines.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children enjoy finding out about living things in the environment and making observations of changes. They are able to complete simple programmes on the computer and design and build with a variety of materials and tools selected by staff. Children have few opportunities to select their own materials and tools to develop their designing and making skills or to gain an awareness of the cultures and beliefs of others.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children move with confidence and control when using the outside play equipment. They show an awareness of space when moving around the environment both indoors and out and are gaining an awareness of a range of healthy practices. Children have few planned opportunities to practice their gross motor skills. Staff make little use of the outdoor environment to extend the curriculum for younger children.

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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: Significant Weaknesses Children sing simple songs from memory. They use their senses to explore sounds, feelings and flavours. Children enjoy opportunities to use their imaginations during their role play but there are few opportunities for them to extend this. Younger children have few opportunities to explore colour, texture, shape and form, enjoy music or be imaginative when designing and making and during creative activities.

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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 the staff's knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage curriculum and how young children learn, to ensure that all children are enabled to reach their full potential • implement strategies and procedures to be used by staff to manage behaviour and to enable them to identify those children who require extra support • ensure that the provision of resources and learning opportunities are consistent throughout the Foundation Stage classes, and are sufficient to meet the needs of children in all areas of learning • implement a consistent approach to planning the Foundation Stage curriculum and assessing the progress of children towards the early learning goals to ensure that children are correctly challenged in their learning opportunities in particular in communication, language and literacy, mathematics and creative development • devise and implement a system to monitor and evaluate the provision for

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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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