King Fishers Place

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 06/01/2005 Inspector Name Sue Boylan

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name King Fishers Place Setting Address The Meeting House Galpins Road Thornton Heath Croydon CR7 6EL

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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

King Fisher Day Nursery is one of three nurseries run by King Fishers. It opened in August 2002 and operates from a church hall in a residential area of Thornton Heath. A maximum of 20 children may attend the nursery at any one time. They are open each week day from 07:30 until 18:00 all year round except one week at Christmas and two staff training days. The children have access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. There are currently 13 children aged two to five years on roll. Of these eight receive funding for nursery education. The nursery serves the local community and supports children who have English as an additional language and who have special needs. The nursery employs five members of staff to work with the children. Three of the staff including the manager hold appropriate early years qualifications and two staff are working towards a qualification.

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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?

King Fisher Day Nursery provides good quality nursery education overall which enables children to make generally good progress towards the early learning goals. They make very good progress in their mathematical and language development. The quality of teaching is generally good. Staff plan an interesting range of activities in most areas to extend children's learning and are caring in their approach. Staff have good knowledge of the early learning goals and understanding of the foundation stage. The children are eager to learn, they cooperate well together and build relationships with each other. Opportunities to encourage them to make full use of some of the resources, to select their own materials and to be more independent are not fully exploited. There are positive and consistent methods for managing the children's behaviour. Staff know the children well and make observations of their progress. However

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How effective is the nursery education?

observations are not currently used consistently to identify the next steps for learning and plan activities that build on what the children already know. There are good opportunities for children to learn about different cultures and traditions. The leadership of the nursery is generally good. Staff work well as a team with the manager being very "hands on". There is a commitment to staff development and training with the nursery having good links and support from the early years partnership. Staff meet on a regular basis to plan and discuss day to day issues but there is no formal system to evaluate the quality of teaching and activities. The partnership with parents is very good. Time is made available to discuss their child's progress with formal meetings with staff arranged every three months. Parents are encouraged to be involved in their child's learning and are used as a resource to the nursery.

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What is being done well?

• Staff have a good understanding of the foundation stage and how this can help children make progress towards the early learning goals. They are aware of their roles and responsibilities and work well as a team. The learning environment is well organised with an appropriate range of resources to support children's learning. • Parents are provided with good quality information about the setting. They are kept informed about their child's progress with day to day discussion and regular three monthly meetings with the key worker. Parents regularly participate in activities and events within the nursery. • Children have access to a wide range of activities which helps extend their mathematical thinking. They use numbers to count at every opportunity and

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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 starting to understand the concept of matching, adding and subtraction. • Children are introduced to a variety of beliefs, traditions and cultures through resources, displays, festivals, topic work and music.

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What needs to be improved?

• the attention given to promoting children's independence and self help skills. • the system for assessment so staff can extend the next steps for individual learning. • opportunities for children to express their own ideas in imagination and use of equipment when making their own designs without adult direction.

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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 are confident and relate well to the staff and their friends. They co-operate together and are happy to share and take turns. Behaviour is good as staff are calm and polite and set good examples to children. There are not enough opportunities for children to develop self help skills and independence.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Displays, equipment and resources are labelled to encourage word recognition. Children are beginning to understand the sounds of letters. They enjoy listening to familiar stories and predicting what happens next. Children have good pencil control and there are plenty of opportunities to write and mark make. Children can recognise their own and others names.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good All children count confidently up to 10 and some beyond. Some children recognise randomly selected numbers when asked. They can name basic and more complex shapes eg a diamond. Children are encouraged to count objects throughout their daily routine including adding and subtraction at circle and snack time. Good practical activities are offered to help children understand the concept of measure, balance and volume, e.g. cooking, and weighing sea shells.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children learn about people in their community, eg visits from the police and road safety. They are introduced to a range of cultures and beliefs through topic based activities and celebrating festivals. Children learn about simple technology through the use of a cash register and calculator and are confident in using the computer i.e. use of the mouse and key board. Opportunities for children to design and build independently are limited.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children are confident with running, jumping and manoeuvering around obstacles with trikes. They are able to use tools effectively, e.g. scissors and cutlery. Manipulative skills are encouraged with practical activities such as sand, play dough, and threading. Also, they are able to button and unbutton their coats. There is not always enough attention given to the planning of activities for development of large motor 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: Generally Good Children participate enthusiastically in singing familiar songs and have good opportunities to experience music, play instruments and move their bodies to the rhythm. Children easily recognise colour and can name with confidence. They explore creative media such as paint, play dough and sand on daily basis. There are plenty of resources to encourage imaginary play, however there are too few opportunities for children to engage in their own role play without adult direction.

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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

• develop a system to ensure staff take into consideration the next steps in learning when making observations and assessments. • provide more support and encouragement for children to practice self help skills. • improve the opportunities for children to express their own ideas in imagination and making their own designs without adult direction.

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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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