Leek Westwood Preschool

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 14/01/2005 Inspector Name Jacqueline Mason

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Leek Westwood Pre-School Setting Address Westwood County First School Westwood Road Leek Staffordshire ST13 8DL

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Leek Westwood Pre-School Committee

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Leek Westwood Pre-School Committee Address Westwood County First School Westwood Road Leek Staffordshire ST13 8DL

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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

Leek Westwood Pre-school opened in 1964. It is managed by a voluntary management committee. The pre-school operates within Westwood First School where it has use of a self-contained room with toilets and kitchen facilities. The pre-school opens from Monday to Friday during term-time. Sessions are from 09:00 to 11:30 and 13:00 to 15:30. Children are able to attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 57 children from 2 years to 4 years on roll. Of these, 39 children receive funding. The pre-school is able to support children with special needs. Five staff work with the children. All of the staff have early years qualifications to NVQ level 2 or 3. The pre-school is a member of the Pre-school Learning Alliance (PLA) and receives support from a teacher/mentor from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP).

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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?

Leek Westwood Pre-school offers generally good nursery education that helps children to make very good progress in four areas of learning and generally good progress in the other two. The quality of teaching is generally good. Staff have a good understanding of the Foundation Stage. Planning is effective to ensure that all areas of learning are addressed. The learning intentions of activities are clearly identified using the stepping stones as a guide, although extension activities for more able children are not considered. Children are observed during activities. Observations are recorded and transferred to children's individual development records to enable staff to monitor their progress. Evaluation of activities is used to give an overall judgement of its success but is not used to identify children who found the activity too easy or too difficult. There are satisfactory procedures in place to identify and meet special

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How effective is the nursery education?

educational needs. Staff interaction with children is very good. They respond well to children's interests and engage them in conversation. Children are happy and settled. Behaviour is managed very well. Children are well behaved and respond positively to the high expectations. Staff promote good behaviour effectively and manage challenging behaviour appropriately. Leadership and management is very good. Staff are clear about their roles and responsibilities and work well together as a team. Professional development is encouraged and supported. There are effective procedures in place to monitor the strengths and weaknesses of the pre-school and the quality of its nursery education. Partnerships with parents are generally good. Parents are provided with good information about the pre-school and their child's day although there is no formal procedure to share children's developmental progress with them. There are limited

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How effective is the nursery education?

arrangements to encourage parents to be involved in their children's learning. Staff are friendly and approachable.

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What is being done well?

• There is a good programme of adult-led and child-initiated activities to enable children to have choice and develop independence. Activities promote all areas of learning. • Staff interaction with the children is very good. They respond well to the children's interests and take an interest in what they say and do. Staff spend most of their time working directly with the children. • The premises are well presented. The room is inviting and laid out to offer children a varied range of activities. Children's work is displayed well. • There are effective strategies in place to manage children's behaviour. Good behaviour is encouraged and praised. Children have clear, consistent

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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 boundaries and respond well to this.

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What needs to be improved?

• the development of activities to enable children to write independently, see their name written and take part in physical play • the planning and evaluation of activities • the arrangements to ensure parents are kept informed about their children's developmental progress • the procedures to encourage parents to be involved in their children's learning.

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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 have good relationships with adults and confidently seek them out for support and conversation. They initiate interactions with other children and link up with them to share experiences. The needs of others are accepted. Children respond well to adults' high expectations and consistent behaviour boundaries. Independence is developing well and children select and carry out activities of their own choosing, persisting with adult support in activities they find challenging.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children are developing a good vocabulary based on their own experiences and adult input. They confidently initiate conversations with adults and children. Interest is shown in books and they enjoy stories. Children understand that print carries meaning and make observations about illustrations. Although they do not have sufficient opportunities to see their written name or write independently, children have an awareness of letters and letter sounds and are encouraged to copy their written name.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children show an interest in numbers and counting and count confidently in routine and play situations. Most children can count to 10 and many can count beyond. They are able to count objects reliably up to five, saying a number name for each item. An awareness of calculation is developing through adult-led and routine play situations and children enjoy exploring number problems. Children manage sorting and matching activities confidently and use mathematical language well.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children show an interest in the world around them. They show curiosity and explore how things work and why they change. Everyday technology such as telephones are used competently. An awareness of the world around them is developing well. Children are able to predict the days of the week and discuss weather and seasons. They are learning about their own and other cultures and beliefs through a balanced range of activities. They are able to recall significant events in their lives.

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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

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children show increasing skill and control in their use of one-handed tools. They manipulate small world toys well. They negotiate appropriate pathways when walking and running. Children are able to change speed and direction to avoid obstacles. Although children have insufficient opportunities to take part in physical play, they enjoy using wheeled toys and taking part in ring games. Children show an awareness of their own needs with regard to eating, resting and hygiene.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children take part in a varied range of role play situations based on their own and imagined experiences. They enjoy exploring colour, texture and media through collage, painting and drawing activities. They recognise colours and name them accurately. Individual creativity is developing well through a good range of adult-led and child-initiated art and craft activities. Children enjoy simple songs and rhymes and join in well. They respond well to what they see, hear, touch and smell.

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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 child-initiated activities to enable them to write independently, see their name written and take part in physical play • improve the planning and evaluation of activities to ensure children's individual needs are met • develop procedures to ensure parents are informed about and involved in their children's learning.

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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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