NURSERY INSPECTION REPORT

URN 106231

DfES Number: 581288

INSPECTION DETAILS
Inspection Date	28/04/2004
Inspector Name	Janet Butlin

SETTING DETAILS
Day Care Type	Full Day Care
Setting Name	Stoke Gabriel Pre-School
Setting Address	The Old School Rooom Church Walk,Stoke Gabriel Totnes Devon TQ9 6SD

REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS
Name	The Committee of U/A 1027311

ORGANISATION DETAILS
Name	U/A
Address	u/a u/a

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.

Information about the setting

Established for many years and managed by a committee of parents, Stoke Gabriel Pre-school is located in the village of the same name which is just outside Paignton. The pre-school occupies part of the old village school house and has use of a kitchen area and toilets. There is also a public swing park, set in an orchard immediately opposite the setting, which the pre-school uses.

The group is registered to provide 17 places for children aged between two and five years. There are currently 22 children enrolled, ten of whom are three-year-olds and seven of whom are four-year-olds and in receipt of funding. The group opens during term times on Mondays and Wednesdays from 09.00 until 15.00 and on Thursdays from 09.00 until 12.00. On Fridays the group is open from 09.00 until 13.00. The children who attend come mostly from the village and surrounding area. The group supports children who have special educational needs, there are no children attending who have English as an additional language. There are four regular members of staff who work with the children. Two of these hold the equivalent of NVQ level three in Childcare and Education and one is nearing the completion of a similar qualification. The other member of staff is also undertaking qualifying training. The group has close links with the village school and receives the regular support of the Devon Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership and the Foundation Stage Advisory Teachers.

INSPECTION OF THE NURSERY EDUCATION PROVISION FOR FUNDED THREE AND FOUR YEAR OLDS.

How effective is the nursery education?

Stoke Gabriel Pre-school offers very good quality nursery education where children enjoy learning through a wide range of interesting activities. Effective teaching helps children make very good progress towards the early learning goals in all areas of learning. Children are confident, well behaved and show independence. Particularly strong emphasis is given to personal and social development, communication, language and literacy, mathematics and knowledge and understanding of the world.

Teaching is very good. Staff are consistent, sensitive and responsive and plan methods matched to children's individual needs. Their very secure knowledge of the Foundation Stage enables them to plan an interesting and appropriate range of practical activities. The pre-school has children attending who have special educational needs and there is an effective system in place to provide good support. There are no children who have English as an additional language. The assessment of children's learning is highly effective and is very well used to inform planning to ensure that children are enabled to progress at an appropriate pace and receive sufficient support and challenge in their learning. The setting has a good range of equipment to cover all areas of learning and these are used well to promote learning.

Leadership and management are very good. The staff are supported in their professional development. The setting is committed to improvement and seeks regular support from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership and the Foundation Stage Advisory Teacher.

There is a very good partnership with parents. Helpful information is provided and they are informed of forthcoming themes and events. Regular communication is welcomed and the group is working at ways to further improve this area, in particular how parents can be kept informed, more consistently and in more detail, about their child's progress and time spent in pre-school.

What is being done well?

Assessments are used extremely well to plan the next steps for the children's learning.
Children are polite, well behaved and co-operate well. They are eager to play and are interested in their activities.
Children are encouraged to make marks for a purpose in meaningful situations which effectively develops their learning.
Everyday activities are effectively used to consolidate children's mathematical understanding.
Good use is made of the local environment to widen children's understanding of the world about them.

What needs to be improved?

the means of ensuring that parents are kept fully informed of their children's progress.

What has improved since the last inspection?

The group have made very good progress with the key issues arising from the previous inspection and this has had a positive impact on the provision. There is now a process for identifying and meeting staff's personal training needs. Courses have been attended to support practice, including training in the area of special educational needs. Parents and carers are able to see their children's records of assessment and progress but the group is still working at ways of improving this and making the process more accessible to parents.

SUMMARY OF JUDGEMENTS

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Judgement:	Very Good
Children enter the setting confidently and settle quickly and happily to play. They are polite, considerate and well behaved. They are caring towards others, showing sympathy on hearing that someone was unwell and understanding that the host of a recent group visit should receive a thank you letter. They are able to concentrate for substantial periods of time at their chosen activities and co-operate well with their playmates.

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY
Judgement:	Very Good
Children take part in vocabulary enriching discussion and lively conversation is enjoyed throughout the session. Children are enabled to make marks and write in meaningful situations whenever they want to, for example creating messages and cards and taking notes in their role-play. Clear examples are provided of their names and of simple words to copy if they wish. Children use and enjoy books and listen carefully to stories, enthusiastically predicting what will happen next.

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT
Judgement:	Very Good
Everyday activities are used effectively to consolidate children's mathematical understanding. They are encouraged to work out what will happen if one group of objects is added to another, or taken away and they further develop their understanding by, for example, working out how many eggs two predictable chickens might lay over the course of a week. Children show good awareness of the concept of numerals representing a quantity and are keen to match, order and sort and to recreate patterns.

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD
Judgement:	Very Good
Children are given many opportunities to discover the world about them and also learn how communities work together and the roles played by people within them. They are following the progress of a local building project and also discovering how various professions support day-to-day lives. They observe changes that happen to, for example, plants and corn flour and discuss, with interest, why and how things work, for example magnets. Good use is made of appropriate technology to support learning.

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
Judgement:	Very Good
Children enjoy climbing and balancing on a variety of appropriately challenging apparatus and activities such as obstacle courses are well organised to develop the children's skill and control. Staff enable them to understand that exercise has an effect on their bodies and that they become warm. Children effectively develop their small muscles by using tools such as scissors, pens and construction equipment and also by manipulating, rolling and pummelling dough.

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT
Judgement:	Very Good
Children enjoy the process of being creative and have many opportunities to explore colour and texture as they experiment with blending colours and use various methods of applying paint, such as string, printing and incorporating textured materials. They observe carefully how colours blend and are thrilled to explore and discuss the feel and of corn flour and water as it trickles, flows and resists. Children sing familiar songs with confidence and have regular opportunities to enjoy music.

Children's spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development is fostered appropriately.

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.

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 improve the following:
Develop ways of further improving communication with parents to ensure they are kept fully informed of their children's progress.

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.