Report on the Inspection of Stepping Stones Playgroup, Tirkane, Maghera, Co Londonderry

Providing Inspection Services for Department of Education Department for Employment and Learning Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure

Inspection of Stepping Stones Playgroup, Maghera, Co Londonderry

(DE Number: 3BB-0085)

A Report by the Education and Training Inspectorate

February 2004 STATISTICAL INFORMATION

Name of pre-school centre: Stepping Stones Playgroup Address: 130 Tirkane Road MAGHERA Co Londonderry BT46 5NH Management Type:

Date of inspection: 5 February 2004 Date of previous inspection: 8 June 1999

1. Details of Children

am pm Total number of children: session session  attending the pre-school centre 14  in their immediate pre-school year 11  funded by Department of Education 11  qualifying under DE admission criteria 1 & 2 0  with a statement of SEN* 0  without a statement but receiving therapy or support from other professionals for SEN 1  with English as an additional language 0  who left in previous school year to attend reception provision within a primary school 0 Attendance:  percentage attendance** of funded children for the previous school year 92%

* Special Educational Needs ** Calculated from the date when the intake was complete 2. Details of Staff

Number of: Full-time Part-time Staff, including leader 2 Staff holding recognised childcare qualifications 2 New appointments within previous 12 months 0

Number of: *** Students 0 Trainees 0

*** Total placements since September of current year

3. Details of Sessions

Duration of morning Duration of afternoon Number of days open session session in previous year 2½ hrs 188

4. Parental Questionnaires

Number issued to parents: 14 Percentage returned: 78.6% Number of written comments: 5 INTRODUCTION

1. The playgroup, which is part of Stepping Stones Pre-School Centre, is accommodated in a classroom in St Brigid’s Primary School, Tirkane. The centre benefits from access to many of the school’s facilities.

2. In their response to the inspection questionnaire, the parents indicated a high level of satisfaction with the centre’s provision.

THE QUALITY OF THE EDUCATIONAL PROVISION

3. The centre has a very positive ethos. The staff display respect for the children’s ideas and intentions. The children appear happy and secure and co-operate well with the staff and with one another. The playroom is bright and attractive. There are well-defined areas for different aspects of play and materials are readily accessible to the children.

4. There are suitable methods to inform the parents about the organisation of the centre and the programme of activities. There are frequent opportunities for informal contact between the staff and the parents. More systematic meetings should now be introduced to ensure that parents receive regular information about their children’s development and progress.

1 5. The centre has an appropriate policy and written procedures relating to child protection and there is evidence that these are implemented effectively. The parents are given suitable information about these matters.

6. The staff plan systematically for the weekly programme of activities and for topics that are relevant to the seasons and to the children’s interests. The plans include some useful references to the learning that the staff intend to promote and take account of the individual needs of some of the children. As they develop the planning methods further, the staff should identify more clearly how the play and learning will progress over the year.

7. The session is well organised and provides good opportunities for the children to explore the full range of activities, to choose freely and to develop their play. Appropriate time is given to group activities, including story time and physical play.

8. The staff become involved sensitively and purposefully with the children during play. Their skilful interaction is effective in promoting the children’s self- confidence and supporting their learning. They encourage the children’s own ideas and help them to solve problems for themselves.

2 9. The centre’s programme provides good opportunities for learning across most of the pre-school curriculum. The points which follow illustrate specific aspects of the programme.

 The children play in a settled and purposeful manner and are developing a good level of independence. They are learning to care for the toys and to respect the play of others.

 The children are gaining appropriate manipulative skills using small tools such as crayons and paintbrushes. There are suitable opportunities for physical play indoors and outdoors. The creative area encourages model-making and the children use paint and other art materials confidently to express their ideas.

 Throughout the session, the staff engage the children in conversation and encourage them to express their ideas. There is good use of books for story reading. Print is introduced appropriately through the use of the children’s names at snack time and captions for the children’s work. The staff help the children to decide what is to be written and engage their interest in the writing process.

 The staff make good use of play opportunities to introduce and reinforce mathematical ideas and language. The children

3 are becoming aware of size, shape, space and number. They are encouraged to match and compare as, for example, they use the dough to fill bun cases and set the table in the house play area.

 There are appropriate activities involving natural and constructional materials that promote the children’s early scientific and technological thinking. Seasonal themes develop their awareness of weather and the environment.

10. The staff observe and record the children’s responses during play and use these observations to build up a profile of each child’s progress. Information is shared with the parents through transition records completed at the end of the school year.

11. Individual plans and more detailed records are kept for those children who have special educational needs (SEN). The staff have a good awareness of these children’s needs and make suitable provision for them. There are valuable links with the health visitor and with the Education and Library Board’s educational psychology service.

12. There are close links with St Brigid’s Primary School. More needs to be done to establish links with the other local primary school to which some of the children transfer.

4 13. Both of the staff have been in post for a period of years. They co-operate well as a team and display a high level of commitment to the centre and to the children. Since the last inspection, the staff have developed effectively the quality of the centre’s provision, building further on the strengths noted at that time. A new early years specialist has been appointed recently; her support and advice are valued by the staff and have focused on appropriate areas for development. The centre receives much support from the primary school in which it is accommodated.

14. The quality of the accommodation and resources is good. There is adequate space indoors and outdoors. The centre has access to an outdoor play area and to the school’s playground and hall.

15. The strengths of the centre include:

 the very positive ethos which promotes the children’s confidence and independence;

 the children’s motivation and interest in their activities;

 the organisation of the session;

 the staff’s effective involvement in the play;

5  the good opportunities for learning provided by the broad programme of activities;

 the provision made for children with SEN;

 the quality of the accommodation and resources;

 the committed staff and the continued development of the centre’s provision.

16. There are major strengths in nearly all aspects of the educational and pastoral provision in this pre-school centre. The needs of the children are being met effectively.

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Copies of this report may be obtained from the Inspection Services Branch, Department of Education, Rathgael House, 43 Balloo Road, Bangor, Co Down BT19 7PR. A copy is also available on the DE website: www.deni.gov.uk