Hilton of Cadboll Primary School Nursery Class Tain Integrated

Integrated Inspection by the Care Commission and HM Inspectorate of Education of Hilton of Cadboll Primary School Nursery Class The Highland Council 8 June 2005 Hilton of Cadboll Primary School Nursery Class Hilton Tain Ross-shire IV20 1XE The Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act, 2001, requires that the Care Commission inspect all care services covered by the Act every year to monitor the quality of care provided. In accordance with the Act, the Care Commission and HM Inspectorate of Education carry out integrated inspections of the quality of care and education. In doing this, inspection teams take account of National Care Standards, Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16, and The Child at the Centre. The following standards and related quality indicators were used in the recent inspection. National Care Standard Child at the Centre Quality Indicator Standard 2 – A Safe Environment Resources Standard 4 – Engaging with Children Development and learning through play Standard 5 – Quality of Experience Curriculum Children’s development and learning Standard 6 – Support and Development Support for children and families Standard 14 – Well-managed Service Management, Leadership and Quality Assurance Evaluations made using HMIE quality indicators use the following scale, and these words are used in the report to describe the team’s judgements: Very good : major strengths Good : strengths outweigh weaknesses Fair : some important weaknesses Unsatisfactory : major weaknesses Reports contain Recommendations which are intended to support improvements in the quality of service. Any Requirements refer to actions which must be taken by service providers to ensure that regulations are met and there is compliance with relevant legislation. In these cases the regulation(s) to which requirements refer will be noted clearly and timescales given. HOW TO CONTACT US Copies of this report have been sent to the headteacher, staff and the education authority. Copies are also available on the Care Commission website: www.carecommission.com and HMIE website: www.hmie.gov.uk. Should you wish to comment on or make a complaint about any aspect of the inspection or about this report you should write either to the Care Commission or to HM Inspectorate of Education at the address below. If you are still dissatisfied with our services, you can contact your member of the Scottish Parliament (or, if you prefer, any other MSP). You can also contact the Scottish Parliamentary Ombudsman. The Ombudsman is fully independent and has powers to investigate complaints about Government departments and Agencies. Complaints Coordinator Hazel Dewart Headquarters HM Inspectorate of Education Care Commission Denholm House Compass House Almondvale Business Park Riverside Drive Almondvale Way Dundee Livingston DD1 4NY EH54 6GA Crown Copyright 2005 Care Commission HM Inspectorate of Education This report may be reproduced in whole or in part, except for commercial purposes or in connection with a prospectus or advertisement, provided that the source and date thereof are stated. _______________________________ Integrated Inspection by the Care Commission and HM Inspectorate of Education of Hilton of Cadboll Primary School Nursery Class The Highland Council Introduction Hilton of Cadboll Primary School Nursery Class was inspected in February 2005 as part of the integrated inspection programme by the Care Commission and HM Inspectorate of Education. The nursery catered for pre-school children aged three to five years. At the time of the inspection the roll was 26. The environment Standard 2 The accommodation provided a secure and stimulating environment. The playroom and snack/cloakroom areas were bright and in a generally good state of repair. Staff had provided a stimulating environment with displays of children’s work and photographs. The layout of the playroom provided opportunities for children to work independently or in groups. However, the main entrance area to the nursery needed to be improved to allow safe access. The steps were very small and unsafe. There was a strong smell of damp in this area and this should be addressed immediately. There was a large, fenced, outside play area which was accessed from the nursery. This allowed children to have energetic physical play. This area needed to be further developed to include areas for children to explore, investigate and develop skills on large apparatus. There were appropriate policies and procedures in place and staff had a sound understanding of these. Staff promoted hygiene and there was a rota in place to record when toys and equipment were cleaned and maintained. Quality of children’s experience Standard 4 & 5 Staff had developed very good relationships with children. They chose resources and activities to meet the needs and experiences of the children. The pace of the session was very good with an appropriate balance of free and more structured activities. Staff skilfully used questioning and interaction to extend and support children’s learning. They were very aware of individual needs. Planning was meticulously carried out with learning outcomes clearly stated. Evaluations were made following activities, but the emphasis needed to focus more on next steps for individual children’s learning. Observations were carried out regularly, 1 giving staff records of children’s development and learning. However, these were not stored effectively to inform parents of progress and needed to be made more readily available for parents within the playroom. There was good liaison between the nursery and the school’s infant department which led to very good transition arrangements and informative reports. Features of the programmes for children included the following. • The programme for emotional, personal and social development was very good. Children were developing positive self esteem and confidence to try new tasks. Staff encouraged children by using praise appropriately. Children were becoming more independent in personal tasks. They were aware of the needs of others in play situations and were developing positive relationships with other children and adults. They made and expressed choices, played cooperatively and shared resources well. They spent lengthy periods of time persevering with difficult tasks. They were developing an awareness of cultural and religious festivals. • The programme for communication and language was very good. Children confidently shared their experiences and ideas with adults. They talked purposefully together and with adults for a range of purposes including describing, predicting, sequencing and explaining. They listened to adults give information and could follow instructions. Staff had provided a range of opportunities to develop children’s interest in writing. They used a variety of paper, cards, pens, chalks and pencils. Children enjoyed scribbling, making marks and writing. The welcoming book corner provided children with opportunity to find information from books, to read and listen to stories and to develop an understanding of the language and layout of books. They were developing an awareness of letter names and sounds. • The very good programme for knowledge and understanding of the world provided children with a variety of opportunities to develop an interest in early science, technology and mathematics. Children were learning about how things work using a variety of technological materials including construction toys, computer games, telephones and cogs and wheels. They were developing science skills in water and sand play. Staff had provided very good planting and growing experiences both inside and outdoors. Children were finding out about measurement, matching, sorting, counting and grouping as part of play. The very good use of visitors and visits encouraged children’s interest in the jobs of familiar people and their local environment. • The programme for expressive and aesthetic development was very good. Staff had provided a very good range of art and craft materials to encourage children’s creativity and free expression. Children used paint and gluings to express themselves. Clay was used to knead, feel, mould and model. Children were introduced to the use of percussion instruments to play along with music and to invent music. They enjoyed listening to music and knew a variety of rhymes and traditional and modern songs. They took part in role-play in a variety of contexts including dressing up and dramatic play. 2 • The programme for physical development and movement was very good. Staff had provided a wide range of tools to encourage children’s hand and finger development including computer mouse, construction toys, drawing and writing utensils and scissors. Children had regular daily access to the school gym where they could develop an awareness of space and take part in energetic play. Staff used the outdoor area to allow children to use large toys to push, pull and ride and to explore different ways to use their bodies. Children cooperated well with each other and were increasing their confidence and skills in climbing, sliding, balancing and swinging on large apparatus. Support for children and families Standard 6 Staff knew children well and responded to individual needs and circumstances. They provided parents with a range of information about the curriculum and work done within the nursery on a notice board in the cloakroom area. Some parents responding to the pre-inspection questionnaire felt they did not get enough information about their child’s progress

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