Troqueer Primary School Nursery Class Dumfries Integrated

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Integrated Inspection by the Care Commission and HM Inspectorate of Education of Troqueer Primary School Nursery Class Dumfries and Galloway Council

23 February 2005

Troqueer Primary School Nursery Class Hill Avenue Dumfries DG2 7LR

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

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 Troqueer Primary School Nursery Class Dumfries and Galloway Council

Introduction

Troqueer Primary School Nursery Class was inspected in November 2004 as part of the integrated inspection programme by the Care Commission and HM Inspectorate of Education. HMIE carried out this inspection on behalf of both organisations and consulted the Care Commission about its findings. The nursery catered for pre-school children from age three to five years. At the time of the inspection the roll was 45.

The environment Standard 2 Children were cared for in a large portacabin within the grounds of the primary school. The playrooms were bright and welcoming with children’s work and photographs attractively displayed. Notice boards offered well-presented, helpful information for parents. The building and surroundings were secure and in a good state of repair. The environment was maintained to a high standard with careful attention given to safety and security matters. Staff made good use of available space and provided areas for children to play alone or in small groups. All equipment was in a good condition and well maintained. Paved and grassed areas were available outdoors for play activities. Children had regular access to the school gym.

Quality of children’s experience Standard 4 & 5 Staff had developed very good relationships with children. They knew the children well and used praise effectively to develop their confidence and self esteem. Staff interacted positively with children in their play activities to extend and support their learning, and encourage independence. Staff valued children’s contributions and encouraged positive behaviour. They needed to ask more challenging questions to extend the learning of a few children.

Staff were enthusiastic and friendly. They had good relationships with children. Children were well supported when undertaking individual tasks, enabling them to develop skills at their own pace. However, the daily altogether session did not make good use of time or engage children. Staff provided a generally appropriate balance between free play and adult-directed activities. More use should be made of small key worker groups to better meet children’s needs and stages of development. Staff had yet to make effective use of information gained from observations to plan next steps in children’s learning.

Features of the programmes for children included the following.

• The programme for emotional, personal and social development was good. Children were happy and confident. They were learning to take turns and share resources during play and social activities. The majority of children responded well to simple rules of good behaviour and some cooperated well with one another and with adults. Staff made effective use of praise and encouragement to foster children’s self esteem. However, children needed more opportunities to be independent and to take responsibility.

• The programme for communication and language was good. Most children listened well and spoke confidently to each other and to adults, for example, when sharing their experiences about seeing fireworks. Some children listened attentively during stories, but staff needed to ensure the books being read were suitable for group story time. Most children recognised their name in print and some could write it. Staff needed to provide further opportunities for children to develop their skills in early reading and writing.

• The programme for knowledge and understanding of the world was good. Children had good opportunities to develop their skills in colour, shape and number. They enjoyed taking part in sand and water play, especially during a fishing game where the children caught a fish, named the number and recorded this on a chart. Children’s use of computers was not sufficiently planned to extend learning. More opportunities were needed for children to investigate and solve simple problems.

• In expressive and aesthetic development, the programme was good. Children thoroughly enjoyed singing action songs and rhymes in a group. They took part enthusiastically in imaginative role-play in the well-resourced Three Bears House. Children experienced a range of art and craft activities. However, all staff should ensure children have regular opportunities for self-expression through modelling, painting, gluing and using dough.

• The programme for physical development and movement was good. Children were developing effective hand control using brushes, pens, construction toys and the computer mouse. They enjoyed regular energetic play indoors where they were learning to jump, climb and balance, but some activities were not challenging enough. There were insufficient opportunities for outdoor physical play.

Support for children and families Standard 6 Staff supported children and their families very well. Key workers knew children well and assessment was used to identify individual needs. They shared information with parents through informal discussions, formal meetings three times a year, curriculum information boards and helpful written annual reports. Staff had established very good relationships with parents, who, themselves, felt very involved in the nursery. Parents and carers who had responded to the pre-inspection questionnaire were satisfied with all aspects of the service.

Staff had very effective links with a range of support agencies, for example educational psychologists, speech and language therapists and social work. They provided detailed, individualised educational programmes for children with additional learning needs and held regular meetings to evaluate children’s progress. Staff provided a good integrated programme to support children’s transition to primary school.

Management Standard 14 The head of the nursery provided good leadership. He was approachable and responsive to the needs of staff, parents, carers and children. The roles and responsibilities of the management team and staff were clearly defined and communicated to staff and parents.

Appropriate policies and procedures were in place and provided clear guidance to staff and service users. All staff were recruited in line with local authority procedures and held appropriate qualifications in childcare and education. Appropriate staff-child ratios were in place. The head of the nursery was committed to providing a continuously improving service. With education authority support, the head of the nursery and staff should now continue with plans to create a development plan for the nursery. The management team had yet to involve staff in the development of systematic procedures for monitoring and evaluating the service. Staff took part in an annual review and development process and had access to appropriate training to support children’s learning. They had been trained in child protection and followed guidelines appropriately. All staff were fully aware of the Scottish Social Services Council Codes of Practice.

Key strengths

• The very positive relationships between staff and parents.

• The welcoming, attractive nursery accommodation.

• The strong teamwork and commitment of all staff.

• The very good support for children and their families, including children with additional learning needs.

Recommendations for improvement

• In continuing to develop the curriculum, staff should further develop their use of questioning and provide more challenging experiences for some children.

• Children should have more opportunities to take part in activities in small groups.

• Improve the use of assessment information to plan next steps in children’s learning.

• Provide children with more regular energetic play outdoors.

• The senior management team should continue to develop systematic procedures to monitor and evaluate the quality of provision.

Care Commission Officers and HM Inspectors have asked the pre-school centre and education authority to prepare an action plan indicating how they will address the main findings of the report. Where requirements are made, the action plan should include timescales to deal with these. The plan will be available to parents and carers. In liaison with the pre-school centre and education authority, Care Commission Officers and HM Inspectors will monitor progress to ensure improvements are in line with the main findings of the report.

Lynn Mc McCafferty HM Inspectorate of Education