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

22 October 2003 The Regulation of Care () 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 Director, Education Services. 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 Co-ordinator Hazel Dewart Headquarters HM Inspectorate of Education Care Commission Saughton House Compass House Broomhouse Drive Riverside Drive Dundee EH11 3XD DD1 4NY

Crown Copyright 2003

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 Pollokshields Primary School Nursery Class

Introduction

Pollokshields Primary School Nursery Class was inspected in June 2003 as part of the integrated inspection programme by the Care Commission and HM Inspectorate of Education. The nursery catered for children aged three to five years. At the time of the inspection the roll was 50. Almost all children were bilingual.

The environment

The nursery provided a safe, smoke-free and welcoming environment. The accommodation was in a good state of repair. However, the headteacher and education authority should ensure cleaning standards are improved further. The outside play area, which staff planned to develop further, needed more appropriate security.

Toilet facilities, whilst basic in decoration, offered privacy and dignity and appropriate measures were taken to control the spread of infection. The accommodation was suitable to meet the needs of children but staff needed to make more effective use of playroom space.

Quality of children’s experience

Staff had developed good relationships with children and interacted positively with them. Planning was generally good. However, staff needed to set down more clearly what they expected children to learn. Observation, assessment and recording procedures did not inform next steps in children’s learning, although staff kept parents well informed about their children’s progress. Records were shared, when necessary, with appropriate outside agencies.

Children were motivated and enthusiastic in their play. Staff provided a range of experiences but needed to offer more challenging activities for some children.

· The programme for emotional, personal and social development was good. Children were happy, secure and comfortable in nursery routines. They co-operated well with each other and were making friendships. Some children needed more encouragement to show initiative and be more independent.

1 · The programme for communication and language was good. Children enjoyed listening to stories and had regular access to a lending library. Staff should provide more opportunities for children to describe, predict and sequence stories. They needed to offer a wider range of activities to develop children’s early reading and writing skills.

· The programme for knowledge and understanding of the world was fair. Staff should provide more opportunities for children to investigate and solve simple problems. They should develop children’s understanding of number with more sorting, matching and counting activities. Children enjoyed taking part in planting and growing activities.

· The programme for expressive and aesthetic development was fair overall. Children enjoyed role-play and singing. However, they had limited opportunities to listen, respond and make music. Staff should provide a wider range of art and craft experiences to encourage children to express their thoughts and feelings.

· The programme for physical development and movement was good. Children enjoyed regular energetic play. They were developing skills in throwing and catching. Staff needed to offer more opportunities to develop children’s hand control.

Support for children and families

Staff knew children well. They had established good links with parents and were sensitive and supportive to individual circumstances.

Parents who responded to questionnaires were very satisfied with the work of the nursery.

Staff supported children with special needs very effectively. They had a sound understanding of support procedures, including the development of individualised educational programmes, where appropriate. Staff liaised and planned individual support closely with a range of outside agencies. They provided good support for children and parents with English as an additional language.

Management

The nursery was managed effectively. The headteacher and assistant headteacher, who was responsible for the day-to-day running of the nursery class, were approachable and supportive. They had good relationships with staff and parents. The assistant head teacher provided a good role model for staff. Areas of management responsibility were clearly defined. The senior management team had developed good procedures for monitoring and evaluating the work of the nursery but needed to involve staff more fully.

A comprehensive range of policies and procedures provided helpful guidance to staff and parents. However, all accidents within the nursery needed to be recorded formally and signed by parents.

Staff were recruited in line with local authority procedures. All staff were qualified in childcare. On the day of inspection, the nursery had the appropriate ratio of staff to children.

2 Key strengths

· The positive relationships between staff, children and parents.

· The very good support provided by staff for children with special needs.

· The care and commitment of staff towards children.

Recommendations for improvement

· The headteacher and education authority should ensure cleaning standards are improved further. The outside play area should be made secure.

· Staff should improve procedures for planning, observing, assessing and recording of children’s learning and progress.

· Staff should improve aspects of the programmes in knowledge and understanding of the world and creative and aesthetic development mentioned in the report.

· The headteacher should ensure accidents within the nursery are recorded formally and signed by parents.

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.

Mandy Ross Lesley Brown Care Commission HM Inspectorate of Education

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