Early Years

NURSERY EDUCATION INSPECTION REPORT

ABOUT THE INSPECTION

The purpose of the inspection is to identify strengths and weaknesses so that providers can improve the quality of educational provision and help children to achieve the Desirable Outcomes for children's learning on entering compulsory education, (ie by the age of five). It is also to assure parents and the public that nursery education funded by the state is of an acceptable quality. The 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

The King's School was founded in 1541 and is accommodated in buildings scattered on the north side of Gloucester Cathedral. The governing body is the Dean and Chapter of the Cathedral, and choristers are educated alongside other children who may attend from Gloucester City itself, from nearby suburbs, villages and towns, and from more rural parts of the county. The school is situated in the centre of the city and is independent. Children attend from the surrounding area.

The school takes children from two years nine months to 18 years, and the nursery and reception classes are located in their own Georgian building known as Wardle House. The nursery was set up in 1994. Funded children may also attend the kindergarten situated in the main school. Forty eight children aged from two and three quarters to five years attend the early years section of the setting. There are 28 four year olds, 21 of whom receive government funding. Most of these children are members of the reception class. Several children come from multi-lingual families, although there are no children who do not have English as their first language, and the setting also supports children with special educational needs. Most funded children attend the setting full time.

Sessions run from 8.30 a.m. to 3.25 p.m. on weekdays for 35 weeks of the year. The school also offers after school care for a number of children. Thirteen members of staff work with four year olds at various times during the week; eight of these are part time. Seven qualified teachers have input into the sessions, and this number includes music, dance and drama specialists.

The nursery and reception classes held in Wardle House have the use of a number of rooms. The nursery is situated on the ground floor, and the reception class upstairs. Children have separate space for free and imaginative play, rooms for more formal focused activities, and areas for creative and wet activities. There is a large enclosed garden, partly paved, which also includes an adventure playground. This provides an area of calm and tranquillity within a busy centre, as well as a safe place to play.

Inspection of the Nursery Education Provision for Funded Three and Four Year Olds

Children are making very good progress towards the early learning goals in all sic areas of learning. Children are interested, excited and motivated to learn. They are confident, show independence and are well behaved. Children initiate conversation, enjoy singing, mark making and count competently. The are curious, bserve, examine and experiment. Children are confident movers and use their imagination within their play. They design and construct using a range of materials but are not always able to extend planned craft activities using theirown ideas.

Teaching is very good. Staff have a good understanding of the foundation stage, early learning goals and associated steping stones. They plan an excellent range of activities using their knowledge of children's individual needs and stage of development to offer opportunities which help children to progress. Appropriate support is ggiven to children with special educational needs and to those using english as an additional language. Staff ake good use of time and resources. Staff are skilled in behaviour management. They value the children as individuals, are good role models and help children to understand the behavioural expectations within the setting.

Leadership and management is very good. The manager heads the team of enthusiastic, experienced individuals, fostering team spirit, utilising individual skills to the benefit of the nursery. All staff have a clear undersanding of their roles and responsibilities. Organisation skilfully maximises the use of available time and resources. The team are committed to improvement and effectively monitor and evaluate their practice.

Partnership with parents is very good. Parents speak highly of the nursery. Clear information is given about the Foundation stage, in the parent prospectus and curriculum newsletters. 'What is the Foundation Stage?' information sessions are held and staff ensure that parents recieve regular feedback about their children's progress.

• Staff have a good understanding of the foundation stage of learning, early learning goals and associated stepping stones. They plan an excellent range of activities to promote children's learning. Their knowledge of Children's individual needs and stage of development enables them to offer opportunities which help children to progress in their learning.
• Staff are skilled in behaviour management. Bertie, the mischievous mascot encourages children's participation and fosters good behavious. Staff value the children as individuals, are good role models and help children to understand the behavioural expectations within the setting.
• Children are confident individuals. Most three and four-year-olds initiate interaction with their peers, staff and adults less familiar to them. They sit quietly, concentrate and take-turns. They show curiosity and are interested, showing excitement in their learning.
• Children are confident counters. Many can count to ten and beyond, including counting irregular arrangements of objects. Older children are beginning to use mathematical language such as smaller and lighter. They are able to find items from positional and directional clues. Children are confident movers. They climb, slide, balance, hop, dance, jump and stretch. They are able to run at speed negotiating pathways, avoiding obstacles.
• Children enjoy singing. They can sing familiar songs from memory and are beginning to explore the different sounds of instruments. They are able to control the sounds of the instruments they play, creating slow or fast, quiet or loud sounds.

• Opportunities for children to use their own ides to extend planned craft activities.

Improvement since the last inspection was very good.

The development of a longer-term planning strategy to ensure continued balanced coverage of the six areas of learning has been undertaken. Plans are detailed and include a balance of activities to promote children's development across the six areas of learning.

The use of activity planning sheets to maintain effective support for the delivery of a quality programme, for example, to help staff to consistently use increasing vocabulary in a planned way, to increase children's opportunities to express thoughts and explore meanings is now routinely done. Medium and short-term plans detail suggested vocabulary, activityaims and objectives and ways to extend activities. The activity sheets offer further information to staff ways to extend activities. The activity sheets offer further information to staff detailing how to introduce the activity, possible learning outcomes and ways to extend them, including giving children opportunities to express thoughts and explore meanings. Activities are evaluated thoroughly either by the staff involved or an observer. Information gathered is used to aid future planning, promoting improved quality of the educational programme.

SUMMARY OF JUDGEMENTS

Judgement: Very Good

Children show increasing independence. They select resources, serve their own drinks and help to clear away after activities. Some children dress and undress themselves. Children are confident individuals and initiate interaction with their peers, staff and adults less familiar to them. Children sit quietly, concentrate and take-turns. They show curiosity, are interested and show excitement in their learning. Four-year-olds have an awareness of the boundaries set and behavioural expectations.

Judgement: Very Good

Four-year-olds and some three-year-olds have emerging self-confidence to speak to others about wants and interests; they ask simple questions, initiating conversation. Children listen attentively to stories and are able to recall the main story and suggest how stories might end. Children have pencil control and ascribe meanings to marks. Some children can write their own name formed with recognisable letters; they can say the initial sound in words and knoew which letters represent some sounds.

Judgement: Very Good

Children are confident sounters.. Many can count to ten and beyond, including counting irregular arrangements of objects. Older children are beginnning to use mathematical language such as smaller and lighter. Children are able to find items from positional and directional clues. They can match numbers and show interest in number problems.

Judgement: Very Good

Children show curiosity, observe and examine objects. They like to experiement to see how things work. Children show an interest in the lives of others. Visits from the guide dogs for the blind and optician have given the children the opportunity to think and ask questions about disability. Children have excellent opportunities to meet other people, see and handle animals and reptiles and explore the local environment. Children construct with a range of objects, using their own ideas.

Judgement: Very Good

Children are confident movers. They climb, slide, balance, hop, dance, jump and stretch. They are able to run at speed negotiating pathways, aavoiding obstacles. Children demonstrate an understanding of healthy eating. They are able to use an extensive range of tools and equipment, which require fine and large motor skills.

Judgement: Very Good

Children Enjoy Singing. They sing familiar songs from memory and are beginning to explore the different sounds of instruments. They are able to control the sounds of the instruments they play creating slow or fast, quiet or lound sounds. Children engage in imaginative and role play based on their own first-hand experiences. Children draw and colour creatively and are able to describe the texture of things. Children are not always able to use their own ideas to extend planned craft activities.

Childrens spritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered appropriately: Yes

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

Broaden children's opportunities to use their own ideas to extend planned craft activities.