Ofsted Nursery Education Report
Ofsted conducted a full inspection report for Eary Years Provision on June 12, 2008. The entire report is reproduced below.
Inspection Report for Early Years Provision
| Unique Reference Number | EY240827 |
| Inspection date | 12 June 2008 |
| Inspector | Christine Jacqueline Davies |
| Registered Person | Catherine Brown |
| Type of inspection | Nursery Education |
About This Inspection
The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality of childcare and, if applicable, of nursery education. The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998.
This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004; the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding; and, where nursery education is provided, the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage.
The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration or 1 April 2004 whichever is the later.
The Key Inspection Judgements and What They Mean
| Outstanding: | this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality |
| Good: | this aspect of the provision is strong |
| Satisfactory: | this aspect of the provision is sound |
| Inadequate: | this aspect of the provision is not good enough |
For more information about early years inspections, please see the booklet Are you ready for your inspection? which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.
The Quality and Standards of the Nursery Education
On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection: The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.
What Sort of Setting Is It?
Rosemead Preparatory School is an independent school catering for children aged three to 11 years and is based in two separate buildings, located in Dulwich, in the London borough of Lambeth. The early years department is housed in a converted church building which has undergone major refurbishment, creating two nursery classes and two reception classes on the ground floor. On the first floor, there are two year one classes. Further planned development of the premises will enable year two classes to be accommodated in the future. Nursery children have access to a secure small outdoor area, which leads onto the main school playground, and is used by all the children. The headteacher is responsible for the overall management and leadership of the whole school in liaison with the Governing Body. The governing body consists of parents whose children attend the school. The Head of pre-prep is responsible for the leadership and management of the pre prep department. There are nine members of staff who work directly with children in the nursery and reception classes which consists of qualified teachers and classroom assistants, who have appropriate qualifications in early years. In addition, specialist teachers provide sessions in French, music, ballet, and physical education. A hot meal is prepared each day and the cook has appropriate qualifications. There are 338 children on roll of whom 88 are funded three and four year olds. The school is open from 08.00, an early class facility available from that time until the school day starts at 08.55 ending at 15.20 for nursery and reception.
The Effectiveness of the Provision
Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do
The provision is good. The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff have high expectations of children and ensure that the curriculum is well planned and stimulating, providing children with a good range of learning experiences. Curriculum plans provide an overview of how each area of learning will be developed and broadly indicate what support maybe required for some children, however some plans seen at the time of inspection, do not always clearly identify how the learning needs of children with differing capabilities will be addressed. Despite this, general learning intentions for all children are clear. Assessment of children's progress is good. Staff undertake a variety of methods to record children's progress which includes the use of a Foundation Stage learning map which essentially gives an overview of the aspects for each area of learning, samples of children's work and observations. However, it is not always clear how information obtained from observations are used to inform future planning. Nonetheless, Children are motivated, explore their environment with enthusiasm and are active, independent learners. So as a result, children make good progress in all six areas of learning.
Space is organised so that children have opportunities to work individually, in pairs or in small groups, allowing children to develop their social skills, cooperate and pursue their individual interests. Children have access to the small outdoor area throughout the day and also have access to the main playground during set times. Children display good levels of confidence and have ample opportunities to practise, refine and consolidate their learning during spontaneous and adult focused activities. In addition to this, staff use a good range of positive teaching strategies which takes into account the different learning styles of children, helping to develop and extend children's learning.
Children's knowledge and understanding of design and technology is good. For example, children recently completed a topic about dinosaurs. They created a dinosaur research facility where children were able look at the similarities, differences and features of dinosaurs, display their favourite drawings and consult reference books for further information about dinosaurs. Furthermore, children's proficient use of the computer enabled them to easily navigate and follow instructions when undertaking their favourite 'dinosaur hunter' computer game. Their learning was further extended during a show and tell session, where children enthusiastically discussed their favourite dinosaurs and highlighted the difference between herbivores and carnivores.
Children's emerging literacy and numeracy skills are underpinned by a good range of activities which takes place in all areas of provision. Visual displays of alphabet and number lines help reinforce children's understanding of numbers and language in meaningful contexts. Children develop their problem solving, reasoning and numeracy skills through practical activities such as calculating how many pennies they would need to 'purchase' their fruit at snack time and through number rhymes, songs and stories such as 'Six dinner Sid'. Staff support children's learning further by introducing a range of mathematical vocabulary during play. Children learn that print carries meaning and are provided with a good range of high quality fiction and non fiction books. Children are encouraged to develop their handwriting skills during free play as well as during structured activities. For example, children create their own newspapers, scribe their accounts of their visit to the Natural History museum and write the 'rules of the classroom' in their handmade torah scripts. Children regularly experiment with sounds during structured phonic sessions, through discussion, singing, story time and by noting the different melodies and harmonies when listening to African songs.
The programme for children's overall physical development and well-being is good. Children enjoy a broad range of activities which help them to become aware of their bodies, develop their large and small physical skills and spatial awareness. For example, children receive specialist teaching for physical education and ballet as well as having opportunities to release surplus energy during playtimes. In addition to this, children benefit from a good range of healthy snacks and meals and have access to fresh drinking water throughout the day. So as a consequence, children develop positive attitudes to maintaining their health and fitness and also develop healthy eating practices.
Helping children make a positive contribution
The provision is good. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Children are happy, confident and benefit from good levels of self-esteem. Staff encourage children to be kind and respectful towards one another and positive strategies are used to manage behaviour. For example, staff adopt a calm approach and always provide an explanation to children as to why certain behaviour may be unacceptable. So as a result, children think about the consequences of their actions, are polite and very well behaved. Inclusive practice is promoted within the school and children adopt a positive attitude towards diversity. They have many opportunities to develop their knowledge and understanding of the world and explore other cultures and beliefs. For example, children enjoy activities such as African mask making, and access a range of resources that reflects diversity. They also help to create wall displays based on the well known Caribbean children's book, Handa's surprise, reinforcing their knowledge of the wider world. Children with learning difficulties and disabilities are well supported within the school.
Partnership with parents and carers who receive nursery education is satisfactory. General communication with parents is a positive feature of the school and systems are in place to facilitate the sharing of information between parents and staff. For example, parents have opportunities to attend a meeting hosted by staff and governors, prior to joining the early years department, as well as at the beginning of the September term. During the year, parents can also have informal discussions with staff and have the opportunity to attend a formal meeting twice a year where staff produce a written report. Children's records of achievement are also available to parents, however, written information contained within some files does not always give parents a clear idea of what the next steps for children are. The provision of home/school link books for parents of children who attend the nursery, details what children have been doing over the course of the week, thus extending communication between school and home. Nursery parents also have the benefit of a keyworker with whom they can discuss any issues or concerns. However, these systems are yet to be introduced to parents whose children attend the reception. The head of early years recognises that these systems need to be provided for all parents and has identified this in the school improvement plan, as an area that requires further development.
Organisation
The organisation is good. Leadership and management is good. The head of pre prep has strong leadership skills, high expectations of staff and in conjunction with the headteacher, strives to continuously improve the quality of nursery education provided. There is a commitment to professional development and staff meet regularly to discuss practice issues and evaluate performance, helping to improve outcomes for children. Rigorous self evaluation and the development of a school improvement plan, enable the management team to quickly identify areas for improvement and further develop those areas of success. Overall, the setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.
Improvements since the last inspection
Not applicable.
Complaints since the last inspection
Not applicable.
The Quality and Standards of the Nursery Education
On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection: The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.
What Must Be Done to Secure Future Improvement?
The quality and standards of the nursery education
To improve the quality and standards of nursery education further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s):
- further develop assessment procedures so that it clearly shows how children with differing abilities are planned for and how information obtained from observations, inform future planning
- further develop systems for sharing information so that they are more informed of their child's learning and development
Any complaints about the inspection or the report should be made following the procedures set out in the leaflet Complaints about Ofsted Early Years: concerns or complaints about Ofsted's role in regulating and inspecting childcare and early education (HMI ref no 2599) which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.