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Feb 2001Nursery Education Inspection ReportTHE DRIVE PREP SCHOOL NURSERYInspection Number: 1160545
·
INFORMATION
ABOUT THE SETTING ·
IMPROVEMENT
SINCE THE LAST INSPECTION ·
WHAT
THE SETTING NEEDS TO IMPROVE ·
OUTCOME
AND RECOMMENDATION FOR THE TIMING OF THE NEXT INSPECTION ·
HOW
GOOD IS THE EDUCATIONAL PROVISION? ·
HOW
WELL THE CHILDREN ARE LEARNING o
Personal,
social and emotional development o
Communication,
language and literacy o
Knowledge
and understanding of the world o
Children's
spiritual, moral, social and cultural development ·
HOW
WELL THE CHILDREN ARE TAUGHT ·
HOW
WELL THE SETTING WORKS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS AND CARERS ·
WHAT
THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT INSPECTION
OF NURSERY EDUCATION
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Name
of setting: |
The
Drive Prep School Nursery |
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Setting
number: |
584339 |
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Address: |
5
The Drive |
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Hove |
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Brighton
and Hove |
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Postcode: |
BN3
3JE |
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Person
responsible for the day-to-day management of the setting: |
Sue
Parkinson |
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Position: |
Head |
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Name
of RgNI: |
Caroline
Bishop |
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RgNI's
Registration number: |
28367 |
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Date(s)
of inspection: |
15
& 16 February 2001 |
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Inspection
number: |
1160545 |
The inspection took place as part of a national programme of inspection of the educational provision for three- and four-year-olds. It was commissioned by the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED), a non-ministerial department of central government.
The purpose of the inspection is to assure government,
parents and the public that funded nursery education is of an acceptable
quality. Inspection also identifies strengths and weaknesses so that providers
can improve the quality of educational provision and help children to achieve
the early learning goals (elgs) by the end of the Foundation Stage. This
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.
The Drive Preparatory School is a co-educational school
for children aged three to 13 years, which has been established for five years
and is in the process of expansion. It occupies part of a large house in the
centre of Hove. The nursery department takes children from three to four years
and has 20 children on the register. Funding is received for five
three-year-olds and three four-year-olds, none of whom have special educational
needs or speak English as a second language. The children are taught in two
classrooms and also use a large activity room, quiet room, music corner and art
room. The classes are run by two staff with nursery qualifications. In addition
there is a teacher for French and another for PE and dance. The head, who is a
qualified teacher, sometimes works with the children. The school is open from
9.00am until midday, and an afternoon session is offered until 3.30pm. The
majority of children come from professional families who live near the school.
At the Drive Prep School Nursery children are making good progress towards all the early learning goals. Staff use effective teaching methods and present well-planned practical activities that motivate children to learn. Staff communicate well with children, and this is particularly effective in promoting children's personal, social and emotional development and their spoken language skills. The school encourages children to develop fluency in reading at an early age. Appropriate emphasis is given to focusing children's attention on mathematics in a variety of practical activities, which helps children to make steady progress in their mathematical understanding. Assessments of individual children's progress are used well to guide planning and teaching. There is an effective partnership with parents and carers, which has a positive effect on children's learning.
The nursery has
made good progress since the last inspection. The planning system has been
adapted to show what the children are expected to learn each day, and now
provides an effective guide to teaching.
Staff provide
well-planned activities that motivate all children, and promote positive
attitudes to learning.
Good teaching techniques, with effective discussions and explanations, help
children to develop their skills in communication, language and literacy, and
encourage them to think things out for themselves.
Effective observations of children's progress are used to provide appropriate
challenges for all children.
Staff manage children well and organise teaching effectively to provide a
variety of activities which include appropriate guidance from staff and allow
children to make choices.
Staff provide clear guidelines for behaviour and encourage children to develop
caring attitudes towards others.
Opportunities
for children to use a range of larger equipment to extend their physical skills.
Taken overall, the quality and standards of the educational provision, and the progress children are making towards the early learning goals, is good. The action plan should show how the provider will address the key issues or points for consideration within 12 months of the inspection.
It is recommended that the next inspection occurs within two to four years.
The
quality of learning is good and children are progressing well towards all the
early learning goals. Good relationships with staff have a positive effect on
learning, particularly on children's personal, social, and emotional development
and their language skills. Children are motivated and take part in all
activities enthusiastically. They behave well, responding positively to
directions and questions from staff and concentrating for long periods of time.
Children's learning is supported as they explore and solve simple problems
presented by staff. Children are often able to follow their own interests and
take part in practical activities, developing personal independence and finding
things out for themselves. Staff use their knowledge of individual children's
progress to plan activities which build on what they have already learnt,
helping them to make further progress.
Personal, social and emotional development
Children's
personal, social and emotional development is good. Children have good levels of
involvement, concentration and perseverance. They participate confidently and
enthusiastically in activities and are happy and interested in what they are
doing. Staff provide positive role models through their own enthusiasm. Daily
routines such as answering the register give children good opportunities to
build their self-confidence in front of a group. Children are polite and behave
well, and staff give clear guidelines for behaviour. Staff treat children and
other adults with respect, and expect children to behave considerately to
others, helping them to develop a good sense of community. Children are learning
to cope with different emotions and staff manage children's behaviour well.
Children are building good relationships, co-operating with each other, and
responding well to direction from staff. Children show good levels of
independence and are expected to do some things on their own, such as changing
their clothes for PE and putting on their aprons.
Communication, language and literacy
Children
are making very good progress in developing their communication, language and
literacy skills. Staff interact well with children, taking an interest in what
they say and giving priority to developing language skills. Children show
increasing confidence during discussion times, expressing themselves well,
contributing their own ideas and responding well to questions. Staff encourage
children to extend their thinking by talking about their experiences and ideas,
encouraging them to respond and asking them to make predictions. Staff discuss
the meaning of new words and encourage children to use the words appropriately.
Children are beginning to recognise letters of the alphabet and to link sounds
to words. The school uses an effective action-based reading method, which helps
children to start to recognise words. Children enjoy learning to read and are
making rapid progress. Children take books home each day to reinforce their
reading skills, allowing parents to be involved in their children's learning.
Children are developing independent writing skills; dictating their ideas,
copying words written by a teacher and labelling their own work, depending on
their stage of development.
Children
are making good progress towards the early learning goals in mathematics. Staff
group three- and four-year-olds effectively, presenting relevant activities that
help to develop specific skills in mathematics. Staff also use mathematical
vocabulary throughout other sessions, such as PE and painting, giving
mathematics appropriate priority within all activities for three- and
four-year-olds. Staff question children effectively, encouraging them to
practise skills and extend their learning. Children respond well, clearly
enjoying activities and participating well. They show a developing understanding
of number and respond confidently to simple problems posed by staff, such as
sharing a packet of crisps evenly between two people and identifying odd and
even numbers. Three-year-olds explore, identify and compare simple shapes, and
four-year-olds extend their understanding by exploring features of shapes,
comparing the number of sides of a square and a triangle, for example. Staff
encourage children to estimate and to explore weight in practical situations.
Three- and four-year-olds are encouraged to compare numbers and show a
developing understanding of addition and subtraction.
Knowledge and understanding of the world
Children
are making good progress in developing their knowledge and understanding of the
world. They do simple experiments with sand and water, watch the changes as
plants grow and look at features of the made world, such as road signs, traffic
lights and seat belts. Children explore the local environment, making
collections of objects from the beach, for example, and learning about the sea
and the tides, and are building an understanding of the wider environment and
other cultures. Staff plan activities with four-year-olds to look at historical
events, while three-year-olds compare differences between the past and the
present. They build with a range of construction equipment, designing models
confidently. Very good use is made of the computer to support children's
learning, especially in communication, language and literacy, mathematics and
science. Children show increasing confidence and competence with equipment, and
use it enthusiastically.
Children
are progressing well towards all the early learning goals for physical
development. They move confidently and imaginatively, and are enthusiastic when
taking part in physical sessions. A qualified PE teacher works regularly with
the children and provides good, well planned sessions, which the children
thoroughly enjoy. Children practise moving in different ways and show an
increasing awareness of space. They use some equipment such as bats, balls,
beanbags and hoops to practise specific skills, and activities encourage
children to extend their skills. Staff sometimes take children to the local park
to use the large equipment for climbing and balancing but there is a limited
range of equipment for children to use regularly to practise larger physical
movements. Children use increasing control and coordination when handling tools
and smaller equipment. Staff discuss health issues with the children and help
them to learn how to look after their bodies.
Children
are making good progress towards the early learning goals for creative
development. They use a range of materials in art and craft activities, which
include modelling, painting, drawing, printing and building. Staff plan
activities which help children identify and compare colours, and children
experiment with mixing colours in different ways. Children explore sound in
regular music sessions with a qualified music teacher, and learn about
differences in rhythm, speed and volume, for example. They listen to a range of
music which helps them to appreciate music from other cultures, and sometimes
express themselves through dance. Children express themselves confidently and
imaginatively in different role-play situations, communicating their ideas and
feelings well and becoming involved in their roles. They represent their ideas
well on paper, showing increasing drawing skills in response to experiences or
topics, for example.
Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered appropriately
The
quality of teaching is good. Staff understand child development and the
different stages of learning. The planning system has been extended and now
clearly identifies aims for children's learning, providing an effective guide
for teaching. Different plans are made for three- and four-year-olds,
appropriate for their stage of development. Staff plan interesting activities
which encourage enthusiasm in children. Priority is given to personal, social
and emotional development, ensuring that children are motivated and involved in
activities. Staff have a gentle approach, encouraging confidence and allowing
children to follow their own interests and to take part in new experiences.
Staff provide effective guidelines for behaviour and handle any problems well.
They use effective teaching methods, extending language and literacy and
mathematical skills throughout sessions, and questioning children effectively to
extend their learning. Staff have high expectations for children's achievements
and explain and introduced activities well, providing appropriate challenges for
three- and four-year-olds. Staff use a well-managed timetable with a good range
of activities and groupings, and use resources and accommodation well to help
all children to make progress in learning. Staff are aware of the Code of
Practice on the Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Needs, and
monitor children's individual progress effectively. They record progress in all
areas of learning and use this information effectively to make individual plans
for each child every term. The effective planning and assessment systems ensure
that activities build on what children already know and help them to make steady
progress in learning.
The
school has a very good partnership with parents and carers. When children start
their families are given clear, useful information about the nursery, including
the aims of the whole school and details of the curriculum relating to the early
learning goals for three- and four-year-olds. Staff are welcoming and talk to
parents as they deliver and collect children, discussing any problems or
achievements. Parents are well informed about their children's achievements and
progress; daily progress books are completed by staff and provide useful
information about what the children have been doing each day. Parents are also
encouraged to use the books to share what they know about their children,
providing a useful system for communication. Staff complete written reports on
children's progress in each area of learning, which keep parents up-to-date on
children's development. Parents are expected to be involved in some of the
things children do, with a positive effect on learning.
*Opportunities for children to use a range of large apparatus to extend their physical skills.
*This issue was immediately addressed.