STATISTICAL INFORMATION - NURSERY SCHOOLS
School: Holy Rosary Nursery, BelfastRef No: 113-6289
Date of Inspection: 3 May 2001
Number of teachers (including Principal and part-time teachers): 2
(Full-time equivalent = 32.4 hours)
Number of nursery assistants (including part-time assistants): 2
(Full-time equivalent = 30 hours)
Total Enrolment:
Number of children attending full-time:
Number of children attending part-time:
Average attendance for the previous school year: (this should
be calculated from the date when the intake is complete)
Percentage of children entitled to free school meals:
/
52
52
0
92.2%
25%
Duration of sessions:
/
Full-time:
Part-time:
/
9.15 am-1.45 pm
Introduction
1.1Holy Rosary Nursery School is situated in Sunnyside Crescent, off the Ormeau Road, in Belfast. The school provides full-time places for the 52 children enrolled. All of the children are in their pre-school year. Twenty-five per cent of the children are entitled to free school meals.
1.2The arrangements for the inspection included the completion of questionnaires by the parents as well as meetings with parents and governors. The majority of comments from the meetings and questionnaires indicated a high level of satisfaction with the school, particularly in relation to the warm, caring environment, the commitment of the staff, the quality of care and the management of the school. Very few parents were less than satisfied with the information they received from the staff in reference to their child’s progress. The report includes comments on these matters.
2.SUMMARY OF MAIN FINDINGS
2.1There is a happy, family atmosphere, the staff have a warm and caring approach to the children who appear at ease and happy in the nursery environment. Relationships between the staff and the children are very good. The staff take time to greet the children and listen to their news. They are consistent in the strategies they adopt for encouraging settled and sustained play. The secure and stimulating environment helps the children grow in confidence, independence and self-esteem. The staff work together effectively in the best interests of the children. The children relate well to one another; some firm friendships are developing. The playrooms are bright and inviting; a variety of the children’s art work is displayed around the school. Interest areas, supported by appropriate books and pictures stimulate the children’s curiosity and improve their knowledge of the environment. Photographs initiate the children’s discussions about previous activities and events, and help to inform parents of the learning opportunities provided through the play activities.
2.2The nursery has in place appropriate procedures for pastoral care and child protection which are in line with guidance given by the Department of Education.
2.3The staff have developed strong links with the parents. Prior to the children being enrolled, the staff use a variety of appropriate methods to inform parents about the organisation of the nursery. A very informative monthly newsletter provides information about the educational programme and events planned in the nursery. There are good opportunities for the parents to approach the staff informally at the beginning and end of sessions. The staff seek the parents comments on aspects of the provision through the use of questionnaires. Educational and social meetings are designed to inform parents about the educational programme and encourage them to play a full role in the education of their children.
2.4Since the beginning of the year the staff have worked together to refine their planning for the various themes which they introduce throughout the year. They have compiled some useful documents which identify aspects of the learning inherent in the themes selected. Further development of the planning is needed to indicate how the provision and use of the play resources will progress steadily throughout the year.
2.5Thoughtful organisation of the daily routines allows the nursery day to flow smoothly. The sessions provide valuable periods during which the children are encouraged to choose freely from the full range of activities and adequate time for exploring the range of activities and developing their play. The snack time and lunch routines are organised informally and operate efficiently. These routines encourage the children’s independence and sense of responsibility. The partition between the two playrooms is opened for periods each day; this joining of the playrooms provides good opportunities for the children to use familiar materials in different circumstances, to enjoy lunch together and to interact with the other adults and children in the nursery.
2.6The support provided by the staff contributes to interaction of high quality between the adults and the children. The staff encourage the children to observe, to investigate, to question and to think. They engage the children in valuable discussions about their play and their experiences. They spend sustained periods with groups and individuals, promoting the children’s language and participating skilfully in their play. They are quick to respond if a child is having difficulty or if a child’s interest wanes. The play areas are presented attractively at the beginning of each session; a wide range of interesting activities helps to promote interesting and stimulating play.
2.7The nursery’s programme promotes effectively the children’s personal, social and emotional development (PSED). The range of activities provided offers good opportunities for learning in all of the other areas of the pre-school curriculum.
2.8The careful attention given to promoting the children’s PSED is evident in the children’s abilities to make independent choices of activity and to sustain good levels of concentration. The children are developing independence and a sense of responsibility. There are many instances of good co-operative play when the children share materials agreeably and take account of the ideas and wishes of others. The children have ready access to resources and materials and there are many interesting and topical displays thoughtfully arranged at the child’s level.
2.9Outdoor play is an aspect of the school that has appropriately been identified for further development. The additional safety surface of the outdoor play area and the resources in use there, enhance the play experiences for the children. During the inspection, good use was made of the outdoor area to provide a wide range of activities. The careful arrangement of resources, and the teaching of safe play, help the children to gain appropriate skills and to use the large equipment with confidence. There are many opportunities for the children to explore and experiment outdoors.
2.10The wide range of art materials and techniques is used to stimulate the children’s imagination. The children enjoy a variety of creative experiences involving painting, printing, cutting, sticking and modelling. Some of the children have begun to make representations of people and objects in their surroundings. There are daily opportunities for informal singing; the children have acquired a good repertoire of rhymes and songs which they clearly enjoy. They have opportunities to play simple percussion instruments. The staff have identified music as an area for further development.
2.11High priority is given to developing the children’s language through skilful talk and discussion, and the introduction by staff of a wide vocabulary and range of stimulating ideas. The majority of children are developing good language skills and are displaying more confidence and fluency in expressing their ideas. There is strong encouragement for the children to develop an interest in books; they are attentive during interesting story sessions, and stories are used to settle a few children when they require individual adult support. The children frequently browse in the book areas and refer to the information books that link into the theme of the month. Currently, a parent comes into the nursery for a few days each week to read stories to small groups of children. The children are introduced to some text incidentally, through annotations on their paintings.
2.12There is effective promotion of early mathematical ideas through various aspects of play. The children are encouraged to match, order, make patterns and pictures and make informal comparisons of weight and length. During the inspection, a group of children and a member of staff discussed the distances and travelling times related to a variety of holiday destinations. The adult skilfully extended the children’s thinking and introduced incidentally appropriate mathematical language about the different types of transport available and the cost of such holidays. Stories, songs and rhymes are used effectively as a starting point for learning about number.
2.13The children’s early ideas of science and technology are developed effectively through stimulating play with sand, water, dough and blocks. The purposeful and skilful involvement of the staff during play with these materials encourages the children to observe closely, note changes and discover properties of a wide range of natural materials. These well-presented opportunities stimulate the children’s curiosity and sense of wonder. The introduction of sunglasses, suncream, sun-hats and light summer clothing into the home area raises the children’s awareness of their senses, personal care and safety in the sun.
2.14Good use is made of seasonal and environmental topics to extend the children’s knowledge of and interest in, their natural environment and the world around them. During the inspection, the children were enthusiastic about caring for their planted seeds and bulbs, and in observing the growth of the turf of grass used as part of a mini-beasts display. The staff organise a variety of visits to places of interest. Many of these visits are linked clearly to the development of aspects of the programme and enhance the children’s imaginative play.
2.15The staff are reviewing and developing their methods for monitoring and evaluating the children’s responses during play. The staff know the children well, they are using a range of techniques, such as tracking children in the activities chosen, and recording their observations. The staff need to adopt a more systematic approach to monitoring, recording and reporting the children’s progress more formally to parents.
2.16The staff are hard-working and conscientious. The principal is enthusiastic and she and her staff care deeply for the children. She has clear goals for the school and promotes a spirit of review and development. She has led the school in developing the planning, assessment, improving the environment for learning and developing links with parents and the wider community. There is an appropriate development plan which the principal intends to extend further. Each week, the staff meet as a team to discuss, plan and evaluate the work of the nursery.
2.17Good use is made of all the available space within the nursery which maximises the amount of play available for the children. There are some deficiencies in the accommodation. The external door does not operate efficiently, consequently during the inspection the door was open and easily accessible to the children. The concertina partition is difficult to open and close. As this is used frequently, it is a potential health and safety hazard to the children. The excellent work that is being developed in involving parents more in the education of their children is limited due to the lack of accommodation for meeting with parents during the day. The work developed to date in the outdoor play area is having a positive impact on the provision of a wider variety of activities and experiences for the children. The school’s resources are good, however, the storage space is inadequate to cope with the addition of new resources.
2.18The strengths of the nursery include:
- the happy, caring atmosphere; the well-behaved children who are very responsive to the staff;
- the many instances of high quality interaction between the staff and the children;
- the many instances of purposeful and productive activity and high levels of concentrated play; the good opportunities provided to promote the children’s observation, investigative and creative skills both indoors and outdoors;
- the organisation of the nursery day which provides the children with good opportunities to choose from a wide range of interesting and stimulating activities;
- the effective leadership of the nursery and the promotion of a spirit of review and development; the hard-working and conscientious staff;
- the links established with the local primary school, the local playgroups and the excellent relationship established at all levels;
- the addition of authentic items and the wide variety of natural materials which enhances the play experiences for the children.
2.19Overall, the quality of the education provided in this nursery school is good; the needs of the children are being well met. The staff should plan to address the few areas which require attention.
APPENDIX
Health and Safety
1.At the time of the inspection the concertina partition was difficult to open and close and is a potential health and safety hazard to the children and staff.
2.The external doors were not adequately secured to prevent access by strangers.
3.The Governors reported that the entrance area becomes very congested during the children’s arrival and departure times.
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