/ Providing Inspection Services for
Department of Education
Department for Employment and Learning
Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure
Education and Training Inspectorate
Report of a Short Inspection
Kilkeel Nursery School
Inspected: March 2005

STATISTICAL INFORMATION ON KILKEEL NURSERY SCHOOL

1. Details of Children

Number of children: / Class 1 / Class 2
Attending full-time / 27 / 0
Attending part-time / 0 / 52
Under 3 years of age* / 0 / 11
With statement of SEN** / 1 / 0
At CoP stages 3 or 4*** / 0 / 1
At CoP stages 1 or 2*** / 0 / 0
With English as an additional language / 1 / 0

* On 1 July.

** Special Educational Needs.

*** The stages refer to those set out in the Code of Practice for the Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Needs.

Percentage qualifying under DE admission criteria 1 or 2. / 15.2%
Average attendance for the previous year. / 92.8%

2. Duration of Sessions

Full-time / Part-time: am / Part-time: pm
4½ hours / 2½ hours / 2½ hours

3. Details of Staff

Number of: / Full-Time / Part-Time
Teachers / 2 / 0
Nursery Assistants / 0 / 0
Qualified Nursery Assistants / 4 / 0
Number of: ****
Students / 0
Trainees / 2

**** Total placements since September of current year

4. Parental Questionnaires

Number issued / 79
Percentage returned / 67.1%
Number of written comments / 17

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Kilkeel Nursery School shares the campus of Kilkeel Primary and High Schools in Harbour Road. The children come from the town and the surrounding rural area.

1.2 The arrangements for the inspection included the completion of questionnaires by the parents as well as a meeting with the Governors. The Governors and most of the parents expressed a high level of satisfaction with the provision overall; many parents wrote very positive comments about the nursery. There was a lower level of satisfaction with the information parents received about the activities and with the school’s efforts to help them encourage their own children’s learning. An issue raised through the questionnaires was shared with the staff.

2. THE QUALITY OF THE EDUCATIONAL PROVISION

2.1 The school has a caring atmosphere and the children appear secure and settled; their behaviour is very good. The children’s art work and photographs of their activities are displayed attractively throughout the nursery; further steps should be taken to make the entrance areas more appealing.

2.2 There are good relationships with the parents and appropriate arrangements for informing them about the school’s organisation, policies and aspects of the programme. The parents are encouraged to borrow books to read to their children at home. The operation of the Developing of Early Learning and Thinking Abilities (DELTA) programme has been suspended temporarily. There are opportunities for the parents to meet with the teachers twice a year to discuss their children’s progress; written summaries are provided.

2.3 The nursery is implementing procedures for pastoral care and child protection in line with the Department of Education’s Circular 1999/10. Some additions should now be made to the written policy to ensure that it addresses the most recent guidance.

2.4 The staff plan systematically for the educational programme. They identify aspects of learning that they intend to promote and the support needed by individual children. They now need to extend the references to learning within the planning documents to ensure that areas of the pre-school curriculum are developed fully and that maximum value is gained from all the activities indoors and outdoors.

2.5 The day flows smoothly and routine activities, including the informal snack arrangements, are handled unobtrusively. Appropriate time is allocated to sessions involving the whole class in rhymes, songs and stories, and to energetic play outdoors. The staff should now extend further the learning that is promoted through snack time and outdoor play.

2.6 The staff display an awareness of their role in promoting learning and nearly all become involved sensitively in the children’s play. During the inspection, there were some good examples of effective interaction between the staff and the children that extended the children’s ideas and introduced a range of language. This effective practice was particularly evident in the full-time class. At other times, the staff showed less skill in extending the play and interacting in ways that promoted the children’s language and learning. The staff need to work together to ensure, especially in the part-time sessions, that all of their involvement in the play, and the quality of the activities presented to the children, are more consistently of a high standard.

2.7 The nursery’s programme provides effectively for many aspects of the pre-school curriculum. The potential within the activities needs to be developed further in order to promote ideas and language related to early mathematical and scientific thinking, and awareness of the environment.

2.8 The children are well motivated and show a good level of involvement in their activities. Many of them play in a concentrated manner and pay close attention during story-time and other activities. They use the art materials and equipment confidently and show good control of tools. The staff value the children’s creative work and display it attractively; the paintings and pictures show a developing ability to represent people and objects. Singing and music-making are regular and enjoyable activities; the children join in enthusiastically. There are good opportunities for the children to develop confidence and skills in their use of large and small equipment.

2.9 The children talk confidently to one another during play and many are articulate in expressing their ideas. Where there is good adult involvement, language is extended through natural discussion arising from the play activities. There are some good opportunities for mark-making and for developing an awareness of print and text. Story-reading is handled skilfully; more use needs to be made of books as an integral part of play.

2.10 Although some of the children’s records were not available during the inspection, there is evidence that the staff use some valuable strategies for observing and recording the children’s responses to play. The approaches to assessment now need to be developed further to ensure that clearer information is available about the children’s progress, and that the planning, presentation of resources and staff interaction take greater account of the ages and stages of development within the classes.

2.11 There is good provision for the children with special educational needs with evidence of careful planning and review of targets and strategies. The children are well integrated and appropriate focused support is provided. The staff have attended relevant training for various aspects of special educational needs.

2.12 Transition records are provided for all the schools to which the children transfer. The valuable links with the nearby primary school include opportunities for discussions between the nursery and the year 1 teachers. Links with other primary schools need to be developed.

2.13 There is evidence that the staff work hard and, for the most part, co-operate well as a team. The Principal has recently returned to duty following an extended period of leave. The school development plan identifies appropriate areas for review and improvement, including the area of assessment and the development of early mathematical learning. Progress on some areas for development has, understandably, been delayed by the Principal’s absence. Effort is now needed from all of the staff to address the issues raised in this report. The staff should consider how they might use the process of self-evaluation to assist them in bringing about improvement.

2.14 The supply and quality of the resources are good. The accommodation provides adequate space for play; better use should be made of the enclosed veranda to offer a wider range of equipment and play activities. Storage space is inadequate and areas of the school appear cluttered.

2.15 The strengths of the nursery include:

·  the caring atmosphere and the children’s settled behaviour;

·  the relationships with the parents;

·  the children’s motivation and level of involvement in their activities;

·  the promotion of the children’s physical, creative, and personal, social and emotional development;

·  the provision made for children with special educational needs;

·  the identification of appropriate areas for improvement as part of the development plan;

·  the evidence of team-work among the hard-working staff.

2.16 The inspection has identified areas for improvement. In addressing the most important of these areas, the nursery needs to:

·  improve the overall effectiveness of the staff’s interaction with the children, ensuring that the planning and resourcing of activities support the necessary developments.

2.17 There are strengths in many aspects of the educational and pastoral provision in this nursery. There are also areas that require improvement if the needs of the children are to be met fully.

APPENDIX

HEALTH AND SAFETY

The school should take further action to ensure that an adequate level of supervision is available at all times during outdoor play sessions.

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ã CROWN COPYRIGHT 2005

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Copies of this report may be obtained from the Inspection Services Branch, Department of Education, Rathgael House, 43 Balloo Road, Bangor, Co Down BT19 7PR. A copy is also available on the DE website: www.deni.gov.uk