Jack and Jill Community Pg, Plumbridge

Introduction

1.Jack and Jill Community Playgroup is a pre-school centre under voluntary management. At the time of the inspection, a total of 24 children attended the centre; 20 were in their pre-school year, 14 were present on the day of the inspection.

2.The inspection is part of a programme to ensure that appropriate standards of education are provided in centres receiving funding as part of the Government's expansion of pre-school education.

The Quality of the Educational Provision

3.The staff create a friendly, welcoming atmosphere in the centre. A lively mural and a small outdoor play area brighten the entrance to the centre. The two playrooms are decorated attractively. Some examples of the children’s art work enhance the environment. There are interesting nature displays, incorporating books, and displays of the children’s creations of threedimensional models. The photographic displays of the children at play provide a focus for the children’s talk as they recall past experiences. The majority of the children settle quickly to play and work co-operatively with one another. Some of the children experience difficulty in playing amicably with others and in co-operating with the staff. There is inconsistency in the approaches taken by the staff to the fostering of appropriate behaviour.

4.There are some useful links with the parents. Before the children start attending the centre, the parents are invited to an open day and are given information about the day-to-day management of the centre. An introductory booklet and regular newsletters provide some brief information on the curriculum. The leader reports that the staff intend to develop methods in order to involve the parents more fully, including the introduction of meetings to inform them of the children’s progress. A questionnaire is planned to be used to survey parents’ opinions. The inspection provided opportunities for the parents to express their views about the centre. Nearly all of those who responded were satisfied or very satisfied with the centre’s provision.

5.The centre has a suitable written policy on child protection. The staff are aware of appropriate procedures to safeguard the welfare of the children. The parents are given information about the centre’s policy and procedures.

6.The leader compiles the written planning, taking account of the staff’s views and ideas about the development of the educational programme. The planning of themes is effective in introducing a variety of interesting activities and topics. The short-term planning is detailed and includes some relevant evaluations. The leader needs to do more to ensure that all the staff are clear about the learning to be promoted through the activities and the use of the resources, and that the written planning is implemented effectively. The centre needs to develop further the planning in order to identify progression in the activities and to meet the children’s differing needs.

7.The daily timetable provides a valuable period of uninterrupted play when the children choose freely from the range of activities. The group activities in the latter part of the session are organised satisfactorily. During the snack time, the children develop a measure of independence as they help to prepare the food. The organisation of snack time is not effective enough in promoting the children’s social and mathematical development; opportunities are missed to foster conversational skills, particularly for those children who find it difficult to co-operate with the necessary rules.

8.The staff prepare the activities carefully and provide a good range of resources. There are some instances of productive play when the staff engage the children in valuable discussion about their experiences, and participate sensitively in the activities to provide role models and to extend the play. On occasions, the children are encouraged to observe and to think during play. Too often, however, the staff are not involved closely enough with the children in their activities and do too little to initiate play. The staff need to be more skilful in extending the play to provide fresh challenge when the children’s interest wanes. They should implement more effectively the centre’s behaviour management policy in order to support those children whose play is not purposeful, and who disrupt frequently the staff’s involvement with the other children.

9.Although a broad range of activities is provided, the learning opportunities inherent in these activities are not exploited skilfully enough to promote learning, particularly in relation to the development of the children’s concentration and sense of responsibility. The points which follow illustrate specific aspects of the programme.

During the inspection, there were instances of co-operative play, particularly at the sand tray and in the home corner, when many of the children related well to one another and to the staff. Some children displayed a good level of involvement in their play during the activities in the outdoor garden when they worked together amicably. There is, however, a small group of children whose play is less settled than it should be. These children do not concentrate well and often move aimlessly from activity to activity.

The children’s abilities to control small tools such as scissors, and to develop coordination skills are being developed satisfactorily. The staff need to improve the programme of energetic physical play and encourage the children to use the outdoor equipment.

The children’s painting, and examples of their model-making, often show attention to detail and good control of tools. During the inspection, the children had opportunities to sing and to record their efforts on tape. At the end of the year, the parents receive a tape recording of their child’s singing. Some children have opportunities to explore sounds using a wide variety of musical instruments.

The children are encouraged to develop an interest in the stimulating range of books and there are imaginative opportunities for them to experiment with marking and writing. The centre has a good supply of puppets and the staff sometimes incorporate them productively into the children’s play.

Sometimes, the staff encourage the children to count, match, and recognise shapes in their use of a range of materials and equipment during play.

There are suitable opportunities for the children to explore materials, observe changes and form ideas about how things work. During the inspection, the children were helped to notice the differences between soaked and dried peas. The children explored the vegetables provided in the home play area. The use of a stimulating book during play generated the children’s interest in talking about food.

The theme of ‘Transport’ is extending effectively the children’s interest in, and knowledge, of the world around them. The children’s experiences are extended usefully by members of the local community who visit the centre to promote road safety and care of the teeth.

10.The staff know the children well and are aware of some of their individual needs. They make efforts to monitor and address the particular problems faced by some children. They establish good relationships with these children’s parents and the staff co-operate with other professionals in the best interests of the children. The centre operates a key-worker system to monitor the progress of all the children. The staff need to develop a team approach in order to assess effectively and regularly the progress of all the children and to identify their differing needs.

11.The centre has established useful informal links with one of the primary schools to which the children transfer.

12.The leader has relevant qualifications in childcare and education and there is evidence of her efforts to implement her training as she develops the educational programme. She is an effective administrator and has secured much funding for the centre. It is evident from the range and quality of the resources that the funding has been used effectively. The staff recognise that improvements are needed in the educational provision; much remains to be done to ensure that a team approach is established in order to enable the centre to make progress. The leader needs to focus the staff’s efforts on the implementation and development of the pre-school curriculum. All the staff need to apply the knowledge and skills gained from their training and qualifications in order to promote more effectively the children’s learning.

13.The quality of the accommodation is satisfactory. The premises are bright and attractive and well maintained.

14.The range and quality of resources are very good. The staff should enhance further the provision of materials and equipment in order to support the implementation of a richer programme.

15.The strengths of the centre include:

the bright and interesting learning environment and the choice of activities available during the valuable period of free play;

the satisfactory opportunities for the children to develop scientific awareness;

the valuable links with other professionals;

the good range and quality of the resources;

the hard-working leader and staff.

16.The inspection has identified areas which require action. In addressing the most important areas, the centre needs to:

implement effective approaches and strategies for the management of the children’s behaviour in order to promote settled and productive play;

improve the quality of the staff’s participation in the play in order to promote effectively the children’s learning, in particular their personal, social and emotional development;

promote a more effective team approach among the staff in order to ensure that the curriculum is planned and implemented successfully.

17.Although there are strengths which can be built upon, overall, the quality of the educational provision in this pre-school centre is not entirely satisfactory. There are shortcomings in important areas which the centre needs to address promptly. The management committee should work with the staff to plan and implement the necessary improvements. The Department’s Inspectorate will carry out a short follow-up inspection to evaluate the progress being made.