Introduction

1.Naíscoil Charn Tóchair is a pre-school centre under voluntary management. At the time of the inspection, a total of 15 children attended the centre; eight were in their pre-school year.

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 children attending the centre are from English-speaking homes and they experience early immersion in the Irish language as the medium of communication and interaction over a two-year period in the centre.

4.There is a warm and welcoming atmosphere in the centre; relationships between the staff and the children are very good. The children and their parents are invited into the playroom; the children settle quickly to play. The staff work hard to create an attractive and interesting learning environment. The children are encouraged to be well-behaved and relate well to one another; on occasions, some of the children are not sufficiently challenged by their activities and engage in play which is not sufficiently productive.

5.Relationships with the parents are friendly and informal. Appropriate settling-in arrangements are established and all the children appear happy and secure in the centre. The staff use a noticeboard and newsletters to inform the parents about some aspects of the centre’s provision. Before the children start attending the centre, the staff need to include better opportunities for the parents to learn about the pre-school programme and the policies that guide the work. There are informal opportunities for the staff and the parents to meet to discuss the children’s progress and development. The inspection provided opportunities for the parents to express their views about the centre. All the parents who responded were satisfied or very satisfied with the centre’s provision.

6.The centre has a general written policy on child protection which is available to the parents. Further development of the child protection procedures is needed to ensure that they are comprehensive and understood by all the staff and the committee.

7.The staff have diligently compiled detailed written planning combining a thematic approach with a strong emphasis on the development of the Irish language. The staff’s approach to planning helps them to provide variety and some development within the identified areas of play; however, the planned programme as a whole is insufficiently broad and balanced. The staff need to ensure that their planning provides a better framework for guiding the development of the children’s creativity and curiosity through investigative learning. There is a need to plan more effectively for the children’s differing stages of development, and for progression in their experiences throughout the year.

8.A range of activities and materials are provided for the children and most of the children select and play freely throughout the session. During the inspection, the most productive play occurred when the children were encouraged to develop their own ideas and to solve their own problems. Too frequently, the children’s learning was limited through the overuse of templates and colouring sheets. The staff missed opportunities to promote fully the play with natural materials. Aspects of the snack time promoted successfully the children’s independence and their language acquisition skills. The organisation throughout the session needs to be improved in order to ensure that all the time is used effectively to promote learning.

9.The quality of language used by the staff is always satisfactory and often excellent. In the best practice observed during the inspection, the language was delivered with considerable confidence, fluency and much accuracy. The staff use the Irish language effectively as a means of communication and create an

atmosphere which encourages and supports the children’s language acquisition. The staff often engage the children skilfully in activities which focus on the language and which extend effectively the children’s aural and oral skills.

10.Although the centre’s programme includes some valuable learning opportunities, and the children are making satisfactory progress in their acquisition of Irish, overall the curriculum is too narrow; important areas of learning are under-developed. In particular, inadequate attention is given to the promotion of early ideas of science and technology, and to physical and creative development. The points which follow illustrate specific aspects of the programme.

  • The children generally co-operate well with one another, appear confident and are learning to share materials agreeably. During the inspection, the most concentrated and productive play resulted from the good quality involvement of the staff and the stimulus of the materials. At times, more needs to be done to provide appropriate additional stimulus in order to encourage some children to participate productively in activities and to develop their play.
  • The lack of an outdoor play area and the size of the playroom restricts significantly the children’s opportunities to engage in energetic play. The physical play programme is limited to some music and movement activities and play with small equipment. The children have satisfactory opportunities to develop their manipulative skills through the use of small tools, such as pencils and scissors.
  • The children show an interest in colour and in creating their own pictures. The staff need to ensure that the children have opportunities to choose from a wider variety of materials and that the development of their own ideas is encouraged.
  • During the inspection, the children listened attentively and responded to simple instructions, questions, and greetings in Irish. Many of the children are developing a sound oral knowledge of single words related to topics such as colours, animals, food and basic number. A number of children are beginning to communicate appropriately using a combination of the two languages. All of the children participate willingly in sessions involving prayer, song and rhyme in Irish. The children are learning to handle books with respect; they need better opportunities to choose books, discuss illustrations and share stories.
  • There are some useful opportunities for the children to develop early mathematical ideas and language through the medium of Irish. During the inspection, the use of beads and cards helps the children to sort and match, and tidy-up routines also promote awareness of these concepts.
  • Although some children demonstrate an interest in natural materials and plants, and in how things work, there is insufficient development of the children’s scientific skills. The staff need to plan better opportunities for the children to investigate, explore and observe as integral elements of the play, and build more effectively on the children’s interests.
  • The staff make effective use of a few members of the local community to develop the children’s awareness of the world around them. Better resources are needed for dressing-up and for imaginative role-play to enhance the children’s understanding of the work of people in the community.

11.The staff have recently established a system of assessment. Some useful information about the children’s achievements and needs are recorded and individual profiles are being compiled. The staff need to develop further the methods for monitoring and reviewing the children’s progress in learning, including their language development, in order to inform the planned programme, to provide more effectively for individual needs, and to support the reporting procedures.

12.The good links with another Irish-medium pre-school centre and the local Irish-medium primary school assist the children’s smooth transition to year1 and provide support in the development of the centre’s curriculum and policies.

13.The leader has been in post for nine months. The staff are undertaking appropriate qualifications in childcare and education; the leader expects to complete her qualifications shortly. The staff work effectively as a team to develop the programme and to ensure that there is a shared understanding of the objectives of the play sessions. The management committee are supportive of the work of the centre and plans are at an advanced stage to relocate the centre to more suitable accommodation. The staff report that they benefit from the advice, guidance and support of the early years specialist. There is a need for this support to focus more clearly on specific aspects of the staff’s work in order to improve the quality of the children’s learning.

14.The quality of the accommodation is barely satisfactory and it limits severely aspects of the programme.

15.There is a basic range of resources which needs to be enhanced in order to support the implementation of a more challenging and progressive programme.

16.The strengths of the centre include:

  • the welcoming and caring atmosphere and the good relationships between the staff and the children;
  • the many instances of skilful interaction between the staff and the children to promote the children’s Irish language development;
  • the good links with the neighbouring Irish-medium pre-school centre and primary school;
  • the excellent quality of the Irish language spoken by the leader;
  • the enthusiastic leadership, and the hard-working team.

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

  • develop further the planning, and implement a more appropriate programme, in order to ensure breadth and balance in the pre-school curriculum, providing appropriate challenge and progression for the children;
  • develop a more effective assessment system and use the information to guide the planned programme;
  • review the organisation of the day in order to ensure that the children have adequate time and opportunities for creative and investigative play;
  • improve the links with the parents in order to ensure that they are informed appropriately about the centre’s policies and curriculum, and the children’s progress.

18.Although there are some strengths which can be built upon, aspects of the educational provision in this pre-school centre are not entirely satisfactory. There are shortcomings in important areas which the centre needs to address. 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.

APPENDIX

Health and Safety

  • The steps leading to the front entrance are insecure and uneven.
  • The storage of building materials in the cloakroom creates a potential safety hazard for the adults and the children.
  • At the entrance to the playroom, a portion of the floor is broken and in need of repair.
  • The seat in the children’s toilet is broken and needs replaced.

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