/ Providing Inspection Services for
Department of Education
Department for Employment and Learning
Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure
Inspection of Jack and Jill Playgroup,
Cookstown, Co Tyrone
(DE Number: 5AB-0201)
A Report by the Education and Training Inspectorate
May 2005

STATISTICAL INFORMATION

Name of pre-school centre: / Jack and Jill Playgroup
Address: / 21 Loy Street
COOKSTOWN
Management Type: / Voluntary
Date of inspection: / 26 May 2005
Date of previous inspection: / 25 October 1999

1.Details of Children

Total number of children: / am session / pm session
  • attending the pre-school centre
/ 23
  • in their immediate pre-school year
/ 20
  • funded by Department of Education
/ 20
  • qualifying under DE admission criteria 1 & 2
/ 7
  • with a statement of SEN*
/ 0
  • without a statement but receiving therapy or support from other professionals for SEN
/ 0
  • with English as an additional language
/ 1
  • who left in previous school year to attend reception provision within a primary school
/ 0
Attendance:
  • percentage attendance** of funded children for the previous school year
/ 95%

*Special Educational Needs

**Calculated from the date when the intake was complete

2.Details of Staff

Number of: /

Full-time

/ Part-time
Staff, including leader / 3
Staff holding recognised childcare qualifications / 2
New appointments within previous 12 months / 1
Number of: ***
Students / 1
Trainees / 0

*** Total placements since September of current year

3.Details of Sessions

Duration of morning session / Duration of afternoon session / Number of days open in previous year
3 hours / N/A

4.Parental Questionnaires

Number issued to parents:

/ 20
Percentage returned: / 45%
Number of written comments: / 4

INTRODUCTION

1.Jack and Jill Playgroup is accommodated in a mobile building in the grounds of Holy Trinity Primary School. The children come mainly from the surrounding area.

2.In their response to the inspection questionnaire, the parents expressed a high level of satisfaction with the centre’s provision.

The Quality of the Educational Provision

3.The centre has a very positive ethos based on good relationships at all levels. There is a busy, productive atmosphere. The staff create an attractive and stimulating learning environment within the playroom; displays of a wide range of the children’s art work, accessible resources and interest areas, supported by appropriate books and pictures, successfully arouse the children’s curiosity and increase their knowledge of the environment. The children are well behaved and co-operate agreeably with the staff and one another.

4.The staff are developing effective links with the parents. In addition to the informal meetings which occur at the beginning and end of the day, the parents are invited into the centre to discuss their children’s progress with the leaders.

5.The centre has a suitable written policy on child protection which is shared with the parents and implemented by the staff.

6.The planning outlines a broad, balanced programme for the children, designed to foster their all-round development. The planning identifies clearly those aspects of learning which the staff intend to promote through the various play activities and is effective in guiding the staff in their day-to-day work with the children. There is evidence that the planning is being implemented by all of the staff.

7.The session is well managed to provide a good balance of free play and activities organised by the staff. The necessary routines are managed unobtrusively and used effectively to promote learning.

8.The close involvement of the staff in all aspects of the play is a key strength of the centre. The staff spend sustained periods with groups and individuals, promoting the children’s language and thinking and participating skilfully in the play. The staff clearly enjoy working with the children and often generate a sense of fun as they engage with them.

9.The centre’s programme promotes very effectively the children’s personal, social and emotional development. The range of activities provided offers good opportunities for learning in most of the other areas of the pre-school curriculum. The points which follow illustrate specific aspects of the programme.

  • The children are well motivated and show a high level of involvement in their activities. There are many instances of good co-operative and imaginative play when the children share materials agreeably and take account of the wishes of others.
  • The staff work hard to make the best use of the small enclosed outdoor play area to ensure that the children have some regular opportunities for energetic physical play. The children’s abilities to control small tools such as scissors and pencils are developed effectively.
  • The wide range of creative activities provided encourages the children to explore and experiment with different materials and tools; many of the children are making detailed representations of people and objects in their surroundings. There are good opportunities for them to sing and make music.
  • The atmosphere and environment of the centre provide rich opportunities for the promotion of language. There is a very strong encouragement for the children to develop an interest in books; they pay close attention during story sessions and frequently browse in the book corner or explore an information book during their play. The staff make effective use of the play opportunities to develop the children’s conversational skills and use appropriate questions to extend and develop language and learning. Many of the children demonstrate a keen interest in marking and experimenting with early writing.
  • Appropriate aspects of early mathematical learning are incorporated incidentally into the play and necessary routines. Stories, songs and rhymes are often used effectively as a starting point for learning about number.
  • Early technological ideas are developed effectively through the use of a range of constructional materials. The staff provide an interesting range of natural materials, living things and items of interest for the children to observe and investigate; these experiences extend the children’s knowledge of, and interest in, the world around them.

10.The staff are developing an appropriate system of assessment. They observe and evaluate the quality of the children’s play and are building up individual profiles of the children’s achievements. They share information on the children’s progress with their parents and make some use of the information to modify the programme of activities and the deployment of resources. Changes in the staffing have had an adverse affect on the systematic recording of some observations during part of the year. The staff are working to address this matter.

11.The centre is actively seeking to establish links with the local primary schools. Transition records are completed for all the primary schools to which the children transfer.

12.The staff make good efforts to identify and address the learning difficulties experienced by some children. They offer support to the children and liaise with the parents and other professionals when appropriate.

13.The new leader has been in post for a very short period of time. She is enthusiastic and committed and provides a good role model in her own work with the children. The staff plan and evaluate the programme together and all contribute to the effective operation of the centre. There is a strong sense of teamwork developing. The centre’s early years specialist highlights relevant areas for action and provides appropriate support for the staff. The leader, staff and the early years specialist should now develop a more detailed development plan and begin a systematic and inclusive process of self-evaluation in order to implement further improvement.

14.The quality of the accommodation is satisfactory. The staff make good use of all the available space within the centre. The staff intend to develop the limited area outdoors in order to create a more productive learning

environment for the children. The centre has an adequate supply of resources which the staff present in a thoughtful and stimulating manner. Further resources are required in order to enhance the opportunities for the children to develop a wider range of physical skills.

15.The strengths of the centre include:

  • the very positive ethos based on good relationships at all levels;
  • the attractive and stimulating learning environment;
  • the variety and quality of the learning experiences, particularly the development of the children’s language, creative abilities, confidence and self-esteem;
  • the skilful involvement of the staff which promotes the children’s concentrated and productive play;
  • the effective use of books to promote and sustain interest;
  • the smooth organisation of the day;
  • the thoughtful approach to planning a well-balanced pre-school programme;
  • a developing sense of team work among the hard-working and enthusiastic staff.

16.There are major strengths in nearly all aspects of the educational and pastoral provision in this pre-school centre. The needs of the children are being met effectively.

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 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, CoDownBT197PR. A copy is also available on the DE website: