/ Providing Inspection Services for
Department of Education
Department for Employment and Learning
Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure
Inspection of Naíscoil An Traonaigh
Lisnaskea, Co Fermanagh
(DE Number: 2AB-0484)
A Report by the Education and Training Inspectorate
November 2003

STATISTICAL INFORMATION

Name of pre-school centre: / Naíscoil An Traonaigh
Address: / Barnhill, Derrylin Road
Lisnaskea
Co Fermanagh BT92 0HD
Management Type: / Voluntary
Date of inspection: / 03 November 2003
Date of previous inspection: / N/A

1.Details of Children

Total number of children: / am session / pm session
  • attending the pre-school centre
/ 13
  • in their immediate pre-school year
/ 9
  • funded by Department of Education
/ 9
  • qualifying under DE admission criteria 1 & 2
/ 6
  • 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
/ 0
  • 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
/ 81%

*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 / 2
Staff holding recognised childcare qualifications / 0
New appointments within previous 12 months / 0
Number of: ***
Students / 0
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 hrs / 188

4.Parental Questionnaires

Number issued to parents:

/ 13
Percentage returned: / 46%
Number of written comments: / 2

Introduction

1.Naíscoil An Traonaigh is situated in purpose-built premises within the village of Lisnaskea. The children come from a wide rural area and are transported to the centre by their parents. All of the children attending the centre are from English-speaking homes and they experience a programme of early immersion learning through the medium of the Irish language.

2.In their response to the inspection questionnaire, the parents expressed a high level of satisfaction with all aspects of the centre’s provision. Some parents included written comments praising the work of the staff and the development of the children’s Irish language.

The Quality of the Educational Provision

3.The playroom is bright and spacious: much thought has been given to creating defined areas for play. The room is enhanced by the use of photographs and displays of the children’s art work. The children are at ease with the staff: they are generally settled and well behaved.

4.The staff use a variety of appropriate methods to inform the parents about the centre’s provision. Irish language classes are organised to help the parents support their children’s language development at home and the staff report that they intend to meet the parents three times during the year to discuss their children’s progress. The staff should now provide more detailed information about the pre-school curriculum in order to help the parents play a partnership role in the education of their children.

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

6.The staff have made a useful start to planning the educational programme. The use of some relevant themes is helping to provide a variety of interesting activities throughout the year. The short-term planning emphasises the development of the Irish language and includes some reference to the learning that the staff intend to promote through the play activities. The planning methods now need to be developed further to ensure that the overall programme is sufficiently broad and balanced and progresses appropriately over the two years that the children attend the centre.

7.Although the timetable provides a short period of uninterrupted play in the early part of the morning, the session as a whole is fragmented. The staff need to improve the organisation of the day in order to ensure that the session flows smoothly and all time is used effectively for learning. In particular, the staff should review the arrangements for snack time and the group activities that follow to facilitate an extended period of uninterrupted play. The staff also need to manage more effectively the energetic play and group story sessions.

8.The close involvement of all the staff in the children’s play activities, and their competent use of the Irish language, are key strengths of the centre. The staff are successful in encouraging most of the children to play in a settled manner; they act frequently as role models to extend the play and promote the children’s language development.

9.Although the centre’s programme includes some valuable learning opportunities, and the children are making good progress in their acquisition of the Irish language, overall, the curriculum is too narrow and important areas of learning are under-developed. More needs to be done to ensure that the programme promotes consistently all aspects of the children’s development. The points which follow illustrate aspects of the centre’s provision.

  • The children are gaining confidence in choosing freely from the activities. During the inspection, there were instances when the children engaged in sustained and purposeful play; this play was particularly evident in the “sick bay area”. A small number of children require additional adult support in order to promote further their confidence, independence and social skills.
  • There are some opportunities to develop the children’s fine manipulative skills as they use small items of equipment and tools such as pencils and paintbrushes. The staff need to improve the resources and planning for the physical play programme in order to engage the children’s interest and offer sufficient challenge and progression throughout the year.
  • There are regular opportunities for informal singing and for listening to recorded music: the staff share the words of new songs with the parents in order to help them support the children’s learning at home. Further attention needs to be given to developing the children’s own ideas during art-related activities.
  • The provision of an inviting story corner, and a range of good quality books incorporated into areas of play, foster the children’s interest in books. During the inspection, good use was made of the imaginative play in the home corner to encourage the children to experiment with early writing. The children learn the Irish language in a relaxed and natural way. The staff are committed to speaking Irish as often as possible and they make extensive use of the language for instructional purposes and as a means of communication. Most of the children listen attentively to the adults and can follow simple instructions. Some of the children are beginning to repeat phrases and respond using simple words.
  • The staff frequently use appropriate mathematical language when participating in the children’s play and foster an interest in counting, size and making comparisons. A range of educational visits and visitors to the centre develops the children’s understanding of the different roles people play in the community. More attention needs to be given to stimulating the children’s curiosity and developing their abilities to investigate the world around them.

10.The staff operate a key-worker system; they have introduced appropriate record sheets to build up profiles of the children’s progress in all areas of the pre-school curriculum. The assessment methods, however, are at an early stage of development. The staff need to ensure that key areas of development are monitored consistently, and that the assessment information is linked to the planning, in order to meet the children’s differing needs. In addition, the staff require further support to enable them to identify and monitor the children’s special needs and to plan effectively to support them.

11.The staff report that records are completed for all the primary schools to which the children transfer. Effective links have been developed with the centre’s social worker; the staff report that they value her advice and support.

12.The pre-school centre is recently established and is in the early stages of development. The staff are hard-working and co-operate as a team. They are currently working towards the completion of appropriate qualifications in early years care and education. Better opportunities are needed for the staff to work together to develop the planning and assessment methods. The early years specialist provides well-focused guidance and support which are valued by the staff. Continuing support is needed from the early years specialist and the management committee in order to help the staff undertake the developmental work required.

13.The quality of the accommodation is good. The centre has a secure outdoor play area and plans to develop this area further. The centre has a basic range of resources which need to be improved further in order to support the implementation of a more challenging and progressive programme of play. In particular, additional resources are needed for constructional play, creative activities and physical development.

14.The strengths of the centre include:

  • the effort made in creating a bright and colourful playroom with well-organised areas for play;
  • the instances when the children displayed sustained interest and purposeful play;
  • the staff’s sustained involvement in the children’s play;
  • the good progress that the children are making in their acquisition of Irish;
  • the sense of team-spirit and the progress made in developing aspects of the centre’s provision.

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

  • develop further the planning of the programme, and improve the resources, in order to ensure that the educational programme is sufficiently broad and balanced and progresses appropriately over the two years;
  • improve the organisation of the daily timetable to ensure that all time is used effectively to promote learning;
  • develop a more consistent and systematic approach to assessment in order to ensure that the children’s progress is identified clearly and that the information is linked to the planning to enable the children’s differing needs to be met.

16.Although there are strengths which can be built upon, there are also important shortcomings in areas of the educational and pastoral provision in this pre-school centre. The children’s needs are not being met as well as they should be. The staff and the management committee need to work together to plan and implement the necessary improvements.

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 CROWN COPYRIGHT 2004

This report may be reproduced in whole or in part, except for commercial purposes or in connection with a prospectus or advertisement, provided that the source and date thereof are stated.

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:


/ Ag Soláthar Seirbhísí Cigireachta don
Roinn Oideachais
Roinn Fostaíochta agus Foghlama
Roinn Cultúir, Ealaíon agus Fóillíochta
Cigireacht ar Naíscoil an Traonaigh
Lios na Scéithe, Co. Fhear Manach
(Uimhir RO: 2AB-0484)
Tuairisc ón Fhoireann Chigireachta Oideachais agus Oiliúna
Samhain 2003

 CÓIPCHEART CROWN 2004

Is féidir an tuairisc iomlán seo nó cuid de a atáirgeadh, ach amháin le haghaidh cuspóirí tráchtála nó i dtaca le réamheolaire nó fógra, ar an choinníoll go léirítear an fhoinse agus an dáta de.

Is féidir cóipeanna den tuairisc seo a fháil ó Bhrainse Seirbhísí Cigireachta, an Roinn Oideachais, Teach Rath gCaol, 43 Bóthar Bhaile Aodha, Beannchar, Co. an Dúin BT19 7PR. Tá cóip ar fáil freisin ar shuíomh Idirlín na RO: