/ 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
Knockbreda Nursery School
Belfast
Inspected: April 2002
STATISTICAL INFORMATION - NURSERY SCHOOLS
School: Knockbreda NurseryRef No: 411-6239
Date of Inspection: W/C 29 April 2002
Number of teachers (including Principal and part-time teachers): 2
(Full-time equivalent = 32.4 hours)
Number of nursery assistants (including part-time assistants): 4
(Full-time equivalent = 30 hours)
Total Enrolment:
Number of children attending full-time:
Number of children attending part-time:
Average attendance for the previous school year: (this should
be calculated from the date when the intake is complete)
Percentage of children entitled to free school meals:
/
76
26
50
86.5%
1.3%
Duration of sessions:
/
Full-time:
Part-time:
/
9.00 am-1.30 pm
9.00 am-11.30 am
12.20 pm-2.50 pm
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Knockbreda Nursery School is situated in Wynchurch Road, off the Upper Knockbreda Road, in Belfast. Fifty children attend the nursery school on a part-time basis and 26 attend full-time; 67 of the children are in their pre-school year. Just under two per cent of the children are entitled to free school meals. At the time of the inspection, the assistant teacher was absent.
1.2 The arrangements for the inspection of pastoral care included the completion of questionnaires by the parents as well as meetings with parents and governors. Nearly all of the comments from the meetings and questionnaires indicated a high level of satisfaction with the school, particularly in relation to the warm, caring environment, the commitment of the staff, the quality of care and the management of the school. A small number of parents were less satisfied with the information they received from the staff about their child’s progress.
2. SUMMARY OF MAIN FINDINGS
2.1 There is a settled, caring atmosphere in the nursery and relationships between the staff and the children are very good. The members of staff have a warm and caring approach to the children who appear at ease and happy in the nursery environment. The members of staff are quick to respond to the personal needs of the children and encourage good behaviour; the children respond well to the staff's expectations of appropriate behaviour. They settle quickly and confidently to their chosen activity and co-operate well with one another.
2.2 The nursery is bright and interesting. Good use is made of a wide range of the children’s art work to create colourful displays in the playrooms. Interest areas, supported by appropriate books and pictures stimulate the children's curiosity and increase their knowledge of the environment.
2.3 The communication with parents is good. Prior to the children being enrolled, the staff uses a variety of appropriate methods, including an open day, to inform the parents about the organisation of the nursery. The nursery provides the parents with clear information about the pre-school curriculum in order to encourage them to play a full role in the education of their children. In addition to the informal meetings which occur at the beginning and end of the sessions, the parents are invited into the school twice yearly to discuss their child’s progress with the class teacher. Through the use of questionnaires, the staff seeks the parents comments on aspects of the provision.
2.4 The nursery has in place appropriate procedures for pastoral care and child protection which are in line with guidance given by the Department of Education. The principal reports that, at the start of the school year, all the parents receive, and sign for, information relating to pastoral care and child protection.
2.5 The planning outlines a broad, balanced programme for the children, designed to foster their all-round development. The yearly planning outlines themes and topics which reflect appropriately the time of year and the children’s interests. Weekly planning includes details of the activities and resources to be used, as well as identifying clearly the learning which is to be promoted. The members of staff write detailed evaluations of the children’s individual responses to play, and their interests, which are used to inform the future planning.
2.6 The organisation of the nursery day allows for long periods of uninterrupted play, during which the children have time to explore a wide range of activities and to develop their play. The daily routines are well established; the organisation at snack time and lunch provides some opportunities for the children to take responsibility and develop independence; these routines should be developed further to ensure that all the time is used effectively for learning.
2.7 The play areas are laid out attractively at the beginning of the sessions; a wide range of activities helps to promote stimulating and productive play. There is interaction of good quality between the adults and the children. The members of staff encourage the children to observe, to investigate, to question and to think. They engage the children in valuable discussions about their play and their experiences; they spend sustained periods with groups and individuals, promoting the children’s language and participating skilfully in their play.
2.8 The nursery’s programme promotes effectively the children’s personal, social and emotional development. The range of activities provided offers good opportunities for learning in all of the other areas of the pre-school curriculum.
2.9 The children demonstrate good levels of concentration, independence and responsibility; many examples of sustained and purposeful play were observed during the inspection. The children choose freely from the activities on offer; they co-operate well with one another, take account of others’ ideas, and generally share the materials agreeably.
2.10 On the day of the inspection, planned building work prevented the use of a large portion of the outdoor play area. Outdoor play was confined to a small area and, therefore, a limited range of activities was available. Good use was made of the large equipment to develop the children’s confidence and help them gain appropriate physical skills. The children’s abilities to control small tools are developed effectively.
2.11 The children’s abilities to express their ideas creatively are developed through the use of a range of materials. They enjoy a variety of creative experiences involving painting, printing, cutting, sticking and modelling. Some of the children have begun to make representations of people and objects in their surroundings. The children have a good repertoire of rhymes and songs which clearly give them pleasure, and in which they participate enthusiastically; everyday situations within the playroom are used effectively to stimulate informal singing relevant to the children’s play.
2.12 There is 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. During the inspection, several children asked for a book to be read to them. Good use is made of the books related to the items on display in the interest areas. High priority is given to developing the children’s language through skilful talk and discussion, and the introduction by staff of a rich vocabulary and range of stimulating ideas. Many of the children are beginning to appreciate the connection between the written and the spoken word; some ask for captions to be written on their drawings. Many of the children display an interest in early writing and marking as they explore a variety of writing tools and paper as a natural part of their play.
2.13 The members of staff often use appropriate mathematical language when participating in the children’s play and promote an interest in counting, matching and making comparisons. Early scientific ideas are developed effectively through stimulating play with sand, water and dough; these activities are helping the children to develop an awareness of the properties of the materials. The children’s interest in the living environment is fostered by the planting and growing of seeds. There are also well-planned opportunities for the children to learn about living things through the observation of caterpillars and goldfish in the playrooms.
2.14 Good use is made of seasonal and environmental topics which have extended the children’s knowledge of, and interest in, the world around them. Carefully chosen themes provide a useful focus for learning about the environment; ideas about the different jobs people do have been incorporated into aspects of the play; for example, through their play in the “hospital” area and in the “café”, the children are gaining an awareness of the work of people in their community. The children help to clear the toys at the end of the play session and do so efficiently; they know where the materials are kept and handle them with care.
2.15 The members of staff monitor the children’s progress regularly and maintain detailed records of the children’s development and their identified needs; these records cover all the areas of development. The members of staff know the children well and they use the outcomes of their observations to help plan appropriate activities.
2.16 Staff from the two nearby primary schools, to which the children transfer, visit the nursery each year and sound arrangements are made to help the children make a smooth transition to year 1.
2.17 The members of staff maintain detailed information on the children identified as having special educational needs; educational plans outline clearly the progress made and the appropriate targets for development. The members of staff provide good levels of support for these children, while at the same time encouraging integration and independence.
2.18 The school is well organised and managed effectively; the principal brings a high level of skill, commitment and enthusiasm to her work. During the inspection, the staff worked closely as a team to carry out their duties and to support the children’s learning.
2.19 The quality of the accommodation is good. It has been improved recently with the addition of a parents’ room, as well as increased storage space for large equipment. The school has a good supply of resources which are used well to support learning in all aspects of the curriculum.
2.20 The strengths of the nursery include:
· the happy, caring atmosphere;
· the hard-working and dedicated staff;
· the well-behaved children;
· the many instances of interaction of high quality between the staff and the children;
· the well-planned curriculum which uses the children's interests and observations effectively to promote learning;
· the organisation of the nursery day which provides the children with good opportunities to explore a wide range of interesting and stimulating activities.
2.21 Overall, the quality of the education provided in this nursery school is good; the needs of the children are being well met.
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ã CROWN COPYRIGHT 2002
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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