Glenburgh Nursery Centre
Rutherglen
Glasgow

16 December 2009

We published a report on Glenburgh Nursery Centre in January 2009. That report set out key strengths of the school and main points for action.

This follow-through report is based on an inspection visit which was carried out in November 2009. It tells you about improvements since the original inspection in the quality of education which the centre provides. It also comments on how the school is getting on with the main points for action. First, we focus on changes in the core work of the school. We explain how the school has got better at helping children to learn and benefit from being at the school. Next, we look at the key processes which enable this to happen, including the involvement of parents¹. Our report also describes developments in the ‘ethos’ of the school, by which we mean how well children are cared for and how much is expected of them in all aspects of school life. Finally, we comment on improvements in leadership to help the school achieve its aims.

A copy of this report has been placed on the HMIE website www.hmie.gov.uk. Where applicable, you will also find descriptions of good practice in the school and analyses of questionnaire returns.

Contents

1. The centre
2. Particular strengths of the centre
3. How well do children learn and achieve?
4. How well do staff work with others to support children’s learning?
5. Are staff and children actively involved in improving their centre community?
6. Does the centre have high expectations of all children?
7. Does the centre have a clear sense of direction?
8. What happens next?

3. How well do children learn and achieve?

Children take part enthusiastically in a wide range of play and learning activities. Babies enjoy exploring their reflections in mirrors. Children aged two to three participate in outings to the local area and are keen to help tidy up at the end of the session. Children aged three to five play well together to build marble runs and train sets. They are making friends and learning to take turns during games.

Across the nursery, children are learning about recycling waste and help to tidy up the nursery garden. The majority of children aged three to five are confident in using bikes outdoors and balancing on beams. They are becoming creative at craft using different materials and are discovering what floats and sinks using fruit and vegetables.

Children in the nursery are now making better progress in their development and learning. Babies can use simple words to communicate. They are exploring different shapes such as cubes. Children aged two to three are able to use the computer and, with help, can complete simple jigsaw puzzles. They enjoy stories and can talk about familiar characters, for example in ‘The Three Little Pigs’. They can match shapes and objects of different sizes during posting game. The majority of children aged three to five can talk about things that make them happy. They are able to recognise their name in print and are exploring early drawing and writing during play activities. Most can count confidently to ten and use mathematical language such as longer and shorter to talk about the lengths of different objects.

Staff have updated the curriculum to take account of new local guidance and enable them to continue to provide a very good range of activities for children from birth to three years. Staff working with older children have improved the way they plan the children’s learning. They are providing a broader range of opportunities for learning in line with Curriculum for Excellence. They are promoting children’s early literacy and numeracy skills more during play activities, for example through measuring games. In all playrooms there is a very good range of books for children. Staff have improved the way they interact with children during play to support their learning. Staff now carry out detailed observations of children’s learning and involvement in activities. They ensure that all children’s progress and achievements are recorded and celebrated effectively with their parents. Staff have attended training to increase their knowledge of how to support children who have difficulties with their learning. Individual learning plans help staff to identify and meet children’s learning needs effectively.

4. How well do staff work with others to support children’s learning?

Staff have developed partnerships with a range of support services including health, speech therapy and educational psychology. They work with a local family centre to deliver a ‘play and share’ course for parents. They provide drop-in sessions on a range of topics such as safety in the home and financial management to support parents and families. Parents have more opportunities to become involved in the work of the nursery. These include working with staff on the weekly lending library, fundraising and participating in committees, for example to improve the nursery garden. Parents feel that communication has improved in the nursery.

5. Are staff and children actively involved in improving their school community?

Staff, parents and children were involved in developing the nursery’s vision. They now have a clear view for taking the nursery forward. All staff have participated enthusiastically in a range of training to support recent improvements. The manager needs to continue to develop with staff approaches for monitoring the work of the nursery and the way the nursery recognises what it does well and what needs to be improved.

6. Does the centre have high expectations of all children?

Staff have created a caring and nurturing learning environment for all children. They have raised their expectations for children’s learning. This helps them focus on children’s progress and celebrate children’s achievement, for example through the ‘Star of the Week’ award. Staff have improved their procedures for child protection. Staff have taken part in appropriate training to help them keep children safe. All staff are now clear about their roles and responsibilities.

7. Does the centre have a clear sense of direction?

The head of centre and acting deputy head have supported and developed teamwork among staff well. They show a high level of commitment to the ongoing improvement of the nursery. Working together, staff have improved the work of the nursery, for example in using questioning to support children’s learning. Staff need to continue to develop approaches to self-evaluation. Overall, Glenburgh Nursery Centre has a much better capacity to continue to improve.

8. What happens next?

There is clear evidence of improvement since the original inspection. The centre now performs well overall. We will make no further visits in connection with the January 2009 inspection report.

Managing Inspector: Aileen Valenti

16 December 2009

When we write reports, we use the following word scale so that our readers can see clearly what our judgments mean.

If you would like to find out more about our inspections or get an electronic copy of this report, please go to www.hmie.gov.uk.

Please contact us if you want to know how to get the report in a different format, for example, in a translation, or if you wish to comment about any aspect of our inspections. You can contact us at HMIEenquiries@hmie.gsi.gov.uk or write to us at BMCT, HM Inspectorate of Education, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston EH54 6GA.

Text phone users can contact us on 01506 600 236. This is a service for deaf users. Please do not use this number for voice calls as the line will not connect you to a member of staff.

You can find our complaints procedure on our website www.hmie.gov.uk or alternatively you can contact our Complaints Manager, at the address above or by telephoning 01506 600259.

Crown Copyright 2009

HM Inspectorate of Education

Footnotes

1. Throughout this report, the term ‘parents’ should be taken to include foster carers, residential care staff and carers who are relatives or friends.