Cumbernauld College Nursery
Cumbernauld
North Lanarkshire Council

18 February 2009

Contents

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

This report tells you about the quality of education at the centre. We describe how children benefit from learning there. We explain how well they are doing and how good the centre is at helping them to learn. Then we look at the ways in which the centre does this. We describe how well the centre works with other groups in the community, including parents¹ and services which support children. We also comment on how well staff and children work together and how they go about improving the centre.

Our report describes the ‘ethos’ of the centre. By ‘ethos’ we mean the relationships in the centre, how well children are cared for and treated and how much is expected of them in all aspects of centre life. Finally, we comment on the centre’s aims. In particular, we focus on how well the aims help staff to deliver high-quality learning, and the impact of leadership on the centre’s success in achieving these aims.

If you would like to learn more about our inspection of the centre, please visit www.hmie.gov.uk. Where applicable, the website contains analyses of questionnaire returns and descriptions of good practice in the centre.

4. How well do children learn and achieve?

Learning and achievement

Children are becoming increasingly independent and successful in their learning. Most children concentrate well with their chosen activity. Children are developing their understanding of the natural world as they learn outdoors in different weathers. They persevere well to solve problems as they build structures. While playing with sand and water they are becoming increasingly familiar with the properties of natural materials. They are familiar with planting and growing through their experiences in the nursery garden. Children are becoming confident individuals as they make decisions and take responsibility for their learning. For example, they are encouraged to be aware of possible risks when taking part in outdoor activities. Children are developing control of their hand/eye movements as they pour their drinks at the snack table and play percussion instruments. Children speak confidently about their work and share their ideas. They record their work effectively though painting, drawing and making models. Children listen well to stories and are able to recall familiar rhymes. Older children are able to recognise their name in print and some are becoming aware of letter shapes and sounds. They use mathematical words appropriately when playing. Most enjoy counting games and can recognise number symbols. Older children are familiar with shapes and match patterns well. Children are confident using computers, showing good mouse control. When children help prepare the food for snack, they understand the need for good hygiene and about eating healthily.

Curriculum and meeting learning needs

The nursery curriculum is carefully organised with a focus on the national initiative Curriculum for Excellence. Staff are very reflective of their work and consistently try to meet children’s needs and interests. They support children well through encouragement, praise and skilful questioning. Children have challenges and opportunities to achieve success in their learning. However, staff need to ensure that all children continue to make steady progress, for example in their understanding of literacy and number. Children enjoy a wide range of activities which support all areas of learning and development. Appropriate resources offer a range of challenges to suit differing needs. The interactive whiteboard and digital microscope give opportunities for further learning experiences. Skilful use of the internet and multi-cultural celebrations develop children’s awareness of the wider world. They enjoy a wide range of energetic physical play outdoors. Children have excellent opportunities to use all their senses and explore the natural world. There is an extensive environmental programme in place, including re-cycling which enables children to become responsible citizens. The curriculum is very well supported by visits into the local shopping area. Children also attend art, music and drama performances held in the college. Children’s learning is encouraged at home through themed ‘home-link’ bags. Curricular plans are shared with all families. These activities are evaluated by children and parents.

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

Staff have formed very supportive relationships with children and parents. Parents are confident their children are very well cared for and their individual learning needs are being met. They appreciate the work of the staff in providing a stimulating learning environment for their children. Staff work well with other agencies to help children progress in their learning. These include social workers, speech therapist, psychologists, learning support teachers, health visitor and dental education worker. Each child and family has regular contact with a key member of staff, to share information and achievements. The college provides transport for outings and college staff and students engage in additional learning opportunities for children within the college. Nursery staff access additional resources from North Lanarkshire authority’s toy lending library to extend children’s learning experiences. Visitors are welcomed into the nursery to extend children’s knowledge and understanding of their world. An effective transition programme ensures children experience continuity in their learning as they progress through the nursery. Nursery staff invite primary schools to visit when children are moving on.

6. Are staff and children actively involved in improving their centre community?

The very effective team in the nursery promotes a very positive ethos in which all parties are valued and respected. Children and parents are fully consulted on all aspects of the nursery. Children are actively involved in developing policies, for example a behaviour policy for the nursery. Children were fully involved in drawing up guidelines and rules for the ‘Forest Away Day’ experience. Parents are very supportive of the nursery and organise a variety of events throughout the year. They fully support the nursery school’s initiatives, for example ‘Forest Away Day’ and Health Promoting Schools. Staff are committed to continually improving their skills, knowledge and qualifications. They take part in mentoring and sharing good practice within the nursery. They also regularly share examples of good practice with child minders and other local authority educational centres. The head of centre monitors all aspects of nursery practice and written reports

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

The very good relationships between staff and parents create a warm and welcoming atmosphere which helps children learn. The nursery head of centre and staff are all highly committed to children’s wellbeing. They all set very high expectations of children’s behaviour. They consistently encourage good manners, turn taking, sharing and respect in all children. Older children are very considerate towards younger ones. Staff value and respond to children’s opinions, for example about the noise level in the nursery room. Children are encouraged to make decisions, and nursery rules change to meet their needs and ideas. Staff know what to do to keep children safe. The child protection policy is shared with all parents. Children know how to keep safe when playing indoors and outside. Children are fully involved in health promotion activities and hygiene practices. They brush their teeth while at nursery.

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

The head of centre has a clear vision for the development of the nursery. She is fully committed to life-long learning opportunities for herself, her staff and parents. She supports parents very well in accessing college courses and with child care arrangements. Staff are very aware of new initiatives in early years education. All staff use national performance indicators to evaluate and improve their work. As a result of excellent self-evaluation, they are very well placed to continue to improve through building on existing good practice. The nursery is working towards a gold award in Health Promoting Schools and a Green Flag in the Eco-Schools Scotland initiative.

9. What happens next?

As a result of the very good quality of education provided by the centre, we will make no further visits following this inspection. The education authority will inform parents about the centre’s progress as part of the authority’s arrangements for reporting to parents on the quality of its pre-school centres.

At the last Care Commission inspection of the centre three recommendations were made, and all had been addressed.

Quality indicators help centres, education authorities and inspectors to judge what is good and what needs to be improved in the work of a centre. You can find these quality indicators in the HMIE publication The Child at the Centre. Following the inspection of each centre, the Scottish Government gathers evaluations of three important quality indicators to keep track of how well all Scottish centres are doing.

Here are the evaluations for Cumbernauld College Nursery.

We also evaluated the following aspects of the work of the centre.

Managing Inspector: June Drylie
18 February 2009

To find out more about inspections or get an electronic copy of this report go to www.hmie.gov.uk. Please contact the Business Management and Communications Team (BMCT) if you wish to enquire about our arrangements for translated or other appropriate versions.

If you wish to comment about any of our inspections, contact us at HMIEenquiries@hmie.gsi.gov.uk or alternatively you should write in the first instance to BMCT, HM Inspectorate of Education, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston EH54 6GA.

Our complaints procedure is available from our website www.hmie.gov.uk or alternatively you can write to our Complaints Manager, at the address above or by telephoning 01506 600259 or the Complaints Coordinator, Headquarters, Care Commission, Compass House, Riverside Drive, Dundee DD1 4NY.

If you are not satisfied with the action we have taken at the end of our complaints procedure, you can raise your complaint with the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO). The SPSO is fully independent and has powers to investigate complaints about Government departments and agencies. You should write to SPSO, Freepost EH641, Edinburgh EH3 0BR. You can also telephone 0800 377 7330, fax 0800 377 7331 or e-mail: ask@spso.org.uk. More information about the Ombudsman’s office can be obtained from the website at www.spso.org.uk.

This report uses the following word scale to make clear judgements made by inspectors.

Crown Copyright 2009
HM Inspectorate of Education

Footnotes

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