Integrated Inspection by the Care Commission and HM Inspectorate of Education of
Glamis Primary School Nursery Class
Angus Council

15 March 2006

Glamis Primary School Nursery Class
Glamis
Angus
DD8 1RJ

The Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act, 2001, requires that the Care Commission inspect all care services covered by the Act every year to monitor the quality of care provided. In accordance with the Act, the Care Commission and HM Inspectorate of Education carry out integrated inspections of the quality of care and education. In doing this, inspection teams take account of National Care Standards, Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16, and The Child at the Centre. The following standards and related quality indicators were used in the recent inspection.

Evaluations made using HMIE quality indicators use the following scale, and these words are used in the report to describe the team’s judgements:

Very good : major strengths
Good : strengths outweigh weaknesses
Fair : some important weaknesses
Unsatisfactory : major weaknesses
Reports contain Recommendations which are intended to support improvements in the quality of service.

Any Requirements refer to actions which must be taken by service providers to ensure that regulations are met and there is compliance with relevant legislation. In these cases the regulation(s) to which requirements refer will be noted clearly and timescales given.

HOW TO CONTACT US

If you would like an additional copy of this report

Copies of this report have been sent to the headteacher, staff and the education authority. Copies are also available on the Care Commission website: www.carecommission.com and HMIE website: www.hmie.gov.uk

If you wish to comment about integrated pre-school inspections

Should you wish to comment on any aspect of integrated pre-school inspections, you should write in the first instance to Kenneth Muir, HMCI, at HM Inspectorate of Education, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston EH54 6GA.

Our complaints procedure

If you have a concern about this report, you should write in the first instance to either:

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. The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman is fully independent and has powers to investigate complaints about Government departments and agencies. You can write to The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, 4-6 Melville Street, Edinburgh EH3 7NS. You can also telephone 0870 011 5378 or e-mail enquiries@scottishombudsman.org.uk. More information about the Ombudsman’s office can be obtained from the website: www.scottishombudsman.org.uk.

A copy of the HMIE complaints procedure is available from the HMIE website at www.hmie.gov.uk or by telephoning 01506 600 258.

Crown Copyright 2006

Care Commission

HM Inspectorate of Education

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.

Introduction

Glamis Primary School Nursery Class was inspected in November 2005 as part of the integrated inspection programme by the Care Commission and HM Inspectorate of Education. The nursery catered for pre-school children aged three to five years. HMIE carried out this inspection on behalf of both organisations and consulted the Care Commission about its findings. It was registered for eight children attending at any one session. At the time of the inspection the total roll was six.

The environment

Standard 2

The nursery was accommodated in the main building of the primary school. Children were cared for in a welcoming, colourful and stimulating environment. Staff had attractively displayed children’s work in the playroom and had organised displays on tables at children’s level with items for them to investigate. Useful information for parents was available in the cloakroom, including the plans for that week’s activities. Appropriate security measures were in place to ensure children’s safety.

Although the playroom was compact, staff used the space effectively to ensure children had a wide variety of interesting activities and resources to choose from. Children were able to play independently or in groups. A dedicated, secure outdoor play area was accessible from the nursery. Children enjoyed playing outdoors and using equipment stored in the garden house. Staff made very good use of the bright and airy school gym hall to provide regular opportunities for indoor physical play.

Resources were well maintained and measures were in place to control the spread of infection. Staff formally risk assessed the nursery and outdoor play area.

Quality of children’s experience

Standard 4 & 5

Staff had good knowledge of the stages of children’s development and learning. They had very good relationships with children. They interacted very well with them to extend and support their learning. Children had good opportunities to express their views. They were very motivated, played cooperatively and encouraged each other.

The early years practitioner worked closely with the visiting nursery teacher to implement effective procedures for planning and assessing children’s learning. They regularly made observations, discussed children’s progress and identified support needs. Children and staff made good use of digital photography to record children at play. Staff compiled comprehensive folders of children’s work and information relating to individuals and these were shared with parents.

Features of the programmes for children included the following.

• The programme for emotional, personal and social development was very good. Children were happy and confident with nursery rules and routines. They had very good opportunities to develop independence. The child who was helper of the day assisted staff with the preparation of fruit and iced a birthday cake for snack. Children emptied and stacked the dishwasher. Staff made effective use of praise to develop children’s self esteem and to encourage them to persevere at activities. Children were very well behaved and were developing good awareness of the needs of others. The nursery was involved in working towards a health promoting school award.
• The programme for communication and language was very good. Children had fun with stories and rhymes and listened carefully to adults and each other at discussion time. They enjoyed re-telling the story of the ‘Bear Hunt’ and used instruments to create sound effects. Staff encouraged children to use factual books to learn about dinosaurs and to use descriptive language. Children were looking at books in the ‘dinosaurs den’ and comfortable reading area, supported by a member of staff. They had good opportunities to develop their skills in early writing and had made their own big books. Staff supported children to recognise their own name and to label their work. Children enjoyed learning nursery rhymes and songs.
• In knowledge and understanding of the world, the programme was very good. Staff made effective use of places of interest in the community, including the castle and museum, garden centre and post office. They also invited a very good range of visitors to meet the children and talk about their work. Children had been learning about growing things. They enjoyed a variety of planting activities in the nursery garden and school planters. Staff provided very good opportunities for children to learn about technology using programmable toys, a music mat and computer. Children had made interesting models of the digital resources they were using. They were keen to build homes for the dinosaurs and were problem solving about different sizes. Staff paid good attention to developing children’s skills in counting, sorting and recognising shapes at play activities. Children had good opportunities to learn about other cultures.
• Overall, the programme for expressive and aesthetic development was good. Staff encouraged and supported children to dress up and role-play as dinosaurs. Children had enjoyed other contexts for imaginative play in the garden centre and cafe. Staff planned a good range of art and craft activities, including painting, printing, collage and modelling. However, they needed to provide opportunities for children to express their own artistic ideas. Children played together enthusiastically and were keen to look at books to assist with their drawings. Staff provided very good opportunities for children to sing, play musical games and to explore sound using instruments. They celebrated Scottish culture through music and poetry.
• In physical development and movement, the programme was very good. Staff provided an appropriate and wide range of opportunities for children to develop their hand control using construction equipment, jigsaws, a computer mouse, dough, scissors and drawing resources. Children enjoyed playing outdoors, where they had fun exploring different ways of moving and chanting rhymes. They were very excited about choosing from a variety of interesting equipment such as balls, a basketball hoop and wheeled toys to develop their physical skills playing outside. Staff made good use of the school gym hall to provide energetic indoor play.

Support for children and families

Standard 6

Staff knew children very well and gave very good support to them and their families. They responded appropriately and sensitively to individual needs and circumstances. Parents who completed the pre-inspection questionnaire, and those who were interviewed, expressed their satisfaction with all aspects of the service. They commented on the friendly and caring staff and how happy and settled the children were. They were kept very well informed about the work of the nursery through informal daily discussions, regular newsletters and parents’ evenings. Staff had invited parents to an information and communications technology workshop to learn about children’s experiences in the nursery. They provided informative, annual, next steps reports for parents.

There were very good arrangements for children transferring into P1 at the school. The early years practitioner also worked as a classroom assistant and she provided additional support and links with the early stages classes.

Staff were aware of the procedures for supporting children with additional needs and had previously implemented individualised educational programmes. They maintained very good links with external agencies and pre-school centres to support children’s development and learning.

Management

Standard 14

The headteacher provided very good leadership and management of the nursery. She displayed a high level of professional competence and effective communication skills. She was very well supported by the able and hardworking early years practitioner and visiting nursery teacher. The headteacher supported the staff in implementing planning and assessment procedures and was committed to involving staff in self-evaluation to monitor the quality of the provision. Commendably, an annual standards and quality report on the work of the nursery was prepared for parents.

Staff had accessed a number of relevant staff development courses and were continuing to develop their professional expertise. They showed very good understanding of the procedures for child protection. Staff had good opportunities to discuss their work at staff reviews.

The nursery had an appropriate range of policies and procedures in place, which provided useful guidance for staff and parents. The headteacher and staff were aware of the Scottish Social Services Council Codes of Practice and the registration process.

Key strengths

• Very happy and motivated children.
• Very good programmes in emotional, personal and social development, communication and language, knowledge and understanding of the world and physical development and movement.
• Effective planning and assessment procedures.
• Very good leadership of the headteacher and the hard work and commitment of the nursery staff.
• Very good relationships with parents and the community.

Other Issues

Response to recommendations or to requirements made at previous inspection

There were no recommendations to be met from the previous inspection.

Recommendations for improvement

• The headteacher and staff should maintain their very good provision for children’s learning and development, improving it in line with the outcome of their self-evaluation procedures.

Care Commission Officers and HM Inspectors have asked the pre-school centre and education authority to prepare an action plan indicating how they will address the main findings of the report. Where requirements are made, the action plan should include timescales to deal with these. The plan will be available to parents and carers. In liaison with the pre-school centre and education authority, Care Commission Officers and HM Inspectors will monitor progress to ensure improvements are in line with the main findings of the report.

Moira Lawson
HM Inspectorate of Education