Integrated Inspection by the Care Commission and HM Inspectorate of Education of
Glebelands Primary School Nursery Class
Dundee City Council

29 June 2005

Glebelands Primary School Nursery Class
Baffin Street
Dundee
DD4 6EZ

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

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

Should you wish to comment on or make a complaint about any aspect of the inspection or about this report you should write either to the Care Commission or to HM Inspectorate of Education at the address below. If you are still dissatisfied with our services, you can contact your member of the Scottish Parliament (or, if you prefer, any other MSP). You can also contact the Scottish Parliamentary Ombudsman. The Ombudsman is fully independent and has powers to investigate complaints about Government departments and Agencies.

Crown Copyright 2005
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

Glebelands Primary School Nursery Class was inspected in March 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. At the time of the inspection the roll was 67.

The environment

Standard 2

The nursery was located within the primary school. The environment was bright and attractive. Staff operated a safe collection-of-children policy, but needed to consider ways to improve the security of one fire door within the nursery to ensure children were unable to exit the nursery unsupervised. The building was generally in a good state of repair, although some radiators and pipes within the nursery were too hot. This needed to be risk assessed in order to ensure children’s safety.

An enclosed outdoor play area offered good opportunities for play with a variety of paved and grassed areas. Children could not access this independently on account of its location. There was ample space in both playrooms for children to play together and independently. Children had good access to areas for rest and energetic play. Photographs and children’s work were displayed throughout the nursery. However, children did not always take a lead role in developing materials for displays.

Staff had written policies on infection control, but hygiene practices within the nursery did not sufficiently promote hand-washing routines for children. Staff did not always appropriately record accidents to ensure confidentiality. They needed to improve the administration of medicines in order to ensure that parents were kept informed in writing. No member of nursery staff had been trained in first aid.

Quality of children’s experience

Standard 4 & 5

Staff had good relationships with children and were responsive to their needs. They provided a wide range of activities but some of these were not sufficiently challenging. Staff did not effectively organise the structure of sessions to give children enough time to explore their chosen activity. Overall, staff interacted well with children but they needed to make more effective use of questioning to support and extend children’s learning.

Staff planned activities that were closely linked to the key aspects of development and learning. Key workers, who had responsibility for specific groups of children, kept good records of children’s achievements and progress. However, they did not consistently record children’s learning or use information gathered from observations to identify and plan next steps in learning. Staff kept parents well informed of children’s progress through informal and formal meetings.

Features of the programmes for children included the following.

• The programme for emotional, personal and social development was very good. Children were happy, confident and familiar with routines. They knew some simple rules which were appropriate and supportive to them. Staff promoted independence through dressing and snack routines. They supported children in forming positive relationships and making friends. Staff made effective use of praise and had created a purposeful environment to develop this aspect of children’s learning.
• The programme for communication and language was good. Children talked well for a range of purposes. They listened attentively to instructions. Most children listened well at story time, but books needed to be more carefully chosen to suit the needs of all children in the group. Children did not access the book corner independently. Staff did not sufficiently promote children’s interest and enjoyment in books. Some children could re-tell fairy stories such as "The Gingerbread Man". Children had good opportunities to develop early writing skills by making marks and drawing pictures. Most recognised their own name in print and some were writing it.
• The programme for knowledge and understanding of the world was good. Children looked at different seeds in the nursery. They had planted bulbs that were growing in the garden. Some children enjoyed investigating the properties of earth as part of their outdoor play. Staff did not provide enough opportunities for children to visit and learn about their local environment. Children were using a computer and calculator but did not have sufficient opportunities to experience information and communications technology (ICT). Staff provided very good mathematical experiences such as counting and sorting. Most children knew shapes and recognised early numbers.
• The programme for expressive and aesthetic development was fair. Children did not have enough opportunities to be creative. They had a limited choice of materials for art work. Staff did not always ensure an appropriate balance of adult-led work and opportunities for children to develop their own work. Children enjoyed singing as some staff played the piano. They listened well to music and most responded to it. Children engaged in very limited role-play. Their creativity was not always encouraged and children were not always able to take ownership of their design.
• The programme for physical development and movement was good. Children had weekly use of the hall for gym and staff gave them regular opportunities to play outside. They also provided an area for physical play in one of the playrooms. Children were developing skills in riding large toys, balancing, running, throwing and catching. They enjoyed energetic play, but some children did not have enough time for this area of their play. Children were developing very good control of their fingers and hands through using various tools and implements in a broad range of activities.

Support for children and families

Standard 6

Staff were sensitive to the needs of children and their families. Relationships with parents were very positive. Parents and carers who responded to the pre-inspection questionnaire were happy with almost all aspects of the nursery. A few wanted more information about their children’s progress and development. Staff provided parents with useful information through newsletters, parents’ meetings, informal discussions and a notice board.

Staff were supportive of children who were learning English as an additional language. Additional staff provided extra support for these children who were having fun learning new vocabulary through playing games. The support teacher shared very good records with nursery staff to assist children with their learning. Staff provided appropriate resources, such as bilingual books in the book corner, to support children’s development. They worked well with other agencies, including an outreach worker from another pre-school centre and school support staff, to help meet children’s needs. Staff had appropriately identified children who needed extra support but they had not yet implemented individualised educational programmes (IEPs) for them. Staff had not accessed enough training opportunities to help them meet the special educational needs of some children.

Management

Standard 14

The headteacher provided good leadership and, together with the new depute headteacher, they were committed to the ongoing development of the nursery. The depute headteacher was experienced and knowledgeable in early education. She had regular direct contact with children and effectively supported nursery staff through weekly meetings. The headteacher supported the depute headteacher in her work in the nursery through effective timetabling and in identifying priorities for the nursery. Nursery staff were approachable and committed to the nursery. They were appropriately qualified in education and childcare. A set of nursery policies and procedures was in place to support staff in their work.

Nursery priorities were appropriately included in the whole-school development plan. However, all staff had not been involved in the process. The headteacher and depute headteacher had not yet established sufficiently formal systems to review and improve the work of the nursery. In partnership with staff, they needed to develop more effective procedures for evaluating the overall quality of provision and in identifying priorities as a team. The headteacher and depute headteacher needed to ensure that staff attended relevant ongoing training to meet their needs and improve practice. They had some knowledge of the Scottish Social Services Council Codes of Practice and understood the implications regarding their role as leaders within the nursery.

Key strengths

• Confident children who operated comfortably within spacious, bright playrooms and nursery environment.
• Very good programme in emotional, personal and social development.
• Very positive relationships with parents.

Other Issues

Response to recommendations or to requirements made at previous inspection

The headteacher was responsive to recommendations made as a result of their previous Care Commission Inspection on 19 February 2004. The headteacher provided an action plan to the Care Commission detailing how he planned to action the recommendations. Evidence was noted at the joint HMIE and Care Commission inspection that action had been taken in most of the ten recommendations. However, still outstanding was the need to risk assess the radiators and pipes within the nursery.

Recommendations for improvement

• Staff should review the programmes of learning and development to provide choice and challenge to meet the needs of all children.
• Staff should extend the programmes as set out in the report.
• The management, with staff, should review and identify staff training needs.

Requirements

• The nursery is required to risk assess the heating system and ensure that it is safe. The Regulation of Care (Requirements as to Care Services) (Scotland) Regulations 2002 (Scottish Statutory Instrument 2002/114), Regulation 10(1).

Timescale for Implementation: Immediately.

• The nursery is required to ensure the nursery is secure. Scottish Statutory Instrument 2002/114, Regulation 10(1). Timescale for Implementation: Immediately.
• The nursery is required to improve procedures for recording accidents and the administration of medicines. Scottish Statutory Instrument 2002/114, Regulation 19(3)(d) and (k). Timescale for Implementation: 3 months.

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.