Integrated Inspection by the Care Commission and HM Inspectorate of Education of
Lybster Primary School Nursery Class
The Highland Council

5 October 2005

Lybster Primary School Nursery Class
Main Street
Lybster
KW3 6BJ

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

Lybster Primary School Nursery Class was inspected in June 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 16.

The environment

Standard 2

The nursery was located within the main school building. The accommodation provided a comfortable, safe, bright and stimulating environment, attractively decorated with children’s work. The premises were in a good state of repair and well maintained. Staff had created an attractive and informative notice board for parents and carers, outside the nursery.

Staff made effective use of the available space to ensure that children had opportunities to play independently or in groups. There was a very good range of play equipment and resources. Children had regular access to the school gym for some aspects of energetic play. However, there was no safe, secure outdoor play area and storage arrangements for large equipment were inadequate.

There were good practices to ensure children’s safety, with risk assessment procedures in place. There was suitable toilet provision located outwith the playroom.

Quality of children’s experience

Standard 4 & 5

Relationships between staff and children were very good. They were warm and caring in their interactions and responsive to children’s needs. The pace of the session was well planned. Staff achieved a successful balance between activities children could freely choose by themselves and well-planned, adult-directed activities. Children were eager and keen to learn. Staff interacted very well with children to extend and support their learning by very good use of questions and discussion.

Staff planning for children’s learning took account of children’s interests and choices. They planned well together as a team. Observations of children’s learning were incorporated effectively into the planning process. Helpful folios of children’s work were maintained which showed progress in learning. These were regularly 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 secure with nursery routines and simple rules. They cooperated well together in their play, took turns and shared resources. They were kind and caring towards each other. Staff encouraged children’s self esteem and confidence by very good activities on the topic of "myself". Children had been learning about a healthy eating programme and knew which foods were good for them. They had good opportunities to be independent at snack time and in preparing to go home and outside.
• The programme for communication and language was very good. Children were articulate and spoke freely to adults and each other. They enjoyed storytime and were able with help to recall favourite stories. They used the attractive book corner frequently by themselves and knew the difference between fiction and non-fiction books. Staff incorporated early reading and writing activities skilfully into play contexts for the children. Children were "writing" in the hospital corner and at the well-resourced writing area. All children could recognise and write their name and most could recognise the names of others.
• In knowledge and understanding of the world, children experienced a very good programme. Staff included children’s interests effectively when planning a topic. For example, children had been visiting the local hospital and staff had set up opportunities for children to play appropriately in the ‘hospital’ corner. They knew the purpose of x-rays and charts and helpful photographs of the visit encouraged their learning. They were learning to count in the context of play using calculators and recognised numbers up to ten. They had very good opportunities to explore their local environment and staff arranged for an interesting range of people to visit the nursery regularly.
• In expressive and aesthetic development, the programme was very good. Children were absorbed and purposeful in their role-play. Staff interacted very well by extending resources appropriately and asking good questions. Children enjoyed painting and modelling and chose from a very good range of collage materials. Children’s drawings and paintings were attractively displayed and complemented their interests. Children were able to accompany themselves tunefully using simple musical instruments when singing.
• The programme for physical development and movement was good. Staff created weekly opportunities for children to use large physical apparatus, movement to music and activity games in the visits to the shared school gym and occasionally within the playroom. There was no secure designated outdoor play area for children to take part in more energetic activity on a regular basis. Children were learning good control of their fingers and hands using small construction toys, games and puzzles.

Support for children and families

Standard 6

Staff had very good relationships with children and parents. They supported their needs well. Parents and carers who responded to the pre-inspection questionnaire were happy with all aspects of the nursery. In particular, parents and carers were very supportive of the home/school packs, made by staff, which supported children’s learning at home. Working parents were also given copies of the nursery weekly plan to ensure they were well informed about what children were expected to learn.

Staff undertook individual visits to families before children started nursery. They had a comprehensive system in place at the point of children transferring to primary school, with regular visits by the P1 teacher and a series of meetings for parents.

Although no children required additional support for their learning at present, well-established links with external agencies were in place and all staff had a good knowledge of procedures for supporting children and families.

Management

Standard 14

The headteacher provided very effective leadership. She was approachable, supportive and maintained regular contact with the nursery. The nursery coordinator teacher gave very good support and guidance to staff. Very effective links had been developed between the headteacher and staff and there was a commitment to ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the nursery.

The headteacher and staff had an awareness of the Scottish Social Services Council and its role in registering and regulating the workforce and their education and training.

Staff were enthusiastic and skilled practitioners. Their roles and responsibilities were clearly defined. They were appropriately deployed and there was an appropriate ratio of staff to children. Staff were recruited in line with local authority procedures and some were qualified in childcare and education. All staff participated in training courses to update their knowledge and skills.

The nursery had a range of helpful policies and procedures in place to support the care and welfare of children and had shared these with parents and carers. A clear development plan was in place with appropriate priorities for action. The headteacher formally monitored the work of the nursery on a regular basis. Working with staff, the headteacher was further developing systematic and rigorous monitoring of the work of the nursery.

Key strengths

• Quality of staff/child interaction.
• The very good programmes in emotional, personal and social development, communication and language, knowledge and understanding of the world and expressive and aesthetic development which were extending children’s knowledge and skills.
• Very good communication and involvement with parents.
• Effective leadership of the headteacher and good working relationships with staff.

Other Issues

Response to recommendations or to requirements made at previous inspection

The headteacher had begun to address the recommendation in the last inspection report about the provision of an outdoor play. Further support from the education authority was needed to address this recommendation fully.

Recommendations for improvement

• To provide a safe, secure outdoor play area for children to enjoy energetic activity.
• Headteacher, staff and parents to continue to develop plans for the self-evaluation of the work of the nursery.

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.