Integrated Inspection by the Care Commission and HM Inspectorate of Education of
Robert Douglas Memorial Primary School Nursery Class Perth and Kinross Council

22 June 2005

Robert Douglas Memorial Primary School Nursery Class
Spoutwells Road
Scone
Perth
PH2 6RS

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 acting 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.

Integrated Inspection by the Care Commission and HM Inspectorate of Education of Robert Douglas Memorial Primary School Nursery Class Perth and Kinross Council

Introduction

Robert Douglas Memorial 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 48.

The environment

Standard 2

The nursery was situated in the primary school, within two adjoining classrooms. The accommodation was bright and welcoming for children. However, it would benefit from improvements in decoration and repair, in particular to the kitchen and toilet areas. Staff paid good attention to matters of security and safety. However, to ensure that the facilities remain clean and hygienic, the service should further develop infection control procedures and have an infection control policy.

Staff had organised the playroom so that children were able to learn and play independently, in small and in larger groups. Photographs and children’s art work were attractively displayed throughout the nursery. The nursery had a good range of resources which were well organised and accessible. The staff acknowledged the need to establish a system to ensure that resources continued to be clean and well maintained. The range of resources should be reviewed to ensure a high quality throughout. Children had access to computers within the playrooms. The computer furniture was too high for children and the service needed to provide child-size furniture.

Children had access throughout the session to an enclosed outdoor play area specifically for the nursery. While staff paid good attention to the security of the outdoor facility, it would benefit from refurbishment to create a more stimulating and safe area for children.

Quality of children’s experience

Standard 4 & 5

There was a positive ethos in the nursery and staff had created a warm and caring environment. Staff knew children well, valued their contributions and were supportive and responsive to their differing needs. They used praise and encouragement effectively to develop children’s confidence and self esteem.

Children were confident, independent and secure in the nursery setting. Staff should make more use of questioning to extend children’s learning.

There was detailed planning of a broad and balanced range of experiences for children. There was a good pace to the sessions and very good account was taken of children’s responses to activities. Staff made regular observations of children at play and compiled useful assessment records and folios of work showing children’s progress. Parents had good opportunities to exchange information about their child with staff and they received informative written annual reports.

Features of the programmes for children included the following.

• The programme in emotional, personal and social development was very good. Children were able to choose activities, when to take a snack or go outside. They showed high levels of independence in dressing for outdoors, sweeping up sand spillage or taking a snack. They took responsibilities for feeding the fish or helping prepare the snack. Children were confident in nursery routines and followed rules of hygiene and safety well. Staff effectively developed their social skills. Children were making friends and were able to share and take turns using bicycles or table top games.
• The programme in communication and language was good. Children were attentive at group time and in a music session. They were able to make their ideas known to adults and each other in play. They responded ably in group discussion. Staff encouraged their interest in books with a visit from the librarian and the use of books at displays and in the story corner. However, few children used the story corner independently. Staff provided differentiated name cards which children used capably for registration, art and when they had a snack. A display table and home activity encouraged children’s awareness of the alphabet. Staff needed to provide more stimulating resources and activities in play to further develop children’s early reading and writing skills.
• The programme in knowledge and understanding of the world was good. Staff developed children’s knowledge of early mathematics well in play. A display of clocks promoted children’s interest in time. Children were able to sort, count and recognise simple shapes. There were good opportunities for children to learn about nature, planting, fish and insects. Staff encouraged children’s awareness of some cultures and some aspects of technology. They used the school grounds and calendars at group times to enable children to learn about seasons, the weather and dates. They needed to provide more natural materials for children to investigate using their senses and arrange more outings in the community to widen children’s knowledge of their environment.
• The programme in expressive and aesthetic development was good. Children responded enthusiastically to music in action rhymes and songs and used musical instruments to explore sounds in a well-organised music session. They also had independent access to musical instruments in the playroom, although few children used these. Staff provided a good range of art activities. Children enjoyed collage, model making, painting and drawing. Staff provided a good range of imaginative play equipment for role-play including the home corner, dolls’ house, cars and puppet theatre. They should make more use of these with children to stimulate and extend their play.
• The programme in physical development and movement was very good. Children were developing hand control using the computer mouse, puzzles, scissors, pens, rollers and cutters. The nursery frequently used an enclosed outdoor area for active play. Staff and parents were working well to improve the poor-quality tarmac outdoor area with plants and playground markings. Children were able to run, balance, throw and catch balls and ride bicycles, including one with two wheels. They also had access to larger equipment in the playroom to develop skills such as climbing, sliding and crawling. The nursery used the gym hall weekly for further energetic activities.

Support for children and families

Standard 6

There was good support for children and their families, with whom staff had formed positive relationships. Staff were sensitive and flexible in their approach to meeting their different needs. They should review key worker arrangements to ensure best usage for children. A notice board, regular newsletters and informative handbook kept parents informed of nursery practice and events. A parents’ association and suggestion box were also available to express views on the nursery. Staff were developing book-bag resources for parents to use at home with children. Parents could help in nursery sessions and some visited to share their skills. Those who responded to the pre-inspection questionnaire were very satisfied with most aspects of nursery provision. A few wanted more opportunity to work in partnership and have more regular information on children’s progress.

Visits to the nursery before starting, exchange of information and flexible settling arrangements helped children enter nursery. The children moving to P1 already knew the P1 teacher and some school facilities. Additional visits, playground experiences and parents’ meetings helped transition to primary school. There were good links with other agencies involved with children requiring additional support in learning. Information was shared with parents, staff and agency personnel. Individualised educational programmes were implemented to support children. The nursery should continue to strengthen community links to ensure continuity for children and provide further staff development opportunities.

Management

Standard 14

The acting headteacher and acting deputy headteacher were both recently in post. They provided good leadership with clearly defined roles. The acting deputy headteacher was experienced and knowledgeable in early years education and had delegated responsibility for the nursery. The management team showed a commitment to improving the nursery and had a vision for the continuing development of the service. They were approachable and had good relationships with families. The nursery teacher was in a temporary post and managed the nursery well on a

day-to-day basis. She was effectively supported by the nursery nurses. All worked well together as a team.

Appropriate adult-to-child ratios were not in place at all times and the management team should ensure that the ratios are applied throughout each session.

The management team had begun to introduce a system for monitoring and evaluating the work of the nursery. They needed to develop this process further to ensure a more rigorous approach so that improvements would follow in the quality of learning experiences for children. The new management team had not yet carried out staff development and review for staff but were committed to its implementation.

Education authority policies and procedures were in place but should be reviewed to ensure they are up-to-date and pertain to this specific nursery situation. A child protection policy was available and staff had a sound understanding of their roles and responsibilities within it. They were also aware of the Scottish Social Services Council Codes of Practice.

Key strengths

• The positive ethos of the nursery creating a welcoming, caring and inclusive environment for children.
• The responsive, flexible and supportive approach by staff to meeting children’s differing needs.
• The very good programmes in emotional, personal and social development and physical development and movement.
• The good relationships established between staff, children and parents.
• The positive teamwork of staff.

Other Issues

Response to recommendations or to requirements made at previous inspection

There were six recommendations made at the last inspection. Four had been successfully addressed. Two recommendations in relation to reviewing the need to apply a 1:2 adult-to-child ratio for all outings and attempting to meet the 1:10 adult-to-child ratios at all times within the service were still outstanding.

Recommendations for improvement

• Staff should further develop infection control policy and procedures.
• The nursery should implement refurbishments to improve the quality of provision as detailed in this report.
• Senior managers and staff should further develop partnership with parents and community links to extend children’s experiences.
• Senior managers should develop more systematic and rigorous procedures for monitoring and evaluating the work of the nursery to ensure further improvement in the quality of children’s learning experiences.

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.