13 February 2008
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.
National Care Standard |
Child at the Centre Quality Indicator |
Standard 4 — Engaging With Children |
Staff/child interaction |
Standard 5 — Quality of Experience |
Structure of the curriculum |
Standard 6 — Support and Development |
Meeting children’s needs and care routines |
Standard 14 — Well-managed Service |
Leadership and Self-evaluation |
Evaluations made using HMIE quality indicators use the following scale, and these words are used in the report to describe the team’s judgements:
excellent |
outstanding, sector leading |
very good |
major strengths |
good |
important strengths, some areas for improvement |
adequate |
strengths just outweigh weaknesses |
weak |
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.
Introduction
Sunrise Nursery was inspected in October 2007 as part of the integrated inspection programme by the Care Commission and HM Inspectorate of Education. HMIE carried out this inspection on behalf of both organistions and consulted the Care Commission about its findings. The nursery catered for pre-school children aged two years six months to five years. It was registered for 24 children attending at any one session. At the time of the inspection the total roll was 48.
Key strengths
|
How good is the quality of children’s experience?
Standard 4 & 5
Staff had developed very good relationships with children and were positive in their interactions. Staff knew children well. They were responsive to individual needs and used praise appropriately to promote children’s self esteem and confidence. Children were happy, safe and secure in the nursery and were able to make choices confidently within the planned activities. Staff were sensitive to the needs of the children. They took account of children’s views and offered a broad and balanced range of activities to meet their learning needs.
Overall, the quality of learning and development through play was good. Children were developing appropriate skills in independence. Most were confident and familiar with nursery routines. Most children cooperated well, were able to share toys and were learning to take turns when playing. Children were developing effective concentration skills and were learning to persevere at tasks. All children had access to a healthy snack option and participated in a daily tooth-brushing programme. Children enjoyed sand and water play and were investigating using tubes and pumps in the water. They were developing appropriate skills when using a range of technology. Children would benefit from more problem-solving opportunities. Children participated enthusiastically in role-play in the home corner. They sang tunefully and with enjoyment. However, they did not have opportunities to experiment with sound and make music freely. Children were developing a wide range of skills in art and craft. Children were developing good control of their fingers and hands through using scissors, play dough and threading resources. They had daily opportunities for energetic play and were making good progress in using their bodies in challenging ways.
Children were making adequate progress in communication and language. During play activities, most children talked confidently to one another and to adults. Most children enjoyed listening to stories but few children used the book area independently to look at books and find information. Some children made marks and staff wrote children’s own stories for them. However, staff did not always ensure that children had opportunities to use early writing skills in all areas of the playroom. Children’s progress in mathematics was good. Most children could recognise simple shapes and a few were able to count to ten. They knew a range of counting songs and rhymes. Many children used appropriate mathematical language in play situations.
How well are children supported?
Standard 6
Overall, meeting children’s needs was good. Staff had developed effective relationships with parents and provided good support to children and their families. Appropriate policies and procedures were in place to ensure that children and families were treated equally and with respect. Parents were kept informed of the work of the nursery through newsletters, informal daily discussions and notice boards. Most parents who responded to the pre-inspection questionnaire, and those who were spoken to on the day of the inspection, were satisfied with all aspects of the provision. A few parents stated they would like more information about their child’s progress and the work of the nursery. All staff were aware of their duties in keeping children safe.
Staff regularly assessed children’s progress. However, they did not always ensure learning activities were challenging and meeting the needs of the more able children. Staff provided good support to children transferring to local authority nursery provision. They had made useful links with local authority staff and took part in joint events and organised visits for P1 teachers to meet the nursery children. Information on children’s progress was also shared. The manager had developed support plans for those children who required additional help with their learning. She worked closely with a range of other professionals to support the needs of individual children. Staff were aware of the changes to legislation relating to children who require additional support with their learning and the implications for the nursery.
Leading and improving the centre
Standard 14
The manager provided very good leadership. She worked very closely with the nursery staff and, together, they were an effective team. Staff were hard working and committed to the children and families using the service. The manager was enthusiastic and had clear plans for the nursery’s future development. Positive relationships had been established with the committee. All were committed to the continued development of the service. Regular meetings ensured there were clear lines of communication.
An effective system for professional development and review helped identify and address staff training needs. Staff had good opportunities to attend a range of training courses which had a clear impact on the quality of playroom provision. The manager and staff were familiar with the Scottish Social Services Council Codes of Practice and the implication for their work.
Procedures for self-evaluation were very good. Staff evaluated the quality of playroom provision using national indicators of quality to identify key priorities for improvement. They obtained the views of parents through questionnaires. The information gathered informed the agenda for improvement. The manager regularly monitored and evaluated the quality of children’s experiences and practice within the playrooms.
Issues from previous inspections
Response to recommendations or to requirements or enforcement action made at previous singleton inspection.
At the last Care Commission singleton inspection there were four recommendations. All recommendations have been fully addressed.
Recommendations for improvement
The centre and the education authority have been asked to prepare an action plan indicating how they will address the main findings of the report, and to share that plan with parents. Within two years of the publication of this report parents will be informed about the progress made by the centre.
Ann Durnian
HM Inspectorate of Education
HOW TO CONTACT US
If you would like an additional copy of this report
Copies of this report have been sent to the head of service, 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 any aspect of 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.
If you have a concern about this report, you should write in the first instance to either:
Complaints Coordinator |
Complaints Manager |
You can also e-mail HMIEComplaints@hmie.gsi.gov.uk. A copy of our complaints procedure is available from this office, by telephoning 01506 600200 or from our website at www.hmie.gov.uk.
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 the 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: www.spso.org.uk.
Crown Copyright 2008
HM Inspectorate of Education
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