25 July 2007
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 2 — A Safe Environment |
Resources |
Standard 4 — Engaging with Children |
Development and learning through play |
Standard 5 — Quality of Experience |
Curriculum |
Standard 6 — Support and Development |
Support for children and families |
Standard 14 — Well-managed Service |
Management, Leadership and Quality Assurance |
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 with 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
Woodlea Children’s Centre was inspected in April 2007 as part of the integrated inspection programme by the Care Commission and HM Inspectorate of Education. The nursery catered for pre-school children aged two to five years. It was registered for 85 children attending at any one session. At the time of the inspection the total roll was 164.
Key strengths |
Standard 4 & 5
Staff working with children aged two to three years had created a warm, caring learning environment. Children were settled and confident within the playroom. Staff offered an interesting range of activities and provided high-quality interaction to support children’s development and learning effectively.
In the playrooms for children aged three to five years, staff were friendly and approachable and had developed good relationships with children. Staff used praise appropriately to celebrate children’s achievements. However, they did not consistently make effective use of questioning and discussion to encourage children to think for themselves. Assessment information was not yet effectively used to ensure appropriate progress in children’s learning. Children were able to make choices confidently within the planned activities. However, staff did not always ensure learning activities were sufficiently challenging and that they met the learning needs of individual children.
The curriculum included most aspects of children’s development and learning. Most children were well behaved and, for example, could share toys with one another. They were becoming independent when serving snack and when encouraged to help tidy. Children were confident when talking and listening to adults and each other. Many children used the book area independently and enjoyed listening to stories. Most children recognised their own name in print and a few could write it. However, there were too few opportunities for children to develop early writing skills. Most children were developing a good understanding of simple mathematical processes such as matching, sorting and counting. Most staff used appropriate mathematical language with children in play situations. Most children were exploring the properties of programmable toys and many could confidently operate simple programs on the computer and interactive whiteboard. Children enjoyed inventing situations in small world play and in ‘the vet’s’. Some children participated in art and craft activities but lost interest due to the limited resources on offer. Children were developing good control of their hands and fingers. They enjoyed daily opportunities for energetic play in- and out-of-doors but required appropriate intervention from staff to challenge and support their individual learning needs.
Standard 6
Staff had developed an inclusive ethos where children and their families and carers were welcome. They worked closely with families to provide them, and their children, with very good support. Parents were actively encouraged to be part of the centre and accessed a wide range of support groups, workshops and lending libraries. Staff kept parents well informed about the centre through regular newsletters, informative notice boards and daily informal contact. Most parents who responded to the pre-inspection questionnaire were satisfied with all aspects of the centre. Staff were aware of child protection guidelines and of their responsibilities in protecting children.
The centre had a well-planned induction programme for children moving to primary school. Staff organised visits for children to local schools and welcomed visiting teachers. They passed on the completed local authority transition record to P1 staff to help ensure continuity for children in their learning. Staff had formed very good links with the local community. They worked effectively with a range of professional agencies who worked in the centre, and knew how to access other agencies if required. Staff were effective in identifying and assisting those children who required additional help with their learning.
Standard 14
The headteacher provided good leadership for the centre. She was very committed to the families and children her centre supported. She had fostered good teamwork. All staff showed pride in the centre. The headteacher’s remit was very broad. The scope of the remit made implementation of some of her duties very challenging.
The headteacher carried out useful staff development and review meetings which identified staff training needs. All staff were familiar with the Scottish Social Services Council Codes of Practice and their implications.
The headteacher had developed an appropriate improvement plan in consultation with staff. Staff were implementing the identified improvement priorities appropriately. The headteacher had not yet implemented formal systems for monitoring and evaluating the quality of children’s learning experiences and practice within playrooms.
Issues from previous inspections
Response to recommendations or to requirements or enforcement action made at previous inspection.
At the last Care Commission singleton report there were three recommendations. Two had been fully addressed and the implementation of the other one was ongoing.
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.
Jacqueline Milliner |
Patricia Mackay |
HM Inspectorate of Education |
Care Commission |
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 .
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.
Our complaints procedure
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 2007
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.