Inspection Report (2000)

INSPECTION OF NURSERY EDUCATION INSPECTION REPORT
Name of setting:	Bowbrook House School
Setting number:	512307
Address:	Peopleton ,Near Pershore, Worcestershire
Postcode:	WR10 2EE
Person responsible for the day to day management of the setting:	Mr Stephen Jackson
Position:	Headteacher
Name of RgNI:	Catherine Rushton
RgNI's registration number:	25315
Date of inspection:	30/11/00
Inspection number:	1152081

The inspection took place as part of a national programme of inspection of the educational provision for three- and four-year-olds. It was commissioned by the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED), a non-ministerial department of central government.

About the Inspection

The purpose of the inspection is to assure government, parents and the public that funded nursery education is of an acceptable quality. Inspection also identifies strengths and weaknesses so that providers can improve the quality of educational provision and help children to achieve the early learning goals (elgs) by the end of the Foundation Stage. (The period from age three to the end of the reception year in primary school is describe as the Foundation Stage). This inspection report must be made available to all parents.

If the setting has been inspected previously, an action plan will have been drawn up to tackle issues identified. This inspection, therefore, must also assess what progress has been made in the implementation of this plan.

Bowbrook House School is a co-educational independent school for children from 3 to 16 years. The nursery class, which was established more than thirty years ago, is the first of three classes which make up the Junior department. The school has 125 pupils on roll. There are four three-year-olds and three four-year-olds attending, all of whom have funding. None of the funded children has special educational needs or learns English as an additional language. There are two staff working with the nursery children, one of whom is a qualified teacher.

Children attending live within a 15 mile radius in surrounding villages. The nursery accommodation is a mobile unit in the extensive grounds of the school, with the use of facilities in the main school. The school has the support of a mentor teacher from the Early Years Partnership.

HOW GOOD IS THE SETTING?

Bowbrook House School provides an excellent introduction to education and most children are likely to reach the early learning goals in all six areas by the end of their reception year. The quality of teaching is good and meets the needs of the three- and four-year-old children well. Children are well motivated to learn and behave very well. Personal, social and emotional development is a strength in the group.

There are minor weaknesses in the quality and provision of resources to support some aspects of communication, language and literacy. The good partnership with parents and carers has a positive impact on provision.

IMPROVEMENT SINCE THE LAST INSPECTION
There has been good improvement in provision since the last inspection. The weekly timetable now gives suitable emphasis to child-initiated activites and children show good independence in selecting activities and resources. Time is allocated to allow them to choose and look at books regularly, including weekly visits to the school library. An information pack for parents now includes details on the educational provision and the six learning areas.

WHAT THE SETTING DOES WELL
* The programmes of learning for all six areas of learning are good.
* Children are confident, well motivated and eager to learn.
* The quality of teaching is good; staff value children's ideas and incorporate them into activities.
* There is a strong ethos of caring, shown in the interaction between different age groups and children's   sensitivity to others.
* Effective use is made of the attractive outside environment as a learning resource.

WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO IMPROVE
The quality and provision of resources to support some aspects of communication, language and literacy, particularly relating to the role-play area, books used for the reading scheme and provision for children to write to convey meaning.

OUTCOME AND RECOMMENDATION FOR THE TIMING OF THE NEXT INSPECTION
Taken overall, the quality and standards of the educational provision, and the progress children are making towards the early learning goals is good. The action plan should show how the provider will address the key issues or points for consideration within 12 months of the inspection.
It is recommended that the next inspection occurs within two to four years.

HOW GOOD IS THE EDUCATIONAL PROVISION?

HOW WELL THE CHILDREN ARE LEARNING

Overall quality of learning
The quality of children's learning is good and they are progressing well towards the early learning goals in all six areas. Children are confident, well motivated and eager to learn. They choose purposefully from a variety of worthwhile activities, including matching alphabet letters, using the computer and playing with the sand, and sufficient time is allowed to enable them to sustain their interest. Children are proud to share what they know with others; for example one child volunteered to count each number on the advent frieze. Activities are modified in order to offer appropriate challenge to both three- and four-year-olds, such as the two different problem-solving worksheets with a common theme of snowmen and buttons. The children enjoy the regular use of the outside area and are learning a geat deal about the natural environment and changing seasons. They behave well and listen carefully to instructions, such as those given before they played 'Tag Rugby'.

Personal, social and emotional development
Children's personal, social and emotional development is a strength in the group. Children are confident, well motivated and eager to learn. They are able to sit quietly and listen, such as when in assembly. They are eager to volunteer to share information with the whole group, for example during 'News Time'. They are able to express their feelings, such as how it feels if people don't share things. Staff foster children's self-esteem well, respect their ideas and adapt activities to incorporate their contributions. For example, children's ideas for elaborating on the traditional story of 'The Three Bears' were used during an adult-led role-play activity, to everyone's great enjoyment. Children behave very well and are aware of the simple rules in the group. They have good relationships with each other and show care and consideration to those younger than themselves. This caring ethos is evident throughout the school.
Children are developing good personal independence; for example, they get themselves dressed to go outside. There are good opportunities offered for them to select their own activities and resources during the daily routine. They are developing a respect for their own culture and beliefs, acknowledging birthdays, for example. Topic work and visits to the local village, and further afield, effectively develop children's sense of community. The class has also become involved in the school's charity project to send boxes of presents to the children in The Balkans.

Communication, language and literacy
The children are making good progress in learning in communication, language and literacy. They use language effectively to communicate with each other, listening carefully and responding appropriately to comments and questions. Language is also used well to negotiate, for example when sharing construction toys. Staff extend children's vocabulary regularly; for instance they encourage them to think of words to describe stars, such as 'shiny' and 'twinkle', writing the words on silver cards for the older children to recognise and read out in assembly. The children are developing a good awareness of letter names and sounds through regular phonics activities including word games. Most of the older children know the names and sounds of the letters of the alphabet and are beginning to read simple books, although some of the resources being used for this are poor. The younger children can recognise letters in their names. Children enjoy looking at books and listening to stories. They respond eagerly to adult-led activites, retelling stories through drama, such as the story of 'The Gingerbread Man'. However, the limited space and lack of stimulating resources in the home area affects the quality of the child-initiated role-play. Staff do not provide materials for children to write to convey meaning in this area. Children are interested in writing and use a variety of tools and materials to do this. They are learning to form letters carefully and write their names well.

Mathematical development
The programme of learning for mathematical development is effective and children are making good progress. They are learning to use numbers as labels for counting in practical activities such as playing number games, counting jumps or counting the number of adults and children present each day. Topic work, such as the use of an advent calendar, enables them to learn to recognise numbers and the sequence of numbers when counting. Most of the younger children can recognise numbers from 1 to 5, whilst some of the older ones can recognise numbers from 1 to 10 and beyond. A display showed that the children had used numbers when making a simple bar chart to show how many Christmas boxes had been collected. They were able to compare numbers and calculate which class had collected the most. Rhymes and songs are also used effectively to help children to understand about simple addition and subtraction. Children use simple calculations to work out practical problems, such as when finding out how many pieces of 'oasis' were needed for them each to make a Christmas table decoration.

Understanding mathematical ideas to develop shape, space and measure are being developed well. For example, the children have recently been on a 'Shape Walk' to recognise and name shapes in the outside environment. They are able to copy and recreate a pattern, for example the colour of the buttons on the front of a snowman on a drawing. They solve problems involving size when cutting card to fit a space.

Knowledge and understanding of the world
The children are making good progress in learning in all aspects of knowledge and understanding of the world. The attractive outside area is used regularly to enable children to look at features in the natural world and seasonal changes. They gather blackberries, or materials to make table decorations, for example. They explore how things work and fit together, using construction materials, tools and resources such as wood and paper to design and build vehicles, for example. Children make regular use of technology, including computers and calculators. They are developing a sense of time by understanding that the Christmas story happened a long time ago, and comparing that to other past events such as The First World War, in connection with Remembrance Day. They also discuss more recent events in their own lives during 'News Time'. There are good opportunities for them to learn about their own cultures and beliefs and those of other people.

Physical development
Children are making good progress in the area of physical devevlopment. They have lessons in physical education or dance each day, as well as using the climbing and balance apparatus in the outside area when the weather permits. Children show good control and co-ordination, for example when running and then stopping suddenly at the command of the teacher. They show imagination when travelling across the floor in different ways, turning, rolling, twisting and leaping, for example. They move with agility in the playground during break time, showing awareness of the space available and other children. They use a good range of large and small equipment to develop different skills, playing with a parachute, for example, or using quoits and balls. They are encourage to think about and discuss healthy eating and the importance of keeping fit through regular exercise. Children use tools and equipment, such as glue sticks and scissors, with precision and dexterity.

Creative development
Children are making good progress in the area of creative development. They are given many worthwhile opportunities to express their own ideas with colour and texture and they do this with confidence and enthusiasm. Staff value children's individual efforts and work produced is bright and interesting, reflecting the good selection of media and materials provided. For example, they have made colourful three-dimensional masks, and also dramatic representations of bonfire night using paint. Children are provided with good opportunities to explore sound an make music using their voices and percussion instruments. They also respond well to music with dance and drama. Children use their senses to respond imaginatively to what they see, hear, smell, touch and feel. For example, they talk about the smell and texture of a cutting from a rosemary plant compared to an artificial piece of foliage. They use words such as 'crunchy' to describe the sound of a candle being pushed into an 'oasis'.

Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered appropriately.

HOW WELL THE CHILDREN ARE TAUGHT

The quality of teaching is good and this has a positive impact on children's progress in learning. Staff have attended training on understanding the early learning goals and have incorporated this new information into the planning and assessment process. Good awareness of the stepping stones in children's learning enables staff to plan an effective curriculum to meet children's different needs. Activities are varied in order to meet the different needs of three- and four-year-old children. All aspects of the six learning areas are given good emphasis through the detailed schemes of work. Staff interact sensitively with children, using good questioning techniques to expand their vocabulary when describing foliage brought in from the garden, for example. Older children are challenged and supported with more demanding tasks, such as when working in the damp sand to make a pretend lighthouse. Staff have regards for the Code of Practice for special educational needs. They manage children skillfully, showing a good sense of fun, and children behave very well.

There are some minor weaknesses in the quality and availbility of resources to support some of the aspects of role-play, writing to convey meaning, and reading scheme books. The amount of space allocated for role-play is insufficient, affecting the quality of imaginitive play. However, generally the accommodation is used well and there are sufficient resources. Effective use is made of time to offer good variety and a choice of activities each day. Staff make good use of assessments of children's progress to guide their planning and teaching.

HOW WELL THE SETTING WORKS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS AND CARERS

The school has a good partnership with parents and carers which contributes positively to children's progress in learning. Parents are provided with good information about the setting and its provision through the parents' handbook, which includes details on the six areas of learning. Parents find the 'Taster Day' a useful way of assessing the suitablility of the provision for their child's needs. A termly newsletter and open evening provide further sources of information once the child has started attending. Parents are encouraged to become involved with their child' learning by helping with the small amount of homework given each night, contributing items of interest to topic themes and also helping with fund-raising and social events. Parents are kept well informed about their child's achievements and progress in learning through daily verbal and written contact with the teacher. Effective channels of communiction operate, with parents also sharing what they know about their child.

WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT

There are no significant weaknesses to report, but consideration should be given to improve the following:
* improve the quality of the child-initiated role-play by providing more space, better equipment and regularly changing themes to encourage children to make up stories together and to use 'writing' to convey meaning.
Also, introduce more modern books to the reading scheme.

The provider or manager must draw up an action plan within 40 working days of receipt of this report showing how the key issues or points for consideration detailed above will be addressed. The action plan must be made available to all parents and to the Local Education Authority if required. An evaluation of the action taken will form part of the next inspection.