Integrated Inspection by the
Care Commission and
HM Inspectorate of Education of
Stonehouse Primary School Nursery Class
South Lanarkshire Council
15 December 2004
Stonehouse Primary School Nursery Class
Townhead Street
Stonehouse
ML9 3EL
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
Children’s development and learning
Support for children and families
Standard 6 – Support and Development
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:
Very good
Good
Fair
Unsatisfactory
:
:
:
:
major strengths
strengths outweigh weaknesses
some important weaknesses
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.
Complaints Co-ordinator
Headquarters
Care Commission
Compass House
Riverside Drive
Dundee
DD1 4NY
Hazel Dewart
HM Inspectorate of Education
Saughton House
Broomhouse Drive
EDINBURGH
EH11 3XD
Crown Copyright 2004
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
Stonehouse Primary School
Nursery Class
South Lanarkshire Council
Introduction
Stonehouse Primary School Nursery Class was inspected in
September 2004 as part of the integrated inspection programme
by the Care Commission and HM Inspectorate of Education. The
nursery catered for children from age three to five years. At the
time of the inspection the roll was 34.
The environment
Standard 2
Stonehouse Primary School Nursery Class operated from
premises on the ground floor of Stonehouse Primary School. The
nursery comprised a large, bright playroom, quiet room and
children’s toilets. Additional changing facilities were available for
children. A large meeting room was provided for parents. An
enclosed outdoor play area was immediately adjacent to the
nursery, and was equipped with physical equipment anchored to
a safe play surface. The nursery also had regular programmed
use of the school’s gym hall.
A secure entry system was in place and there was ramp access
to the building.
The accommodation was in a good state of repair and decoration.
The playroom was well organised and resourced. Staff provided
a pleasant environment for children to play independently or with
others.
Equipment was well maintained, and risk assessments had been
carried out on all areas of the nursery, including the outdoor play
area. Staff ensured that measures were in place to control the
spread of infection.
Quality of children’s experience
Standard 4 & 5
Staff worked very well as a team. They knew children well and
were very responsive to their needs. They had developed
positive relationships with children and their families. Staff
interacted very well with children and made very good use of
questions and dialogue to support children’s development and
extend their learning. Children were happy, confident and
motivated. They had good opportunities to exercise choice and
many concentrated well for extended periods.
Staff planned children’s learning very well. Plans stated clearly
what children were expected to learn and took into account
individual needs. Very good arrangements were in place for
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observing, assessing and recording children’s progress. Parents
were kept fully informed about their children’s progress through
informal discussions, formal consultations and helpful written
reports.
Features of the programmes for children included the following.
•
The programme for emotional, personal and social
development was very good. Staff used praise very well to
motivate children and encourage their self confidence.
Children were happy, confident and secure within the nursery
routines. They were making friends and cooperated well with
other children during play. They showed a good awareness
of the simple rules of personal hygiene and safety.
•
The programme for communication and language was very
good. Children listened well and most talked confidently to
each other and to adults. Staff promoted children’s interest in
books very effectively at all times throughout the nursery.
Attractive rhyme sacks were available for children and they
were enjoying the computer activity which also involved
nursery rhymes. Children had good opportunities to develop
their skills in early writing. Some older children could
recognise their own names in print and a few were able to
write them.
•
The programme for knowledge and understanding of the
world was very good. Staff made effective use of the local
village to build up good community links. Children had
enjoyed the recent Olympic Games. Staff had provided an
interesting range of meaningful activities on this theme and a
few children were still wearing their home-made medals.
Children were developing a good understanding of shape,
colour and early number through well-planned activities.
•
The programme for expressive and aesthetic development
was good. Children had very good opportunities to express
their thoughts and feelings in a range of art and craft activities
including painting, modelling and collage. They enjoyed
role-play in the house corner. While children were
experiencing music and enjoying singing, this was an area
which needed to be developed further.
•
The programme for physical development and movement was
very good. Children were developing very good hand and
finger control through a wide variety of small construction
toys, tools, jigsaws, threading games, pencils, brushes and
the computer mouse. Children responded well to very good
opportunities to engage in regular energetic play both indoors
and outside. In the gym hall, they were very confident and
enthusiastic in the use of large play equipment and showed
very good progress in climbing, balancing and jumping.
Support for children and families
Standard 6
2
Staff had developed very positive relationships with parents.
They responded very well to the support needs of children and
families and were sensitive to individual circumstances. A key
worker system, with individual staff responsible for small groups
of children, enabled staff to know children well and develop close
links with their families. Parents and carers who responded to the
pre-inspection questionnaire were very satisfied with all aspects
of the work of the nursery.
There was a planned programme of induction for children
transferring to primary school which enabled parents to be
actively involved in the process. Information on children’s
progress was shared with parents and the receiving P1 teachers.
The nursery provided very good support for children who required
extra support in their learning. Staff had very good liaison with
support agencies and other professionals. There were strong
working links with other local providers.
All specialists, professionals and staff involved in the children’s
care and education met regularly to discuss the needs of
individual children, when appropriate.
Management
Standard 14
The headteacher and the depute headteacher, who had
delegated responsibility for the nursery, provided very good
leadership, and had developed supportive relationships with staff,
parents and children. They had fostered good teamwork among
staff, utilising their strengths and areas of expertise.
The nursery had a comprehensive set of policies, procedures and
records which were known to staff and available for inspection by
parents. The nursery followed South Lanarkshire Council’s policy
on child protection. Copies of the Scottish Social Services
Council’s codes of practice had been received, and information
regarding these disseminated to senior staff.
Appropriate checks and references had been undertaken in
relation to all staff, and a system of personal development and
review was in place. Staff had been able to access some
training, and additional training was planned for the current term.
A comprehensive development plan was in place, and all staff
were involved in evaluating the service in line with Child at the
Centre.
Staff training was linked both to the development plan and to the
development areas identified within staff reviews. Parents were
encouraged to contribute fully to the life of the nursery.
Key strengths
•
The very good interaction between staff and children.
•
The very positive relationships between staff and parents.
•
The high quality of children’s experiences, with staff providing
very good support for children’s learning.
•
The very good procedures for planning and assessing
children’s learning experiences.
•
The high quality of resources providing a wide choice of
learning opportunities for all children.
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Recommendations for improvement
•
The management team should continue to develop formal
monitoring of the nursery.
•
Staff should further develop children’s musical 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.
Ann Dornan
Care Commission
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Anne-Marie P Grove
HM Inspectorate of Education