Integrated Inspection by the
Care Commission and
HM Inspectorate of Education of
Eyemouth Primary School Nursery Class
Scottish Borders Council
23 February 2005
Eyemouth Primary School Nursery Class
Coldingham Road
Eyemouth
TD14 5AN
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 Coordinator
Headquarters
Care Commission
Compass House
Riverside Drive
Dundee
DD1 4NY
Hazel Dewart
HM Inspectorate of Education
Denholm House
Almondvale Business Park
Almondvale Way
EH54 6GA
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
Eyemouth Primary School
Nursery Class
Scottish Borders Council
Introduction
Eyemouth Primary School Nursery Class was inspected in
October 2004 as part of the integrated inspection programme by
the Care Commission and HM Inspectorate of Education. The
nursery catered for pre-school children from age three to five
years. At the time of the inspection the roll was 42.
The environment
Standard 2
The nursery class was located in a building adjacent to the main
school. It comprised of a play area, cloakroom, kitchen, toilets
and storage. The community hall was available for energetic play
and the lunchtime ‘wraparound’ service.
Staff had created a welcoming environment, which was safe,
hygienic and well maintained. Potential hazards had been
identified and made safe. Access to the nursery was good and
the main outer door secure. However, a risk assessment of the
fire door should be carried out and measures put in place to
ensure children cannot leave the nursery unsupervised.
The nursery provided good space for children to play
independently or in groups. Resources were appropriate and in
good condition. Two networked computers were available.
Examples of children’s work and photographs were attractively
displayed.
Good use was made of the outdoor play space. This comprised a
garden, a soft surfaced area for climbing apparatus and an area
for sit and ride toys. The play areas were directly accessible from
the nursery.
Quality of children’s experience
Standard 4 & 5
Staff had created a warm and welcoming atmosphere and had
developed positive relationships with children. An effective
behaviour policy was in place and children were clear about
expectations and rules. These had been shared with parents.
Staff met weekly to plan topics and activities. Planning needed to
be reviewed to ensure observations and assessments were used
to identify next steps in learning for all children. Parents had
good opportunities to meet with staff to discuss their children’s
progress formally and informally.
Most children concentrated well on their chosen activities and
staff supported them well in their learning. Overall, there was a
1
good balance of free choice and adult-led activities. Staff needed
to make better use of resources and offer more challenging
learning opportunities.
Features of the programmes for children included the following.
•
The programme for emotional, personal and social
development was very good. Staff had established
appropriate routines and made good use of praise to promote
children’s self confidence. Children were happy and
cooperated well with one another and adults. They were
developing independence and self-help skills through snack
time, teeth brushing and at tidy-up time.
•
The programme for communication and language was good.
Children had good opportunities to listen and talk with adults
during play and through time together in groups. Staff had
developed an attractive story and writing area. They provided
a good selection of books, including big books. Some
children were developing early writing skills. Print was
included in displays and on children’s work. Staff needed to
provide more opportunities for children to develop early
reading and writing skills in play situations.
•
The programme for developing children’s knowledge and
understanding of the world was good. Children were learning
to count, weigh and measure during regular baking activities.
Many children were able to sort and name colours and
shapes during play. Visitors were welcomed into nursery to
support themes and interests, and good use was made of the
local environment. Children needed more opportunities and
resources to learn about other cultures, to carry out simple
investigations and to problem solve. More use should be
made of information and communications technology.
•
The programme for expressive and aesthetic development
was fair. Children had some opportunities to draw and paint.
The current theme of dinosaurs provided the context for
role-play. Children needed more opportunities to be creative
in role-play and through gluing and model making. Children
recited rhymes confidently at group time. Staff needed to
provide more opportunities for children to sing and make
music using percussion instruments.
•
The programme for physical development and movement was
good. Children were developing good hand control through a
range of activities including jigsaws, painting and drawing.
These should be developed further to include cutting, beading
and threading and computer mouse skills. Staff provided
good opportunities for energetic physical play in the outdoor
play areas. Good use was made of the community hall where
children had access to soft play materials.
Support for children and families
Standard 6
2
The nursery offered very good support to children and their
families. Staff had developed very good relationships with
parents and children. Staff responded sensitively to individual
needs and circumstances. Wraparound care was offered over
lunch time and in the afternoons. Parents who responded to the
pre-inspection questionnaire were very satisfied with most
aspects of the work of the nursery. A few wanted more
information about their child’s progress in learning. Parents were
kept informed of the work of the nursery through monthly
newsletters, daily informal meetings and attractively presented
notices. An informative handbook was made available.
Staff liaised effectively with other professionals and agencies,
including the home link teacher and school nurse to support the
needs of individual children. A key worker system, where each
member of staff was responsible for a particular group of children,
was in place and staff had recently developed a system for
identifying strategies to support individual needs for some
children. Good links had been established with local playgroups
to support children when transferring to the nursery.
Management
Standard 14
The headteacher provided very good leadership and displayed a
high level of professional competence. The depute provided very
good support to the nursery. They were committed to the
development of the nursery and ensured it was an integral part of
the school. They had developed very good working relationships
with staff, parents and children.
The nursery teacher was responsible for the day-to-day running
of the nursery. Strong teamwork between all staff contributed
significantly to the quality of support given to children.
A child protection policy was in place and all staff showed a good
understanding of their roles in protecting children. However,
other policies and procedures needed to be further developed in
consultation with staff and parents.
Effective staff development and review procedures were in place.
An appropriate number of staff were in post and all held relevant
qualifications. Recruitment procedures were implemented in line
with local authority guidelines.
The management team and staff sought the views of parents to
improve aspects of the nursery. The development plan identified
suitable priorities for action. The management team and staff
should develop a more systematic and rigorous approach to
monitoring and evaluating the work of the nursery to inform future
plans for improvement.
Key strengths
•
The positive ethos and high quality staff-child interaction.
•
The very good programme for emotional, personal and social
development.
•
The commitment of management to the development of the
nursery.
•
The very good support for children and families.
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Recommendations for improvement
•
Staff should improve the programme for expressive and
aesthetic development.
•
Staff should improve procedures for planning and
assessment to ensure observations and assessments are
used to inform planning for all children.
•
The management team should review and develop further
policies relating to nursery, including brief curricular
guidelines.
•
The management team should implement rigorous and
systematic procedures for self-evaluation to inform future
plans for improvement.
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.
Ms Christine Askew
Care Commission
4
Ms Marie Keen
HM Inspectorate of Education