Integrated Inspection by the
Care Commission and
HM Inspectorate of Education of
Abbotswell Primary School
Nursery Class
Aberdeen City Council
25 May 2005
Abbotswell Primary School Nursery Class
Faulds Gate
Kincorth
Aberdeen
AB12 5QX
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
Livingston
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
Abbotswell Primary School
Nursery Class
Aberdeen City Council
Introduction
Abbotswell Primary School Nursery Class was inspected in
February 2005 as part of the integrated inspection programme by
the Care Commission and HM Inspectorate of Education. The
nursery catered for pre-school children aged three to five years.
At the time of the inspection the roll was 38.
The environment
Standard 2
The nursery was located within the primary school and offered a
welcoming environment with children’s work displayed attractively
within the playroom and the adjoining corridor. A separate
entrance was in place and had been fitted with a time-controlled
entry system. A fully enclosed outdoor play area was accessible
off the playroom which provided additional play space for
children. The nursery had timetabled use of the school gym once
a week. The playroom was laid out to allow children to work
independently or in groups. However, the layout provided the
children with a limited choice of activities.
Appropriate policies and procedures were in place to ensure the
safety of children and to control the spread of infection. Risk
assessments had been identified as an area for development.
Places had been secured for staff to attend training on risk
assessment to help with the progression of this task.
Quality of children’s experience
Standard 4 & 5
Staff had very good relationships with children and used praise
very well to promote children’s confidence and self esteem. Staff
planned a good balance between activities children could choose
and those directed by adults. They organised challenging and
stimulating activities. However, they needed to provide a
sufficiently broad range of activities. Staff interacted very
effectively with children to develop their play and extend their
learning.
Staff had very good arrangements for planning which took
account of children’s interests and individual needs. They
recorded detailed assessments and observations. However, they
needed to further develop this process to identify children’s next
steps and monitor progress in learning. Staff kept parents
informed through informal discussions, formal meetings and
helpful written reports.
1
Features of the programmes for children included the following.
2
•
The programme for emotional, personal and social
development was good. Children were happy, confident and
knew the nursery routines. They were developing friendships
and cooperating with others. Staff had created a warm and
caring environment within the nursery. They encouraged
children to be considerate to others and follow simple rules.
Children had some responsibilities, for example tidying
around the nursery. Staff needed to encourage the children
to be more independent.
•
The programme for communication and language was very
good. Children talked effectively for a range of purposes.
They listened very well to staff and friends. Staff were very
effective in encouraging and promoting high-quality
discussion. Staff provided very good opportunities for
children to develop an interest in books. Children borrowed
books to read at home. They listened well to stories and
clearly enjoyed discussing books. Staff made effective use of
print on signs, labels and displays around the room which
children used to help develop their own writing skills. Some
children were writing their own names.
•
The programme for knowledge and understanding of the
world was good. Children were learning about seasons
through themes of autumn and winter. They were developing
understanding of their growth through a topic about babies.
Children were investigating ice and they enjoyed making ice
lollies for their snack. Staff provided very good opportunities
for children to learn about mathematics. Children knew
shapes, were aware of time and used counting in their play.
They used the computers but staff needed to further develop
the use of information and communications technology in
children’s play.
•
The programme for expressive and aesthetic development
was good. Creative activity should be available to the
children at every session. Children were developing skills in
painting and drawing. However, children needed
opportunities to express themselves freely using a wide
range of materials. Some children used the musical
instruments to make music and they played in time to taped
music. They had learned singing games through a party
theme. Role-play was very imaginative at times with children
creating stories about sledging.
•
The programme for physical development and movement
was good. Children had regular opportunities to enjoy
physical activity in the hall. Some children were using their
bodies to express their ideas of melting snowmen. They
were learning about safe practices in physical play. Children
had limited access to energetic outdoor play. The outdoor
play area was not in use because of broken glass. Staff
needed to consider ways of giving children regular outdoor
experiences. Children were developing control of fingers
through the use of pens and the computer mouse. However,
staff needed to provide a greater variety of tools.
Support for children and families
Standard 6
Staff were aware of the individual needs of children and
supported children and their families well. The nursery had
established effective links with a range of support agencies and
other professionals to ensure that the needs of children were met.
Individualised educational programmes were in place for children
who needed additional support with their learning. Staff liaised,
as appropriate, with parents and other professionals to support
children. Close links were in place with staff from establishments
that offered shared care to children attending the nursery. Staff
attended meetings and reviews to ensure that they were up to
date with the latest information about the needs of individual
children.
Parents spoken with, and parents who completed the
pre-inspection questionnaire, were happy with the service overall
and felt staff were very approachable and supportive.
Home-school links were in place and included the ‘book bag’ and
‘toy bag’ lending scheme. Staff made time available on a daily
basis to discuss any concerns and to exchange information. The
nursery had in place an effective transitional link to P1. Parents’
meetings and classroom visits were organised for children
moving on to P1.
Management
Standard 14
The management team had a clear vision for the nursery and
were committed to its development. The nursery was seen as an
integral part of the whole school. The strong management team
ensured that the whole team worked together. The headteacher
was supported by the depute and both communicated with and
supported the nursery staff well. The management team were in
the early stages of introducing systematic monitoring procedures.
A system was in place to ensure the professional development of
all nursery staff. Staff held relevant childcare qualifications and
had the opportunity to access further training. Appropriate
adult-to-child ratios were in place within the nursery. Appropriate
child protection guidelines were available. Staff were aware of
their role in this process. They had undertaken, or were waiting
access to, training in child protection. A set of policies and
procedures was in place for the nursery and these were available
to the parents.
The headteacher had received a copy of the Scottish Social
Service Council Codes of Practice and this information was
available to staff. The nursery used a comments book,
suggestion box and questionnaires to ensure that parents’ ideas
were taken into account when planning for improvement.
Key strengths
•
Happy, well-behaved and confident children.
•
The caring, dedicated, hardworking nursery staff.
•
The very effective, supportive relationships between children,
parents and staff.
3
•
The very good programme in language and communication.
•
The strong leadership of the headteacher and depute
headteacher working effectively with nursery staff.
Other Issues
Response to
recommendations or to
requirements made at
previous inspection
At the last inspection carried out by the Care Commission in
January 2004, three recommendations were made. Accident
recording had been amended to ensure confidentiality. A risk
assessment of nappy-changing procedure had been
implemented. The complaints procedure had been updated but
did not contain contact details for the Care Commission.
Recommendations for improvement
•
Staff should further develop programmes of learning and
development as set out in this report.
•
The observations of the children should be further extended
to identify next steps in children’s development and learning
and monitor their progress.
•
Staff should improve the use of space in the playroom to
include a greater choice of activities.
•
The headteacher should further develop procedures for
monitoring and evaluating the quality of provision, including
the quality of the curriculum.
•
Update the complaints procedure to include contact details
for the Care Commission. Scottish Statutory Instrument 114
(2002) Regulation 25.
Requirements
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.
Claire Capstick
Care Commission
4
Gail Simcox
HM Inspectorate of Education