Integrated Inspection by the
Care Commission and
HM Inspectorate of Education of
Aberchirder Primary School Nursery Class
Aberdeenshire Council
12 January 2005
Aberchirder Primary School Nursery Class
Smith Crescent
Aberchirder
Huntly
AB54 7TW
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 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
Aberchirder Primary School Nursery Class
Aberdeenshire Council
Introduction
Aberchirder 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. An
inspection of the primary school was carried out at the same time
by HMIE and is the subject of a separate report. The nursery
catered for pre-school children from age three to five years. At
the time of the inspection the roll was 17.
The environment
Standard 2
The nursery was situated in a classroom within the school. It
provided a bright and welcoming environment for the children.
Staff made effective use of the space available, allowing for
children to meet as a group or play individually. Children’s work
was displayed around the room. An outdoor play area was
available but this was not fully enclosed. A secure outdoor play
area should be made available for nursery children.
Appropriate policies and procedures were in place. Overall, the
accommodation and facilities were suitable to meet the needs of
the service users. However, concerns were raised regarding the
inappropriate use of a communal hand washing bowl and the
temperature of the hot water within the nursery room. It was
discussed that appropriate procedures should be put in place to
ensure communal hand washing bowls were not used. Staff
needed to carry out a risk assessment of the hot water taps in the
nursery room.
Quality of children’s experience
Standard 4 & 5
Staff knew children very well and had built up good relationships
with them. They were kind and caring and had a patient and
consistent approach. Children were keen to learn and were
developing friendships. They were confident and happy to talk
about their activities. Staff made very good use of questions to
extend and support children’s development and learning.
Staff planned a range of activities closely related to the key
aspects of children’s development and learning. They needed to
review the structure of the sessions to allow children more free
choice. Staff assessed children regularly but did not use this
information effectively to inform planning next steps in their
learning. Parents were kept informed of their children’s progress
through annual written reports.
1
Features of the programmes for children included the following.
2
•
The programme for emotional, personal and social
development was good. Staff had created a warm and caring
environment and made effective use of praise. They
encouraged children to cooperate and share with each other.
Children were happy in the nursery and comfortable with the
routines and simple rules. They helped to tidy around the
nursery and were developing an understanding of personal
hygiene. Staff provided insufficient opportunities for children
to develop independence and make choices. They
encouraged children to be patient and take turns.
•
The programme for communication and language was good.
Children had good opportunities to talk and listen to adults
and one another for a range of purposes. Staff made good
use of reference books around the nursery and encouraged
children to make independent use of the book corner. A
lending library encouraged good habits in reading at home.
Children enjoyed re-enacting stories they had heard. Staff
provided insufficient appropriate activities to develop
children’s skills in early writing.
•
The programme for knowledge and understanding of the
world was good. Children were learning about the weather
and the days of the week. They had regular opportunities to
experiment in sand and water play. Staff arranged walks
around the local woods for children to collect materials and
investigate their local environment. Children enjoyed helping
to look after the nursery fish. They were developing their
understanding of colour, number and shape through a range
of appropriate activities. There were insufficient opportunities
for children to learn about their own and other cultures.
•
The programme for expressive and aesthetic development
was good. Children enjoyed role-play in the home corner.
Staff intervened effectively to extend and support their play.
Children had experience of painting, printing and working with
wax crayons. The range of materials and techniques
available on a regular basis was not wide enough. Children
enjoyed singing number rhymes and had regular
opportunities to make music. They took part in a nativity play
each year.
•
The programme for physical development and movement was
good. Children were developing control of their fingers and
hands through use of a range of appropriate tools. Staff did
not provide sufficient opportunities for energetic play. The
children had opportunities to use large equipment and to play
energetically in the school gym for two sessions each week.
Staff needed to plan for daily energetic play activities and
make more effective use of the outdoor area.
Support for children and families
Standard 6
Nursery staff provided good support for children and their families
and responded appropriately to their individual needs. Good
working relationships had been developed with families. Staff
were sensitive and caring in their approach. Overall, parents and
carers who responded to the pre-inspection questionnaire were
satisfied with the service provided. A few wanted more
information about their child’s progress and how they could work
in partnership with the nursery to support their child’s learning and
development.
Staff had developed good working relationships with the P1 class.
Effective procedures for transition from nursery to P1 were in
place. Good working relationships had been developed with a
range of support agencies. Regular communication and support
were provided by these support agencies. Parents were actively
involved in this process. One-to-one support was available for
short periods of time for children who required additional support
in their learning. Staff were developing personal care plans that
identified short- and long-term targets. However, no
individualised educational programmes were in place detailing
actions to be taken to develop and enhance children’s learning. A
range of training opportunities pertaining to supporting children
with additional needs was available.
Management
Standard 14
Overall, the management of the nursery was good. The
headteacher, nursery teacher and nursery staff worked well
together to ensure the effective day-to-day running of the service.
The headteacher had delegated responsibility for the day-to-day
running of the nursery to the nursery teacher. Staff were hard
working and demonstrated good teamwork and commitment.
Positive working relationships between parents and staff had
been developed. Information regarding nursery activities and
policies were displayed on the nursery notice board. Additional
letters were distributed to parents and carers providing
information on specific activities.
A comprehensive range of policies and procedures was in place.
Staff followed the local authority child protection guidelines and a
coordinator had been identified. An appropriate complaints
procedure was available. All staff were appropriately qualified
and adult-to-child ratios were in line with national guidelines. A
formal system of continuous professional development was in
place for the nursery teacher. An informal system was available
for the nursery nurse. These had been reviewed and a range of
staff development opportunities was available. The headteacher
and staff were unaware of the Scottish Social Services Council’s
Codes of Practice.
The headteacher had been involved in informal classroom
monitoring. However, this did not include the use of relevant
national standards such as Child at the Centre. Parents and
carers had not been involved in the evaluation of the provision. A
development plan was in place. The priorities were being
implemented successfully. The headteacher, along with staff,
should develop systematic, rigorous procedures to monitor and
evaluate the quality of the children’s learning.
3
Key strengths
•
Bright and welcoming environment.
•
High quality interaction between staff and children to extend
and support their learning.
•
Hard working and committed staff.
Other Issues
Response to
recommendations or to
requirements made at
previous inspection
No recommendations or requirements were made at the time of
the last inspection.
Recommendations for improvement
•
A secure outdoor play area should be made available for
nursery children.
•
Appropriate procedures should be put in place to ensure
communal hand washing bowls are not used and a risk
assessment should be carried out for hot water taps within
the nursery room.
•
Staff should review the structure of the day to allow children
more free choice.
•
The headteacher, along with staff, should develop systematic,
rigorous procedures to monitor and evaluate the quality of
children’s learning 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.
Kay Newton
Care Commission
4
Alison Watson
HM Inspectorate of Education