/ Providing Inspection Services for
Department of Education
Department for Employment and Learning
Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure
© CROWN COPYRIGHT 2004
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Copies of this report may be obtained from the Inspection Services Branch, Department of Education, Rathgael House, 43 Balloo Road, Bangor, Co Down BT19 7PR. A copy is also available on the DE website: / FOLLOW-UP INSPECTION
OF
STANHOPE STREET NURSERY SCHOOL
BELFAST
MARCH 2004

Chairperson of the Board of Governors

Stanhope Street Nursery School
Stanhope Drive
BELFAST
BT13 1BXJune 2004
Dear Sir/Madam

REPORT OF A FOLLOW-UP INSPECTION IN STANHOPE STREET NURSERY SCHOOL, BELFAST (111-6157)

The inspection in February 2001 highlighted strengths in the attractive learning environment, the good relationships with parents, the hard-working and dedicated staff and the effective management and identified the need for improvement in the following key areas:
  • developing further the planning of the programme, and the methods used to monitor and record the children’s progress, in order to guide, more effectively, the staff to promote learning which meets children’s individual needs;
  • improving the organisation of the day in order to extend the children’s opportunities for free play and to exploit, more effectively, the opportunities for learning.
In the interval since the inspection, the following action which affects the work of the nursery school has taken place.
  • The staff have worked collaboratively in planning, monitoring and evaluating the programme.
  • They have reviewed, compiled and are implementing new formats which are used to plan the educational programme.
  • The staff have received support and guidance from the Assistant Education Officer in the Belfast Education and Library Board.
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  • The school has compiled a comprehensive and detailed development plan.
The Education and Training Inspectorate carried out a follow-up inspection on 12March2004.
The following are the most important improvements brought about by the staff and the management group.
  • The planning documents identify progress in the areas of play; they also highlight key elements of learning which the staff intend to promote.
  • The staff are developing a regular and systematic approach to observing, recording and reporting the children’s progress.
  • The sessions are well organised and the available time is used effectively for learning; the timetable supports the development of the children’s concentration and the routines foster their personal, social and emotional development.
  • The children have appropriate time to make choices, explore freely the range of activities and to extend their play.
The nursery school has made good progress in addressing the key areas for action. The parents and broader community can have confidencein the school’s commitment to improvement and the effectiveness of its action in response to the findings of the inspection.
Yours faithfully
ELIZABETH WELLS (MRS)ccMiss K E Timmins
Inspection Services BranchPrincipal