/ Providing Inspection Services for
Department of Education
Department for Employment and Learning
Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure
Inspection of Rascals Community Playgroup,
Gortin, Omagh, Co Tyrone
(DE Number: 2AB-0056)
A Report by the Education and Training Inspectorate
April 2005

STATISTICAL INFORMATION

Name of pre-school centre: / Rascals Community Playgroup
Address: / 62 Main Street
Gortin
OMAGH, Co Tyrone
Management Type: / Voluntary
Date of inspection: / 26 April 2005
Date of previous inspection: / 25 January 2000

1. Details of Children

Total number of children: / am session / pm session
·  attending the pre-school centre / 20
·  in their immediate pre-school year / 13
·  funded by Department of Education / 13
·  qualifying under DE admission criteria 1 & 2 / 1
·  with a statement of SEN* / 0
·  without a statement but receiving therapy or support from other professionals for SEN / 2
·  with English as an additional language / 0
·  who left in previous school year to attend reception provision within a primary school / 0
Attendance:
·  percentage attendance** of funded children for the previous school year / 92.8%

* Special Educational Needs

** Calculated from the date when the intake was complete

2. Details of Staff

Number of: /

Full-time

/ Part-time
Staff, including leader / 3
Staff holding recognised childcare qualifications / 3
New appointments within previous 12 months / 0
Number of: ***
Students / 0
Trainees / 0

*** Total placements since September of current year

3. Details of Sessions

Duration of morning session / Duration of afternoon session / Number of days open in previous year
2½ hours / 188

4. Parental Questionnaires

Number issued to parents:

/ 13
Percentage returned: / 61.5%
Number of written comments: / 4

Introduction

1. Rascals Community Playgroup is located in purpose-built accommodation within the Owenkillew Community Centre Complex in the village of Gortin. The children attending come from within the local and the surrounding areas.

2. In their response to the inspection questionnaire, the parents expressed a high level of satisfaction with the centre’s provision.

The Quality of the Educational Provision

3. The centre is bright and interesting; good use is made of a wide range of the children’s art work to create colourful displays around the playroom. Interest areas, supported by appropriate books and pictures, stimulate the children’s curiosity and increase their knowledge of the environment. There is a very positive ethos based on good relationships at all levels. The children are generally settled and well behaved; they are encouraged to play amicably and to help one another.

4. The communication with parents is good; a booklet, regular newsletters, and an open day are designed to encourage the parents to play a full role in the education of their children. In addition to the informal meetings which occur at the beginning and end


of the day, the parents are invited into the centre, three times each year, to discuss their children’s progress with the leaders. The written profiles prepared for each child are discussed with the parents before being forwarded to the receiving primary schools.

5. The centre has a suitable written policy on child protection. The parents are given information about the centre’s policy and procedures. The staff are aware of the need to regularly update their child protection training.

6. The planning outlines a broad, balanced programme for the children, designed to foster their all-round development. It identifies many facets of learning inherent in the various aspects of play. Observations of the children’s individual responses and interests are carefully noted by the staff and used to guide future work.

7. The daily timetable provides a balance of free play and activities organised by the staff. The necessary routines are managed unobtrusively and used effectively to promote learning.

8. The staff spend sustained periods with groups and individuals, promoting the children’s language and thinking and participating skilfully in the play. The staff engage the children in valuable discussion about their play and experiences, and participate sensitively in many of the activities to provide role-models and to extend the play.

9. The centre’s programme and the range of activities provided offer very good opportunities for learning in all the areas of the pre-school curriculum. The points which follow illustrate specific aspects of the programme.

·  The careful attention given to promoting the children’s personal, social and emotional development is evident in the children's development of independence and in their good behaviour. The children appear happy, they make confident choices and co-operate readily with the staff during activities. The children are well motivated and show a good level of involvement and concentration in their activities.

·  The careful arrangement of activities, and the teaching of safe play, help the children to gain appropriate physical skills and to use a variety of equipment and tools with confidence. During the inspection, there were good opportunities to develop imaginative play in the outdoor area. The staff have identified physical play as an area for self-evaluation leading to further improvement.

·  The effective promotion of the children’s interest in painting results in lively representational drawings and of a variety of printing and collage work. The children enjoy singing nursery


rhymes. A selection of musical instruments provides opportunities for informal music sessions and for exploring the sounds made by the various instruments.

·  The children’s language is developed effectively through story-telling sessions and discussion with the children. They are encouraged to express themselves confidently in conversation; as a result, the children are beginning to talk about their play and share their ideas with others. Effective use is made of the digital camera to record the children’s activities and experiences; text is added and a book has been compiled for sharing with the children. Additionally, the children are introduced to text incidentally through captions displayed around the room; many display an early interest in writing as they explore a variety of writing tools and papers.

·  The mathematical programme is a key strength of the centre, providing the children with very good learning experiences. During the inspection, the staff and the children used appropriate mathematical language as an integral part of the play and of the daily routines.

·  There are good opportunities for the children to design and build using a variety of constructional materials. The well-planned theme of “growing” is helping the children to discuss, care for and, observe a variety of seeds and plants; this experience effectively promotes the children’s sensory awareness and understanding of the living environment. Good use is made of seasonal and environmental topics to extend the children’s knowledge of, and interest in, the world around them.

10. There are good strategies to monitor and evaluate the children’s play and to record their achievements and needs; these records are used purposefully to plan the work.

11. There is good co-operation between the centre and the schools to which the children will transfer in order to ensure the children make a smooth transition. Primary school staff visit the centre each year. Transition records are completed and passed to all the relevant primary schools.

12. The staff make good efforts to identify and address the learning difficulties experienced by some children. They offer support to the children and liaise with the parents and other professionals when appropriate. Recently, one member of staff received training for special educational needs; the staff have identified this aspect of provision as an area for further development.

13. The leader is dedicated to the children and the development of the centre; she is a good administrator and role-model. There is excellent co-operation among the staff; their shared view of the curriculum creates a unified team. The staff value the support provided by the management committee, and the advice and guidance offered by the centre’s early years specialist. There is a sound foundation of skill and dedication among the staff to enable the centre to develop further through the self-evaluation process.

14. The centre is purpose-built and is well maintained. Storage and office facilities have been added; however, the location of the children’s toilets is at a distance from the outdoor area and the main play activities requiring close supervision by a member of the staff. There is a safe and secure outdoor area. Good use is made of all the available space by the staff.

15. The centre has a good range of resources that are regularly updated to support the implementation of a broad programme of play. During the inspection, the addition of real vegetables enhanced the resources in the home play area.

16. The strengths of the centre include:

·  the stimulating learning environment;

·  the caring and supportive ethos and the good relationships at all levels;

·  the effective links with the parents;

·  the good organisation of the day and the routines to support the children's learning;

·  the very good range of experiences and activities provided by the staff to enable the children to learn in all areas of the pre-school curriculum;

·  the close involvement of the staff in the play activities and the many instances of their very good quality interaction with the children that are reflected in the children’s settled, concentrated and productive play;

·  the effective leadership and the sense of team-spirit among the committed staff.

17. There are major strengths in all aspects of the educational and pastoral provision in this pre-school centre. The needs of the children are being met very effectively.

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ã CROWN COPYRIGHT 2005

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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, CoDownBT197PR. A copy is also available on the DE website: www.deni.gov.uk