.
/ Providing Inspection Services for
Department of Education
Department for Employment and Learning
Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure
Inspection of Glenarm Community Pre-School,
Co Antrim
(DE Number: 3AB-0133)
A Report by the Education and Training Inspectorate
April 2005

STATISTICAL INFORMATION

Name of pre-school centre: / Glenarm Community Pre-School
Address: / 11 Mark Street
GLENARM
BT44 0AU
Management Type: / Voluntary
Date of inspection: / 26 April 2005
Date of previous inspection: / 20 January 2000

1.Details of Children

Total number of children: / am session / pm session
  • attending the pre-school centre
/ 21
  • in their immediate pre-school year
/ 12
  • funded by Department of Education
/ 12
  • 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
/ 0
  • 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
/ 89%

*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 / 4
Staff holding recognised childcare qualifications / 4
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
Mon-Thur 3 hours
Fri 2½ hours / - / 186

4.Parental Questionnaires

Number issued to parents:

/ 26
Percentage returned: / 91.7%
Number of written comments: / 5

Introduction

1.Glenarm Community Pre-School is situated in the village of Glenarm. The children come from the village and the surrounding rural area.

2.In their response to the inspection questionnaire, the parents expressed a very high level of satisfaction with all aspects of the centre’s provision, particularly with the dedication and commitment of the staff and the supportive and caring environment within the centre.

The Quality of the Educational Provision

3.The centre has a very positive ethos based on good relationships at all levels. The children are at ease with the staff and turn to them confidently to meet their needs, to share in their play and for reassurance and support. The staff have created a bright and stimulating learning environment; examples of the children’s paintings, photographs and topical displays arouse the children’s curiosity and enhance the playroom.

4.The centre is developing an effective programme of liaison with the parents; before their child’s admission, there are opportunities to attend an open-day and receive the centre’s information booklet. In addition to the good informal contact at the beginning and end of the session and the monthly newsletters, the parents are invited into the centre on two occasions to discuss their children’s progress with the staff.

5.The centre has a suitable written policy on child protection which is shared with the parents. The staff have discussed and developed appropriate procedures to safeguard the welfare of the children. The additional information about the centre’s procedures needs to be included in the written policy and shared with the parents.

6.A good range of themes and topics is incorporated skilfully to develop a range of stimulating activities and varied learning experiences for the children in all areas of the pre-school curriculum. The detailed planning takes increasing account of, and is informed by, the children’s responses to the activities; as a result, the programme is amended to ensure progression in the children’s learning.

7.The daily timetable provides valuable periods of uninterrupted play and there are many instances of concentrated and productive play. The children’s snack time is organised informally and provides good opportunities for the children to develop independence and to acquire early mathematical and conversational skills. During the session, the children benefit from the opportunities to participate in group activities involving stories, songs and imaginative, energetic play.

8.The session is well managed to provide a good balance of free play and activities organised by the staff. During the inspection, there were many examples of high quality interaction between the staff and the children. All of the staff show an awareness of the potential of the materials to promote learning and are skilful in extending the children’s ideas and activity.

9.The centre’s programme promotes effectively the children’s personal, social and emotional development. The range of activities provided offers good opportunities for learning in all the other areas of the pre-school curriculum. The points, which follow, illustrate specific aspects of the programme.

  • The children display a good measure of independence and responsibility: they choose freely from the wide range of activities on offer and many good instances of sustained concentration were observed during the inspection. The staff are alert to those children who need additional support to develop their social skills and are quick to offer appropriate guidance.
  • There are good opportunities for indoor energetic play which develops effectively the children’s confidence and agility in climbing, running and balancing.
  • The wide range of creative activities provided encourages the children to explore and experiment with different materials and tools; some children have begun to make representations of people and objects in their surroundings. The staff’s imaginative approach to this area of development encourages the children to explore materials freely and produce work of a good standard. The children are acquiring a repertoire of songs and rhymes which they clearly enjoy singing and reciting.
  • The atmosphere and environment of the centre provide rich opportunities for the promotion of language. There is strong encouragement for the children to develop an interest in books; they pay close attention during story sessions and explore information books during their play. The staff make good use of the play opportunities to develop the children’s conversational skills and use appropriate questions to extend and develop language and learning.
  • During the inspection, the staff and the children used appropriate mathematical language, for example, in stories, songs and rhymes and as an integral part of the play and of the daily routines. The children are gaining appropriate ideas associated with number, shape, pattern and measurement.
  • Excellent use is made of seasonal and environmental topics, which extend the children’s knowledge of, and interest in, the world around them; for example, the children have observed the growth of the seeds that they planted, the development of the chrysalis of the butterfly and the numerous visits to local places of environmental interest. They also make good use of a range of visitors to the centre to enhance the children’s experiences. The children’searly technological ideas are beginning to be developed with a range of constructional and scrap materials. Well-planned play activities provide the children with opportunities to investigate the properties of magnets, water and sand.

10.The staff monitor the children’s progress regularly and maintain detailed records of the children’s development and their identified needs. The staff know the children well and they are increasingly using the outcomes of their observations to help plan activities and to develop further each child’s potential. There is valuable co-operation with the parents, as well as with health and other education professionals.

11.The staff report that a good programme of liaison has been established with the adjoining primary schools. This enables the children to visit the year 1 classes and allows the leader of the pre-school centre to discuss with the year 1 teachers the children’s progress. Transition records are completed for all the primary schools to which the children transfer.

12.The centre is well organised and effectively managed. The leader promotes a strong sense of team-work among the staff. They plan and evaluate the programme together and all contribute to the effective operation of the centre. The staff value the guidance and advice offered by the early years specialist. Appropriate areas of the curriculum are identified for developmental work in the centre’s development plan including the provision of an outdoor play area. There is a sound basis for the development of more structured approaches to self-evaluation and improvement.

13.The quality of the accommodation is satisfactory. The centre has a good supply of resources and the addition of authentic items and natural materials enhances the play experiences for the children.

14.The strengths of the centre include:

  • the very positive ethos and the good relationships at all levels;
  • the stimulating range of activities and varied learning experiences for the children in all areas of the pre-school curriculum;
  • the valuable period of uninterrupted play and the many instances of concentrated and productive activity;
  • the many examples of high quality interaction between the staff and the children;
  • the detailed planning and the effective methods used to monitor and evaluate the children’s learning;
  • the strong sense of team-work among the staff who are committed to the children’s welfare;
  • the effective leadership and management of the centre.

15.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 effectively.

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 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: