Inspection of Panda Cross Community Playgroup
(DE Number: 5AB-0204)
A Report by the Education and Training Inspectorate
October 1999
INTRODUCTION
1.
Panda Cross Community Playgroup is a
pre-school centre under voluntary management.
Twenty-five children attend the centre; 17 are in their
pre-school year.
2.
The inspection is part of a programme to ensure
that appropriate standards of education are provided in
centres receiving funding as part of the Government’s
expansion of pre-school education.
THE QUALITY OF THE EDUCATIONAL
PROVISION
3.
The centre is well organised into attractive and
inviting learning areas; posters, books, photographs and
an array of interesting materials arouse the children’s
curiosity and increase their knowledge of their
environment. The staff provide a secure, supportive
environment which helps the children to grow in
confidence and independence. Relationships between
the staff and the children are good; appropriate
procedures result in the children being well settled. The
staff are hard-working and dedicated; they create a
happy family atmosphere throughout the centre.
4.
The centre has a suitable written policy on child
protection. The staff are aware of some of the
procedures to be followed to safeguard the welfare of the
children and now need to develop these further to ensure
they are comprehensive.
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5.
The majority of parents who expressed their
views about the centre were satisfied or very satisfied
with the provision. A noticeboard, occasional notes and
the opportunities for informal meetings at the beginning
and the end of the sessions are designed to inform the
parents and encourage them to play a full role in the
education of their children. The staff plan to share more
information about the curriculum, through the
introduction of a newsletter and parent meetings.
6.
The planning outlines a broad and balanced
programme designed to foster the children’s all-round
development. Themes and topics are incorporated
skilfully to develop a range of learning and are effective
in introducing a variety of interesting activities
appropriate to the children’s stage of development. The
staff systematically evaluate the planning; the children’s
individual needs are recognised and used to inform and
guide future work.
7.
The daily timetable emphasises opportunities for
freely chosen play. The children’s snack, and other
necessary routines, are organised informally and operate
efficiently to provide opportunities for the development
of social and personal skills. Appropriate time is given
to story and physical play sessions.
8.
The staff participate skilfully and sensitively in
the activities to promote the children’s development and
to extend their play; their involvement in all aspects of
the play indicates a clear understanding of the learning to
be promoted through the materials and the activities, and
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of the differing needs of the children.
9.
The centre’s educational programme is broad and
balanced and provides good opportunities for learning in
all areas of the pre-school curriculum. The staff give
close attention to the personal, social and emotional
development of the children. There are many good
opportunities for the children to develop language skills,
early mathematical ideas and scientific concepts, and to
learn about and to appreciate their environment. The
programme for physical play needs to progress more
steadily throughout the year. The points which follow
illustrate aspects of the centre’s programme.
 The careful attention given to promoting the
children’s personal, social and emotional
development is evident in the children’s
growing confidence to make independent
choices of activity, to play purposefully and to
sustain high levels of concentration. There are
many instances of good co-operative play when
children share materials and take account of the
wishes of others.
 The children’s abilities to control small tools
such as glue spreaders, pencils and paintbrushes
are developed effectively. There are some
opportunities to develop the children’s
co-ordination and skills using wheeled toys,
balls and small equipment such as skittles.
There are plans to build an outdoor play area.
 The children have access to a wide range of
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creative materials. During the inspection, the
staff encouraged the children to explore and
experiment with a variety of autumn leaves and
assorted natural materials.
Many children
show enjoyment and interest in ‘mark-making’
and in exploration using the paints and writing
materials. There are opportunities for singing
simple action songs and for playing the musical
instruments.
 High priority is given to developing the
children’s language through skilful talk and
discussion, and the introduction by the staff of a
rich vocabulary and range of ideas. There is
strong encouragement for the children to
develop an interest in books; they pay close
attention during story sessions and browse in
the book corner. During play, books and
magazines are incorporated skilfully into the
activities to extend the children’s knowledge of
the natural world. Experimental writing is
encouraged through the imaginative play in the
‘office’. The children show an interest in the
text and pictures displayed around the room.
 The staff use appropriate mathematical
language when participating in the children’s
play.
There is good promotion of early
mathematical ideas as the children have
opportunities to sort, match, count and make
comparisons, and to develop an awareness of
shape and space.
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 There are good opportunities for the children to
explore and investigate, to make models, and to
learn about early scientific ideas through
well-planned play with natural materials.
 Good use is made of seasonal and
environmental topics to extend the children’s
knowledge of, and interest in, the world around
them. The children’s exploration of the season
of autumn was extended by a visit to a local
forest park.
The learning environment is
enhanced by an interesting range of natural
materials which are incorporated into the play
activities.
10.
The staff know the children well and use the
‘key-worker’ system in making and noting relevant
observations about the children’s progress and
development. The information is used well to inform
the planning; methods of recording should be further
developed to enable the information gathered to be
shared systematically with the parents. The staff make
good efforts to monitor and address the particular
problems faced by some children and there are effective
links with parents and other professionals.
11.
The leader brings a high level of commitment,
organisational skill, and enthusiasm to her work; she
promotes a strong sense of teamwork. The training
needs of the staff are kept under review. Weekly staff
meetings ensure there is a shared understanding of the
objectives of the play sessions and that the children’s
differing needs are considered. The planning and
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evaluation of the programme ensure that there are good
learning opportunities appropriate to the developmental
needs of the children. The members of the management
committee and the parents support the staff’s plans for
the development of the centre. There are links with one
of the local primary schools.
12.
The quality of the accommodation is satisfactory.
The centre has a good supply of resources enhanced by
items designed and supplied by some parents.
13.
The strengths of the centre include:
 the attractive and inviting learning area;
 the settled children and the happy, family
atmosphere in the centre;
 the well-organised daily timetable and the broad
and balanced programme;
 the reflective approaches to planning and
assessment that result in good learning
opportunities for the children;
 the good resources;
 the effective leadership and the hard-working
staff.
14.
Overall, the quality of the educational provision
in this pre-school centre is good; the needs of the
children are being well met. The staff should plan to
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address the few areas which require development.
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 CROWN COPYRIGHT 1999
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purposes
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in
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Copies of this report may be
obtained from the Inspection
Services Branch, Department of
Education, Rathgael House, Balloo
Road, Bangor, Co Down BT19 7PR.
A copy is also available on the DENI
website: www.deni.gov.uk
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