Providing Inspection Services for
Department of Education
Department for Employment and Learning
Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure
Education and Training Inspectorate
Report of a Short Inspection
St Maria Goretti Nursery School
Belfast
Inspected: April 2004
STATISTICAL INFORMATION ON ST MARIA GORETTI NURSERY SCHOOL,
BELFAST
1.
Details of Children
Class 1
26
0
6
0
0
1
0
Number of children:
Attending full-time
Attending part-time
Under 3 years of age*
With statement of SEN**
At CoP stages 3 or 4***
At CoP stages 1 or 2***
With English as an additional language
Class 2
26
0
4
0
1
4
0
*
On 1 July.
** Special Educational Needs.
*** The stages refer to those set out in the Code of Practice for the Identification and
Assessment of Special Educational Needs.
Percentage qualifying under DE admission criteria 1 or 2.
Average attendance for the previous year.
2.
96.5%
Duration of Sessions
Full-time
4½ hours
3.
Part-time: am
-
Part-time: pm
-
Details of Staff
Number of:
Teachers
Nursery Assistants
Qualified Nursery Assistants
Full-Time
2
2
4
Number of: ****
Students
Trainees
4
2
**** Total placements since September of current year
4.
58%
Parental Questionnaires
Number issued
Percentage returned
Number of written comments
52
69.2%
20
Part-Time
0
2
0
1.
INTRODUCTION
1.1
St Maria Goretti Nursery School is situated in west Belfast. The majority of the
children come from the surrounding housing, although some travel from other parishes.
1.2
The arrangements for the inspection of pastoral care included the completion of
questionnaires by the parents as well as opportunities for the parents and governors to speak
to the inspectors. The written and oral comments indicated that the parents and governors are
very satisfied with all aspects of the school’s provision, particularly in relation to the
commitment of the staff and the warm and caring environment.
2.
SUMMARY OF MAIN FINDINGS
2.1
There is a settled, caring atmosphere in the nursery. The children and their parents
are welcomed warmly at the beginning of the day; relationships at all levels are very good.
The staff are hard-working and dedicated to the welfare of the children; they create a secure,
supportive environment which contributes to the development of the children’s confidence
and self-esteem. The children are relaxed and happy in the school; they settle quickly and
confidently to their chosen activity and co-operate well with one another. The standards of
behaviour are very good.
2.2
The nursery is bright and colourful. Interest areas, supported by a range of
appropriate objects, books and pictures, stimulate the children’s curiosity and increase their
knowledge of the environment. The children and their parents show a particular interest in
the photographs which are on display around the school.
2.3
The nursery has in place clear and appropriate procedures for pastoral care and child
protection which are in line with guidance given by the Department of Education.
2.4
The communication with the parents is very good. There are opportunities for the
parents to talk to the staff informally at the beginning and end of sessions and also at the
formal meeting when the parents can discuss their child’s progress with the teachers. A
detailed monthly newsletter, and additional information posted on the parents’ notice board,
keep the parents informed about what is happening in the nursery, and how they may help
their child at home. Courses held for the parents in the nursery are well attended. Some
parent volunteers help to run the lending library and accompany nursery outings.
2.5
The staff have worked together to devise the long- and medium-term planning which
outlines themes and topics which reflect appropriately the time of year and the children’s
interests. This planning outlines a broad, balanced programme for the children, designed to
foster their all-round development. The staff have identified the need to continue to develop
the short-term planning in order to highlight more clearly the learning potential to be
promoted through the play activities.
2.6
The thoughtful organisation of the nursery day provides appropriately extended
periods of free play during which there are many opportunities for the children to choose
from a wide range of activities. The break and lunch routines allow the children to take
responsibility and to develop independence.
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2.7
The attractive play areas and the wide range of activities help to promote interesting
and stimulating play. The staff are very supportive of the children; the sustained support they
provide results at times in good quality interaction and fosters effectively the children’s
language, thinking and observational skills.
2.8
The nursery’s programme promotes effectively the children’s personal, social and
emotional development. The range of activities provided offers good opportunities for
learning in most of the other areas of the pre-school curriculum. The children make
independent choices of activity; many show sustained levels of concentration. There are
many instances of good co-operative play; the children work well with other children, they
take account of their ideas and share materials agreeably.
2.9
There are good opportunities for outdoor play. 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. The children display confidence in their
control of small tools such as scissors and pencils.
2.10 The children enjoy a variety of creative experiences such as painting, cutting and
sticking, printing and modelling. They have acquired an extensive repertoire of rhymes and
songs. There are regular opportunities for listening to recorded music and music-making,
which develop effectively the children’s abilities to use percussion instruments.
2.11 There is strong encouragement for the children to develop an interest in books, for
example, through the prominent displays of books in the interest areas which are relevant to
current topics. The children browse frequently in the book corners or explore information
books during their play. They experiment with writing as a natural part of their play. During
the inspection, there were many examples of the staff intervening to promote language
through the use of thoughtful questions and discussion or to take time to read to the children.
2.12 The staff use appropriate mathematical language when participating in the children’s
play and promote an interest in counting, matching and making comparisons. The children
are encouraged to talk about, and to understand, early concepts of number, size and quantity.
Good use is made of matching and counting games, wet and dry sand, water and dough play
to develop the language of mathematics.
2.13 Good use is made of seasonal and environmental topics which have extended the
children’s knowledge of, and interest in, the world around them. An interest in nature is
being fostered through, for example, observation of caterpillars and by growing plants in the
playrooms and in the outdoor area. The staff organise a variety of visits to places of interest
during the course of the school year. The children’s experiences are extended further by
members of the local and wider community who visit the school.
2.14 The staff are reviewing and developing their methods for monitoring and evaluating
the children’s responses during play; they monitor regularly the children’s progress and are
beginning to use the outcomes of these observations to help plan activities to meet the needs
of individuals and groups.
2.15 A valuable link has been established with the parish primary school, facilitating
teachers of the year 1 classes visiting the nursery, meeting the children and discussing their
2
progress with the nursery teachers. The children and their teachers visit the primary school in
June.
2.16 The children identified as having special educational needs are integrated well into the
activities provided in each playroom; the staff make very good efforts to identify, address and
monitor the particular problems faced by these children. The parents are involved and
appropriate outside agencies are recruited to help support the particular difficulties of the
children.
2.17 The Principal brings a high level of skill, commitment and enthusiasm to her work
and promotes a strong sense of team-work among the staff. She receives very good support
from the assistant teacher and the other members of staff. The school development plan sets
realistic targets for the development of the curriculum and related areas; this plan is reviewed
regularly to ensure that the priorities are being implemented. The staff participate in a good
range of in-service training and staff development within the school in order to develop the
work of the nursery and their own understanding of current issues in nursery education. The
staff value the support provided by the members of the Board of Governors.
2.18 The quality of the purpose-built accommodation is very good; it is well matched to
the needs of young children. The space is used imaginatively to provide the children with a
wide range of experiences. There is a good supply of resources which are used well to
support learning in all aspects of the curriculum. Storage space is limited.
2.19
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The strengths of the nursery include the:
warm, friendly atmosphere and the very good relationships at all levels;
children’s good behaviour and their settled and concentrated play;
thoughtful organisation of the nursery day;
very good opportunities for the promotion of the children’s personal, social and
emotional development and the good opportunities for learning in most other areas of
the pre-school programme;
dedicated leadership of the Principal and the good team-work among the staff;
level of support for the children identified as having special educational needs;
strong links with the parents and the wider community.
2.20 There are major strengths in nearly all aspects of the educational and pastoral
provision in this nursery. The needs of the children are being met very effectively.
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 CROWN COPYRIGHT 2004
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.
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: www.deni.gov.uk