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
Glenbrook Nursery School
Newtownards
Inspected: May 2004
STATISTICAL INFORMATION ON GLENBROOK NURSERY SCHOOL
1.
Details of Children
Class 1
26
-
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
50
12
1
2
*
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.
11
90%
Duration of Sessions
Full-time
4½ hours
Part-time: am
2½ hours
Part-time: pm
2½ hours
3. Details of Staff
Number of:
Teachers
Nursery Assistants
Qualified Nursery Assistants
Full-Time
2
2
2
Number of: ****
Students
Trainees
0
0
**** Total placements since September of current year
4.
Parental Questionnaires
Number issued
Percentage returned
Number of written comments
78
59%
23
Part-Time
1
1.
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Glenbrook Nursery School is situated in Newtownards. The children come mainly
from the surrounding housing; some children travel from other parts of the town.
1.2
The arrangements for the inspection of pastoral care included the completion of
questionnaires by the parents as well as meetings with parents and governors. The comments
and responses from both the questionnaires and the meetings indicated a very high level of
satisfaction with the work of the school, particularly with the dedication of the staff and the
supportive and caring environment within the school.
2.
THE QUALITY OF THE EDUCATIONAL PROVISION
2.1
There is a friendly and welcoming family atmosphere in the nursery school;
relationships between the staff and the children are excellent. The staff are hard-working and
dedicated; they work very well as a team in the best interests of the children. The children
are happy and relaxed in the nursery; they settle quickly and confidently to their chosen
activity and co-operate well with one another. The standards of behaviour are excellent.
2.2
The nursery is bright and interesting. Good use is made of a wide range of the
children’s art work to create colourful displays in the playrooms and the entrance area.
Interest areas, supported by a range of appropriate objects, books, pictures and photographs,
stimulate the children’s curiosity. The standard of caretaking is very good.
2.3
The parents are welcomed into the life of the school; they have the opportunity to
approach the staff informally at the start and end of the sessions as well as formal meetings
with their child’s teacher during the year. The communication with parents is very good; a
booklet, regular newsletters, an open day and a parents’ notice board keep parents well
informed about nursery events and encourage them to play a full role in the education of their
children.
2.4
The nursery has a suitable written policy on child protection which sets out the
procedures and provides relevant guidelines for the staff. The staff have received appropriate
training and the parents are given suitable information about the school’s policy and
procedures.
2.5
The staff have worked hard as a team to provide written planning to support the work
of the nursery and to develop a programme of themes and topics which relate closely to the
time of year and the interests of the children. The planning outlines a broad, balanced
programme which takes appropriate account of all the main areas in the pre-school
curriculum; it identifies clearly those aspects of learning which the staff intend to promote
through the various play activities and is effective in guiding the staff in their day-to-day
work with the children. Detailed observations of the children and evaluations of their
individual responses and interests provide helpful information which informs future planning.
2.6
The daily timetable is well planned to promote settled and concentrated activity. The
thoughtful and unobtrusive organisation of the daily routines provides an extended period of
free play during which there are good opportunities for the children to make choices for their
play. The snack and dinner routines allow appropriate opportunities for the children to take
responsibility and to develop independence.
1
2.7
The staff ensure that the play areas are laid out attractively at the beginning of
sessions; the wide range of appropriate activities helps to promote interesting and stimulating
play. The staff intervene imaginatively in the children’s play; they participate skilfully in the
activities to promote the children’s development and learning. They are very supportive of
the children; the sustained support they provide results in quality interaction between the
adults and the children; this encourages the children to observe and to think about their play
experiences and what they are learning.
2.8
The nursery’s educational programme is broad and balanced and offers good
opportunities for learning in all the areas of the pre-school curriculum. The children’s
personal, social and emotional development is promoted effectively. 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 children work well with each other and share materials agreeably; they
help to clear away the toys and do so efficiently.
2.9
The outdoor area is exploited well to extend the children’s learning opportunities and
good use is made of the grounds to promote the children’s interest in their environment.
There are very good opportunities for a wide range of energetic outdoor play which develops
effectively the children’s confidence. Large movements necessary for climbing and
balancing are well developed and most of the children are confident in the use of the climbing
frame. The level of supervision is very good. The children use a wide range of large and
small equipment and tools with increasing skill and confidence, and an awareness for safety.
2.10 The children enjoy a very good variety of creative art activities that encourage them to
explore and experiment with different materials and tools; they take a pride in seeing their
work displayed around the school and in making pictures and three-dimensional objects. The
children’s manipulative skills are developed effectively through, for example, the use of
scissors, pencils, markers and small tools. The children sing with enjoyment and use
percussion instruments; they have acquired an extensive repertoire of songs and rhymes
which they clearly enjoy singing and reciting.
2.11 The children are introduced to text incidentally through captions displayed around the
room; almost all of the children can recognise their own names as well as the names of the
other children. Many of the children are beginning to see the connection between the written
and the spoken word, and they ask for captions to be printed on their art work. There is
strong encouragement for the children to develop an interest in books through the prominent
displays of books. The children pay close attention during story time and browse frequently
in the book corner or explore an information book during their play. A high level of interest
is generated in writing and drawing by the provision of different kinds of writing tools and
office equipment and many of the children 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
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 being 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. The children learn number rhymes and
songs and listen to stories which have a reference to number. Elements of science and
technology are introduced effectively through the play activities; for example, the children’s
interest in the living environment is fostered through observation and discussion of growing
plants in the playrooms and in the outdoor area. The staff also makes good use of seasonal
and environmental topics which have extended the children’s knowledge of, and interest in,
the world around them. They also make good use of a range of visits and visitors to the
centre to enhance the children’s experiences.
2.13 The staff monitor the children’s progress regularly and maintain detailed and
appropriate records of the children’s development and their identified needs. The staff know
the children well and they use the outcomes of their observations to help plan activities.
2.14 The nursery has developed good links with the neighbouring primary schools to
which the children will transfer. During the summer term, the year 1 teachers from these
local schools visit the nursery, helping the children to become familiar with their new
teachers and to make a smooth transition to primary school.
2.15 The staff provide very good levels of support for the children identified as having
special educational needs (SEN), while at the same time encouraging as much integration and
independence for these children as possible. They monitor carefully the progress being made
and review and modify their approaches in the light of thoughtful observations. The parents
are kept well informed about the support programme developed by the school and the ways in
which they may support their child’s learning at home.
2.16 The school is very well-organised and effectively managed. 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 has a vision, and establishes clear goals, for the nursery.
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.
2.17 The purpose-built accommodation is well matched to the needs of young children and
the staff make good use of the space available to create the optimum play area. The school
has a good supply of resources which are used well to support learning in all aspects of the
curriculum.
3
2.18
The strengths of the nursery include the:

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happy, caring, and welcoming environment and the excellent relationships at all
levels;
many instances of quality interaction;
friendly children and their excellent standards of behaviour;
thoughtful organisation of the nursery day;
wide range of interesting and imaginative activities;
promotion of the children’s personal, social and emotional, language and creative
development;
dedicated leadership of the Principal and the very good team-work among the
staff;
support of the parents and the governors.
2.19 There are major strengths in all aspects of the educational and pastoral provision in
this nursery. The needs of the children are being met very effectively.
4
 CROWN COPYRIGHT 2004
This report may be reproduced in whole or in part, except for
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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