Early years self-evaluation form

Transcription

1 Early years self-evaluation form For provision on the Early Years Register Age group: Birth to 31 August following a child s fifth birthday Published: October 2013 Reference no: Please leave blank for Ofsted use EY Self-evaluation form

2 The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone , or enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk. This publication is available at Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our website for news, information and updates at Piccadilly Gate Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: Textphone: E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: No Crown copyright 2013

3 Contents Introduction 5 Completing this form 6 Part A. Setting details and views of those who use the setting 6 Section 1. Your setting 6 Section 2. Views of those who use your setting and who work with you 7 Part B: The quality and standards of the early years provision 8 Section 3. How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend 8 Section 4. The contribution of the early years provision to children s well-being 11 Section 5. The leadership and management of the early years provision 12 Section 6. The overall quality and standards of the early years provision 14

4 Setting name Setting unique reference number Setting address Meadowbrook Montessori School Pre-Primary Department Bracknell Road Warfield Berkshire Postcode RG42 6BP Completed by (name and role) Barbara O Sullivan Head of Pre/Primary / Manager Date completed Updated September 2015 Page 4 of 14 EYL409

5 Introduction This optional self-evaluation form is for providers on the Early Years Register. You may prefer to record your self-evaluation on a different form, for example: a children s centre self-evaluation form which covers the registered part of your provision a local authority form a quality assurance scheme system. If you submit this form online or send it to Ofsted as part of your planning cycle, the inspector will use it when planning your inspection. If you choose not to send it to Ofsted, or you complete a different form of self-evaluation, please make this available to the inspector at the start of your inspection. Whatever way you choose to record an evaluation of your provision, the inspector will expect this to include: the views of children, parents and any staff or assistants you employ the views of other professionals who may work with you, such as local authority advisers/development workers; health professionals; children s centre staff and any other early years provision your strengths, any areas for improvement and the actions you propose to tackle them. You may find it helpful to use the following to evaluate your provision: Early years self-evaluation form guidance 1 Evaluation schedule for inspections of registered early years provision 2 The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundations Stage 3 Early Years Outcomes. 4 1 Early years self-evaluation form guidance (120342), Ofsted, 2013; 2 Evaluation schedule for inspections of registered early years provision (120086), Ofsted, 2013; 3 The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundations Stage, Department for Education, 2012; 4 Early years outcomes, DfE, 2013: a non-statutory guide for practitioners and inspectors to help inform understanding of child development through the early years Page 5 of 14 EYL409

6 Completing this form Please make sure you have completed the setting details at the beginning of the form, including the name of the person who completed it. Please make sure any additional sheets you might use have the name of the setting and unique reference number (URN) at the top. The form is in two parts. Part A tells us what those who use the setting think of the quality of the provision you offer. Part B gives you an opportunity to evaluate your provision using the same judgements as inspectors. Part A. Setting details and views of those who use the setting Section 1. Your setting In this section describe the main characteristics of your setting and the culture and backgrounds of the children who attend, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, or speak English as an additional language. Refer to the Early years self-evaluation form guidance, page 5. Meadowbrook Montessori School (Pre-Primary Department) is on a separate site to the primary school. See Context of school on Schoolcentre. The pre-primary is a Victorian building set in rural surroundings with a large, well equipped playing field with jungle gym and other climbing equipment, sandpit and well established wildlife garden. Building comprises of two classrooms in the main building Meadow class (large) and Brook class (smaller), an office, a staff room/kitchen, hallway and library. There is an Annexe building in the back area, which is used for tri weekly Parent & Toddler sessions and extra-curricular lessons of music, French, gym. The pre-primary is open from 8.45 (with early drop-off at 8.30am) to 5pm Monday to Fridays and offers various options for children to attend 9am to 12noon (child must attend minimum of 3 morning sessions per week). 12noon to 1pm (lunch club) 9am to 3.15pm (Morning plus extended day session) and Reception class (9am to 3.15pm must attend Monday to Friday) There is also provision for After School Care from 3.15pm to 5pm) daily. Pre-primary is registered for 52 children at any one time. As of Sept 2015 there 20 on role including 7 reception age. 4 Montessori trained teachers/key workers in Meadow class one of whom has the role of reading teacher in the library. 20 children attend, 3, 4 and 5 year olds. 7 of them are reception class. Extra- curricular lessons of music, French Page 6 of 14 EYL409

7 and gym/sport lessons take place weekly. Reception class attend the Primary dept one afternoon per week as part of integration for year 1. They are taught by specialist teachers for French and gym/sport. One lunchtime supervisor joins daily to cover the meal period from 12noon to 1pm. At the pre-primary department. There is 1 Government funded child on roll. We have opted out of the Free Entitlement scheme as it is not financial viable for our staffing costs without charging additional top up fees. However, our LA is honouring those who have been receiving the funding and are eligible to do so up to the term after he/she turns 5 years old. We are considering returning to Government funding by offering free sessions for a Montessori afternoon class. This will depend on demand and minimum numbers must be met. Section 2. Views of those who use your setting and who work with you This section should record: the views of the children who attend your setting and those of their parents or carers the views of any professionals who work with you, especially the local authority, your local children s centre or any health professionals details of any quality assurance scheme you participate in Include examples of the ways in which you seek views and any action you have taken to improve as a result of those views. Refer to the Early years self-evaluation form guidance, page 6. Many children who join us at age rising 3 have attended our Parent & Toddler sessions. There is a rigorous registration procedure for parents and children to join our school, which includes observation of a school day and interview with Director of Education. Parents complete a registration form, enrolment form and agreement forms before admission. Children are invited to a two hour visit session in the classroom the half term prior to joining. When the child joins, parents complete an All about me form. The keyworker completes a 2 year old check form, if applicable. The Key worker completes a daily tick list for parents indicating child s chosen activities and progress for the first 6 weeks of his/ her attendance. Plus Page 7 of 14 EYL409

8 parent/carer is offered an induction meeting with Head of Pre-Primary and spoken with by key worker every day for the first week or so. New parents meeting is held in the first week of term for those new to the school to introduce parents to each other and the team, and explain the Learning Journey; communication routes between parents and school i.e parentmail etc. are in place as well as a message pocket for each child for parents to collect letters, information, invitations to events etc. Parents are invited to sign out the learning journey and contribute to it if they so wish. Teachers take it in turns to greet on the door on arrival at school in the morning and a message book is kept with any necessary information about the child for the day. Formal parent/teacher meetings are held twice yearly; February and June, together with a written end of year report. Parents are invited to contribute to cultural topics with any expertise they may have. Being a diverse community complements our cultural topics for religious festivals and different cultures. We have a strong link with our LA Early Years BFBC who give us support with EYFS training and any SEND advice or referral we may need. Reception class was moderated 2013 and 2014 by the LA for end of year FSP. As a Montessori school we have been accredited twice by (MSA) Montessori Schools Association. Accreditation lasts for 3 years our most recent being January Freeflow is available through main classroom to outside front area. Part B: The quality and standards of the early years provision This part of the form covers the judgements the inspector will make when evaluating your provision. It is important to have your own judgement about how well you are doing in these areas. Section 3. How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend This section is about the impact of your provision on children s learning and development. You should refer to: Early years self-evaluation form guidance, page 7 Evaluation schedule for inspections of registered early years provision, pages Page 8 of 14 EYL409

9 Evaluation Freedom of choice within the prepared Montessori environment promotes children s learning and development at his/her own pace. Each child is allocated a keyworker who introduces them to the individual activities and work cycle. Weekly plans are prepared and made available to all by keyworkers enabling any adult to work with any child. Written observations are carried out by staff in the classrooms. As children work with purposeful activities the prime areas of learning are being supported by developing fine and gross motor skills during work with practical life and sensorial materials. Self-esteem and confidence are being built by the child making independent choices in the different areas of the class, which appeal to children as they can work with or alongside others enabling social skills to develop. They also feel secure to work independently. Children with EAL also feel confident to make choices as they freely choose activities without needing language skills initially. Through observation teachers are able to provide a balance of adult led and child led activities supporting the characteristics of learning for each individual. Progress is evidenced in the individual s Learning Journey. Assessments on entry include: Baseline assessment All about me from the parents and 2 year old check where applicable and a Record of Progress from the 7 areas of learning is documented from entry through to end of reception and FSP. Summative assessments are recorded termly with I can statement and Next steps to monitor and evidence progress and inform parents. With effect from Sept 2015 EexBa baseline (Early Excellence) for reception class is being trialled for this academic year. Chosen because it is an observational based assessment with complements the EYFS and our Montessori environment. Children make steady progress from entry into pre-primary through to end Reception. Baseline assessment into the reception year have consistently, beginning to work at months development strands towards the ELGs. Those with EAL or SEND make steady progress across all areas of learning with the support of professionals from our Early Years LA. Children achieve mostly expected or exceeded level of attainment, in EYFSP compared to National figures. The introduction of a Reading teacher to oversee the library area has increased the attainment of literacy skills for all children particularly Reception who enter Yr 1 with a solid foundation and level of early reading. Page 9 of 14 EYL409

10 Your priorities for improvement - Although there are Outstanding acpects of children s development and learning, we have graded ourselves Good with a view to becoming Oustanding with the following improvements: Completion of relocation to the Primary department in order for whole school to be on one site (due Summer 2016) will naturally enable greater exchange between primary age and pre-primary children and offer pre-primary children. The added facilities of use of resources in the school building such as smartboards with benefit the younger children. Plus role modelling from and interaction with the older children during assemblies and community meetings. Introduce home visits for new families, (those who have not attended our Parent & Toddler sessions prior to joining preprimary). Continue school marking policy for reception class, as and when each individual is ready. In order for consistency with primary school. Implemented January Introduce new Baseline for reception from September This will strengthen link for tracking progress from EYFS FSP to Yr1 NC September 2015 Continue CPD for all staff, My practice (is): Outstanding: my practice is exemplary Good: my practice is strong X Requires improvement: my practice is not good enough and I know it needs to improve Inadequate: my practice requires significant improvement Page 10 of 14 EYL409

11 Section 4. The contribution of the early years provision to children s well-being This section is about the effectiveness of your care practices in helping children feel emotionally secure and ensuring children are physically, mentally and emotionally healthy. You should refer to: Early years self-evaluation form guidance, page 8 Evaluation schedule for inspections of registered early years provision, Evaluation Children feel secure in the environment. They are confident to move around the different areas and talk to and work with all the adults, enabling them to feel secure. We are a small school, all adults cover duties of play supervision, lunch supervision and group stories, extended day sessions and after school care provision, resulting in children and adults getting to know each other well. Weekly community meetings take place when all children come together. This is a time when we talk about belonging to a community; discuss rules of the school, raise agendas eg. discuss safety, outside play, order in our environment and respect for everyone and everything. Children learn to complement one another, modelled by adults and the older children in the group. Meadowbrook s school policy of Positive Discipline is strongly adhered to by all adults who encourage children to talk to each other to resolve conflicts, assert themselves, listen to others resulting in individuals who are selfconfident with a high self- esteem. Children and parents are aware of Meadowbrook s healthy eating policy. They know the lunch routine, and the importance of hygiene. Children are aware that exercise is good for us and how our body changes during exercise. This is also discussed during topics /science lessons. Children who stay for After School Care prepare and eat a substantial healthy snack at the end of the day. Outstanding (Level 5) hygiene rating has been achieved in January 2015 Transition from one class to another or to other departments/schools is eased by children s ability to move freely around the building; freeflow in and outside front area. Children join a move up classroom induction morning the term before they move to the larger classroom or other department. Reception class spend one day per week in the Primary department, as integration to primary, easing the transition for when they move to Yr 1. Enabling them to be emotionally prepared for the new environment. Page 11 of 14 EYL409

12 My practice (is): Outstanding: my practice is exemplary Good: my practice is strong Requires improvement: my practice is not good enough and I know it needs to improve Inadequate: my practice requires significant improvement X Section 5. The leadership and management of the early years provision This section is about the effectiveness of your leadership and management; or if you are a childminder how well you organise your service. It covers: meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage self-evaluation and improvement planning performance management and professional development safeguarding partnership working. You should refer to: Early years self-evaluation form guidance, page 9. Evaluation schedule for inspections of registered early years provision, pages Evaluation All teachers are Montessori trained and have attended both in-house and LA training in the implementation of EYFS, updated as and when necessary. Manager /EYFS leader attends regular LA cluster meetings and Early Years Providers meetings to keep updated with the Foundation Stage and share ideas with other schools. The EYFSP is completed annually training was undertaken in February 2015 for the Manager to be introduced to the changes from EYFSP to baseline assessment being introduced to reception, September 2016, replacing the FSP. Trial year beginning Sept 2015, during which ongoing training will continue. The format for Learning Journeys is regularly discussed with the team and updated to provide best practise for observing, assessing, planning, thus ensuring excellent progress and evidence of all children s learning. Equality and diversity is promoted amongst staff, families and children. We have families from China, Africa, Japan, Hungry and a staff member Page 12 of 14 EYL409

13 who speaks Chinese. Rigorous induction for new staff with regard to day to day routines and form filling for: accident/incident / medical needs of children / coming to school with bruising / regular risk assessment recording / fire drills / safe guarding etc are carried out in line with our policies. Weekly staff meetings are held and documented. Regular class observation and staff appraisals are carried out (See school centre) Opportunities for staff to attend training with LA for CPD is widely available. Actions since last inspection: Identified recommendations. Increase opportunities for children to access outside area during morning work period in all weathers Development statements in Learning Journeys updated to evidence progress more accurately. My practice (is): Outstanding: my practice is exemplary X Good: my practice is strong Requires improvement: my practice is not good enough and I know it needs to improve Inadequate: my practice requires significant improvement Page 13 of 14 EYL409

14 Section 6. The overall quality and standards of the early years provision This section brings together the evaluation of all aspects of your practice, your identified priorities for improvement and the grades you have awarded yourself. You should refer to: Early years self-evaluation form guidance, page 9 Evaluation schedule for inspections of registered early years provision, pages The overall quality and standards of my early years provision (is): Outstanding: my practice is exemplary Good: my practice is strong Requires improvement: my practice is not good enough and I know it needs to improve Inadequate: my practice requires significant improvement X Priorities for improvement are listed under the various sections. Page 14 of 14 EYL409