Maples Nursery School and Children's Centre

Maples Children's Centre Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 101858 Local Authority Ealing Inspection number 355080 Inspection dates 30 November 2010–1 December 2010 Reporting inspector Sue Vale

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The registered childcare provision, managed by the governing body, was inspected under section 49 of the Childcare Act 2006.

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Type of school Nursery School category Maintained Age range of pupils 2–4 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 80 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sue Mawer Headteacher M Ospovat - Stockton Date of previous school inspection 7 October 2007 School address East Churchfield Road Acton, London London W3 7LL Telephone number 020 87437128 Fax number 0208 7491656 Email address head@maplesnursery.com

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Inspection dates

30 November 2010–1 December 2010 Inspection number 355080 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.

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Inspection dates

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 1234 234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Inspection dates

You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the documentation in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to 'Subscribe'. Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M2 7LA T: 0300 1234 234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by two additional inspectors. Nine lessons and parts of lessons were observed and all teachers and support staff were seen. Children were observed at play, during snack times and at lunchtimes. They were also observed working in small groups and with one-to-one support, particularly for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those new to learning English. Meetings were held with the headteacher and with the member of staff in charge of inclusion, minority ethnnic groups and those new to learning English. Discussions were held with the Chair of the Governing Body and some parents. Inspectors observed the school's work, and looked at school documents including the school development plan, tracking information, policies and procedures, and individual children's portfolios for evidence of progress. In addition, they took into account 36 parental questionnaires and

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Introduction

six staff questionnaires. The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school's work. It looked in detail at the following.  How well assessment, progress and tracking systems are used to help raise children's attainment and progress.  The use of planning to support children's individual interests and the activities that are planned to extend their learning.  The provision for children who are new to learning English.The provision for children who are new to learning English.

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Information about the school

This is an average-sized nursery school that, since the last inspection, has become a children's centre. It now provides day care for children from 8am to 6pm throughout the year. Over a third of the children are from a wide range of minority ethnic backgrounds and well over a third are new to learning English. The main language spoken other than English is Polish. There are four children on early years action plus and eight on early years action, their main difficulties are speech and language development. The Nursery is part of the children's centre on the same site which was not part of this inspection.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Main findings

Maples Nursery is a good school. Children are known as individuals and are at the centre of all that the Nursery plans for and does. Outstanding care and support are greatly appreciated by the parents and as one typically commented: 'I know my child is safe and well cared for and I also love the way it has a warm family feel.' There are excellent links with children's families who are supported from the moment the children are first visited at home. Parents are very positive in their views about the Nursery. As one parent commented, reflecting the views of many, 'Maples is an extraordinary place in terms of the warmth of staff, joy and pleasure that it gives the children.' Children achieve well from below the expected starting points for their age so that for many they are achieving either in line or above expectations when they leave. Children's behaviour is outstanding and they willingly share and participate in all the activities on

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Main findings

offer. The spiritual, moral, social development of the children is good. The children's different cultural experiences are highly valued and celebrated, and the Nursery is a harmonious place to be, resulting in outstanding equality of opportunity for all. Children clearly feel safe and secure in their surroundings as they try out new activities. Healthy lifestyles are adopted well and children join in lots of physical activities throughout the day. Teaching is consistently good. It has a number of outstanding features, such as the way staff engage with and motivate children in their learning through the good use of questioning and because all adults know the children in their care very well as individuals. Consequently, the curriculum is planned around children's individual needs and interests, which in turn enhances their learning and the good progress they make. Although there are times when children can use cameras and other technical equipment, enrichment

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Main findings

opportunities through information and communication technology (ICT) are less well developed. A new system of assessment has been introduced recently and the staff are trialling it this term. While there are some exemplary examples of individual portfolios to record what children know, understand and can do and what they need to do to improve, there is inconsistency in its use across the staff. Despite this inconsistency, and the newness of the system, assessment information is mostly used well in planning activities which are exciting and capture the children's interests and imagination. Leadership and management are good. Many staff are highly experienced and this motivates and challenges all involved to regularly review their practice in order to achieve the best for the children. The governing body has improved its effectiveness since the previous inspection. They give good support and challenge and act more constructively as

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Main findings

a critical friend. It is the good quality of self-evaluation and self-review along with a critical eye that ensures that the Nursery has good capacity to continue to improve.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Monitor and review the assessment procedures to ensure consistency in their use by all adults in recording and using assessment information to inform their planning of children's next steps in learning.  Provide more opportunities for children to use information and communication technology (ICT) in their learning.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of children 2

Children make good progress in their learning. In some aspects, such as their personal, social and emotional development, they make outstanding progress. There are few differences in the progress made by girls and boys. They respond extremely well to their teachers' active encouragement to become confident and independent learners right from their first experiences at nursery. This was seen when children were outside playing in the snow, which for many was their first ever experience. They were confident and happy to try out new experiences such as sledging and snowman building and clearly enjoyed the experience. Equally good independence of learning was seen when children were looking in detail at vegetables and the different shapes and colours of the different greens that were available. Children are clear in their understanding about what makes a healthy lifestyle, and enjoy their daily fruit snack. Those new to learning English made particularly good progress

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of children 2

when they were making puppets to perform in a puppet show, an activity that really supported their spoken language development. Independence of thought and engagement in problem-solving, such as finding out different ways of joining materials and how to light up the light bulbs when making circuits, is a major contributor to children making good progress in their learning and why they achieve so highly. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress. Those children who are in need of more support are guided very well by staff who ensure that activities are adapted to their needs and ensure that just the right amount of help is given, without adults continually interfering as the children find things out for themselves. Behaviour overall is outstanding and all parents who responded to the questionnaire said that their children feel safe at the nursery.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for children's outcomes

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Children's achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 2

Taking into account: Children's attainment¹

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Children's achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 2

The quality of children's learning and their progress 2

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Children's achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 2

The quality of learning for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their progress

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2

Taking into account: Children's attendance¹

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The extent of children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2

1 The grades for attainment and attendance are: 1 is high; 2 is above average; 3 is broadly average; and 4

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How effective is the provision?

The inspection confirmed the nursery's own view that the quality of teaching is consistently good. On occasions it is outstanding. It is the consistent approach from staff when working directly with the children that contributes so positively to the good progress children make in their learning and development, and which contributes to their good achievement and enjoyment. The majority of teachers are highly skilled in engaging and motivating children in all aspects of their learning. They listen to them and know their individual interests. There were some outstanding examples of children being challenged to think through adults' well- thought-out questions. Such examples occurred when children were working out why light bulbs would not light up when a circuit was not complete and what happens when blue and yellow colours are mixed together. At other times adults support learning well, through becoming part of the children's play when, for

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How effective is the provision?

example, outside playing in the snow. The assessment of children's knowledge, skills and understanding is regularly undertaken. The new system is not yet fully embedded for all staff. Leaders are monitoring the assessment procedures carefully and have plans to review their implementation at the end of the term. The care and support children receive are outstanding and greatly appreciated by parents.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for the quality of provision

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The quality of teaching 2

Taking into account: The use of assessment to support learning

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How effective are leadership and management?

The highly experienced and effective leaders and managers of the nursery create a harmonious team which has a strong sense of purpose in helping all children to achieve to the best of their abilities. At the heart of the nursery's aims and aspirations is that children develop as confident, competent, independent learners. The practised and stable team supports this aim successfully. This view is also widely reflected by parents. Governance is good, and much improved since the previous inspection. The governing body makes a helpful and active contribution to the work and direction of the school. Statutory requirements in relation to safeguarding at the time of the inspection were fully implemented. There are good links with a variety of other agencies supporting children and their families. Partnership with parents is outstanding. Very good communication between home and school begins when the children are first visited at home. The warm welcoming

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How effective are leadership and management?

atmosphere and personal greeting on arrival each morning helps to create the strong relationships. Parents comment on how welcome and valued they feel. Community cohesion in relation to the nursery community is very good. The nursery staff have a strong and effective commitment to ensuring that all children have an equal opportunity to thrive and that there is no discrimination. They use their considerable knowledge of each child's individual needs and interests extremely well to secure this, particularly for those children with specific educational needs and for those who are new to learning English.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for leadership and management

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2

Taking into account: The leadership and management of teaching and learning

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Views of parents and carers

Just under half of the parents returned the questionnaires. All of them were overwhelmingly positive about the nursery and parents expressed their joy at how well their children develop and thrive. As one parented stated, reflecting the views of many: 'The whole vibe of the centre is fantastic and has an extremely dedicated team within.'

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted's questionnaire

Ofsted invited all the registered parents and carers of children registered at Maples Nursery and Children's Centre to complete a questionnaire about their views of the school. In the questionnaire, parents and carers were asked to record how strongly they agreed with 13 statements about the school.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted's questionnaire

The inspection team received 36 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 80 children registered at the school.

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child enjoys school 30 83 5 14 0 0 0 0 The school keeps my child safe 24 67 12 33 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My school informs me about my child's progress 13 36 21 58 2 6 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child is making enough progress at this school 20 56 15 42 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The teaching is good at this school 25 69 11 31 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps me to support my child's learning 16 44 19 53 1 3 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle 23 64 12 33 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school makes sure that my child is well prepared for the future (for example changing year group, changing school, and for children who are finishing school, entering further or higher education, or entering employment) 20 56 13 36 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school meets my child's particular needs 17 47 18 50 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour 19 53 16 44 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns 19 53 16 44 1 3 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school is led and managed effectively 27 75 9 25 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

Overall, I am happy with my child's experience at this school 29 81 7 19 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The table above summarises the responses that parents and carers made to each statement. The percentages indicate the proportion of parents and carers giving that response out of the total number of completed questionnaires. Where one or more parents and carers chose not to answer a particular question, the percentages will not add up to 100%.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its children's needs.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its children well.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its children.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its children. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements were introduced on 1 September 2009. This means that inspectors now make some additional judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2009 to 31 March 2010 and are the most recently published data available (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ). Please note that the sample of schools inspected during the autumn and spring terms 2009/10 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. Secondary school figures include those that have sixth forms, and sixth form figures include only the data specifically for sixth form inspection judgements.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a child in their learning and development.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: in other phases of school, for example primary schools, attainment is the standard of the pupils' work shown by test and examination results and in lessons. However, there is no national average for three- and four-year-olds. Therefore, in inspections of nursery schools, inspectors take account of expectations in the age-related bands of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving. Inspectors base this judgement on what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well children acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school's overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school. The following judgements, in particular, influence what the overall effectiveness judgement will be.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

 The school's capacity for sustained improvement.  Outcomes for individuals and groups of children.  The quality of teaching.  The extent to which the curriculum meets children's needs, including, where relevant, through partnerships.  The effectiveness of care, guidance and support.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which children are learning in nursery sessions and over longer periods of time.

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carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted's

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Maples Nursery and Children's Centre, Acton, W3 7LL

Thank you so much for making me so welcome when I came to see you in Maples Nursery. It is a lovely place to be. I really liked some of the activities that you do. It was fun being outside and playing in the snow. I liked the snowman some of you built even though it was very tiny and melted quickly! It was great to see some of you try sledging down the little hill. Here are the main points from my report.  You are very fortunate as you go to a good Nursery.  Most of you make good progress from when you first start at Nursery.  Your parents said, and I agree with them, that you learn so much so quickly and that you really become very confident learners.  There are outstanding links between your Nursery and your home and with your parents.  You learn such a lot and are well prepared for the next steps in your learning.  Teaching really supports you in helping you to develop your skills and knowledge

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Inspection of Maples Nursery and Children's Centre, Acton, W3 7LL

and understanding particularly of the world around you.  All of you behave very well. I hope that you continue to enjoy the fun things that there are to do and that you keep making such good progress in your learning. Even in good schools there are things that can be improved so I have asked the adults to provide more opportunities for you to use ICT. I have also asked them to review the newly revised assessment procedures in order to help you even more in improving on the good progress you make.

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www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please

telephone 0300 1234 234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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