Ronald Openshaw Nursery School

Ronald Openshaw Nursery School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 102703 Local Authority Newham Inspection number 355240 Inspection dates 26–27 January 2011 Reporting inspector Margaret Coussins

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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 3–5 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 120 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Owen Beckles Headteacher George Potrykus-Lupton Date of previous school inspection 26 June 2008 School address Henniker Road Stratford London E15 1JP Telephone number 02085346196 Fax number 020 85345600 Email address info@ronaldopenshaw.newham.sch.uk

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childcare provision

Age group 3–5 Inspection dates 26–27 January 2011 Inspection number 355240 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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childcare provision

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 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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childcare provision

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 123 4234 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. The inspectors visited the nursery classes, the childcare provision and the extended day care provision. A range of different learning activities were observed and the inspectors focused in greater detail on 12 of these. Meetings were held with the headteacher and deputy, governors and other staff with leadership responsibilities. The inspectors looked at a sample of the children's work as seen in their 'special books', displays, photographs, DVDs and from assessment records. Documentation was scrutinised including the school's self-evaluation form, the Centre Improvement Plan, children's progress records and safeguarding documents. Questionnaires from 55 parents and carers were received and analysed. Discussions with children and parents and carers contributed to the evidence. The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school's work. It looked in detail at a

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Introduction

number of key areas.  How effectively children's progress is tracked and recorded by all adults and how well monitoring and analysis identifies patterns of achievement for different groups.  How well the provision ensures the achievement of all groups of children and the impact of the recent refurbishments.  The pace and appropriateness of activities for children and the quality of the interaction with staff to determine the quality of children's learning and development.

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Information about the school

The Nursery provides part-time places for children aged three to four in morning or afternoon sessions. Children register in three class bases and are able to move freely between the bases for different activities. There is full-time extended day care for children aged two to four and provision for resourced placements for children with profound and multiple learning difficulties. There are currently two children in this provision. A variety of services are offered to support families through the Friends of Ronald Openshaw Nursery group, including parent, carer and toddler sessions and classes in English for speakers of other languages. The nursery is culturally diverse; the largest groups of children come from Black African, Bangladeshi and other White backgrounds including Traveller children. Around three quarters of all the children speak English as an additional language and, in total, 36 languages are represented. Close to a half of all children are often at an early

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Information about the school

stage of learning to speak English when they start at the school. Pending the headteacher's retirement at the end of the academic year, the headteacher role is shared, with the deputy taking on an acting headteacher role for two days a week.

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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

Outstanding care, guidance and support, an excellent curriculum and good teaching mean that children get a good start to their early education at Ronald Openshaw. Relationships between staff, children and their parents and carers are exemplary and help children to be happy, gain confidence and behave outstandingly well. The highly effective leadership of the headteacher and deputy drives developments forward because they are passionate about providing the very best experiences for the children. Leaders and managers know the strengths and areas for development well because the quality of self-evaluation is good and feeds effectively into the improvement plan. For example, letters and sounds (phonics) were identified as a weaker area of progress and the impact of training for all staff is beginning to be seen in improved achievement in this area. This demonstrates that the school has a good capacity to

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Main findings

improve further. Children make good progress and achieve well. However, achievement is not analysed in sufficient detail at a strategic level to inform leaders and managers more precisely about patterns of achievement for different groups. The school engages its parents and carers exceptionally well, which contributes greatly to outstanding community cohesion. The parent and toddler sessions and classes to learn English are just two examples of the provision that is greatly appreciated by parents and carers. The needs of the local and wider community are constantly evaluated and very effective action is taken as a result. For example, the school has been highly successful in engaging a Traveller community that was relocated due to the 2012 Olympic preparations. The recent development of the impressive garden area makes a significant impact on children's independence and personal skills including their outstanding spiritual, moral,

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Main findings

social and cultural development. A typical parental comment was, 'My child has improved a lot in her social skills and social interaction with others.' Outstanding partnerships with local schools, community groups and organisations and external agencies are well established. They enrich the curriculum very well and contribute significantly to children's well-being and learning opportunities. For example, the link with the Epping Forest Centenary Trust enables children to take part in Forest School experiences, exploring the natural environment and developing physical, risk taking and language skills, as well as promoting an outstanding awareness of how to stay safe. An inclusive and positive ethos pervades everything the school does, which is picked up by the children who enjoy all their activities and have positive attitudes to learning. Staff make every opportunity a learning opportunity and go out of their way to make sure that

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Main findings

pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those learning to speak English are as happy and successful as other children.

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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?

 Ensure that leaders and managers, including the governing body, develop a more strategic overview and analysis of the progress and achievement of all groups of children to help in monitoring the effectiveness and impact of its work.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of children 2

From starting points that are below expectations for their ages, children make good progress in learning new things and achieve well. Children generally reach the expectations for four-year-olds by the end of the nursery and have particular strengths in their personal, social and emotional development. For example, two children wrapped up in their imaginary world playing with plastic toys both declared themselves winners in reaching a corner of a room. Without any prompting from adults they agreed, 'Okay, we're both winners.' Staff constantly look for imaginative ways to engage children and this helps them to become engrossed and enjoy what they do. Children are proud of their achievements. One boy was thrilled with his discovery that 'glue' rhymes with 'shoe'. Children and their parents and carers are rightly proud of their 'special books' that provide an ongoing record of the milestones in their achievement at home and at school. Children

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of children 2

chat with great pleasure and enthusiasm about the photographs and samples of work displayed in these books. The skilful way that adults model language, ask questions and engage children in informal conversations has a very positive effect on children's speaking and communication skills. This is evident for all children, especially those who are learning to speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. In the extended provision, a discussion about different coloured crayons led a child to say, 'I'm going to draw a big, scary monster, a blue scary monster.' During a session for two- to four-year-olds in the multi-sensory room, children, including some with profound and multiple learning difficulties, developed their sense of story with tactile story props, actions, signing and repetitive language. They were all able to participate and enjoy and understand the story.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of children 2

There are frequent opportunities for children to choose and handle good quality books and so they rapidly learn to enjoy books, have favourite stories and know which way up to hold a book, how to turn the pages and that the pictures and the print tell a story. Children understand that some books give them information and some books have stories. An adult working with a small group talked about non-fiction books being different from storybooks and one child added, 'Not like Hairy MacClary.' Children enjoy the jobs they are given that help the smooth running of the day. For example, they take the registers to the office, hand out milk and fruit and tidy away their equipment. There are many opportunities that enable children to make a good contribution to the local community. For example, the annual carnival makes a colourful procession through the local streets and visits the sheltered accommodation centre.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of children 2

Children are aware of issues that affect society as a whole, such as recycling, and participate in walk to school events. They have a good awareness of how to stay healthy and fit. They know why they eat fruit at snack times. As one child said, 'It's good for our teeth,' and why they wash their hands before eating, 'So that we don't eat germs.' All children, including those in the extended day care, have plenty of opportunities to develop physically when they run around, ride bikes, develop agility on the climbing equipment

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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

and enjoy the fresh air. Children enjoy and rise to the challenge of the equipment in the garden. One boy said, 'The best thing about school is sliding, because it's high.' Very good attention is paid to children's welfare in a supportive and trusting environment that encourages children to take risks but stay safe.

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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 1

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 provision, including the extended day care, is very well organised so that every space and every experience provides children with good learning opportunities in a relaxed, happy atmosphere. Children have the freedom to choose for themselves and enjoy doing so. Inviting environments, inside and in the covered and open outdoor areas, encourage children to engage fully in activities that fire their imagination and creativity. Teamwork among the adults is very effective and contributes to good outcomes for the children. Teaching is good. Usually, adults help to extend children's learning through challenging questioning that helps children think and extend their language skills. Sometimes, however, adults miss these opportunities and, on occasion, adults intervene a little too quickly which means that children can sometimes miss out on opportunities to work things out or do things for themselves.

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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

Reading and writing are well promoted and early writing is often inspired by experiences in the garden. For example, one child, who had been playing in the cave, came back inside and drew a cave and wrote some letters to describe what she had been doing. The richness and variety of activities meet each child's needs exceptionally well. The ongoing assessments about individual children's progress are detailed as seen in their profiles and their 'special books'. Children are nurtured well so they thrive and make the most of their time in the school. The school's programme for social and emotional aspects of learning (SEAL) makes a considerable contribution to children's development. There are very good induction procedures enabling excellent links with parents and carers and a smooth transition into school life.

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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 headteacher and deputy are dedicated in their commitment to ensure all children from two- to four-years-old are included and have the very best care and good learning experiences. This commitment is clearly communicated and shared by all staff. The consistency of approach in implementing their shared vision is an example of the effectiveness of leaders and managers in embedding ambition and driving improvement. It is clear that the needs of the individual children are central to the ethos of the school and are embedded in the way that adults work with children on a daily basis. Across the team there is a dedication to removing barriers to learning and celebrating the achievements of children at every stage. Clear detailed policies ensure that all children have equal opportunities to learn and develop without fear of discrimination. The school is trialling a new system for tracking individual progress. A strategic overview and analysis of the

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How effective are leadership and management?

progress and achievement of all groups by senior leaders, including the governing body, is less well developed. The governing body is very supportive of the school and all of its work and the school benefits from the skills, experience and expertise of some of its members. These make a significant contribution to the outstanding school and wider community cohesion. Governors help to forge the excellent community links, for example during the recent building work in the school, events for children and support sessions for parents and carers were able to continue in the local church hall where a governor is the parish priest. The governing body discharges its responsibilities well and, with staff, ensures the effectiveness of safeguarding procedures, which are well established, up to date and meet all requirements.

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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

An average proportion of parents and carers responded to the questionnaire. Of these, all agreed that their children enjoy coming to school and that they are happy with their children's experience at school. Questionnaire responses show a high level of satisfaction with all areas and are a reflection of the excellent links the school has with parents and carers.

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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 Ronald Openshaw Nursery School 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 55 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 120 children registered at the school.

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child enjoys school 48 87 7 13 0 0 0 0 The school keeps my child safe 39 71 15 27 1 2 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My school informs me about my child's progress 32 58 22 40 1 2 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child is making enough progress at this school 29 53 23 42 2 4 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The teaching is good at this school 32 58 22 40 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps me to support my child's learning 26 47 27 49 1 2 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle 32 58 19 35 1 2 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 36 27 49 1 2 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school meets my child's particular needs 27 49 23 42 2 4 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour 28 51 22 40 1 2 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns 24 44 24 45 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school is led and managed effectively 26 47 24 44 1 2 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

Overall, I am happy with my child's experience at this school 39 71 16 29 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 August 2010 and are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ). The sample of schools inspected during 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. Sixth form figures reflect the judgements made for the overall effectiveness of the sixth form in secondary schools, special schools and pupil referral units.

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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 Ronald Openshaw Nursery School, London E15 1JP

Thank you very much for helping me to have such a lovely time when I visited you. One inspector was there for just a morning but I was lucky enough to spend two whole days with you. We came to see how well the nursery is doing and how you are all getting on. This is what we found. We agree with what you told us, that Ronald Openshaw is a good school. I can see why you enjoy the activities so much as you have lots of exciting things to do inside and in the garden. I enjoyed watching you play and learn. Your behaviour is fantastic and you are kind to each other and play and learn well together. You know lots of things about being healthy and you really know how to keep safe. The headteacher, the deputy, all of the teachers and other grown ups look after you very, very well. Your mums, dads and carers think so too and they are very pleased with how well you are doing. The governors are the adults who help the headteacher make your school a good one. We

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Inspection of Ronald Openshaw Nursery School, London E15 1JP

have asked them, the headteacher and deputy to make sure that they know exactly how well all the different groups of children in the school are doing, so they can check that the school is doing all the right things for all of you. Thank you for showing me your 'special books', I was really happy to hear you talk about what was in them.

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

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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