Tarnerland Nursery School

Tarnerland Nursery School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 114350 Local Authority Brighton and Hove Inspection number 338345 Inspection dates 10–11 November 2010 Reporting inspector Janet Sinclair

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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 0–5 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 80 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Viv Warren Headteacher Julie Plumstead Date of previous school inspection 10 January 2007 School address St John's Street Brighton BN2 0GR Telephone number 01273 294199 Fax number 01273 294179 Email address head@tarnerland.brighton-hove.sch.uk

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childcare provision

Age group 0–5 Inspection dates 10–11 November 2010 Inspection number 338345 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 1234 234, 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 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. The inspectors made many on-going observations of the children at work and play. These included seven lessons and five part lessons, observing four teachers and ten nursery nurses and teaching assistants. Inspectors also held meetings with governors and senior staff. They looked at a wide range of documentation, including policies, the school development plan, safeguarding checks and records of children's progress. They considered the 33 responses from questionnaires returned by parents and carers. The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school's work. It looked in detail at the following:  The progress the children, but particularly boys, are making in all areas of learning.  The effectiveness with which staff provide well-planned, challenging and stimulating activities through purposeful play.  The extent to which monitoring of the work of the nursery ensures accurate self-

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Introduction

evaluation and focused development planning.

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Information about the school

The nursery is average in size. Most children are from White British backgrounds. There are a small number of children from minority ethnic groups, some of whom are at an early stage of learning English. An above average proportion of children have special educational needs and/or disabilities. These are mainly speech and language difficulties. Most children start in the nursery on reaching their third birthday and stay for three or four terms until they move to the Reception year in a range of primary schools. Children attend the nursery either in the morning or the afternoon. The school provides a lunch club. Additionally, there is school-run childcare provision for 65 children aged 3 months to 3 years, which was part of this inspection. The childcare provision is open from 8am to 6pm for 51 weeks of the year. The childcare provision includes a breakfast and after- school club for the 3 to 5 year olds. The school has the Healthy School and Bronze Eco

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Information about the school

School awards. A new headteacher was appointed in April 2009 and a nursery manager in October 2009. There have been several staff changes in the under three's provision since the last 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

Tarnerland Nursery is outstanding. It provides children with a very safe, nurturing environment where they can thrive and flourish. Excellent relationships and a whole-staff commitment to meeting the specific needs of each child ensure exceptional outcomes. The excellent leadership of the headteacher and nursery manager ensures a whole-school approach to provision and a strong emphasis on excellence. There is a seamless changeover between all phases of the nursery, which is no mean feat given the complexity of the attendance arrangements for the under three's provision, lunchtime arrangements for the over threes and the excellent before- and after-school clubs. A hallmark of the school is the exemplary care it provides for all children through removing potential barriers to their learning. This is fully supported by the thorough and regular assessments undertaken and the careful, thoughtful planning that goes into ensuring activities reflect

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Main findings

children's interests and capabilities. Parents are delighted with the nursery and all that it provides. Comments such as, 'Tarnerland is a very unique and special nursery school,' and, 'the staff are excellent and instil confidence. The quality of provision, the opportunities for the children and engagement with parents are truly excellent and unique,' typify many parents' views. Children enter the nursery with skills and abilities that are slightly below those expected for their age, with an above average number having special educational needs. All groups make exceptional progress from their different starting points due to high quality provision. They exceed expectations on transfer to school. Teaching is outstanding and staff work extremely hard to provide a stimulating, challenging environment that fully encourages children's learning and enjoyment. There is an excellent range of independent activities as well as stimulating and challenging adult focused activities. Staff interact with

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Main findings

children extremely well and use questioning effectively to develop skills and understanding. Very good work is done to encourage speaking and listening skills and vocabulary development, for example through the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The childcare provision fully caters for the wide range of children's needs, including those who are vulnerable, through a huge emphasis on meeting the emotional and development needs of each individual child. However, staff are not always sufficiently tidy and this occasionally causes a health and safety issue when toys or materials are left on the floor. Children feel extremely safe and enjoy their involvement in risk assessing activities such as cooking. They enjoy all their activities and behave extremely well whatever they are doing. They make an excellent contribution to the community through, for example, their involvement in the 'No graffiti in the Park' campaign and the way they join in and

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Main findings

cooperate with each other on activities. Leaders have a clear sense of direction, self- evaluation is accurate and the school development plan provides a clear focus on raising attainment further. The school has maintained its outstanding provision since the last inspection, whilst developing it further through a language screening programme for all

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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

children, improved curricular planning including greater attention to boys' interests, and engagement and well-being assessments for all children. These have all had a positive impact on achievement and, together with the strong commitment of all staff, demonstrate an excellent capacity for further improvement.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Fully embed procedures for health and safety in the under threes to ensure consistency in the care and respect accorded to the learning environment by ensuring that all toys and materials are picked up from the floor after use.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of children 1

Children are independent, confident learners who engage fully in all that is on offer and consequently make great strides in their learning. Children of different abilities and needs are extremely well supported through focused support. For example, a small group of children who speak English as an additional language thoroughly enjoyed explaining when they would wear certain clothes and why. This was very effective in developing their language and vocabulary skills. Boys are also making better progress than previously due to initiatives such as the creative workshops involving them and their dads and regular use of the interactive whiteboards to promote writing. Children concentrate very well on their activities. For example, when out in the meadow, they were thoroughly engrossed in collecting leaves for composting as part of their eco work. They develop their problem- solving skills very well, such as when trying to match chairs, bowls and spoons to different

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of children 1

sized bears. This also fully supports their sequencing and speaking skills as they recount the story of The Three Bears. They develop their knowledge and understanding of the world through experiences, such as making and tasting porridge, constructing railways and using the computers. When working in the doctor's surgery, they learn to cooperate with each other, take turns and use vocabulary such as 'prescription', 'medicines' and 'appointments'. In the baby unit, the children are stimulated by listening to music, playing with autumn leaves, using push-along toys and building with bricks all of which they respond to positively. Children know what makes them healthy. They know the importance of washing their hands before eating, exercise keenly and make healthy choices about what to eat. An excellent example of this was when the 2- to 3-year-olds were having their school lunch and were involved in discussing what made it a healthy meal. Good eating habits are

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of children 1

being established early. Children develop a very good understanding of other cultures through, for example, celebrating Chinese New Year, eating noodles with chopsticks, celebrating the different cultures represented within the school and their links with a school in Sri Lanka.

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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 1

Taking into account: Children's attainment¹

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Children's achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 1

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 1

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?

As a consequence of excellent curricular planning which fully involves embracing childrens' own ideas, staff provide a wide range of well resourced activities that stimulate children's interests. For example, staff have made excellent use of the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears to develop children's speaking and listening and problem-solving skills through retelling of the story using appropriate resources. They also help children to explore feelings and moral issues by discussing how they might feel if someone took something belonging to them or whether it was right to go into someone's home uninvited. Teachers make very good use of Makaton signing to reinforce language and understanding. Staff are very keen to take children's own ideas into account and the setting up of the doctors' surgery was in response to the children's interests. This has enabled teachers to fully develop a variety of skills across the areas of learning through

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How effective is the provision?

providing resources to write prescriptions, answer the telephone and use a waiting room. Teachers are making full use of this provision to interact and question children successfully to fully develop their knowledge and understanding. Teachers make very good use of well- planned small group sessions to provide a high level of challenge. They are particularly adroit at involving the children so that their knowledge and skills are fully developed and their interest maintained. This was seen when they were discussing which bed fitted each bear and explaining the reasons for their choices. On-going assessments, as well as more

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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

formal regular assessments, ensure that work is well matched to children's needs. The introduction of an excellent tracking system is helping staff to carefully monitor progress over time and ensure children get additional support if needed. The use of learning journals across the nursery provides a continuous record of children's involvement in their learning and is shared with parents who are also encouraged to contribute. Teachers make very good use of engagement and well-being observations to check on individual children. This has given staff a clearer view of individual children's needs and interests which sometimes leads to changes in planning. Excellent provision for children with special educational needs and those who are vulnerable ensures they also make excellent progress. There is a termly special educational needs day where the progress of each of these pupils is reviewed and new targets for their learning set. Parents and outside

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

agencies are used extremely well in the provision and target-setting process. As one parent commented, 'My son has significant speech difficulties. The school included me fully in designing an extremely good individual education plan that targets his needs perfectly.' Interesting age-appropriate activities are provided for the under threes and staff interact well to engage them and provide a very caring and supportive learning environment. However, they do not always tidy toys and other resources up sufficiently and this occasionally presents a safety hazard.

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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 1

Taking into account: The use of assessment to support learning

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How effective are leadership and management?

The headteacher and nursery manager have a clear vision for the school, which they have shared with all stakeholders. It is clearly focused on providing a high-quality learning environment for all children. The school promotes equality of opportunity for all and tackles discrimination extremely well so all children succeed. Monitoring of teaching, both formal and informal, is undertaken by the headteacher. It is robust and involves discussion on areas for improvement where necessary. It has included developing more effective planning and focused assessments of children's learning. The nursery manager has introduced supervision for under threes staff and planning according to the development matters, which has led to a greater focus on ensuring progress and reflective practice. There is an excellent focus on staff training and development, for example all staff have undertaken the 'Every Child a Talker,' training. Good safeguarding procedures, as well as a

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How effective are leadership and management?

secure, well-maintained building, fully promote children's safety. Governors are fully supportive of the school, are involved in determining its direction and have appropriate, well-organised committees in place. However, many are new and still developing their

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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

roles, so are not confident in providing high levels of professional challenge. Excellent links with parents ensure that they are very well informed and involved in a full partnership in their children's learning. There are extremely good partnerships with outside agencies, local schools and the 'Team around the Family'. Additionally, the school takes a leading role in some of the children's centre activities. The school works very well with its own community and has evaluated its impact within this. It is now developing wider national and international links including a link with a nursery school in Sri Lanka.

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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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1

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

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Views of parents and carers

The questionnaires show that all parents and carers are very happy with the school and what it provides. They consider that their children enjoy all that the school has to offer, make good progress, are very safe and encouraged to be healthy. The inspectors agree. There were no significant concerns raised in the questionnaires.

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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 Tarnerland Nursery 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 33 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 145 children registered at the school.

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child enjoys school 27 82 6 18 0 0 0 0 The school keeps my child safe 29 88 4 12 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My school informs me about my child's progress 15 45 17 52 1 3 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child is making enough progress at this school 24 73 9 27 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The teaching is good at this school 25 76 7 21 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps me to support my child's learning 18 55 15 46 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle 23 70 10 30 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 61 10 30 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school meets my child's particular needs 22 67 11 33 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour 17 52 12 36 1 3 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns 18 55 13 39 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school is led and managed effectively 26 79 7 21 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

Overall, I am happy with my child's experience at this school 28 85 5 15 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 Tarnerland Nursery School, Brighton BN2 0GR

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to your nursery because everyone was so friendly and you were so happy in what you were doing. This is because Tarnerland is such a good nursery; almost everything about it is excellent. You thoroughly enjoy school because adults take such very good care of you and plan exciting things for you to do. You are doing really well and make excellent progress. You feel very safe and thoroughly enjoy all the things that you do and this is because the headteacher and all the staff do all they can to give you a great start in life. There is only one thing that needs to be better. Sometimes toys and materials are left on the floor in the under threes rooms and they need to be picked up so children do not trip over them and hurt themselves. Once again, thank you all for being so nice. It was lovely meeting you.

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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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