Lord Street Nursery School

Lord Street Nursery School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 112471 Local Authority Derby Inspection number 357108 Inspection dates 9–10 December 2010 Reporting inspector Geof Timms

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Type of school Nursery School category Maintained Age range of pupils 3–4 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 84 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Lisa Bailey Headteacher Christine McCrone Date of previous school inspection 15 October 2007 School address Lord Street Allenton, Derby DE24 9AX Telephone number 01332 349363 Fax number 01332 349363 Email address admin@lordstreet.derby.sch.uk

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Age group 3–4 Inspection dates 9–10 December 2010 Inspection number 357108 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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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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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. Ten lessons or parts of lessons, involving four teachers and a number of other staff were observed. Meetings were held with parents and carers, a group of children, staff and members of the governing body. Inspectors observed the school's work, and looked at policies, planning and assessment information as well as scrutinising 48 parent and carer questionnaires. The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school's work. It looked in detail at the following:  How well the school uses its outdoor provision to support children's learning.  How well the enhanced resource base supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and prepares them for their future education.  How well the school recognises and celebrates different faiths and backgrounds, especially those from a Traveller heritage.  The impact on the school since the last inspection of the senior leadership team.

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Information about the school

This is a larger-than-average nursery school. A large majority of the children are from White British heritage but there are also children from a range of other backgrounds, a small number of whom speak English as an additional language. A few are at an early stage of learning to speak English. The main other languages spoken are Slovakian and Polish. The school also caters for children from the Traveller community. The proportion of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is average. The school has specially resourced provision to cater for some of these children. The main needs are autism and global delay. The school offers 'wrap-around' care from 08.00 until 18.00 each day. It also offers a variety of parent, carer and community support programmes, such as Family Support and toddler groups. The school has awards for its work on children's fitness and health including Health Promoting School status A and B-Active enhancement.

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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

This is a good school which has improved since its last inspection. Parents and carers are very positive about the school and the inspection shows they are correct. The school now has a greater number of outstanding features. It has particular and important strengths in the way it develops children's personal development, extending their social and emotional skills. This prepares them well for their future schooling and turns them into good learners. The school is outstanding at keeping children safe and helping them understand ways of staying healthy. Children make an outstanding contribution to their community both in school, through the positive relationships they build with each other, and locally in the work they do with the elderly. Their spiritual, moral, social development is outstanding and one of the school's major strengths is the way this work is extended with parents and carers so messages are consistent. Cultural development is good.

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Main findings

The school's positive and effective ethos is the result of some good, strong leadership that creates a shared vision among all staff. They make an effective team and support each other well. A further outstanding aspect of the school's work is the way the teaching and learning is a major focus for continuous improvement. The leadership of teaching is outstanding because of the extent to which all staff are given opportunities to grow, learn and develop as professionals. The school reviews its work regularly and honestly. The school is not complacent and is continually looking for new ideas and ways to improve its provision. Because of this the capacity to improve is good. Children make good progress overall. The progress made in their personal, social and emotional development is outstanding but it is weaker for their reading and writing skills. The recent introduction of more formal systems for linking letters and sounds has yet to have an impact on outcomes

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Main findings

and the school recognises that this work needs to be further embedded in everyday practice. The work with children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities enables them to make equally good progress as their peers. Resources, especially staff, are used well to support children's learning and they make at least good and in aspects of their social development some outstanding progress. Traveller children and those from other minority ethnic heritages make good progress from their different starting points. Teaching and learning, including the use of assessment, are good. However, the use of skilled observations has recently been a focus for improvement through training. This has not yet had time to become embedded in practice or to be reviewed for its practicality and use in devising children's next steps in their learning. The staff have devised an excellent curriculum with some superb enrichment activities that thoroughly extend children's

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Main findings

experiences, involving and exciting them in their learning. This is especially the case in the imaginative and often exemplary way the outdoors is used as a learning resource. The school's outstanding caring and supportive nature is exactly what is needed for the children. This is reflected in the excellent way safeguarding arrangements are ensured and the exceptional links made with parents and carers, including those from Traveller

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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

families, both in school and through a range of outreach activities. There are very strong partnerships with a wide range of external agencies which greatly help children's development and learning, such as those with the local children's centre and a wide range of support for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise standards in reading and writing by: embedding recent work to improve children's learning of letters and sounds monitoring and evaluating the impact of this work.  Improve the use of observations in making assessments of children's progress and in planning the next steps in their learning.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of children 2

The children make good progress in all areas of learning. In aspects of their personal, social and emotional development the progress made is outstanding. On entry to the school, children's skills and experiences are often well below that expected given their ages. Progress is less successful in aspects of reading and writing, especially in linking letters and sounds. The school recognised that boys' achievement was less than that of the girls and a number of initiatives were introduced into the curriculum and teaching to address this. These have been successful and currently the boys are achieving as well as the girls. The children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make equally good progress overall, with some excellent progress in their social development. During the inspection children demonstrated good creative skills as they made hats and 'cold' pictures with paint, glitter and glue. They worked well outdoors, learning to help

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of children 2

each other and to take turns with the sledges. In story time, children listened reflectively to the stories and joined in singing Christmas songs and traditional rhymes well. Children learned to count during story time sessions. They have very positive attitudes towards school. Their outstanding behaviour has a very positive impact on learning as all children take a full part in activities.

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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 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?

All adults in the school work very well as a team, supporting each other and sharing good ideas and suggestions. They use their time well and ensure that they are usefully deployed working with the children. The excellent relationships adults build with the children means that behaviour is excellent and has a very positive impact on learning. Assessment has been used well but the school is aware that more needs to be done to link the next steps learning to the observations of children's progress staff carry out. The work with the traveller community is a particular strength, with two staff members regularly visiting the site and running activities for children yet to start school. The curriculum is outstanding because of the specific enrichment themes, as well as the clear planning, to ensure the full coverage of the early years' learning goals. In one excellent activity, children discovered large silver balls in the garden and this led to a

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How effective is the provision?

major topic about what they were and where they might have come from. The school provides exceptional care, guidance and support and this is backed up by the parents' and carers' views. One said, 'My son loves going to nursery - he has built strong bonds and relationships with the staff and children.' The strength of the care is evident in the way children care for each other and recognise their own health and safety issues or safety matters when working especially outdoors. The 'wrap-around' care offered by the school is

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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

very well organised and provides safe care for a number of children, as well as successfully helping develop their social skills, especially at meal times.

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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 school has a detailed mission statement which is clearly reflected in its day-to-day practice. This supports the good leadership which is evident in the work of all staff. The excellent leadership of teaching and learning is evident in the very strong ethos of continuous improvement, ongoing professional development and a lack of complacency. Staff are not only trained but also given the confidence to extend their learning to a high level. This has clear benefits for the nursery in the improvements to their professional expertise. The senior leadership team has led the school very purposefully since the last inspection. The governing body provides good leadership and the school makes excellent use of individual expertise, especially in the monitoring and evaluation of the school's work. The outstanding engagement of parents and carers is the result of a range of outreach and family learning work that is very effective in helping parents and carers understand

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How effective are leadership and management?

what the school is doing. This is particularly the case in helping them understand some of the children's learning about different cultures and faiths. This has a positive impact on the school's good work in promoting community cohesion. Safeguarding arrangements are excellent because not only are all adults aware of issues and procedures but children also make a contribution to safety in the school, reporting to adults, for example, when they find a health and safety matter. Links with other agencies are exceptionally strong especially with regard to children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This is evident, for example, when the school is used as a training base for other practitioners to learn about the use of the sensory room.

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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

The parents' and carers' views are very positive. Only two out of 48 had one or two negative responses; these were about children's behaviour and about how well the school tells them about their child's progress. The inspection found behaviour to be excellent. Parents and carers have full access to staff and a child's 'learning story' so they can easily see how well they are doing. All parents and carers who completed questionnaires said their children were safe and enjoyed school. They also said the school is well led and managed and that the teaching is good. The inspection findings support these positive views.

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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 Lord Street 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. The inspection team received 48 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 84 children registered at the school.

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child enjoys school 36 75 12 25 0 0 0 0 The school keeps my child safe 41 85 7 15 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My school informs me about my child's progress 35 73 10 21 2 4 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child is making enough progress at this school 36 75 12 25 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The teaching is good at this school 37 77 11 23 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps me to support my child's learning 36 75 12 25 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle 36 75 11 23 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) 31 66 15 32 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school meets my child's particular needs 37 77 10 21 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour 32 68 13 28 2 4 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns 30 64 16 34 1 2 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school is led and managed effectively 36 75 12 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 41 85 7 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 in clude 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 Lord Street Nursery School, Derby DE24 9AX

I am writing to thank you for the way you welcomed us to your school recently. We very much enjoyed watching you work and play so well together. We thoroughly enjoyed talking to you and finding out how much you like being at school. We think that your school is a good one. It helps you learn lots of new things, especially about how well you can get on together and help each other. Your school is excellent at keeping you safe and helping you to be healthy. The school works very well with your parents and carers and others outside the school. They think of some exciting activities that you really enjoy and help you learn. Your school is especially good at using the outdoors for learning. Do you remember the silver balls? To make the school even better we have asked the staff to do two things. Help you get better at learning letters and sounds so you can be better readers and writers. When staff watch you learning, use what they see when planning the next activities.

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Inspection of Lord Street Nursery School, Derby DE24 9AX

Thanks you again for the friendly way you made us feel at home. Enjoy your time at Lord Street and keep working and playing hard!

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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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