Helen Gibson Nursery School

Helen Gibson Nursery School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 108663 Local Authority South Tyneside Inspection number 356407 Inspection dates 21–22 March 2011 Reporting inspector Moira Fitzpatrick

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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 73 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mrs Elissa Hudson Headteacher Mrs Lynne Brown Date of previous school inspection 11 June 2008 School address North Lane East Boldon Tyne and Wear NE36 0DL Telephone number 0191 519 6846 Fax number 0191 519 3404 Email address info@helengibson.s-tyneside.sch.uk

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Age group 3–4 Inspection dates 21–22 March 2011 Inspection number 356407 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 123 4234, 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 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 observed teaching and learning in 10 lessons and observed the teacher, one senior educational practitioner, one nursery nurse and three specialist staff in Forest School provision. They held meetings with staff, the Chair of the Governing Body and parents. They observed the school's work, including the school's improvement plan, assessment and tracking data, lesson planning and safeguarding policies and procedures. The responses in 35 questionnaires returned by parents and carers were analysed. The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school's work. It looked in detail at a number of key areas.  How well children learn, whether all groups make similar progress and what the strengths are in children's learning.  How provision has developed since the previous inspection and what impact this has on children's achievement.

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Introduction

 The contribution of all staff and members of the governing body to school improvement.

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Information about the school

The school is of average size for a nursery. It serves a predominantly White British community. The proportion of children known to be eligible for free school meals is below average. The proportion of children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is broadly average. No child has a statement of special educational needs. Each year the school gives children access to additional provision for outdoor and adventure learning in Forest School settings. These are usually, but not exclusively, run by the local authority. The school offers extended services in breakfast and after-school clubs for children aged from three to eight years. Since the previous inspection, the school has been affected by a high level of unavoidable staff absence. The headteacher was unavoidably absent at the start of this school year.

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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

Children receive a satisfactory quality of education and they are well cared for in the Nursery. The friendly, welcoming atmosphere, which is valued by parents and carers, makes the children feel safe and secure. Children arrive happily at each session and are eager to be with their friends, finding interesting things to do. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make satisfactory progress from broadly typical starting points in all areas of their learning, except in their personal and social development and their knowledge and understanding of the world, where their progress is good. Their achievement is satisfactory overall. Behaviour is satisfactory and is better than this when children are outdoors and have plenty of activity and resources to engage them. They make a good contribution to making the Nursery run smoothly, by tidying up and looking after equipment.

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Main findings

Teaching is satisfactory overall; it is best when children are given plenty of scope to find out for themselves, from well planned activities such as those that they experience in the Forest School. Several parents commented on how much their children enjoy these experiences and talk about them, 'again and again' at home. The curriculum is satisfactory. However, staff do not make enough use of the large outdoor space to provide a wide range of activities from which children can choose. This means that for much of the time children are limited to the cramped space indoors, which is too small to provide a wide range of activities or make use of all of the Nursery's good learning resources. Leadership and management are satisfactory and the Nursery functions effectively day-to- day. Currently, too many responsibilities fall to the headteacher. Other members of staff have relatively few opportunities to contribute to development as their roles and

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Main findings

responsibilities are not defined well enough. Members of the governing body are supportive of the Nursery and are undertaking training to improve their effectiveness. The Nursery has made satisfactory progress against issues raised at the last inspection. It has an accurate picture of its overall effectiveness and what needs to improve. Improvements have been hampered by staff absence but since staffing has been stabilised these are now being addressed with more urgency. Taking all factors into account, the Nursery school has a satisfactory capacity for further improvement. Up to 40% of school's whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory may receive a monitoring visit before their next section 5 inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Accelerate children's progress and improve provision for learning by:

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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

increasing the space and activities available for child-initiated learning, with immediate effect, by making full use of the outdoor space throughout each session increasing the level of challenge for children by making better use of information about their learning to plan and provide stimulating activities which are well matched to their different levels of development.  Review the roles and responsibilities of all staff and redefine roles so that: all staff have responsibility for evaluating aspects of the school's work all staff are responsible for identifying and contributing to areas for improvement all teaching staff play a significant role in planning activities for learning and make the best use of their knowledge of children's needs to accelerate progress.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of children 3

Children enjoy coming to Nursery. They feel safe and happy because of the good relationships they have with adults. This develops their confidence well so that they are able to move around the setting to access activities independently. They enjoy discovering for themselves what they can do, especially when they are in the Forest School setting or outdoors at the Nursery, where there is plenty to find out about. Most children play alongside others amicably and are willing to share toys and join in each other's play. They are able to develop their own ideas and skills when they have the opportunity to do so, and most are beginning to concentrate for longer periods before moving on to other activities. There are still a number of children who do not settle well to activities, either because these are not well matched to their needs or interests, or they are not encouraged enough to get started. When children join Nursery their skills are broadly typical for their age. During their time in

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of children 3

Nursery, they make expected progress and their achievement is satisfactory. Children identified as having special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported to make similar progress to their classmates. By the time they leave, nearly all children reach the levels expected for their age and each year a number exceed them. Children's progress is best in personal and social development, and in knowledge and understanding of the world, because of their involvement in Forest School activities where they learn to observe and ask questions about what they see. Children's behaviour is satisfactory overall and it is good when they are well managed or fully occupied with activities that interest them. When they have to listen for too long or are not interested in adult-led activities their behaviour declines and their learning slows. Children make a good contribution to the smooth running of the Nursery. They are learning to take turns and take responsibility as

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of children 3

the 'special helper'. When they leave Nursery, children are well prepared for the next stage of learning, with above average attendance, good personal qualities and the confidence to learn independently. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good.

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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 3

Taking into account: Children's attainment¹

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Children's achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 3

The quality of children's learning and their progress 3

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Children's achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 3

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?

Staff plan a range of activities to allow children to select what they will explore each session. They also plan a balance of teacher-led and child-led learning. Some activities are not developed enough to maximise children's learning; for example, by adding new resources or by staff questioning or showing how resources might be used to develop thinking, knowledge and skills. Other activities are planned to reflect children's interests, for example, the very popular hairdressing salon. Recent changes to how staff assess children's learning are not yet fully embedded, so that staff do not routinely incorporate their knowledge of children's learning when planning the next steps. This sometimes leads to activities that are not challenging enough. Direct teaching is satisfactory and takes account of children's interests and stage of development. Sometimes children can be passive and expected to listen for too long. They enjoy these sessions most when they are

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How effective is the provision?

active, as when they select toys from a bag and try to guess initial letter sounds. The quality of the curriculum is enhanced by the Forest School initiative which gives children the opportunity to learn outdoors from nature and enjoy 'adventurous' activities. This fires their enthusiasm and develops their imaginations well. Working with visiting artists, children worked rapidly to produce a model forest and placed pictures of themselves within the setting to show how adventurous they were and how well they could recall their exciting exploration. Provision within the Nursery is severely hampered

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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

by a lack of space indoors for the numbers of children attending each session. Children do not have enough access to learning outdoors when they are at Nursery, because not enough use is made of the good outdoor space to extend learning activities outdoors throughout each session. This under-use of a valuable resource has a negative impact on children's learning and development as it deprives them of the choice of where to learn. The school has plans in hand to develop the outdoor provision, but there is no reason why children should not have full access to this immediately, which would relieve the pressure on space indoors and provide additional space for a greater range of activities. Good care and support from staff ensure that children settle quickly at the start of each session. Parents and carers comment favourably on the approachability of staff and of how welcome they are made to feel. Children have good relationships with all staff,

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

especially their key person who knows them very well. These relationships make a good contribution to children's sense of well-being and security. Children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities have their needs well met with prompt referral to external agencies to enlist expert advice and support. The Nursery overcomes difficulties well to manage staffing to give these children additional support, which is clearly of great benefit in helping them to integrate and learn alongside other children. Provision for children in the breakfast and after-school clubs is well organised and children are cared for well. Children feel safe and secure, and they make a good start and end to the day in a warm, supportive family atmosphere.

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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 3

Taking into account: The use of assessment to support learning

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How effective are leadership and management?

Since the previous inspection, an unusually high level of unavoidable staff absence has slowed the Nursery's improvement to satisfactory. The headteacher is now focusing staff on improving provision. Currently, however, responsibility for monitoring and evaluating the Nursery's work falls mainly to the headteacher. This means that not all staff are involved as much as they could be in identifying and leading areas for improvement. Nevertheless, the school's self-evaluation is broadly accurate and the headteacher is aware of where the most important improvements are needed. For example, the Nursery has already begun work on improving outdoor provision for learning but the plans are at an early stage. The senior educational practitioner and the Nursery nurse are not sufficiently involved in planning and evaluating learning activities so that their valuable knowledge about children is not put to the best use to accelerate their progress.

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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

Members of the governing body are supportive. They have recently begun planned visits to the nursery so that they are better able to hold it to account for the quality of provision and children's progress. They ensure that safeguarding procedures meet requirements and that the children and staff are safe and secure in school. Staff take care to ensure that children are not discriminated against and that all have equal access to the same learning opportunities. Good links with external agencies provide advice for staff when dealing with children's special educational needs. Other links with external partners greatly enhance children's learning through Forest School experiences. Community cohesion is promoted effectively in the nursery, but the contribution it makes further afield is limited. The Nursery has plans to link with a school in a different context in a neighbouring town to extend children's understanding of difference and diversity. Links with parents and carers

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

keep them informed about their children's well-being and make them feel welcome in Nursery.

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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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3

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

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Views of parents and carers

A very large majority of parents and carers who returned the questionnaire, and those who spoke to the inspector, express positive views of the nursery. They are pleased their children enjoy Nursery and feel safe and happy there. However, a small minority of parents expressed concerns about the progress their children make, how well they are helped to support their children at home and how well their children are prepared for the next stage of education. The inspection found that the Nursery holds three consultation meetings a year to inform parents and carers about children's progress, which is usual in most nurseries. It does not have as many informal ways of communicating with parents as are usually seen and could do more to give parents insight into the progress and

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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

development of their children on a weekly basis. The inspection found that overall, children's progress is satisfactory, and the report suggests ways in which the school can improve this for all children.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted's questionnaire

Ofsted invited all the registered parents and carers of pupils registered at Helen Gibson 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 35 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 73 pupils registered at the school.

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child enjoys school 32 91 3 9 0 0 0 0 The school keeps my child safe 23 66 11 31 1 3 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My school informs me about my child's progress 14 40 14 40 6 17 1 3

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child is making enough progress at this school 16 46 14 40 3 9 1 3

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The teaching is good at this school 19 54 14 40 0 0 1 3

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps me to support my child's learning 14 40 14 40 6 17 1 3

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle 20 57 15 43 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) 17 49 13 37 5 14 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school meets my child's particular needs 19 54 12 34 4 11 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour 16 46 15 43 1 3 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns 16 46 16 46 2 6 1 3

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school is led and managed effectively 20 57 11 31 0 0 3 9

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

Overall, I am happy with my child's experience at this school 26 74 7 20 2 6 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 inspec tion 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 Helen Gibson Nursery School, Tyne and Wear, NE36 0DL

Thank you for making me welcome at your Nursery and for allowing me to join in with some of your games and adventures. I found out that your Nursery looks after you well and gives you a satisfactory start to your education. Teaching in your Nursery is satisfactory and there are good parts to the curriculum, such as your visits to the Forest School and working with artists to write stories and make models. Your teachers know you well and make you feel safe and happy in Nursery. You are becoming confident and clever enough to do many more things for yourself. No wonder your parents and carers are proud of you! Your behaviour is satisfactory, and it is good when you have space and plenty of interesting things to do. I have suggested that you should be allowed to work outside much more than you do now. Then you will have plenty of things to explore and can watch things change around you as small creatures and plants begin to grow. I know this

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Inspection of Helen Gibson Nursery School, Tyne and Wear, NE36 0DL

is the kind of thing you really enjoy because you love your time at the Forest School so much. I think that more of this would be very good for your learning. I also noticed that you love to make giant slides and find out what you can do with water and pipes and kites when you are outside. These things made you very happy and helpful with each other because you enjoyed them so much. I was pleased to see how well you tidy up at the end of Nursery and that you look after your toys well. Your headteacher and teachers want the best for you. I have suggested that teachers work closely together to find out which things work best and which need to be improved so that everyone helps to make your Nursery even better. You can help by being interested in all the things around you and learning to do even more for yourself as the weeks go by. I hope you all have a lovely time for the rest of the year and enjoy being outdoors,

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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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