Hornsea Nursery School

Age group 3–4 Inspection date(s) 23–24 May 2011 Inspection number 358177 Hornsea Nursery School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 117699 Local Authority East Riding of Yorkshire Inspection number 358177 Inspection dates 23–24 May 2011 Reporting inspector Karen Ling

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This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 under pilot arrangements; it was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act .

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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 99 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair John Whittle Headteacher Jane Hardman Date of previous school inspection 30 April 2008 School address Newbegin Hornsea HU18 1PB Telephone number 01964 534396 Fax number 01964 534396 Email address hornsea.head.nursery@eastriding.gov.uk

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Introduction

This pilot inspection was carried out by two additional inspectors. They observed 11 sessions or parts of sessions, eight teachers, teaching assistants and nursery nurses. Meetings were held with parents and carers, members of the governing body, and staff. Inspectors also talked with children. They observed the nursery school’s work and looked at curricular planning, the school development plan, policies, procedures and 38 parent and carer questionnaires.

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Information about the school

Hornsea Nursery School is an average size nursery school and serves the local community. It is currently in the process of forming a collaborative arrangement with the two local primary schools. Most children are White British. The proportion of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is low. Currently, children start nursery school the term after their third birthday and move on to primary school at the age of four. They attend five morning or afternoon sessions each week. From September 2011, the nursery school will be for children aged three only. Sessions will be offered on a flexible basis. The acting headteacher was appointed in September 2010 following the retirement of the previous headteacher. The nursery has Healthy School status. 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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Behaviour and safety 1

Does the school adequately promote the pupils’ well-being? Yes Does the school adequately promote community cohesion? Yes Does the school provide value for money? Yes

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Key findings

This is an outstanding nursery school where high expectations are embedded across all areas of practice. Children thoroughly enjoy their time here and are exceptionally well cared for by staff. The stimulating indoor and outdoor curriculum is tailor-made to meet the needs of each child particularly well. This helps them develop into confident and independent individuals with high levels of self-esteem and an eagerness to learn.

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Key findings

Teaching is outstanding and children make great strides in their learning. The staff have consistently high expectations and provide appropriate levels of challenge. Their planning and organisation are excellent. Children experience a wealth of stimulating activities and staff are very good at encouraging children to try new ones. Consequently, children build on existing skills and knowledge quickly in all areas of learning. Accurate assessments of children’s next steps in learning ensure that every child, including those with particular learning needs or those getting ready to move on to primary school, makes outstanding achievement.

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Key findings

Children’s behaviour is exemplary. This is due to their high levels of engagement and the secure bonds they develop with their key person and other adults. The staff use consistent strategies to motivate children and help them understand the consequences of their actions. Children’s self-control is particularly well developed because they have learnt the importance of sharing and taking turns. They are kind and considerate to one another and are very aware of how to stay safe.

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Key findings

The headteacher’s vision for the quality of care and education steers the work of the nursery school and this successfully helps to narrow the gap in achievement. Leaders' and managers' continuous drive for improvement is highly successful in addressing weaknesses as they arise. Children’s achievement is monitored well. 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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Key findings

However, the use of data analysis to set future targets for improving provision further is at an early stage.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

Develop further the use of data analysis of children’s achievement to refine and set future targets.

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Main report

This is a happy school, which has successfully created an exciting indoor and outdoor environment for children where high expectations and challenge enable them to come on in leaps and bounds from the day they start. They develop very well in all aspects of spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Children behave considerately and display very caring attitudes towards one another. The youngest children and those new to the school are helped to settle very quickly because of the relationship they form with their key person and the friendships with other children. They develop in confidence and self-esteem because of the excellent levels of encouragement and praise they receive. The rigorous assessment process and excellent key person system ensure that every child is looked after and supported to learn in ways appropriate to their individual needs. As one parent said 'My child enjoys every minute and has made excellent progress since he started. He feels safe

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Main report

and is well prepared for primary school.'

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Main report

Children arrive eager and ready to learn. They settle quickly to a prompt start to the sessions. They happily sing the days of the week song ending with ‘Every day is different and every day new’, which accurately reflects their experience. Children play a dynamic part in their own learning as their ideas and interests form the basis for future planning. They show good levels of self-confidence as they explore the indoor and outdoor play activities. Their knowledge and awareness of the world around them is constantly being enhanced, whether it is through their exploration of living plants and animals, celebration of multi-cultural festivals or visits to local places of interest.

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Main report

When they enter the nursery school their skills and knowledge are variable and many have skills below those expected for their age. An increasing number of children join with speech and language and personal, social and emotional skills well below those expected for their age. Children make outstanding progress during sessions and by the time they move on to primary school, some children even achieve the early learning goals. Children with special educational needs and those with disabilities also make excellent progress in their learning and development. All children achieve exceptionally well.

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Main report

Children spend much time outdoors. Even the high winds are an opportunity to explore the effects on kites made from plastic bags. They use small and large tools with increasing dexterity as they build sand mountains, create structures from crates 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 report

or create their own picture with paints. They learn how to sustain life as they plant and grow vegetables. The nursery school is exceptionally successful at promoting speech and language in fun ways. They show a developing love for books, have stories read to them every day and engage in conversation as they discuss illustrations with others. Musical instruments are often to be heard as children explore the different sounds and pretend to read sheets of music. Mathematical language is used regularly in their play and in adult-led activities. They confidently count, sort by pattern, make simple calculations and enjoy rhyme and action songs, such as ‘Five jelly fish’. Boys and girls use a range of mark-making tools for a range of purposes. They show good control as they carefully colour caterpillars, print increasingly complex sequences of shapes or draw maps with buried treasure. Snack time is a very social occasion where children help to serve one another and enjoy a

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Main report

range of nutritious foods and milk or water.

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Main report

The high quality adult interaction and exemplary organisation of routines helps children to feel very secure. They show an excellent understanding of what standards of behaviour are expected and apply these in order to keep themselves safe. Attendance is good; children are eager and have very good attitudes to learning. They are fully engaged throughout the sessions with friends or when choosing independent activities. They handle a range of tools carefully, respond positively to adult requests or directions and show a secure understanding of right and wrong. Their efforts are always rewarded by staff with praise and stars, which successfully raises their self-esteem. Recently completed training on behaviour management further enhances the strategies and consistent approach the nursery school uses and shares with parents and carers. Responses from parents and carers are highly positive and there are no concerns about bullying. One parent was keen to

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Main report

express her thanks to the 'excellent staff who have a loving and caring relationship with children.' This is echoed by many.

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Main report

The staff have an excellent knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and of how young children learn best leads to high quality care and education for each child. Deployment of adults and other resources is highly effective and no time is wasted. They provide a rich, stimulating experience and use their knowledge exceptionally well when presenting children with new experiences or information. They help children to develop their understanding of why things happen and how things work through the use of all their senses. The carefully structured curriculum is inclusive of individual needs and provides a good balance of adult-led and self- chosen activities for every child. Appropriate intervention engages children in the learning process; excellent organisation ensures that teaching in adult-led activities is short, focused, builds on what children know and can do and provides the necessary challenge. For example, children who require support with their speech and language

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Main report

or who are ready to read receive regular intervention through carefully planned games which enable each child to progress at their own level.

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Main report

Robust policies and procedures underpin the highly effective day-to-day management of the nursery school. Rigorous safeguarding processes ensure statutory requirements are met and exceeded. Senior leaders strive for excellence in 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 report

all aspects of the work of the nursery school. Monitoring of teaching and ongoing professional development ensures that skills are honed and knowledge extended to the benefit of children. This has led to an improvement in the quality of teaching, the level of challenge offered to children of all abilities and an increase in the levels of development children achieve. The headteacher has introduced a system to monitor achievement. Though it reflects outstanding progress, it is at an early stage and has yet to be used to full effect as the basis for future target setting. During a period of change, both in leadership and as the school moves to a one-year entry, the headteacher has been unwavering in proactively securing and improving the quality of provision and outcomes for children in her care.

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Main report

Partnership working is central to the ethos of the nursery school and links with external agencies, the town’s primary schools and the local children’s centre are continually developing to offer the best possible support to families. The governing body is acutely aware of the strengths of the nursery school and has proved to be a valuable critical friend and supporter as the school moves towards collaborative arrangements with partner schools. The whole-school approach supports collaborative working, secures learning and ensures every child’s needs are met. Consequently, the school promotes high achievement for all and is successful in narrowing the attainment gap.

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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 Hornsea 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 inspector received 38 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 99 pupils registered at the school.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Statements Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree Total % Total % Total % Total % Q1 My child is happy at school 31 82 7 18 0 0 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q2 My child feels safe at school 31 82 7 18 0 0 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q3 The school helps my child to achieve as well as they can 29 76 8 21 1 3 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q4 The school meets my child’s particular needs 28 74 9 24 1 3 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q5 The school ensures my child is well looked after 30 79 8 21 0 0 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q6 Teaching at this school is good 27 71 11 29 0 0 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q7 There is a good standard of behaviour at this school 25 66 13 34 0 0 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q8 Lessons are not disrupted by bad behaviour 24 63 12 32 0 0 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q9 The school deals with any cases of bullying well 19 50 12 32 0 0 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q10 The school helps me to support my child’s learning 27 71 11 29 0 0 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q11 The school responds to my concerns and keeps me well informed 30 79 8 21 0 0 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q12 The school is well led and managed 29 76 7 18 1 3 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

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 pupils’ needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. 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 pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 46 48 6 0 Primary schools 6 47 40 7 Secondary schools 12 39 38 11

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Sixth forms 13 42 41 3 Special schools 28 49 19 4 Pupil referral units 14 45 31 10

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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 2010 to 31 December 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 2010/11 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 pupil in their learning, development or training.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils’ work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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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 pupils 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:  The achievement of all pupils.  Behaviour and safety.  The quality of teaching.  The effectiveness of leadership and management. and taking into consideration  how well the school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils’ attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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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 Hornsea Nursery School, Hull, HU18 1PB

Thank you for making me so welcome when I visited your school recently. I came to see how well you are doing and how well everyone looks after you. Your nursery school is outstanding. That means that it is one of the best. You are very fortunate to be able to come here every day.

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Inspection of Hornsea Nursery School, Hull, HU18 1PB

It was lovely to see how much you enjoy playing indoors and outside. Even when it was really windy you still had lots of fun chasing each other and playing in the giant sandpit. You are learning so much and that is because all the people who look after you know so much about you and make sure that the activities they plan are just right for each one of you. They make sure you have lots of interesting things to do and talk about each day so that you can get even better at the things you do. I was very impressed with how kind you are to each other and so helpful. You listen to stories every day and look at books by yourself and some of you are beginning to read. Keep this up because it will help you so much when you move to primary school. Keep singing too, because I can see how happy it makes you feel.

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Inspection of Hornsea Nursery School, Hull, HU18 1PB

Your headteacher makes sure that you are very safe and well cared for at nursery school and she is always looking at ways to improve it further. She is going to use the information about how well you are doing to find out what could be done even better.

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Inspection of Hornsea Nursery School, Hull, HU18 1PB

Keep working and playing as well as you do and I wish you every success as you move on to primary school.

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Inspection of Hornsea Nursery School, Hull, HU18 1PB

Karen Ling Lead inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: 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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