Chichester Nursery School

Age group 0–4 Inspection date(s) 16–17 November 2011 Inspection number 381133 Chichester Nursery School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 125808 Local Authority West Sussex Inspection number 381133 Inspection dates 16–17 November 2011 Reporting inspector Susan Mann HMI

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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 0–4 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 176 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Val Hughes Headteacher Candy Daffern Date of previous school inspection 1 July 2009 School address St James Road Chichester West Sussex PO19 7AB Telephone number 01243 642950 Fax number 01243 539685 Email address head@chichester-nur-w-sussex.sch.uk 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

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after children, safeguarding and child protection. 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 . 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 information 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’.

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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 one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors and two additional inspectors. They observed the school’s work and saw all staff present at the time of the inspection teach and support children’s development. They looked at school improvement planning, minutes of meetings, data and information on children’s progress, and curriculum planning. They also spoke with a number of children, parents and carers. Inspectors scrutinised 44 questionnaires returned by parents and carers, as well as surveys from staff at the school.

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Introduction

The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school’s work. It looked in detail at a number of key areas.

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Introduction

 The provision and outcomes for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.  The effectiveness of the work of the governing body.  The promotion of community cohesion in the Nursery.  The quality of information and communication technology used by children in their learning and play.

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Information about the school

Chichester Nursery School is part of Chichester Nursery School, Chichester Children and Family Centre and operates out of the same building. The work of the school and centre is under the leadership of the headteacher who is accountable to the governing body. The school is a large pre-school setting but of an average size when compared to other maintained nursery schools offering similar provision. There are 176 children on roll, of whom 101 are in receipt of free educational entitlement.

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Information about the school

The majority of children come from a White British background. There are a few families from minority ethnic backgrounds, including those from any other White background and those with Indian, Asian and Chinese origins. The school also offers a breakfast club and an after-school provision which are also managed by the governing body.

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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

Chichester Nursery is an outstanding school. Each child receives an exceptionally high level of care and education. Children are eager to come to the Nursery, and they settle to their learning extremely quickly. They demonstrate close relationships with staff. Children of all ages are wholly engaged in the exciting play-based curriculum, and they are highly motivated to learn. As one parent commented, ‘My child is so very happy at Nursery and his development under the guidance of teaching staff makes me proud.’

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Main findings

The school has an excellent track record of exemplary practice and has continued to build on its previous outstanding performance. The superb partnership with the integrated children’s centre and its services has developed very well since the previous inspection. This significantly enhances outcomes for many children who attend the Nursery. For example, parents and carers who face challenging circumstances are given emotional and practical help by school and centre staff. Partnership with parents and carers is excellent. The Nursery establishes superb home-school links through regular dialogue, information events, home visits, and a willingness to help and support every family whenever needed. Parents and carers of younger children receive exceptionally well-produced daily diaries to tell them about their child’s day in a cheerful and informative way.

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Main findings

The governing body and senior management team are extremely effective in promoting development. All put the well-being of each child at the centre of all management processes, including development planning initiatives. Rigorous self- evaluation processes are very well embedded at all levels in the school. Managers and practitioners are highly reflective and, as a result, practice is continually appraised to ensure children receive learning experiences of the highest quality. As a consequence, the school’s capacity for sustained improvement is outstanding. A part of ongoing review and improvement is that the school has recently changed the process for assessing children’s learning to maximise the value and use of recording progress. As a consequence, data tracking and evaluation systems are being revised to accommodate these changes so that measurement of progress continues to accurately track each child’s development.

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

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Sustain outstanding progress following the recent review of assessment and recording procedures by consolidating existing robust systems of tracking and evaluation.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of children 1

Children have outstanding achievement during their time in the Nursery. Overall, they enter with levels of development that are below national expectations for their age. They then learn at an extremely rapid rate and, by the time children leave the Nursery for school, their overall attainment is above average and standards exceed national expectations. This represents outstanding progress. Children progress extremely well in all areas of learning.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of children 1

Children concentrate very well and give activities their full attention. A very large proportion of the curriculum is delivered through exciting, child-initiated play. Children are always actively involved in their learning. For example, children chose to play at the ‘pirate island’. Here, they explored the scientific properties of magnetism by searching for treasure in the sand with their magnets. They then extended their learning by counting up their pieces of treasure and writing down how many they had gathered. The children had great fun and demonstrated a very good understanding of numbers and magnetism, as well as excellent pencil control. In the ‘Up to 3s’ area of the Nursery, children’s levels of concentration also surpass age expectations. Activities are very well suited to their individual needs. The Nursery puts an extremely high focus on the development of children’s communication, language and literacy and the success of this is shown by the excellent development

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of children 1

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make outstanding progress. Individual plans of learning are detailed to ensure the correct support is provided, and delivery and progress are evaluated thoroughly. As a result, children in receipt of additional support do extremely well in their progress and development. Children who speak English as an additional language also make exceptional progress. There is a high focus on communication throughout the Nursery and all staff and many children use signing in their play through the Nursery’s Sing and Sign programme. This facilitates effective communication for those children less confident in their use of English. There are also many signs and resources in children’s home languages which support their development. Those children who speak Polish enjoy being with the Polish staff member, and also love to teach other staff words and phrases from their home language.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of children 1

Children show a superb level of respect to one another and to staff, and this is reciprocated to create an extremely friendly and positive environment. They share resources with one another with little or no prompting from adults, and they are kind and considerate to each other. They have a very good understanding of right 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

wrong actions. Behaviour is exemplary and supports concerted learning very well. Children are very reflective learners, and are encouraged to think situations through by staff. The school maximises opportunities to explore the cultures of children in the school so they learn to understand the family backgrounds and cultures of their classmates. Children work very well together in games such as The Bear Hunt and in routines such as tidying up the resources. Staff give constant and relevant praise and encouragement to children of all ages and this promotes their self-esteem extremely well.

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

Strong relationships between staff and children are clearly evident, and this helps children feel very safe. They are encouraged to be adventurous in their play, and they assess and manage their own risks exceptionally well as a result of this. For example, children show great care and awareness of others as they move energetically around the outdoor area on tricycles, taking care to avoid one another and equipment. They relish the wealth of outdoor activities on offer, and benefit from daily fresh air and exercise. Children enjoy the healthy snacks and meals at the Nursery, and many are developing their understanding of healthy living very well. Children demonstrate an exceptional level of self-assurance in their learning and social interaction. They are confident because the environment and nursery routines promote independence very well, and staff are dedicated to building children’s self- esteem. Children develop excellent learning habits to prepare them for the next steps

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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

Taking into account: Children’s attainment 1 The quality of children’s learning and their progress The quality of learning for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their progress

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economic well-being

Taking into account: Children’s attendance 1

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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 is low

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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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How effective is the provision?

The Nursery provides an extremely high level of caring and individualised support for children and their families. Staff establish open and communicative relationships with parents and carers. The school makes excellent use of its links with children’s centre services to facilitate very good targeted support for those in need of help with issues such as behaviour management and family upset. One parent summed this up, ‘Not only does the Nursery support the child but also the parent. I feel understood and validated. I am always learning how to be a better parent.’ Transition arrangements are excellent for children entering and leaving the Nursery. In readiness for when children start at their next school, the Nursery provides school jumpers to try and photographs of every school that children are moving to, so that children can become more familiar and confident about moving on.

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How effective is the provision?

Teaching is of a very high standard throughout the Nursery. All adults working with children show a superb understanding of how young children learn and, as a result, activities and routines are completely suited to children’s needs. Assessment procedures are thorough in measuring children’s development. Children’s portfolios provide pleasing records of how well children progress. Staff take this knowledge into account and it drives the planning of challenging learning opportunities for each child.

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How effective is the provision?

The curriculum is perfectly matched to the needs and interests of the children and the learning environment is very well organised and resourced. The provision of child-initiated learning is delivered very well and children are completely enthused about the wonderful array of choices on offer each day. Activities are presented in innovative ways to excite children’s interest. For example: younger children develop their communication and writing skills when playing in the doctor’s surgery role-play area; they discuss illnesses and ‘inject’ staff with medicines; and they make marks on pictorial prescription notes to represent their treatment recommendations. Older children enjoy painting in a wide variety of forms. One child paints over a clear wax drawing and is surprised when the wax becomes visible: she says, ‘Wow, that’s amazing.’ The provision for information and communication technology (ICT) is

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How effective is the provision?

excellent. Children use a wealth of relevant resources and equipment to enhance their learning, and in meaningful ways to support their learning across the curriculum. For example, children frequently use the photocopying machine to make copies of their written work and artwork, and they use digital cameras to photograph their construction projects.

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How effective is the provision?

In the extended day care before and after school, sessions are very calm and children busy themselves talking with one another and with staff, as well as sharing meals and playing with a very good range of resources. These sessions provide an excellent start and close to the day for children.

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

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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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

Taking into account: The use of assessment to support learning

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How effective are leadership and management?

The leaders and managers of the school are very forward thinking and are dedicated to ongoing development. They regularly challenge themselves to improve further. The headteacher provides inspirational leadership and staff morale is very high throughout the school. Rigorous performance management systems are well embedded and consistently applied throughout the Nursery. The governing body is highly effective in its role and makes an exceptional contribution to the success of the school. Evaluation is threaded throughout governor practice to ensure everyone has a complete understanding of the Nursery’s priorities. The governing body also assesses its own performance to assure governors are fully informed and their activity is pertinent to the needs of the Nursery. Safety of children is a top priority. Safeguarding procedures are exemplary. Liaison with relevant external agencies is very good, and staff are tenacious in their approach to promoting children’s well-

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How effective are leadership and management?

being. Risk assessment processes are thorough.

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How effective are leadership and management?

High emphasis is given to inclusive practice towards children and their families. Sophisticated monitoring of children’s development is used by the management team and teachers and this is successful in identifying any child or groups who are not progressing as well as others so that further support can be given. The Nursery has improved its promotion of community cohesion since the previous inspection. A thorough analysis of the school’s context has been made and identified actions addressed. As a result, children’s understanding of local, national and global aspects is very well defined in ways appropriate for their age. In particular, the Nursery community is extremely cohesive: children are kind and thoughtful to one another, and inclusive practice in embedded throughout the school.

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How effective are leadership and management?

These are the grades for leadership and management

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driving improvement

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

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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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Views of parents and carers

A lower proportion of parents and carers than is often the case returned a completed questionnaire. The overwhelming majority of responses were positive, with almost all parents and carers indicating a high level of satisfaction with the work of the school. The proportion of all positive responses was above the national average. All parents and carers agreed with some statements, including that the school keeps their children safe, and that their children enjoy school. The inspection found the outcomes for children to be outstanding.

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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 Chichester 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 44 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 176 children registered at the school.

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child enjoys school 39 89 5 11 0 0 0 0 The school keeps my child safe 35 80 9 20 0 0 0 0 The school informs me about my child’s progress 32 73 12 27 0 0 0 0 My child is making enough progress at this school 29 66 14 32 1 2 0 0 The teaching is good at this school 37 84 7 16 0 0 0 0 The school helps me to support my child’s learning 30 68 13 30 0 0 0 0 The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle 32 73 10 23 1 2 0 0 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) 28 64 13 30 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school meets my child’s particular needs 30 68 10 23 1 2 0 0 The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour 28 64 13 30 0 0 0 0 The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns 29 66 14 32 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school is led and managed effectively 35 80 8 18 0 0 0 0 Overall, I am happy with my child’s experience at this school 38 86 5 11 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. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its children well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its children. 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

Nursery schools 43 47 10 0 Primary schools 6 46 42 6 Secondary schools 14 36 41 9

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Sixth forms 15 42 41 3 Special schools 30 48 19 3 Pupil referral units 14 50 31 5

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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 08 April 2011 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 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.  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 Chichester Nursery School, Chichester PO19 7AB

We enjoyed our visit to your Nursery school and liked seeing how much fun you have there. Thank you for playing with us and telling us all about the things you like to do. We have judged your Nursery school as outstanding: this is the best judgement we can give.

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Inspection of Chichester Nursery School, Chichester PO19 7AB

Your Nursery school has lots of very good features, and there are far too many to mention in this letter, but there are some that are especially excellent:

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Inspection of Chichester Nursery School, Chichester PO19 7AB

 The activities provided for you are very good and help you find out about a very wide range of things. The indoor and outdoor areas are full of exciting things to do that will help you learn. We saw you having lots of fun painting and watching things float and sink in the water tray.  The teachers and adults who help you each day are very good at helping you learn so that you make excellent progress. The portfolios you make of your work are a very good way of showing how well you are doing so that teachers know what to help you do next.  We were especially impressed to see how kind you are to one another. We saw lots of you share your toys with one another which is very important. We think you all behave very well and this helps you to learn even more.  When you are at the Nursery, you take very good care to keep yourselves safe, and the adults help you to do this. In the outdoor area, you are very careful of

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Inspection of Chichester Nursery School, Chichester PO19 7AB

one another when you are riding on the trikes, or when you are running away from the bear in the Bear Hunt.

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Inspection of Chichester Nursery School, Chichester PO19 7AB

We have asked your teachers to help you even more by continuing to improve the ways they look at how much you are learning, so you can all carry on making excellent progress.

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Inspection of Chichester Nursery School, Chichester PO19 7AB

We hope you all continue to have lots of fun and keep on learning well at Nursery.

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from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy

of the guidance, please telepone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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