Camborne Nursery School

Age group 2–4 Inspection date(s) 14–15 May 2012 Inspection number 378361 Camborne Nursery School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 111789 Local authority Cornwall Inspection number 378361 Inspection dates 14–15 May 2012 Lead inspector Denise Morris

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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 Community Age range of pupils 2–4 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 91 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Alison Tullett Headteacher Emma Short Date of previous school inspection July 2009 School address The Glebe Camborne TR14 7DT Telephone number 01209 713607 Fax number 01209 713607 Email address head@camborne-nursery.cornwall.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 You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when.

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You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days’ notice. The inspector observed 12 lessons jointly with the headteacher over a period of five hours. During the observations, six different teachers, nursery nurses and teaching assistants were seen teaching. Meetings were held with school leaders and members of the governing body. The inspector took account of the responses to the on-line Parent View survey in planning the inspection, observed the school’s work, and looked at children’s learning journals, school assessment data, planning documents and the minutes of governors’ meetings as well as inspection questionnaire responses from 78 parents and carers.

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Information about the school

This average-sized nursery caters for children from Camborne and the surrounding area. The proportion of children who are disabled or who have special educational needs, particularly those with speech and language difficulties, is above average. The nursery offers before- and after-school care and a range of other services to families, including ‘Parent and Toddler’ sessions in the ‘Sunshine Room’, which is a resource for the wider community. Numbers at the school have risen since the last inspection. Most children are three or four years old. Extended care is provided when necessary for some children and full flexible entitlement is offered. A very few children are not yet three because the nursery takes a small number who are two years old with special allocated funding. The headteacher has worked at the school for many years but was appointed to the headship only recently. The school has close links with the

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Information about the school

local children’s centre. 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

 This is an outstanding school. It has maintained its excellent outcomes since the previous inspection. High levels of staff training, very strong collaboration with parents and carers, significant improvements to the accommodation and a clear focus on strengthening the quality of teaching, learning and the outstanding curriculum underpin the school’s success.  Achievement is outstanding. Children of all abilities, including those who are disabled and those with special educational needs, make excellent progress, often from low starting points. They achieve particularly well in communication, language and literacy, mathematical development, knowledge and understanding of the world and in their personal social and emotional development during their time in the nursery. They make very good progress in early reading activities because they develop an excellent understanding of the link between letters and sounds.

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Key findings

 Much of the teaching in all areas of the school is outstanding. Teaching is never less than good. It typically extends children’s skills exceptionally well and ensures that they have equal access to exciting learning opportunities within the excellent curriculum. Children’s achievements are regularly assessed although outcomes are not yet checked with those in other local schools.  Children behave outstandingly well and show excellent attitudes to learning. They are very safe and secure at school and the vast majority come to nursery regularly and on time. Excellent relationships and a very strong emphasis on promoting children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development prepare them very well for the next stage of their education.  The headteacher, along with the two assistant headteachers, staff and the governing body, has created an exciting and welcoming learning environment in which children are valued highly and thrive. Leaders have improved the quality

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Key findings

of teaching through high-quality performance management linked to regular training opportunities. School leaders know the schools’ strengths very well because of extremely accurate self-evaluation and, as a result, the school is very well placed to continue improving. 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?

 Develop the already established link with another local nursery to include the moderation of children’s achievements.

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Achievement of pupils

Most children’s skills on entry to the nursery are below the levels expected for their age, particularly in communication, language and literacy and in mathematical development. All groups of children, including those whose circumstances make them potentially more vulnerable, make outstanding progress. Achievement, including the achievement of children who are disabled and those with special educational needs, is also outstanding. Children quickly settle in the nursery and thrive in its creative, caring environment. They make rapid and sustained progress in all areas of learning, achieving particularly well in their understanding of early phonics (matching letters and sounds) because of the strong emphasis placed on this. In a small group session, for example, older children successfully joined in with songs and word games to identify the initial sounds of some of their toys. Because of excellent teaching, they were able to build on previous skills and showed high levels

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Achievement of pupils

of confidence as they were eager for a turn.

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Achievement of pupils

Close links with the speech and language service ensures that those with speech and language difficulties quickly improve their skills. Children’s success in understanding the world around them is due in part to the exciting environment and to the excellent range of curriculum activities. For example, they successfully build shelters, plant seeds and bulbs, take care of and eat vegetables and fruit, and search for mini- beasts in the outdoor area. In one such session, they carefully moved stones and logs to see what was underneath and picked up their finds tenderly, placing them in a pot so that they could look closely at them and learn about them. One child explained how important it was to treat mini-beasts gently. Later, a child was upset at finding a snail on his shoe. Another child comforted him and carefully and gently removed the snail and put it back where it belonged.

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Achievement of pupils

Children develop high quality personal skills because of the very effective promotion of their spiritual, moral, social and emotional development through a wide range of activities. There is clear evidence in past photographs of children’s awe and wonder as they watched chicks hatch out of the eggs they were taking care of. Parents and carers agree that their children make outstanding progress at the school. ‘My daughter has thrived here. Camborne Nursery is excellent; fantastic resources, amazing indoor and outdoor spaces, staff are brilliant and exceed all levels of expectation’ is a typical comment. 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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Quality of teaching

All of the parents and carers who responded to the questionnaires rightly agree that their children are taught very well. Lessons have excellent pace and the very effective use of resources engage and interest children. Early reading skills are taught skilfully. Teachers use the creative curriculum very effectively to design lessons that match the interests and needs of all children, including disabled children and those with special educational needs. Questioning is a particular strength of the very best lessons, helping teachers to develop children’s skills and deepen their understanding. Examples of this were seen in many areas. In one such session, two boys made excellent progress in their understanding of colours and shapes as they investigated and painted apple trees in the garden. As a result of focused questions which encouraged them to feel the bark, touch the leaves, smell the blossom and

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Quality of teaching

think about colour and shape, their finished paintings were outstanding. Similarly, in another session, a child was using pieces of drain-pipe full of water to sail a boat. He was having lots of fun. The teacher constantly checked what he was learning and extended his understanding by asking, ‘Why is the boat floating down the pipe?’ Teachers are skilful in promoting mathematical development through many different activities. For example, children are constantly being asked ‘How many?’ while they are building with bricks or collecting resources.

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Quality of teaching

Evidence of children’s successes is carefully collected through photographs and annotations. These show that children make much better than expected progress. Although teachers have begun to work collaboratively with another local school, they have not yet had opportunities to moderate the annotated evidence of children’s achievements. Teaching promotes children’s excellent spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development by using different cultural experiences such as tasting Chinese foods during Chinese New Year celebrations or by using a visit from the local police or fire and rescue service to help children learn about behaviour and safety.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Children respond very well to the school’s strategies to promote their positive behaviour and safety. There are a few examples of children who have had difficulties with their emotional and social skills making good or better progress and joining in well with their peers because of the excellent support and guidance they receive. The wide range of activities in the outdoor learning environment has a very positive impact on boys and girls. The calm atmosphere promotes strong relationships, turn taking, sharing and children’s excellent spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development. The way in which children of all abilities plant their bulbs, take care of them and watch them grow shows how well they take their responsibilities. The school garden promotes many challenging opportunities which children fully enjoy. Safe risk-taking ensures that children learn how to judge what is safe for them. They

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

are confident in the staff, knowing that there is always someone to help them. Children attend nursery regularly and attendance rates are rising. They are safe and secure. All of the parents and carers who responded to the inspection questionnaires believe that their children behave well and are kept safe. There is no evidence of any 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 of pupils

bullying, including bullying related to disability, special educational needs, race, religion or gender. Children say that everyone is kind. Children learn about safety in their work and play. They use scissors safely to cut paper, use real knives to cut their fruit and manage garden tools in a safe manner while digging and planting. Children play outside in all weathers. One rainy day during the inspection saw children pulling on their boots and their waterproof clothes independently and playing outside, making shelters and playing happily on their bikes in the rain.

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Leadership and management

The headteacher, senior leaders and staff have successfully built on the exciting and innovative environment in which all children thrive and feel valued. They have very effectively built the school’s capacity to improve through high levels of training for staff and through improving the curriculum so that it provides excellent opportunities for exploration and learning by all groups of children. Close working relationships within the nursery as well as with the local children’s centre and support services ensure that children’s needs, including for therapies, are met quickly. Leaders, including the governing body, have a very accurate view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses through rigorous self-evaluation. They have a strong track record over the last three years of successful development. They have focused strongly on performance management through frequent monitoring of, and providing support

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Leadership and management

for, teaching and learning. This has resulted in the excellent quality of teaching at the school. Leaders have established secure and effective strategies to teach children the early stages of recognising letters and sounds to prepare them for their futures. They promote equality extremely well and plans are fully developed to tackle any discrimination.

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Leadership and management

Leaders promote spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development outstandingly well so that it supports children’s outstanding personal skills. Senior leaders engage very well with parents and carers, as shown by the overwhelming support in the parent questionnaire and in children’s rising attendance. Parents and carers are extremely pleased with the school. ‘Camborne Nursery is excellent. Our child moved here in September 2011 and it’s the best thing we have ever done. The staff are fantastic and nothing is too much trouble, we cannot praise them enough,’ wrote a parent in response to the questionnaire. Leaders have been instrumental in promoting the on- site ‘Sunshine Room’ which provides an exciting space for parents and community groups to gather. The school’s safeguarding procedures are effective and meet statutory requirements.

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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 54 42 2 2 Primary schools 14 49 32 6 Secondary schools 20 39 34 7 Special schools 33 45 20 3 Pupil referral units 9 55 28 8 All schools 16 47 31 6

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements have been introduced from 1 January 2012. This means that inspectors make judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September to 31 December 2011 and represent judgements that were made under the school inspection arrangements that were introduced on 1 September 2009. These data 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. Primary schools include primary academy converters. Secondary schools include secondary academy converters, sponsor-led academies and city technology colleges. Special schools include special academy converters and non-maintained special schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning and development taking account of their attainment.

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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

Attendance the regular attendance of pupils at school and in lessons, taking into account the school’s efforts to encourage good attendance.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Behaviour how well pupils behave in lessons, with emphasis on their attitude to learning. Pupils’ punctuality to lessons and their conduct around the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving based on its self-evaluation and 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

Floor standards the national minimum expectation of attainment and progression measures.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the governors and 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.

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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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Common terminology used by inspectors

Safety how safe pupils are in school, including in lessons; and their understanding of risks. Pupils’ freedom from bullying and harassment. How well the school promotes safety, for example e-learning.

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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 Camborne Nursery School, Camborne TR14 7DT

Thank you for the welcome you gave me when I inspected your school recently. It was lovely to meet and talk with you. You told me all about the things you like doing and all about your friends. You told me also that you enjoy school and feel safe.

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Inspection of Camborne Nursery School, Camborne TR14 7DT

I can see from the answers to the questionnaires that I received from your parents and carers that you are very happy at school. It is an outstanding school. There are lots of excellent things in your school, such as your achievement and the teaching. Your headteacher and the other managers are also doing a very good job.

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Inspection of Camborne Nursery School, Camborne TR14 7DT

I thought your behaviour was excellent. You play very well together and I know that you all try to come to school every day. Well done for that.

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Inspection of Camborne Nursery School, Camborne TR14 7DT

You listen to your teachers very well, especially when they are giving instructions or telling you stories. You enjoy playing with your friends and you are kind and helpful to them. I saw how much you love playing outside. Your teachers give you lots of exciting things to do there. I know they work very hard to help you achieve as well as you can. I am asking them to work with another local school to check your achievements. I hope you will continue to work hard.

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Inspection of Camborne Nursery School, Camborne TR14 7DT

Denise Morris 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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