James Lee Nursery School

James Lee Nursery School Gliddon Road, London, W14 9BH

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 This inspection: Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school.  ‘James Lee is a very special place’ is a comment made by a parent, and other visitors to the Nursery. Parents, staff and children all have an excellent experience at the Nursery. There are superb relationships between everyone that ensure that each individual is highly valued.  Children make outstanding progress in their social relationships and their ability to be completely involved in learning. The majority are learning to speak English as an additional language and they make excellent progress.  Children come in excitedly, looking forward to all that they will do because adults have planned superb activities as a result of their excellent knowledge of children’s individual learning and development.  Children behave exceptionally well, because they are so absorbed in what they are doing. They play remarkably well together. Parents say their children enjoy making new friends

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

and become very confident.  The leaders and managers at all levels are fully involved in gauging how the school is doing, particularly how well the children are making progress in their development. This is fundamental to the accurate and ambitious plans they have for continually improving the school and they are aware that children will benefit from more opportunities to learn in the outside accommodation.  The governing body has taken strategic decisions to ensure the continual development of the school by ensuring its financial stability.  Parents say ‘this place is amazing’ and they have many opportunities to share in the work of the Nursery and find out more about how their children are learning through open afternoons and coffee mornings with a specific focus.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed 13 sessions or part sessions of teaching and learning activities in the Nursery. These were taught by two teachers and several early years educators. Three sessions were spent in joint observations with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, the Chair of the Governing Body, two representatives from the local authority and class teaching teams. There were informal discussions with children and parents.  The inspector took into account the 16 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) and the views expressed in a recent parents’ questionnaire carried out by the school.  The inspector looked at the Nursery’s documents, including records of assessment and children’s progress, planning for improvement, monitoring of teaching and learning, and records about attendance and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Janet Dinsmore, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is larger than average size for schools of its type. Children attend full time for the whole school day, from 9.00am to 3.00pm. There is an after-school club until 4.30 pm, with 16 places that parents pay for.  Three quarters of the children are learning to speak English as an additional language. There are 18 home languages represented. Children are from a wide range of different ethnic groups, the largest being 40% from Other White backgrounds and 20% from White British heritage families.  There is a smaller than average proportion of children supported at school action. There is a much smaller than average proportion of disabled children and those with special educational needs supported at school action plus or with a statement.  There is a smaller than average proportion of children known to be eligible for free school meals and no children of an age to be in receipt of pupil premium (additional funding for children in

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Information about this school

Reception classes and upwards, who are known to be eligible for free school meals, looked after by the local authority or from service families).

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Provide increased opportunities for children to learn from the local environment outside the boundary of the school.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 All groups of children make at least good progress from their starting points and most make exceptional progress overall, particularly with their social development. Children enter the Nursery with skills below and, for a few, at that expected for their age. They make rapid progress and by the time they leave have skills above those expected for their age. When they leave they are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage of their education.  Those who are learning to speak English as an additional language make excellent progress in communication, eagerly talking about what they are doing, for example in explaining how they are using different sized spoons to create shapes in wet sand.  The children enjoy books and stories and could explain that the book being read was also written in Arabic, recognising the script. They can retell the story of Billy Goats Gruff using pictures and puppets. They recall repeated lines in stories and predict what will happen. They

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

frequently use early writing skills to record what they have observed, for example in writing the ‘notes’ when playing doctors and dentists.  Children use mathematical skills exceptionally well and become engrossed in the many opportunities to find out how shapes fit together when constructing tracks or using large wooden blocks. They frequently count objects they are playing with and find out about slopes when discussing how to make a dentist’s chair.  They show very well developed skills in specific leg and arm stretches in the yoga session and make good progress in all aspects of physical development. They use an excellent range of climbing equipment very well and manipulate small objects, for example, to complete a design on a crown.  Disabled children and those with special educational needs also make good progress in all areas of learning and development. For example, they learn to participate in small groups, take turns

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

and count. The small steps of progress they make are checked carefully and continually so that they make rapid progress in communication skills. They have activities explained to them using pictures and this helps them learn what to expect and enables them to increase their concentration span.  All children develop excellent concentration and become so involved in the activities, encouraging each other, for example in working out the best way of transferring water back into another container so that there was enough to come down the gutter that they had set up. They persevere until the task is finished, for example when completing a jigsaw or using a fine paintbrush to paint a detailed picture.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Adults plan activities for each child’s individual progress because they have excellent knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and they know the children exceptionally well. Each day’s activities are planned precisely as a result of accurate observations and discussions by the teaching team at the end of the previous day. Individual children’s progress and interests are discussed in detail so that progress in all areas, particularly when staff have observed any slowing in development, is maximised.  During the session, adults are continually adapting and developing children’s play, following their interests and ensuring that they are always learning. They do this with very high quality questioning and discussion so children are able to explain what they are doing. For example, children’s observation of movement ‘like a see-saw’, was followed up by supporting the construction of one.  Adults show children how to participate in all the activities. They ensure that all children have

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

equal opportunities to learn and join in even when they find it more difficult to do so because they have disabilities or special educational needs or are new to speaking English. There are high expectations of children’s participation and involvement and this was particularly successful when a hand-held device was used to record children’s abilities to climb and swing, so they could discuss how they were doing, making accurate observations.  There are excellent and frequent opportunities for children to be creative using high quality art materials, for example clay, water and glass beads provided contrast and endless possibilities for developing fine motor skills and exploring changing shape and consistency. This was reinforced by excellent discussion with adults who modelled some ideas which the children extended for themselves.  Children make their own play dough and proudly explain what they have done. Independence in

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

counting, measuring ingredients, mixing, following the excellent ‘recipe’ instruction cards and using the result were extremely well supported by adults.  The staff work exceptionally well as a team, each has responsibility, as key worker, for collating the observations and assessments of their group of children. These observations are recorded accurately and used to summarise assessments each term so that rapid progress is continually maintained and there is an accurate record of children’s learning and development.  The resources are excellent. The outdoor learning area is exceptionally well equipped for all forms of physical development as well as spaces for performing music, digging, exploring, investigating and growing plants. For example, children used the garden digging area and outdoor kitchen to make ‘soup’ and ‘cottage pie’. They discussed the quantities of water and ‘mud’ needed, stirring in logs, sticks and petals. They use the look-out tower to observe what is

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

happening below them. Occasionally, more use could be made of this outside area.  The children really enjoy the after-school club. One parent said that their child wants to stay every day. Some of the staff who work in the Nursery also work in the after-school club, so there are the same high standards of conversations and support for children’s learning while children have choices of a different range of resources and access to the outdoor area.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Children behave exceptionally well. They get on really well together and high standards of relationships are demonstrated to them by the adults. They are so involved in learning that there is no time to ‘fall out’ and bullying is non existent.  The children sort out disagreements about sharing resources well for themselves, and when some need more support with these adults help them sensitively and quickly. They understand how to sit, look and listen because this is explained in different languages and with actions. They know why it is not safe to run indoors, and mop up water that is spilt so that no one slips over.  They have many opportunities to assess risk for themselves, for example in deciding whether to swing from a climbing frame they can explain whether they have the ability to attempt it or not. They jump from steps, climb ladders and balance on ramps. They tidy equipment away quickly

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

and help set up the classroom for lunchtime, counting plates and cups and laying cutlery.  Children use equipment, such as scissors and large wooden blocks, safely. For example, they worked together to construct ‘chairs’ and ‘ beds’ for a dentists’ surgery and handle stick insects carefully when they assist in cleaning out the cage, washing their hands independently afterwards.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The senior leadership team and governing body have a very accurate view of children’s progress because of the excellent assessment and tracking system that is in place. This is an extremely effective tool for checking how well the whole school is doing and results in clearly focused plans for continuing development, showing excellent capacity for further improvement.  Teachers’ performance is managed very well. There are accurate observations to check how well they are doing and opportunities for them to further develop their good and outstanding practice by supporting colleagues in other settings. The same high standard is expected of early years educators and they have many opportunities for high quality training and improving their practice.  The local authority provides very light touch support for this outstanding Nursery and uses it as a provider of exemplary practice to give support and training for other settings. It has

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The leadership and management are outstanding

demonstrated that children who have attended this Nursery achieve the best in the borough at the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage. There is a strong partnership with a neighbouring nursery that enables the sharing of staff and joint training.  There is an excellent relationship with parents who highly value the Nursery. They are welcome there at all times and have special opportunities to visit for afternoons to find out how their children are learning, for example during the recent ‘creative development’ afternoon and to attend courses to support them as parents.  The governance of the school:  Governors have an excellent set of skills and experience to enable them to ask probing and challenging questions. They know how well the school is performing because of accurate and detailed reports from the headteacher and their own visits to check the progress of the school development plan. They know how well children are doing in the light of national expectations.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

They are ensuring the school’s future financial stability by taking strategic decisions about the longer term future. They ensure that teachers’ pay is directly related to their performance in the classroom and manage the performance of the headteacher well. There is no underperformance.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 100317 Local authority Hammersmith and Fulham Inspection number 400405

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Nursery School category Community Age range of pupils 3−4 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 60 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Polly Nuttall Headteacher Elissa Douglas Date of previous school inspection 26−27 November 2009 Telephone number 0208 741 8877 Fax number 0208 563 2645 Email address admin@jameslee.lbhf.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', 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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School details

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 and as part of the inspection.

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School details

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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School details

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. 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

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School details

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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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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