St Anne's & Avondale Park Nursery School

St Anne’s Nursery School Freston Road, London, W10 6TT

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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.  All children achieve exceptionally well and make outstanding progress regardless of their starting points in all areas of development.  Teaching is outstanding. Staff carefully plan and cater for the diverse needs and interests of all the children. They make learning fun. They skilfully use questioning to deepen children’s understanding and to extend their inquisitiveness and thinking skills.  Teachers actively make excellent use of the world around them to stimulate children’s imagination and curiosity. , There are a considerable range of opportunities for learning in the outdoor area these do not always reflect the outstanding learning opportunities within the classrooms.  Children’s behaviour and safety are exemplary. Children have excellent attitudes to learning and can sustain their concentration for longer periods of time than usual for their age.  Great emphasis is placed on children's spiritual,

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

moral, social and cultural development.  Leaders at all levels constantly check on the quality of teaching and this has helped it to continue to be of the highest quality.  The curriculum is rich, stimulating and provides the children with experiences that they will remember for a long time.  The school has an excellent reputation and is the hub of the community. Parents and carers are highly confident in the school. One parent commented: ‘It’s impossible to be more enthusiastic about this school. It has transformed my child’s experience.’  Outstanding leadership, management and governance have successfully enabled the school to continue to be outstanding in its third consecutive inspection.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed a wide range of activities over the two days including observations led by adults and activities chosen by children. Learning was observed indoors and outdoors. Most of these were jointly observed with the headteacher.  The inspector looked at a number of documents including the school’s own data on children’s progress, children’s work and learning journals, the governing body minutes and documents relating to behaviour and safety.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, key staff, a representative from the local authority, members of the governing body, parents and carers, and a group of children.  The inspector took account of the 16 responses to the Parent View online questionnaire, and spoke to parents and carers at the start of the school day.  The inspector took account of the responses to the staff questionnaires and written comments from parents and carers.

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Inspection team

Sharona Semlali, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is an averaged-sized nursery school where children attend full time.  The nursery school is sited within the Latimer Building on the ground floor.  An after-school club operates on the school site. It is not managed by the governing body and therefore did not form part of this inspection.  The school is led by an executive headteacher who took up post on 1 September 2012. The executive headteacher is the headteacher of St Francis of Assisi's Catholic Primary School.  There is an informal partnership between the governors of St. Anne’s and St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School, which both sets of Governors wish to formalise.The proportion of disabled children and those with special educational needs, supported at early years action, is below average.  The proportion of children supported through early years action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also below average.

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Information about this school

 The proportion of children from a minority ethnic background and those who speak English as an additional language is above average.  Children of nursery age are not eligible for the pupil premium. The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are eligible for free school meals, children from service families and those children that are looked after.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Extend the learning facilities for outdoor play so that the activities reflect the outstanding learning opportunities within the classrooms.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Children join the school with skills that are typically well below that expected for their age, particularly in aspects of reading and writing. However, despite their starting points, they make outstanding progress in all areas of learning and do exceptionally well in their personal, social and emotional development. They leave with skills that are in line with and beyond that expected for their age. The school is highly successful at promoting equality of opportunity for all children and ensuring that all of them have an equal chance of doing extremely well.  Disabled children and those with special educational needs or supported at early years action or early years action plus make outstanding progress. This is because they are given excellent support by adults who teach them either in small groups or individually. Where possible, children are encouraged to use sign languages so they can fully access the curriculum and communicate

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

with others. The school makes excellent use of a range of external agencies to support those who have specific learning needs.  The school provides children with an environment that is rich in different languages. This fosters excellent relationships between children and helps those from a minority ethnic background or who have English as an additional language to make the same outstanding progress as all other children. This approach to learning is evident throughout the school. For example, number lines in classroom displays are written not only in English but in Farsi, Thai and Urdu. Children’s acquisition in learning English is carefully assessed and rigorously monitored by all adults.  Reading is highly promoted throughout the school and, as a result, children thoroughly enjoy looking at books and listening to others read. Some children like hearing adults read the same books repeatedly so that they are able to say what is happening verbatim. Children read to the

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

inspector using expression and actions, and some were able to use the sounds that letters make to accurately read a few of the books.  Children are provided with a range of exciting experiences which promote their love of learning such as making bread, learning about the life cycle of a butterfly and watching the hatching of baby chicks. These help to motivate them to want to write, draw and paint about their experiences. This has helped children to create some interesting books, including reference books, about different topics to which they often refer.  Children are very confident when using mathematics. During the inspection, a small group of children were observed enjoying learning to count while playing the different rhythms and beats on the African drums and were highly engaged in the process.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 The impact on the quality of teaching on children's achievement is outstanding. All teaching observed throughout the inspection was outstanding. Teachers always have high expectations of what children are capable of achieving.  Teachers are very good at getting children to be inquisitive and ask questions about the world around them. This was observed in one lesson, for example, when the teacher triggered the children’s interests and intrigue by using a microscope on the computer to show them a magnified and detailed image of a couple of dead bumble bees. Through skilful questioning and excellent subject knowledge, the teacher was able to deepen their understanding of these insects.  All adults are excellent role models at vastly improving children’s speaking and listening skills. In the peaceful and real-life 'rainforest area', small groups of children throughout the day sensibly sit and talk in small groups about different topics. Teachers have created this vibrant area that

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

successfully stimulates their thoughts and has a good calming influence.  Teachers are very adept at helping all children to concentrate for longer periods of time than usual for their age in all subjects. For example, a small group of children in one lesson looked at the different types of three-dimensional shapes they could make with cornflour and water for an extremely long time. They were then able to discuss the different properties of the shapes for an extended period with an adult.  All adults give the children optimum levels of challenge, including the most able, and have created lots of innovative resources to support this process. Children enthusiastically play number bingo, which stretches their understanding of addition and subtraction.  Adults ensure that all children can freely choose to learn in both the outdoor and indoor areas. Even though children have fun outside, some of the learning activities in the outdoor area

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

occasionally do not always mirror the outstanding learning opportunities within the classrooms.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Children’s attitude to learning and behaviour are exemplary. As soon as children enter the school gates, they are extremely eager to get into class and start learning.  In lessons, children successfully collaborate and learn together in small groups. They know how to take turns in using the different toys and resources, and are extremely good at listening to each other.  Behaviour is equally impressive at lunchtimes because children’s excellent manners allow them to eat peacefully in a relaxed dining room which is enjoyed by all.  The school has firmly established robust routines with the children that help them to develop high levels of independent skills.  Children clearly articulate that they feel safe. They say they feel that all of the adults look after them and that they do not allow ‘anyone to come through the special gates’. They say they use ‘kind hands, kind words and kind feet’.  No bullying of any form whatsoever takes place in the school, and this is backed up by the

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

responses from parents and carers, and from school documentation.  They have good knowledge of how they are learning to keep themselves safe. For example, they fully understand how to cross roads safely.  Children are developing high levels of personal hygiene, and this was seen during the inspection when children clearly knew they had to have clean hands whenever they handled food in preparation for them to do any cooking.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The exemplary leadership of the headteacher has empowered staff to fully participate in discussions about future action plans and know that their contributions into assessing how well the school is performing are valued. This has highly boosted staff morale and is a clear indication of the school's capacity to maintain the highest levels of academic and personal achievement for children.  Together, the staff make an excellent team that has a considerable amount of experience and expertise. They have a clear, accurate and perceptive overview of the school. All are highly determined and successfully driven to gain the highest levels of achievement for all children in a stimulating, safe and creative environment, where they make learning fun.  Very robust systems are in place for school leaders to regularly check on the quality of teaching. Information from this ensures that any increase in individual teachers' salary levels is firmly

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The leadership and management are outstanding

linked to pupils’ achievements.  The school provides a rich, personalised and exciting curriculum that makes learning memorable. It takes account of children’s interests and is adapted to suit their individual needs. Children’s learning journals and portfolios exceptionally capture their learning experiences. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is highly promoted throughout the school, and this is reflected in children's outstanding behaviour and excellent attitudes to learning.  The school has fostered an excellent reputation within the community and has forged strong relationships with parents and carers. Family learning is extremely successful. During the inspection, a group of parents and carers who were with their children were very excited about going on a visit to London Zoo. Parents and carers say that they do 'spontaneous things to incorporate learning’.  The local authority has categorised this to be an outstanding school and therefore only gives it

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The leadership and management are outstanding

light-touch support. It is used as an exemplar of good practice to other settings.  The governance of the school: – The governing body makes frequent visits to the school. All school leaders give a presentation about the curriculum to governors at least once a term. The headteacher also regularly provides detailed information to the governing body about the school’s performance when compared to other nursery schools. All of this enables governors to have a clear picture of its effectiveness and ask challenging questions that hold school leaders to account. They are clear about the quality of teaching and children’s achievement throughout the school. They have a healthy budget and closely monitor the impact of any spending decisions. They know how school leaders closely manage the performance of staff and how good or better teaching is rewarded financially. Governors ensure that safeguarding policies and procedures

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The leadership and management are outstanding

meet statutory requirements as children’s safety is given a high priority. Any new members of the governing body are always given a thorough induction into their role.

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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 100473 Local authority Kensington and Chelsea Inspection number 400415

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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 75 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Colin Salmon Headteacher Paul Rincon Date of previous school inspection 13–14 January 2010 Telephone number 020 8969 1024 Fax number 020 8964 4627 Email address admin@st-annes.rbkc.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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