Muriel Green Nursery School

Muriel Green Nursery School Church Crescent, St Albans, AL3 5JB

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 This inspection: Inadequate 4 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Inadequate 4 Leadership and management Inadequate 4

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires special measures.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Safeguarding is inadequate. Recruitment practices do not meet safeguarding requirements.  Staff do not record the administration of medicines consistently or carefully.  Risk assessments are out of date. Emergency fire practices are not conducted or recorded appropriately.  The assessment and monitoring of children’s progress is inadequate. Assessment practice is inconsistent between groups and data is not recorded in a manner that allows the school to monitor progress, plan teaching or support those who find learning difficult.  There is no structured support for disabled children or those who have special educational needs.  The quality of teaching requires improvement because activities are not carefully planned to meet the needs of each child.  There is not enough good or better teaching for children to achieve well. The way staff interact with and question children varies considerably in quality.  Leadership and management are inadequate.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

The day-to-day running of the school and the monitoring and evaluation of provision are poor. Performance management is weak.  The governing body has failed to ensure that statutory welfare and safeguarding requirements are met. Governance is inadequate.

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The school has the following strengths

 The children’s behaviour is good and they learn and play together well.  A significant number of parents and carers expressed very positive views of the personal care provided for their children.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection was carried out in response to complaints made to Ofsted which raised serious concerns. The complaints were deemed to be qualifying complaints and Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector decided that an unannounced inspection of the school should take place to follow up the whole-school issues that were raised. Inspectors sought to establish whether:  safeguarding procedures are adequate, including the response to children presenting challenging behaviour  staff are suitably trained and able to seek advice and support when required  leaders and the governing body are effective in monitoring and evaluating policy and practice for behaviour management and safeguarding within the school.   Inspectors observed 11 sessions and spoke to most staff regarding the practice observed. Meetings and informal discussions were held with staff at every level. Meetings were arranged with senior leaders, nominated staff, the governing body and representatives of the local

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection team noted that there were insufficient current responses from parents and guardians on the Ofsted online questionnaire (Parent View). Her Majesty’s Inspector spoke to a wide range of parents and carers during the inspection. Thirteen emails from parents and 12 staff questionnaires were also considered.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection team observed the school’s work at every level and for children of all age groups

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors looked at a range of documents provided by the school, including the school improvement plan, the analysis of children’s progress, the records of lesson observations conducted by senior staff, the headteacher’s reports to the governing body and the minutes of governing body meetings.

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Inspection team

David Jones, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Mary Hughes Additional Inspector

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Full report

In accordance with the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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Full report

No newly qualified teachers may be appointed without permission from HMI.

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Information about this school

 Muriel Green Nursery School provides part-time places for up to 90 children aged from three to four-and-a-half years of age: there are 87 children currently on roll. The school also provides care for three- to five-year-olds which is fully integrated with the nursery. Children within this age group who receive care, learn and play alongside those on roll at the nursery.

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Information about this school

 Muriel Green Pre-school which occupies the same building as the nursery did not form part of this inspection. However, the safeguarding concerns noted during this inspection applied to all aspects of the provision on site. Ofsted will follow up these concerns under the inspection protocols of the Childcare Act 2006.

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Information about this school

 The school is open each weekday (excluding bank and public holidays) from 7.45am to 6.15pm for 50 weeks of the year.

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Information about this school

 The majority of children are of White British heritage; a few are from minority ethnic backgrounds, but there are no records to show that any of these children are learning English as an additional language.

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Information about this school

 The proportion of children believed to have a disability or special educational needs is very low.

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Information about this school

 Muriel Green Nursery School is located in the same building as the NHS-managed St Alban’s Children’s Centre. The children’s centre did not form part of this inspection and is inspected separately.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 As a matter of urgency, ensure that:  all necessary risk assessments are updated and submit them for adoption by the governing body as soon as possible  the administration and recording of medicine is in line with best practice  the school conducts the required programme of emergency fire practices and maintains appropriate records of the issues raised.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that all arrangements for safe staff recruitment are met and the single central record is checked and updated regularly.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Establish a consistent programme of assessment that notes the progress being made by every child.  Improve the children’s achievement by:  ensuring that all activities are planned to build upon the individual children’s knowledge, skills and experiences  monitoring the quality of teaching effectively and guiding staff development through performance management so as to increase the proportion of good or better teaching  establishing a programme of individual support for children who show early signs of a disability or special educational needs  improving the resources available to promote effective early reading skills.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

Ofsted will make recommendations on governance to the authority responsible for the school. These may include an external review of governance to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Children do not achieve well from their starting points because of weaknesses in the quality of teaching and assessment.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The range of activities provided for different groups are often individually imaginative and children are happy to be learning. However, they do not consistently build upon earlier learning and staff are not always clear about the capabilities of individual children.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The data required to measure progress and plan the next stage in each child’s development are not gathered consistently or used effectively.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Children’s early reading skills and knowledge of the sounds letters make (phonics) are not developed consistently. Many of the older children recognise whole words and use pictures to decode story books but these skills are not developed appropriately. For example, in one small group session, children enjoyed naming the animals projected on to the white board but no attempt was made to link the creature’s name to the letters and the sounds they make.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The children’s communication and language skills are often above average for their age when they enter the school and this is evident as they speak to each other in small groups. However, too many conversations with adults do not make the most of the opportunities to develop the children’s speaking and listening skills.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The children’s physical development and particularly their social skills, improve well in all classes; parents and carers speak highly of this support. There is a wide range of free choice and guided play activities provided but these are not blended into an effective programme to support early learning.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 There is little accurate assessment in use which means that identification and provision for those who show early signs of disability or special educational needs requires improvement. The information passed onto parents and carers does not give a clear picture of how successfully their children are progressing.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching requires improvement because activities do not focus sufficiently on the needs of the individual.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Staff do not consistently ask questions that can be answered in different ways and ensure that these encourage children to participate in an activity.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Children have plenty of opportunities for active learning. They enjoy water, mud and sand play, climbing and trips to nearby locations. However, these activities are not planned carefully to build on earlier learning.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Children enjoy rhymes, listening to stories and looking at the range of books available and staff manage this type of small group activity well. However, where large numbers of children gather to listen to story time, staff find it more difficult to involve or captivate all children. For example, in one session, the teacher only had access to a small children’s book and consequently many children were unable to see the illustrations or become involved in the story.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The match of tasks to individual needs is inconsistent because of the absence of any accurate or consistent programme of assessment. Informal conversations with staff confirm that support is dependent on how well individuals know children and adjust the activities planned for the day.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 When teaching was good, the teacher, or other member of staff, used clear directions to guide learning or nurture a play idea to inspire a group of children. As a result, conversation was enhanced, mathematical concepts explored, knowledge gained and individual physical skills improved.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are inadequate

 The safeguarding of the children is inadequate.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are inadequate

 The school’s records of staff appointments do not meet the required standard.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are inadequate

 Risk assessments are significantly out of date, some by as much as five years, and often not relevant to the school’s current practice.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are inadequate

 The administration of medicine is not documented correctly. Medicine and other items are kept in unsecured fridges where they could be accessed by small children.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are inadequate

 Leaders do not conduct and record regular emergency fire practices.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are inadequate

 Children behave well and get along with one another when learning inside and outside the classroom. Parents and carers said their children enjoy nursery and were keen to praise the sympathetic and welcoming manner of the staff.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 Leadership and management are inadequate. The headteacher accepted the inspectors’ view that safeguarding is inadequate. Having reviewed a range of inspection evidence uncovered by inspectors, she noted that the pre-school provision may not comply with a number of the statutory requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. For example, the pre-school does not conduct the statutorily required tests for children aged two years. Ofsted will follow up this disclosure.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 The leadership of teaching is inadequate. The monitoring of staff and performance management practices are inconsistent and in some cases non-existent. A range of staff expressed disquiet regarding the management of the school and the absence of any formal monitoring and evaluation of their teaching

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 The administration, monitoring and evaluation of provision are inadequate. For example, the headteacher deregistered the school as a provider of nursery care on 2 June 2013. Ofsted reinstated this legally required registration when the headteacher’s inadvertent error was discovered during the inspection.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 Provision has declined significantly since the previous inspection, in part related to the loss of experienced staff, but predominately because the headteacher has chosen to focus on the day- to-day interactions with children and families to the detriment of her managerial and administrative duties.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 The headteacher’s reports to the governing body provide little detail and inaccurate evaluations.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 Parents were keen to highlight how welcoming the headteacher is to both adults and children.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 This formerly outstanding setting received ‘light touch’ support from the local authority which has failed to halt the decline into inadequacy. However, senior officers moved rapidly to support and maintain provision as the inspection progressed.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 The governance of the school: – Governance is inadequate. The governing body has failed to ensure that safeguarding requirements have been met. Governors are supportive, but they have failed to provide the challenge required in their role as a critical friend to the school. For example, they have not sought to question the decision to deregister the pre-school provision or require the headteacher to seek guidance from the local authority. Governors make regular visits to the school but have not gained insight into the serious deficiencies in compliance and practice. They have not checked the impact, and in some cases absence, of senior staff reviews of teaching or ensured that staff’s progress through the pay scales are related to their effectiveness. Governors do set targets for the headteacher but have not checked how these are improving provision. Governors know how the school budget is being used but

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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 133975 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 428032

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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School details

Type of school Nursery School category Maintained Age range of pupils 3–5 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 87 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Andrew Freeman Headteacher Barbara Snijder Date of previous school inspection 17 November 2011 Telephone number 01727 891109 Fax number 01727 891114 Email address admin@murielgreen.herts.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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