Kintore Way Nursery School

Kintore Way Nursery School Grange Road, London, SE1 3BW

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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.  Children thrive and achieve highly in this attractive and welcoming Nursery. By the time they leave, children’s skills and understanding are securely at or above levels typical for their age.  Outstanding teaching enables them to settle quickly and make exceptionally rapid progress in their learning and development.  The acting headteacher and governors have taken swift action to build effectively on previously good provision.  Staff morale is high; consistently outstanding teamwork and systems ensure that children’s behaviour is exemplary and that their individual needs are met well.  Disabled children and those with special educational needs are skilfully supported to ensure that they are able to make relationships and make the most of their surroundings.  Children new to learning English are extremely well supported and make significant gains in their language and communication skills

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

because they are respected and made welcome. Parents are rightfully proud of their school and the high-quality teaching their children receive. Parents consistently commented that ‘this school knows me and knows my child’.  Changes to the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and assessment systems are being met very well. Work is underway to further sharpen aspects of daily planning and assess how well children achieve.  Governors know the school well. They bring a wealth of experience and professional expertise and an effective balance of support and challenge to the work of the school.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed activities across all four sessions. Three sessions were jointly observed with the acting headteacher and one senior leader.  Activities were observed both in the morning and afternoon and inside as well as outdoors. Inspectors looked closely at how children acquire and develop their use of letters and sounds (phonics).  Inspectors looked at progress and attainment data, the school’s development plan, curriculum plans, governing body documentation, and policies and procedures. Those documents relating to health and safety and the safeguarding of pupils were also carefully scrutinised.  Meetings were held with staff, governors and senior leaders and a representative of the local authority. Inspectors also took into account the 29 staff questionnaires.  Inspectors spoke to parents and carers at several points throughout the two days as they brought their children to the Nursery, and took account of the school’s own questionnaires as

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Information about this inspection

well as the 26 responses to the Ofsted online survey (Parent View).

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Inspection team

Narinder Dohel, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Clementina Olufunke Aina Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than most nursery schools. It has been led and managed by an acting headteacher for the last year.  It is situated within a children’s centre – also led and managed by the acting headteacher and governing body – that offers provision for children from birth to five years and their families.  This inspection focused on the education of children aged from three to five who attend the nursery school.  Thirty-one of the 155 children attend the Nursery full time. Sessions run from 9.00−11.40am. and from 12.40−3.10pm. Children start by attending for 15 hours each week, and parents can pay for additional time.  There are no children currently in receipt of the pupil premium, additional funding for those known to be eligible for free school meals. There are currently no children from service families or looked-after children on roll.  Since the previous inspection the local admissions arrangements for children entering primary

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Information about this school

school have changed. This means that some children now attend for three and not five terms.  Children come from a wide range of minority ethnic backgrounds. The largest group are of Black African heritage.  Approximately half of children speak English as an additional language, many of whom are at the early stages of English language acquisition.  The proportion of disabled children and those with special educational needs who are supported through Early Years Action is higher than in most schools nationally. The proportion of children supported through Early Years Action plus or who have a statement of needs is also higher.  The school is used by the local authority as a centre of exemplary practice.  The school provides a breakfast and after-school club.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Implement plans to produce exemplar material to support planning and assessment against the new Early Years Foundation Stage Framework to ensure that children continue to make outstanding progress.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Many children enter the Nursery with skills and knowledge below levels typically expected for their age. Children from all ethnic backgrounds make rapid and sustained progress in all areas of their learning and development so that by the time they leave the Nursery, their skill levels are at or above what is typical of their age.  Staff make home visits before children start Nursery, meet with parents and families and gather information about the children’s needs and interests. This ensures that the environment is appropriate for children to make an exceptionally safe and strong start to their education.  Children’s learning journeys, daily evaluations and the schools data show consistent examples of how outcomes for children have improved since the last inspection.  Disabled children and those with special educational needs are extremely well supported so that they make rapid and sustained progress. There were many examples of how children with

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

physical or learning needs are planned for to ensure that they can work alongside others through the use of specialised equipment, signs, symbols and routines that settle and engage.  Children new to English also make rapid progress because adults effectively model language consistently, engage children in conversation and develop language through songs and rhymes which the children are encouraged to learn with their families at home. As a result, children show confidence and independence.  All children develop their social and communication skills extremely well because the activities provided stem from their interest. Adults and children use excellent vocabulary, for example when following a recipe for cooking scones.  There are excellent and well-used opportunities for children to develop their early skills of reading, writing and mathematics through play. They begin to write letters and words, for

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

example, when compiling a shopping list, develop number and counting skills when exchanging money for goods, and language and social skills in acting out familiar stories.  The indoor and outdoor learning environments provide excellent opportunities to demonstrate their creative, imaginative and physical skills in the mud kitchen, large sand areas and ‘forest school’ activities.  A wide range of trips and visits, combined with learning rooted in real-life situations such as hatching chicks or growing and cooking vegetables, are typical of how children are helped to develop their knowledge and understanding of the world.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teaching over time is outstanding, as shown by the increase in the proportion of children leaving the Nursery ready for Reception.  All adults working with children have high expectations. They consistently challenge children to develop their skills, knowledge and curiosity. Adults spent a great deal of time with individual and small groups of children in sharing books and developing early reading skills.  A key-person system is used very effectively. They gather their groups at the beginning and end of each day, check children’s progress and review their learning regularly. At the end of each day adults meet and plan the next small steps of learning that make sure rapid progress is maintained and contribute to the overall assessment of children’s learning needs. Leaders are exploring ways to strengthen this even further.  Children’s learning stems from real-life experiences. For example, after a visit to the Tower of

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

London, children designed and used tools to construct their own ‘castles’ from wood and one large enough for a play area. Equipment put out for each session is carefully chosen to stimulate and follow children’s interests. This helps develop children’s concentration and imagination for lengthy periods of time.  Conversations and skilled questioning enable children to explain what they are learning and allow adults to check and promote this continually.  Daily small-group sessions help children to acquire new skills through songs, rhymes, stories and games. These also help children build confidence in their ability to communicate and develop their social skills.  Staff are extremely knowledgeable about children’s development, particularly for those disabled or with special educational needs. They adapt situations quickly, preventing anxiety because they know the children exceptionally well.  Families are encouraged to support their children at home and through homework activities such

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

as learning a new rhyme, sharing books and recording information in children’s learning journey books.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Children’s attitudes to learning are exemplary. They demonstrate high levels of enjoyment, are purposeful and demonstrate sustained concentration when engaged in activities.  Those new to the Nursery settle in quickly because adults get to know the children and their interests before they start at the school.  Parents, staff and governors rightly believe that children’s behaviour is exemplary for their age. Children show a great deal of respect for one another and invite each other to join in with their learning, such as buying groceries from the shop and sorting and counting out coins.  Staff are careful to ensure that children are kept safe during such activities as cooking popcorn over a fire bowl and on trips to places of interest such as the Tower of London. Children were observed using tools for cutting fruits and nailing wood safely.  Children with physical, social, emotional or behavioural needs are skilfully supported to join in all

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

activities with specialised support such as picture cards, sensory resources and nurture areas.  Children’s personal and social skills are exceptionally well developed and reinforced during breakfast and after-school clubs, where children are encouraged to help themselves and each other to snacks and toys.  Children really enjoy coming to school and this can be seen in their punctuality and increasing levels of attendance.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The pursuit of excellence is at the heart of the improvements made by the acting headteacher, leadership team and the governing body. They effectively demonstrate and communicate the drive and ambition to make sure that the Nursery continues to improve. This has resulted in outstanding outcomes for children and outstanding teaching.  Leaders and managers have robustly applied excellent appraisal and performance of staff systems. This accounts for the continually improving practice in the Nursery.  Staff morale is high. They have excellent relationships with each other, parents and other professionals. Many staff spoke of how excellent professional development is linked to the needs of the school and children and has developed their confidence and ambition.  Leaders accurately assess the strengths of the Nursery and are implementing the Early Years Foundation Framework well. They are now seeking to develop exemplars of children’s

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The leadership and management are outstanding

achievements to make assessment easier and ensure that outcomes for children continue to rise. The school development plan is succinct and frequently reviewed.  Parents are extremely appreciative of the many opportunities the school, as part of the centre, offers. The school is extremely successful in providing support and advice for families and how parents can help their children.  Excellent safeguarding practices, attending to every detail, underpin all that the Nursery does, and staff work extremely well with a wide range of other agencies, including health and social care, to ensure children are protected and the whole family cared for.  The school works in partnership with the local authority and uses support and advice effectively. The local authority provides ‘light-touch’ support for this outstanding school and uses the school as a centre of best practice.  Children successfully enjoy their learning and thrive because of the rich and integrated

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The leadership and management are outstanding

opportunities the curriculum provides. These impact extremely well on children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  The school consistently promotes equality of opportunity, fosters good relationships and tackles any discrimination. Children have an excellent understanding of many of the cultures represented in the Nursery through parents’ involvement, experiencing different foods and parents explaining their cultural traditions.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The governance of the school:  Governors effectively bring a great deal of experience and a wealth of professional knowledge to ensure that children achieve the highest outcomes through regular checks on the school’s work and finances. They have been swift to appoint an acting headteacher with whom they have worked closely to build on the school’s previous good performance. Parent governors consistently seek and represent the views of parents. They visit the school regularly and ask questions of how well children are learning and developing as well as progress made towards objectives in the school development plan. They know about the quality of teaching and achievement of different groups of children, including those known to be eligible for free school meals and disabled children. They seek training to develop their own skills, including how to effectively manage the performance of the acting headteacher, and they deal quickly

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The leadership and management are outstanding

with any underperformance while seeking to reward exemplary performance of teachers. Governors ensure that the statutory requirements for safeguarding are met.

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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 100767 Local authority Southwark Inspection number 425487

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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 3–5 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 155 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Antony Craig Headteacher Rebecca Sherwood (acting) Date of previous school inspection 28–29 September 2010 Telephone number 020 7525 1196 Fax number 020 7231 3953 Email address rsherwood@kintoreway.southwark.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

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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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