Gateshead Jewish Nursery School

School report Gateshead Jewish Nursery School Alexandra Road, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, NE8 1RB

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Overall effectiveness Good 2

Pupils’ achievement Good 2 Pupils’ behaviour and personal development Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Quality of curriculum Good 2 Pupils’ welfare, health and safety Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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This school is good because

 Children make good progress and reach standards that are typically expected for their age by the time they leave the nursery. Some children make outstanding progress in their behaviour, and learning to read and write in Hebrew and English.  Adults ensure that activities stimulate and interest children so that they are very engaged and eager to learn.  Children are very well cared for and adults are aware of the personal needs of individual children. Children develop good spiritual, moral, social and cultural skills through activities such as the daily Sedra and topics about communities around the world.  Leaders and managers know their school well and a new leadership team has made a positive difference to the quality of teaching in the school.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Occasionally, teaching assistants are not used effectively to support children’s learning.  Questioning by staff and planned activities do not always make children think deeply enough to extend their learning, particularly for more- able children.  Very occasionally, behaviour is not managed effectively and this slows the learning of some children.  Leaders and managers do not make sufficient use of the valuable information gathered on children’s achievements.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

 The school meets schedule 1 of The Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2010, as amended by The Education (Independent School Standards) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements.

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Information about this inspection

 The school was contacted with one day’s notice. However, due to a festival the school was closed on notification day and therefore received half a day’s notice.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, senior leaders, staff, children and governors. Inspectors observed 13 lessons taught by a number of different teachers as well as spending additional short periods of time in classrooms.  There were insufficient responses to Ofsted’s on-line Parent View to be considered. However inspectors spoke to a great number of parents and also considered six parental questionnaire responses sent out previously by the school. Fifteen responses from staff questionnaires were also considered.  The school’s documentation was checked including curriculum planning documents, children’s assessment records, portfolios and data on children’s progress. Documents on welfare, health, safety and safeguarding policies and procedures were examined.

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Inspection team

Joanna Sharpe, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Shellie Barcroft Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Gateshead Jewish Nursery School in an independent Jewish school which is registered to provide full-time education for children between the ages of three and five years. There are currently 90 children on roll. Most of the children in the school are in receipt of the government’s nursery education funding. The school opened in 1981.  The school is also registered separately to provide education and care for children between birth and four years. This provision is inspected separately and was last inspected in October 2013 when it was judged to be good.  The school aims to promote co-operation, kindness, politeness and responsibility. Jewish children are welcomed into the school regardless of their standards of behaviour or academic ability.  A small number of children are identified as having special educational needs.  The school was last inspected by Ofsted in September 2011 when a progress monitoring

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Information about this school

inspection took place. This followed a standard inspection in December 2010.  Since the last inspection there has been considerable change in the leadership structure. A new headteacher took up a part-time post in February 2013, becoming full time in May 2013. In February 2013, a new senior leadership team was formed with four existing members of staff taking on new roles.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching to raise attainment further by ensuring that:  all teaching assistants are used more effectively to help children learn rather than being used mainly to set up and tidy classrooms  when adults question children and set up activities there is the opportunity for more- able children to extend their learning  all teachers manage behaviour effectively so that occasional disruptive behaviour does not slow learning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make better use of assessment information by:  tracking the progress of individual children, cohorts and areas of learning more carefully so that strengths and areas for improvement can quickly be identified  more regularly discussing children’s progress with teachers so that they are more aware and more accountable for the progress their children make.

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Pupils’ achievement Good

Achievement is good. Children enter the Nursery class with skills and experiences that are typical for children of their age. When they leave the school, the vast majority have reached a level of expected development and some leave with standards that exceed expected standards. Children are assessed using the standardised Early Years Foundation Stage assessments. These assessments confirm that good and outstanding progress has been made consistently over the last few years; they are externally moderated each year to confirm their accuracy. Children make outstanding progress in learning Hebrew. The emphasis on learning the sounds that letters make when learning Hebrew supports children’s learning of English as they move into the Reception class. Some children make outstanding progress in reading and writing English. From the beginning of the Reception class, the majority of children quickly gain the ability to recognise the sounds that

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Pupils’ achievement Good

letters make (phonics). A structured scheme supports the learning of these sounds. A wide range of opportunities throughout the day to write in English and Hebrew supports the children well in learning this skill.

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Pupils’ achievement Good

Children learn well because teachers ensure that activities motivate and engage their interests. While studying the Sedra, children learn about the characteristics of different animals and whether they are Kosher. Teachers make the learning even more valuable as they discuss animals around the world and different climates, and cultures in those climates. Children who have special educational needs are quickly identified and their needs analysed. Individual plans are shared with parents, specialist teachers, class teachers and external advisors to ensure that these children have appropriate support and all carers are working towards the same aims. These children make good and often outstanding progress.

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Pupils’ behaviour and personal development Good

Children’s behaviour and personal development are good. Children have good attitudes to learning and are eager to take part in activities. While moving around the school and taking part in activities they choose for themselves, children behave very well and require little or no adult intervention to maintain this. Children who need particular support to help them improve their behaviour often make outstanding progress in a very short space of time. Adults ensure they are excellent role models in promoting kindness and courtesy at all times. Adults also commend children’s acts of kindness as they occur throughout the day. This very effectively supports children’s good levels of spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Pupils’ behaviour and personal development Good

All adults promote equal opportunities well. All children, regardless of any differences they may have, are welcomed into the school and encouraged to take part in all activities available. Children’s respect and understanding of their own and other cultures are good. Topics such as Foods of the World and regular visitors ensure that children are well prepared to live and understand the British way of life as well as have a deep respect for their own culture. Children develop mature independent skills as they take themselves to the toilet, put their coats on and clear up the messiest of activities, such as the making of Matzas. Visits from the local police, fire officer and dentist introduce children to members of the local community and help them learn how to keep themselves safe.

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Quality of teaching Good

The quality of teaching is good because the teachers promote engagement in learning through a wide range of well-planned and interesting activities. Children were totally enraptured when learning about their faith while touching and exploring fish. The teacher extended this activity well to ensure that learning extended beyond the main theme of Kosher animals. Children take part in a good balance of both adult-led and child-initiated activities planned by teachers. This allows for a good range of skills and knowledge to be learnt well in all seven areas of development. Teachers support good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development by encouraging Mitzfah notes. These are notes that are popped into individual files by parents which share experiences and successes, however small. These are then shared, discussed and celebrated with the whole class. Teachers assess the children regularly in a range of situations and formats to ensure that they have a secure

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Quality of teaching Good

knowledge of the children’s learning. Assessments are well collated into children’s individual files. Teachers also take great care to consider and write down what the children should learn next. Very occasionally, children’s learning slows because teachers do not follow children’s well-targeted individual plans in managing disruptive behaviour.

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Quality of teaching Good

Teaching assistants are generally well deployed within the classroom although occasionally their role is limited to setting up and tidying away activities rather than supporting children’s learning. Extra adults often make a valuable contribution to promoting children’s play. For example, play involving a zoo enabled an adult to raise the issue of different Kosher and non-Kosher animals. In the same activity the teacher also discussed with the children how they could help the person in the wheelchair. The continual discussion of social and moral issues contributes well towards children developing their spiritual, moral, social and cultural skills so well. Teachers know their children well and this means that generally activities meet their interests and intellectual needs well. Occasionally, activities and questioning do not sufficiently make some children, particularly the more able, think even harder and learn more.

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Quality of curriculum Good

The quality of the curriculum is good and sometimes outstanding. It meets the requirements of the independent school standards and reflects the areas of learning of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Teachers go to great lengths to ensure that children are highly engaged in their learning by making activities stimulating. Children gain knowledge and skills through exciting activities such as watching eggs in an incubator crack and hatch into chicks. The curriculum is planned so that the Kodesh (religious studies) take place in the morning with the Chol (non-religious, English and mathematics) taking place in the afternoon. However, the opportunity for children to gain knowledge and skills in all areas of the curriculum throughout the day is secured through careful planning. Adults made sure that children making Matzas in the morning in their Kodesh time also enhanced their learning of mathematical and English language skills. The teacher encouraged

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Quality of curriculum Good

descriptive language to describe the Matzas and for children to look at the clock and consider when 18 minutes would be gone. One child wrote the number 18 on a sheet of paper and placed it on display so that they would remember the 18 minute rule.

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Quality of curriculum Good

Focused adult-led sessions in the afternoon ensure good systematic learning of reading, writing and mathematics. However, throughout the day activities support learning in English and mathematics. Children made little books and wrote in English about the different Kosher animals. The curriculum is regularly enhanced by visits and visitors. Visitors help them learn about their own faith such as the Sofer (scribe) and the visitor with her spinning wheel so that children gain a good and deeper understanding. Other visitors, such as the dentist, ensure they learn about keeping healthy and healthy eating. Visits to pet shops and the college garden stimulate learning, aspects of which are then brought back into the classroom. The outside space is used well by teachers as a seamless extension of the indoor classroom. This was seen in a science lesson where children were making Matzas inside and children were making bubbles outside. The creative curriculum is

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Quality of curriculum Good

enhanced by discreet music lessons and by the wide range of resources with which the children can utilize. The classroom environment is well equipped and the children have a wide range of resources to support their learning.

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Pupils’ welfare, health and safety Good

Children’s welfare, health and safety are good. All independent school regulations for this standard are met, together with the welfare requirements for the Early Years Foundation Stage. The school ensures that the children are safe at all times. They are very well supervised with high adult to child ratios. The school environment both inside and outside ensures children’s safety. Training of adults in safeguarding is robust. All staff are trained in child protection procedures, including the designated officer for child protection who has had additional training. At least two staff hold a higher level safeguarding qualification which enables them to train their own staff as well as members of their community. Several members of staff have attended both adult and paediatric first aid training. The medical room is well equipped to care for any child should they become ill while in school. Procedures to check the suitability of governors and all staff working within the

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Pupils’ welfare, health and safety Good

school are secure. All risk assessments and checks, including those relevant to fire safety such as fire drills and appliance checks, are complete and recorded correctly. Secure systems are in place to ensure that the safety of the building, classrooms and the outside space is checked regularly. Any repairs and cleaning are completed and recorded immediately. Training recently took place on conflict resolution, so that adults can support children in learning how to resolve any minor disagreements themselves. This and other high expectations of behaviour deal effectively with any potential bullying. Parents speak very positively about the high standards of safety and behaviour within the school and note that they are unaware of any bullying. Children comment that everyone plays nicely together.

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Leadership and management Good

Leadership and management are good. Following a period of uncertainty in the leadership, a new senior leadership team was established in 2013. This cohesive new team communicates high expectations. Both governors and senior leaders are committed to making this an outstanding school. This new leadership has already established systems for managing the performance of staff which have improved the quality of teaching across the school. Training days to support all teachers have taken place, such as training in the teaching of Hebrew which also supports the teaching of the sounds that letters make in English. Leaders and managers know their school very well. Although the school’s self-evaluation document lacks some finer detail, both senior leaders and governors have a very clear idea of the strengths and areas where the school requires further development.

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Leadership and management Good

Parents and carers are very proud of the school and speak very highly about all aspects of school life. Many parents and carers have experience of a number of children who have passed through the school. Parents and carers are happy that they can speak to a teacher at any time about their child’s academic and social progress. A detailed annual report gives parents and carers comprehensive information about their child in all aspects of the curriculum. A parents’ handbook gives parents and carers detailed information about what is available to them and the expectations of the school regarding issues such as behaviour and attendance. Assessment information about children’s progress and attainment is comprehensive. However, it is not used effectively to monitor the progress of individuals, groups of children and areas of learning so that strengths and areas of weakness are identified. This information is also not used to make teachers more accountable for

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Leadership and management Good

the progress made by the children in their classes.

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Leadership and management Good

The school’s governors know the school well. They are clearly aware of the strengths and the areas of development needed to improve the school. Governors recognise that the school has pockets of outstanding teaching but also some which need improvement, and that some other systems need refining. Financial planning is efficient. Leaders and managers ensure that the premises and accommodation, together with the procedures for handling complaints, meet requirements. The governors have ensured that all the independent school regulations are met and that the school complies with all the requirements for the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding A school which provides an exceptional quality of education and significantly exceeds minimum requirements. Grade 2 Good A school which provides a high quality of education that exceeds minimum requirements. Grade 3 Adequate A school which meets minimum requirements but needs to improve the quality of education it provides. Grade 4 Inadequate A school where minimum requirements are not met and/or the quality of education has serious weaknesses.

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School details

Unique reference number 108419 Inspection number 422699 DfE registration number 390/6007 This inspection was carried out under section 162A of the Education Act 2002, as amended by schedule 8 of the Education Act 2005, the purpose of which is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school. Type of school Nursery School School status Independent School Age range of pupils 3–5 years Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 90 Number of part time pupils 0 Proprietor Gateshead Jewish Nursery Trust Chair Rabbi Kohn Headteacher Mrs A Ellinson Date of previous school inspection 14 December 2010 Annual fees (day pupils) £2,018 Telephone number 0191 478 3723 Email address headteacher@gatesheadkinder.org.uk 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

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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.

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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

inspects to 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,

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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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