Aspiring Foundations Federated Nursery Schools - Warrington Road Nursery School

Warrington Road Nursery School Naylor Road, Widnes, Cheshire, WA8 0BS

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The headteacher is an inspirational leader and is exceptionally well supported by a talented and dedicated staff team and governing body who have high expectations for all children in their care.  School leaders have been highly successful in sustaining outstanding achievement for all children.  Teaching is outstanding because staff are highly skilled in using their knowledge of individual children’s development and interests to ensure that they make rapid progress in their learning and acquire skills quickly.  Children take part in an exceptionally wide range of exciting and stimulating play activities in a very well-resourced indoor and outdoor environment. As a result they are enthusiastic learners who take every opportunity to try new things and approach different activities with confidence and imagination.  The outdoor area in particular is exceptionally well planned and organised, and as a result, children

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

greatly enjoy exploring their environment and investigating the natural and imaginary worlds.  The school continues to improve and the majority of children move on to their primary schools with skills that are above those expected for their age in almost all areas of learning. They are exceptionally well prepared for the next phase in their education.  The progress that children make is outstanding in almost all areas of learning and never less than good.  School leaders have been very effective in their work to raise standards in writing and are now focused on achieving the same results in reading.  Children behave exceptionally well and respond to the high expectations that staff have of them. They are encouraged to be independent and behave respectfully and considerately to all members of the school community.  Children are very secure in the school and understand clearly how to keep themselves and others safe.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Senior leaders communicate exceptionally well with parents and as a result, relationships are very positive and parents speak very highly of the nursery and the experiences their children have there.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed eight lessons or part lessons, including three jointly observed with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with members of staff and members of the governing body. The inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority by telephone.  The results of the school’s latest parental surveys were considered, along with 33 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View).  During the inspection, a wide range of evidence was scrutinised including: assessment data, the school’s evaluation of its work, minutes of governing body meetings, safeguarding documentation, reports from school improvement partners, information about the management of teachers’ performance, monitoring records and the school’s improvement plan.  The inspector talked with children about their learning and reviewed samples of their work.  Nine responses to the staff questionnaire were also considered.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed children’s behaviour in their play and around the school.

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Inspection team

Clare Daniel, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a large nursery school. Children attend part-time, either for morning or afternoon sessions.  The school is situated in a building shared with Warrington Road Children’s Centre and Bambini Day care Centre, which is run by a voluntary management committee. The day nursery and children’s centre are subject to separate inspection and reports of their quality can be found on the website www.ofsted.gov.uk  The vast majority of children are of White British heritage although a growing proportion of children join the school at an early stage of learning English as an additional language.  A below average proportion of children are supported through early years action.  The proportion of children supported at early action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The headteacher acts as a mentor for newly appointed nursery school headteachers on behalf of the local

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Continue to improve the good progress that children already make in reading so that it matches the outstanding progress that they make in writing.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher has an exceptional understanding of early years practice and inspires all staff and governors who share her vision of excellence. She is ably supported by an assistant headteacher whose leadership has a significant impact on the quality of teaching and children’s achievement.  School leaders, including governors, have demonstrated a relentless drive for excellence and have been successful in improving the already high levels of achievement since the last inspection.  The headteacher has recently reorganised the key worker structure within the staff and as a result, the teaching staff are having an even greater impact on ensuring that overall progress for all children is outstanding. This staffing review was taken in consultation with governors and was based on school leaders’ exceptional understanding of the impact of high quality teaching and provision on the achievement of children.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The quality of teaching is regularly checked by both senior leaders who ensure that examples of high quality practice are shared amongst all of the staff and also that areas for improvement are precise, well- informed and have a significant impact on the outcomes for children when addressed. All staff benefit from an extensive range of training opportunities and the headteacher is used as a mentor for new nursery school headteachers by the local authority.  Systems to check how well children are doing are highly refined and the performance of all groups of children is tracked and analysed extensively. This means that school leaders can immediately identify any children who might be at risk of falling behind, or any groups of children who may not be progressing as fast as their peers.  The curriculum is exciting, based on children’s interests and highly engaging. During the inspection, all children demonstrated exceptional levels of enthusiasm for learning and parents report that this is usually

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The leadership and management are outstanding

the case and that children are very keen to attend school every day. Children sustain their enthusiasm for themes over several weeks because they are engrossed in the well-planned activities and experiences that staff provide for them.  School leaders have established highly positive relationships with parents who are almost unfailingly complimentary in their view of the education their children receive. A programme of home visits, interviews, regular meetings and well-organised communication ensure that parents are exceptionally well informed about their child’s progress and achievement.  Staff value all children individually and effectively celebrate their differences and similarities. The opportunities that the school provides through a programme of visitors and trips ensures that children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is well supported and that their experiences are continually extended beyond their home, school and family life. This all contributes significantly to the

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The leadership and management are outstanding

school’s excellent promotion of equality of opportunity.  During the inspection, children were visited by an Indian dancer and storyteller who shared the story of Rama and Sita and then taught the children how to perform the story. They dressed in costume, listened respectfully and then enjoyed practising their dancing and storytelling. Children understood the comparison that the storyteller made between the celebratory aspects of Diwali and Christmas and were able to suggest similarities with confidence.  The governance of the school:  Governors are extremely knowledgeable about the school’s work and its performance. They consistently provide a high level of challenge and support to the headteacher in ensuring that the school maintains its outstanding provision. They fully understand the link between pay and performance and also appreciate how the quality of teaching is monitored so that it impacts fully on the achievement of

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The leadership and management are outstanding

children. Governors manage the school finances effectively and worked closely with the senior leaders to ensure that the recent changes in the deployment of staff were financially as well as practically viable. They ensure that staff and children are safe by meeting their statutory safeguarding requirements.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of children is outstanding. Staff provide a nurturing atmosphere where manners, courtesy and respect are highly valued and consistently encouraged.  Children settle into the school routine very quickly and respond very well to all adults. Senior leaders have made changes to the staff structure this year and as a result the children are used to working closely with all adults in the nursery and treat all staff members with respect and affection.  Staff model positive behaviour to children, including sharing, taking turns and helping one another. Children are quick to adopt these, for example, during snack time where one child carried round a tray and patiently served the rest of the group before having their own toast. The server was met with a resounding ‘Thank you!’ independently from all children.  Children make rapid progress in learning how to manage their behaviour and express their feelings. They

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Behaviour

were observed negotiating sensibly with each other when two children both wanted to use the same tablet computer. Children also explained how they felt when they could not have the leading role in a pirate potion-making role play activity. They listened sensitively to each other and then were able to compromise with the gentle support of adults.  Children are exceptionally well motivated and engaged in their activities. Their attitudes to learning are exemplary, as are the levels of independence they demonstrate. They concentrate for extended periods of time and apply themselves well in a wide range of activities.  Parents unanimously say that the children behave well and the school reports no exclusions, bullying or racist incidents.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep children safe and secure is outstanding.  Children demonstrate a highly developed sense of safety when they use equipment both indoors and outdoors, use bikes and tricycles in the extensive grounds and climb the wide range of play equipment. They also have a good understanding of how others keep them safe and healthy which they demonstrated when they gave the inspector a thorough health check in the role play area.  They respond very well to the ‘recall’ signal which tells children that it is time to tidy up and return to their classrooms, taking responsibility for putting equipment away safely and sensibly and working together well.  Parents are confident that their children are safe in nursery and are very keen to get there every day because they feel secure and enjoy learning. Attendance is good.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teaching is outstanding over time and never less than good. Staff create a nurturing and positive environment and have excellent relationships with children. As a result, children feel secure, valued and are confident learners.  All staff are highly skilled in responding to children’s interests and individual needs, and as a result, children make outstanding progress and demonstrate very high levels of enthusiasm and engagement in their learning. Staff ensure that all children are challenged and that they take every opportunity to develop their problem-solving skills not only through mathematical activities, but also through their exploration of the natural world and use of technology.  Staff skilfully plan opportunities for children to explore mark making and writing on as many occasions as possible. During the inspection, children were using and making maps, writing down ingredients for potion

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

making, writing prescriptions in the hospital home corner and maintaining an appointment book with the doctor. They were also taking advantage of sand and water play as well as the muddy area to practise forming letters.  All staff provide an exciting and stimulating environment which promotes high quality learning. All areas indoors and outdoors are thoughtfully designed and all resources and equipment are easily available for children. As a result, children are very independent and can confidently select the resources they need for each activity.  The high level of attention staff pay to observing the children’s learning means that all adults have a detailed knowledge of the children’s interests, skills and progress. Very regular discussions between staff and parents ensures that the learning opportunities planned for each child are very well matched to their needs and as a result they make outstanding progress.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Staff are highly skilled at using questions and prompts to challenge all children and take every opportunity to encourage children to think for themselves and consider ‘What would happen if?’ questions in their approach to learning.  Support for children with disabilities or special educational needs is highly effective and children work regularly with staff, often individually, to help them to overcome their difficulties and to increase their achievement.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Children start nursery with skills that vary, but for the A small proportion of children enter the nursery with skills that are below those typical for their age in communication and language and also in their personal, social and emotional development. They make rapid progress and almost all children move on to primary school exceptionally well prepared for the next stage in their education.  From the time they start at the nursery, to the time when they leave, the proportion of children with skills that are above those typical for their age increases significantly. The progress that children make in writing is outstanding and is at least good for all children in reading.  The school continues to receive information about children when they have moved on to primary school, and each year this shows that children from the nursery are still achieving higher standards by the end of the Reception Year than the average within the local authority.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 As a result of the outstanding progress children make in their personal, social and emotional development, they are exceptionally well prepared for school and are confident, enthusiastic and independent learners.  All staff regularly check the progress of children and have a very accurate view of where each individual is in their learning, and as a result, no child is ever left behind. They take effective action to close any gaps in achievement and have high expectations of what each child can achieve.  Senior leaders ensure that all staff are involved in the moderation of assessments and as a result all staff have a shared view of the strengths and areas for improvement in every child’s learning.  Children make rapid progress in their speaking skills which are encouraged through regular discussion times, particularly about pirates and Goldilocks and the Three Bears at the time of the inspection. The

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

quality of these discussions is very high and is a particular strength of the school’s work. As a result, children make rapid improvements in their use of spoken language and ability to question.  The school provides a high degree of challenge for the most able children as all activities are so closely matched to children’s individual abilities. The progress made by the most able children is outstanding and they enthusiastically develop their reasoning skills independently and with support.  Activities to promote children’s learning about the sounds that letters make encourages them to develop early reading skills effectively and the progress children make in this area is good. Children take home books every day to share with parents and all indoor and outdoor spaces include well-resourced reading areas. Daily sessions where children share stories at school have a significant impact on their enjoyment

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

and willingness to read independently.  Children with disabilities and special educational needs make outstanding progress as a result of high levels of support. Staff work very closely with a range of other agencies to ensure that children’s needs are very well met.  Opportunities for mark making and writing have a high profile in both indoor and outdoor learning and the school has recently focused on improving these even more. As a result, the progress that children make in this area is outstanding.  Children’s work is displayed with pride and links are made with other areas of learning, for example, when they had recently been learning about mini-beasts and recording their work through drawing, writing and counting activities.  Children have a good awareness of mathematical language, which they demonstrated when talking about the different amounts of ingredients needed to make a pirate’s potion, comparing the length and size of

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

worms they found outside, and when counting the pieces of toast given out during snack time and working out how many were left.

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 110959 Local authority Halton Inspection number 448102

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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 Maintained Age range of pupils 3–4 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 75 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Claire Lomax Headteacher Amanda Brown Date of previous school inspection 7 November 2011 Telephone number 0151 424 4686 Fax number 0151 495 9290 Email address head.warringtonroad@halton.gov.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 and 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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