Rebecca Cheetham Nursery and Children's Centre

Rebecca Cheetham Nursery and Children’s Centre Marcus Street, London, E15 3JT

p.1

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders, managers and governors have successfully improved teaching and achievement so they are now both good.  Leaders have improved ways of checking children’s learning. This has helped children’s achievement to rise since the previous inspection.  There are good links between home and school. Parents know how well their children are doing, and communications are good.  All parents agree that the school keeps their children safe and happy. All would recommend it to other parents.  Governors provide effective support. They share in making sure that children learn well and that the teaching is good.  Leaders understand their school and are ambitious to make it outstanding. Their plans are detailed and cover the right priorities.  Children are looked after well. The school is friendly and inclusive. Behaviour is good.  Safeguarding is outstanding. The school goes to great lengths to keep children safe. Any possible

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

risks are carefully considered and action taken.  Children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well, particularly in the indoor activities.  Activities, particularly those indoors, encourage children to use their imagination and to develop good language and number skills.  The outdoor play areas are spacious. They are used well for promoting children’s physical skills.  Teaching is consistently good because leaders regularly check how well teachers are teaching. They provide effective advice when needed.  Children are effectively taught to recognise sounds and letters (phonics).  Disabled children and those who have special educational needs do well in their learning. The school is quick to identify their needs. Experts are on hand to provide timely support for the children.  Much teaching is through music and song. Children enjoy this and it helps them develop good musical

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

and language skills.  Children make good progress in their learning. They leave with skills typical for their age. They are prepared well for moving to their next school.

p.1

It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Outdoor activities are not always as imaginative as those indoors. They do not always give children the chance to develop all their skills to the full.  Those who arrive late too often disturb the concentration of children who are already engaged in their learning.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 The inspector looked at the children’s learning in the indoor and outdoor play areas together with the headteacher and her deputy. She also observed the children eating lunch, tidying up, and taking part in group sessions to prepare them for learning sounds and letters. She visited the before- and after-school care sessions.  Meetings were held with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher. The inspector also met a representative from the local authority. She also met the Chair and the Vice-Chair of Governors, accompanied by one other governor.  The inspector took account of the 20 responses to a questionnaire from members of staff.  The inspector took account of 31 responses to Parent View, the online survey of the views of parents. She also spoke to a number of parents during the inspection.  The inspector looked at a range of documents. These included the school’s own views of how well it is

p.2

Information about this inspection

doing, its plans for the future and minutes of meetings of the governing body.  The inspector looked at information on the children’s attainment and progress. She also examined safeguarding information, and records relating to behaviour and safety.

p.2

Inspection team

Natalia Power, Lead Inspector Additional Inspector

p.2

Information about this school

 Rebecca Cheetham Nursery and Children’s Centre is average in size for a nursery school.  The headteacher is also executive headteacher of a nearby primary school, Ranelagh. The deputy headteacher manages the day-to-day running of the nursery school. Rebecca Cheetham and Ranelagh are in a soft federation. Each has its own governing body.  Nursery schools are not eligible for the additional government funding for disadvantaged pupils. However, around two children in five are eligible for free school meals. This proportion is higher than is typical for primary schools.  Most children come from minority ethnic heritages. This proportion is much higher than average. Children come from a wide range of backgrounds, with no one group predominating.  Around three in five children speak English as an additional language, and this proportion is much higher than average.  The proportion of disabled children and those who have special educational needs is around one in eight,

p.3

Information about this school

which is a little above average.  Most children attend either in the morning or in the afternoon sessions. Between 10 and 15 children, depending on individual circumstances, stay all day and have lunch at the Nursery.  The school is part of a children’s centre. This is subject to separate inspection, and can be found on www.gov.uk/ofsted. The school’s headteacher also manages the children’s centre.  There is additional on-site provision for children under the age of three. This provision is inspected separately.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that activities in the outdoor play areas give children the chance to learn a wide range of skills in as imaginative a way as possible.  Ensure that latecomers do not disturb the concentration of children who are already absorbed in their learning.

p.3

The leadership and management are good

 The leadership of the school is good and has improved the school since its previous inspection. Leaders and governors work well together to make sure that teaching is consistently good and that children’s behaviour is well managed.  The headteacher and deputy headteacher share their leadership responsibilities effectively. There are no middle leaders in the small staff, but leaders, teachers and support staff all work together harmoniously. This is clear from the almost entirely positive responses to the staff questionnaire.  Ways of checking children’s progress have improved. Observations of the children’s learning are now accurately matched to how well children of their age typically do. This makes it much easier than before to see where children are in danger of falling behind. As a result, children make good progress in their learning.  Teaching is consistently good because leaders are out and about, regularly checking how well teachers are

p.4

The leadership and management are good

teaching, and looking at books that record the children’s progress. Leaders provide helpful advice when needed. Arrangements for setting targets for staff are well established and linked to children’s progress.  Leaders make the most of the close links with the children’s centre that shares the same building. They call on a range of specialists, including speech and language therapists, to diagnose and support children with a range of additional needs. This helps them get the help they need when they need it. Such care shows the school’s strong commitment to ensuring equality of opportunity for all the children.  A strength of leadership is the close partnership between school and home. The ‘homebooks’ help the school to tell parents what their children are doing at school, and also to let parents tell the school what the children do at home. This provides effective support for children’s learning.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 Parents told the inspector that they like the school’s well-organised website and phone ‘app’, both of which provide quick access to school information.  Parents and carers who spoke to the inspector or who responded to Parent View were highly positive. All agreed that their children are safe and happy. All would recommend the school to others.  The school is well placed to continue to improve. Leaders know the school’s strengths and areas for development. They are ambitious to make it outstanding. Their plans cover the right priorities. Plans are clear about how improvements will be made, who will be responsible for making them, and how long it will take to achieve them.  The local authority provides the right amount of support. Representatives visit the school themselves. They are ready to call in consultants known to them who are well placed to provide effective support to school leaders.  The topics that children learn are wide ranging. Activities give them a good grounding in reading, writing

p.4

The leadership and management are good

and mathematics, particularly in the indoor play areas. Activities often have a strong appeal to the children’s imagination. The wicker ‘cave’ in one room, for example, is excitingly spooky, and the torches in the cave give children an introduction to the science of light.  The outdoor play areas are used well for the development of physical skills. However, outdoor activities are not always as imaginative or varied as those indoors. Tasks are not always sufficiently inviting to attract children to stay outside and learn a wide enough range of skills in an outdoor setting.  Leaders and governors make sure that children are prepared well for life in modern democratic Britain. They ensure that there is no discrimination against anyone, and that all members of the school’s diverse community get on well together. For example, in the school’s carnival, which took place on International Day, members of the community came together to share their national dishes. Leaders foster good

p.4

The leadership and management are good

relationships and the school is a peaceful community.  Safeguarding arrangements meet statutory requirements and are effective.  The governance of the school:  Governors provide effective support to the school. They are closely involved in its activities. They see its work for themselves, and record their findings to share with other governors. As a result, they know that the quality of teaching is good, and that children are learning well.  Although there are no nationally agreed figures on nursery children’s progress, governors know how well the children are doing compared with how well children typically do. The figures are presented clearly, with effective analysis of how well groups, such as those with additional needs, are doing. This helps governors to ensure that the children learn well.  Governors make sure that they get good value for money from the staff they employ. They set them clear targets to ensure that pay is closely linked to performance. In the past they planned effectively to

p.4

The leadership and management are good

improve the stability of the school’s leadership. They know where previous underperformance has been tackled. They now plan effectively for the future, appointing a new assistant headteacher from January to accelerate improvements even further.  Governors are effective in keeping the children safe. They are well trained in safeguarding, including the safer recruitment of staff. They make sure the premises are safe and secure, and that staff who work with children are properly checked.

p.5

Behaviour

 The behaviour of children is good. Children from a wide variety of different faiths and heritages get on well together. They are ready to share the toys and craft materials, and to take turns on the equipment. During group activities they generally sit quietly and listen to one another and to the adults.  Attendance is rising. Children enjoy school and are eager to come. One parent told the inspector that her child would like to come to school even on Saturday and Sunday.  Behaviour is not, however, exceptional. Children sometimes become distracted when their activities are interrupted. This is particularly noticeable when leaders allow latecomers, accompanied by their parents and carers, to enter the room when children are concentrating on their activities. For example, children who were asked to shut their eyes and imagine themselves far away had their thoughts diverted by several latecomers entering the room.

p.5

Behaviour

 Adults are very caring. They handle well the small number of children, usually recent arrivals, who show distress when separating from family members. Staff give them the right level of tender care, whilst ensuring that they soon join the other children and become absorbed in their tasks.  Snack times are used well to encourage the children to make choices about when to eat, and to try such healthy fruit as grapes and pineapple.  Children who stay for lunch enjoy the good healthy food, which sets them up well for the afternoon’s activities. They eat at family-style tables, each group with an adult showing them how to behave. Adults make sure that children use the right cutlery and have good manners.  Children who are looked after before and after school are provided for well. They have healthy meals and a wide range of activities to keep them occupied. Adults regularly read stories to the children, and they

p.5

Behaviour

are helped to become absorbed in different worlds because the adults read confidently and with expression.  Leaders promote children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Many activities, particularly those indoors, encourage children to think about the world around them and to use their imagination. For example, an activity in which children sat on a ‘magic carpet’ produced some imaginative responses expressed well. One child imagined landing in a swimming pool full of ‘ice and water’, and said, ‘People were swimming and splashing.’

p.5

Safety

 The school’s work to keep children safe and secure is outstanding. The school goes to great lengths to keep children safe. Leaders check that any possible risks have been carefully considered.  Any knocks or bruises are reported to parents, and orderly records are kept.  Adults who work with children are carefully checked.  All staff are properly trained in safeguarding procedures, and a governor is allocated to oversee child protection. Any concern an adult may have about a child is rigorously checked, recorded and acted on. There are strong links with the local authority to ensure that no child falls through the net.  Evidence seen by the inspector shows that children in need of high-level support receive the highest quality care through highly effective links with outside agencies. These children quickly settle and make good progress in their learning.  Parents told the inspector that they have no concerns about their children’s safety. This is confirmed by

p.5

Safety

Parent View, in which all parents agreed that their children are safe, happy and looked after well.

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is consistently good. The two class teachers manage the work of their support staff effectively to ensure children are usefully occupied and learn well.  Teaching is not yet outstanding because the impact of the teaching on children’s learning is not exceptional and does not result in children’s exceptional achievement.  Adults understand the need to promote children’s speaking and listening skills. They engage children in conversation and explain the tasks carefully. They use as many open-ended questions as possible to help children to think about their answers and use full sentences. For example, toy dinosaurs and books about dinosaurs were used to help children think about relative size and colour. When asked what was special about a dinosaur, one child was able to reply accurately, ‘It’s got very long legs.’  Adults use music and song effectively to help children acquire a good sense of rhythm and to improve

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

their memory for words and rhymes. Music is also used effectively to help children prepare for writing. For example, children use large arm movements while dancing. They then draw on paper using similar movements, still while listening to the motivating music.  Children are surrounded by plenty of books and adults often read to them. Books are also used effectively to stimulate the children’s imagination. During the inspection children were busy preparing for a theatre trip to see a version of Grimm’s tale The Elves and the Shoemaker. The adults read them the book, and the children explored shoes through various crafts activities. In this way children were encouraged to develop a love of books.  Tasks promote children’s literacy skills well. Children are successfully taught to match sounds and letters to help them begin to learn to read and write. The most able children are encouraged to begin writing

p.6

The quality of teaching is good

letters, either with pens or by drawing their fingers through trays of glitter.  Number skills are taught effectively through a range of activities. For example, children learned about capacity by pouring cupfuls of liquid into a larger vessel to make ‘potions’.  The adults check children’s learning carefully, recording their findings on paper, on computer tablets and in photographs. These records go into children’s ‘special books’, enabling their progress to be accurately measured.  Activities are planned well to take account of children’s individual needs. This particularly helps disabled children and those who have special educational needs to do well in their learning. For example, the sensory room, a quiet room with atmospheric light effects, was used effectively to help children play percussion instruments gently. This helped them develop their listening and coordination skills.

p.6

is good

 Children learn well in their time at the school. The inviting activities stimulate their interest and help them make good progress in gaining such important skills as reading and writing and understanding numbers.  The school carefully checks the progress of minority ethnic groups to make sure that all children do well. School figures show that those from all heritages make similar good progress in their learning.  Disabled children and those who have special educational needs make good progress. Often it is the school that acts quickly to diagnose their needs and set up support for them. The children receive effective support both from school staff and from visiting experts.  Children who are at an early stage of learning English do well because their needs are identified early. Adults use pictures and visual symbols to help them settle in quickly and confidently. They make a good start in learning the language.

p.6

is good

 Children who are eligible for free school meals are encouraged to learn well by adults who know their individual needs. They make similar good progress to other children.  Adults know who the most able children are, and make sure that the tasks they are given have a good level of challenge. More is expected of these children. For example, adults encourage them to write their names. In turn, they rise to the challenge and make good progress in acquiring skills.  The children arrive at the school with varied skills and pre-school experiences. Broadly, their skills on arrival are below those typical for their age. By the time they leave, their skills are broadly typical for their age, and this represents good progress. They acquire the skills that prepare them well for the next stage of schooling and learning.  Home visits prepare children effectively for starting school. When the time comes for them to leave, the

p.6

is good

school invites their next teachers to meet the children. It also takes them to visit their next school. In this way, children are prepared successfully for the move and go confidently to their next school.

p.6

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

p.7

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.

p.7

School details

Unique reference number 102702 Local authority Newham Inspection number 442144

p.8

School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.8

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 88 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Christian Moon Headteacher Angela Tapscott Date of previous school inspection 26 February 2013 Telephone number 020 8534 3136 Fax number 020 8555 3219 Email address info@rebeccacheetham.newham.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 .

p.8

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.

p.9

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

p.9

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

p.9

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’.

p.9

School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.9