Bognor Regis Nursery School

School Report Bognor Regis Nursery School

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85 Victoria Drive, Bognor Regis, PO21 2TB

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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’s inspirational leadership motivates staff at all levels to continually research and develop their understanding of how children learn. This leads to outstanding practice.  Children love learning. They revel in the range of exciting experiences that are available to them every day. The nursery environment, both inside and out, contains many interesting objects which challenge and stimulate children’s thinking.  Teaching is outstanding. Staff expertly support children in self chosen activities to swiftly extend their skills, knowledge and understanding.  Children achieve exceptionally well. Almost half of the children start in the nursery with low levels of skills across all areas of learning. By the time they leave they show that they have the same or better skills than children of the same age nationally.  Nursery leaders have excellent systems for checking how well children are learning. This

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

helps them to swiftly work out if something needs changing. For example, they have identified that some children need more support at ‘tidy up time’, and this is being provided.  Relationships between all adults and children are extremely nurturing, trusting and built on respect. As a result, children develop the confidence to explore and challenge themselves so that they make excellent progress.  Parents are very pleased with the work of the nursery. They say that their children are always keen and even want to come at the weekend!  Children are safe and secure. This is because the nursery staff have excellent procedures in place and children understand and follow them. For example, they walk carefully up and down the stairs.  Governors are fully involved in the work of the nursery. They work tirelessly to support the school leaders but are not afraid to ask challenging questions. They expect to be given the information

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

they need to check that children continue to learn exceptionally well.  Nursery leaders are very outward looking. They effectively use their very good links to work with other schools, early years settings and other professionals to share their own excellent practice and to gather new ideas. Leaders rightly recognise the importance of building on these links to further develop partnership working with parents.  Children with special educational needs and disabilities, in particular those in the special support centre, are exceptionally well supported and integrated within the nursery, leading them to flourish and make very good gains in their skills.  Children’s behaviour is exemplary. They are helpful to one another and approach their learning in a purposeful way.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector spent four hours observing children learning in activities led by adults, and those which children had chosen for themselves. Senior leaders joined the inspector for some of this time.  Meetings were held with senior leaders, staff, the Chair of the Governing Body and a representative from the local authority.  The inspector talked informally to children during observation times.  Documents were reviewed, including self-evaluation and improvement planning, documents related to safeguarding, minutes of governing body meetings and information on the progress children make.  The inspector looked at the special folders showing children’s learning.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to during the inspection. Recent surveys of parents and children carried out by the school were considered, as well as 13 questionnaires completed by members of staff.

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Inspection team

Fiona Bridger-Wilkinson, Lead inspector Seconded Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is an average-sized nursery. It has an integrated Special Support Centre for the equivalent of eight full-time children with significant speech, language and complex needs.  Some children only attend the nursery for three terms.  On site there is a Children’s Centre and day care provision for children from birth to three years, under a separate registration. These are managed by the school but were not inspected as part of this inspection.  The majority of the children attend part-time, either five mornings or five afternoons, although some children attend for two full and one half day and others stay for additional paid-for sessions.  The nursery serves an area among the 20% most disadvantaged in the country. The majority of children have White British backgrounds but a large minority come from minority ethnic backgrounds, mainly Eastern European. The children who speak English as an additional language are often at the early stages

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Information about this school

of speaking English when they start at the nursery. The nursery has one member of staff who speaks Polish.  A smaller proportion of children than in most schools have special educational needs and disabilities, including a small number with, or in the process of gaining, Education, Health and Care Plans.  The nursery has achieved national recognition as a Teaching Centre.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Build on the effective links with other early years practitioners in the locality, to develop partnership working with parents in order to improve outcomes for young children even further.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Senior leaders are passionate about the importance of high quality provision and are continually striving to improve and develop the nursery. Their clear vision for improvement is shared by the whole staff team. Developments are carefully researched, for example, going to Norway to look at outdoor learning, before setting up the beach school.  Middle leaders work collaboratively with their staff teams to effectively check that assessments of children’s work are consistent. This ensures that all staff correctly judge how well children achieve.  Senior leaders collect evidence about how well children achieve in many different ways. This means they build up a clear picture of what is working well and what is not. Changes to the environment, for example, can then be made to help all children make excellent progress.  Leaders consistently check that children receive the best possible teaching. This has resulted in high

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The leadership and management are outstanding

standards being maintained since the previous inspection.  Leaders plan in detail to improve the nursery. They use information gained from regular surveys of parents and children, alongside discussions with staff and governors, to make sure that everyone’s views are considered. Ongoing staff training is closely linked to these developments to ensure that learning opportunities for children are continually improved.  Children take much responsibility for organising their own learning and make their own decisions about where and with whom to spend their time. This makes a very small minority of parents anxious, as this is very different from their own experiences at school. Leaders acknowledge this and have explored many different ways of reassuring and supporting parents’ understanding. This is an area they continue to investigate with partners in the locality.  The outstanding curriculum is carefully thought out to ensure that all children have exceptional

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The leadership and management are outstanding

opportunities across all seven required areas of learning. Children develop their understanding, knowledge and skills both indoors and out. The beach school provides a unique chance for children to challenge themselves and explore a familiar yet constantly changing environment in order to gain confidence and learn about the natural world.  Children’s personal, social and emotional development is effectively supported by the rich curriculum. The well-developed key worker system ensures that children quickly gain the confidence to explore and exploit the many opportunities on offer. The nursery capitalises on the children’s rich heritage and explores festivals and celebrations that are relevant to them. In this way, children gain an understanding of similarities and differences between themselves and others, and develop tolerance. This prepares them well for life in modern Britain.  Due to its strong performance the school requires, and receives, minimal support from the local authority.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

Leaders have well-established links with local schools and settings and take a lead in the local authority network. This helps all staff to share good ideas to improve even further. For example, by learning from the experiences of local primary school teachers following a visit to Poland, staff feel they have a better understanding of the needs of Eastern European children in the nursery.  Leaders at all levels are highly successful in creating an atmosphere where everyone is included, valued and helped to flourish. Very individual support, such as providing a specific soft toy for a child to hold during a group time activity, means each child’s needs are fully met and equality of opportunity is promoted.  The nursery is highly committed to ensuring the best possible outcomes for children and to reducing inequalities. Staff ensure that vulnerable children are well supported in small nurturing groups with

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The leadership and management are outstanding

consistent key workers. Parents in need are helped through family support workers, relevant courses and groups at the Children’s Centre. This aids home stability and greatly supports children’s learning.  The governance of the school:  Governors are very involved in the work of the school and contribute hugely to its success. They provide ongoing support but are not afraid to challenge. Governors very effectively work with the headteacher in managing the performance of staff. They clearly understand how high standards in teaching help children to learn well, and ensure pay rises are robustly linked to staff effectiveness in supporting learning. Governors rightly work alongside senior leaders to review how well children are learning, including through reference to assessment data: this helps them decide on how best to allocate future spending. Governors take their responsibilities regarding safeguarding very seriously and ensure that

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The leadership and management are outstanding

these and their other statutory duties are fully met.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of children is outstanding. They are continually interested and wanting to learn, demonstrating high levels of concentration, particularly when involved in self-chosen activities. Indoors, outdoors, independently or in groups, children demonstrate mature and positive attitudes to their learning.  Relationships throughout the nursery are exemplary, built on respect and trust. Staff are calm and excellent role models, demonstrating clear expectations of good behaviour. Children are helped to develop problem-solving and negotiation skills which equip them to successfully resolve problems themselves.  On the rare occasions when children are upset, they are well supported by adults. Staff have learnt key words in children’s home languages to very effectively make the bridge between home and nursery. Children are kind and caring towards each other. For example, two children played at having a picnic

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Behaviour

together, showing good co-operation as they poured each other drinks.  Occasionally, when children are making the change from one activity to another, such as from free play to tidying and group time, a small minority of children can feel unsettled and unsure. Staff recognise that this transition is challenging for some and find ways to best support the more vulnerable at these times.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep children safe and secure is outstanding. There are robust systems, such as signing in and out and electronic door locks, that make the site secure. Governors and staff regularly carry out risk assessments and think carefully about the deployment of staff to minimise danger. Surveys of parents show their confidence in the setting.  There is a strong focus on helping children to learn how to stay safe. Children are supported to use tools such as scissors safely through cutting sticky tape when making models. In the outdoor area, children climb trees and come down a ‘fireman’s pole’, developing confidence in their own abilities to sensibly manage risk for themselves. Beach school provides further opportunities for children to confidently apply these skills and practise others such as learning to cross roads safely and keeping safe near water. Children respond very well to adults’ high expectations of good behaviour, which helps them stay out of

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Safety

harm’s way.  Parents see the nursery as a place of safety and feel confident that they will receive non-judgemental help and support when they need it. Staff work effectively with other agencies and professionals to support more vulnerable families, which contributes to keeping children very safe.  Although children do not have to attend nursery, there is a clear expectation that they attend regularly. Non-attendance is rigorously followed up, particularly in the case of the most vulnerable children.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teaching is outstanding because staff have exceptional understanding of how young children learn and develop, and are deeply reflective. They plan from children’s experiences and interests how best to engage them in learning. This means that children make excellent progress.  Many children start in the nursery with low levels of skills across all areas. There is rightly a strong focus on developing communication skills. Staff use Makaton sign language to successfully support children to develop their understanding and become more confident in using a continually broader vocabulary. Staff are excellent at commenting on children’s activities to provide good models for children’s speaking and listening.  Reading, writing and mathematics are well promoted across all areas of learning. For example, children are encouraged to beat out the rhythm of their name on drums and then record the number of beats on

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

paper. This helps them later to link letters to sounds. Outdoors, children cook in the mud kitchen, consulting a pictorial cookery book, and write their recipes on chalk boards, learning how writing is used in everyday life. At group times the helper counts the number of children present before sharing out fruit, to develop mathematical thinking.  Parents are encouraged to support their children’s learning at home through the ‘Families Together’ project. Through this, for example, staff help parents to join the local library and share books with their children at home, to nurture reading skills.  The beach school project is excellent. It provides children with opportunities they may otherwise not have. Through practical activities, children develop their language, confidence and ability to work together. They experience the force of the elements and enjoy quiet moments with parents and staff, such as sharing hot

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

chocolate in the beach hut. Leaders can show how the experience has a positive effect on children’s achievement, particularly those who have special educational needs and disabilities.  Staff excel at setting up the environment to maximise chances for learning. The workshop areas draw children in by offering tantalising opportunities to explore and develop skills, for example mark making in tea leaves, and clay modelling to encourage fine motor development. In the garden, children have numerous opportunities to extend themselves physically but also to spend time quietly sharing books or engaging in conversation.  Children’s imaginative skills are excellently fostered. For instance, through telling a story which adults scribe. Children then act out their story with their friends, building confidence, language skills and knowledge of story telling conventions.  Children who have special educational needs and disabilities are very well supported both one-to-one and

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

in small groups. Having a secure base in the garden room gives them the confidence to explore and develop within the larger environment of the nursery. Younger, more reticent, children from the main nursery groups benefit from the quieter environment of the garden room and enjoy exploring the resources there, such as the bubble machine.  Staff continually talk with the children about their learning. For example, a group of children discuss with a member of staff whether Goldilocks should have entered the three bears’ house on her own. Such conversations encourage children to think and explain, moving their understanding to a higher level.  Staff create a calm nurturing environment within which expectations are clear and consistent. This gives children a real sense of security and enables them to build their confidence to investigate and challenge their own thinking.

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The achievement of pupils

 Almost half the children join the nursery with skills that are lower than the levels typical for their age, particularly in personal, social and emotional development, understanding the world, literacy and mathematics. By the time they leave, all children, despite a significant number only having spent three terms at the nursery, have caught up with where they should be. A significant minority have skills above those expected for their age.  The outstanding teaching, high quality nurturing relationships, exceptionally well planned and resourced environment, exciting curriculum, and excellent use of the school’s local environment, all contribute to helping children make rapid and sustained progress.  Children from all groups make very good progress. This is because staff know the children well, which helps them plan effectively for the next steps in learning. For example, support is very effective for those

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The achievement of pupils

learning English as an additional language, through the use of favourite interests such as a love of superheroes. Children who are learning English as an additional language are celebrated. Staff value their home culture and language, ensuring that they are familiar with words that are important to them from their first language to ease the transition from home to nursery.  More able children achieve very well due to skilful questioning by staff. Carefully designed activities allow these children to think more deeply and extend their vocabulary. For example, they developed a better understanding of life cycles through playing with small toy chickens in opening eggs, and sharing a related information book with an adult.  Children with special educational needs and disabilities make excellent progress because they are effectively supported. Staff liaise very well with other agencies to ensure that these children and their

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The achievement of pupils

families receive the help that is available to support their development.  Through all the carefully planned opportunities and very skilful support and challenge from staff, children develop confidence and a ‘have-a-go’ attitude. This means they are very well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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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 125807 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 449533

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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 3-5 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 74 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Emma Priest Headteacher Sian Rees Jones Date of previous school inspection 24 May 2012 Telephone number 01243 642924 Email address head@bognorregis-nursery.w-sussex.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 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

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

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

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