Derby Street Nursery Unit

Inspection Report Derby Street Nursery Unit

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105761 Unique Reference Number Rochdale LEA 277401 Inspection number 8 May 2006 to 9 May 2006 Inspection dates Mr George Crowther CfBT Lead Inspector Reporting inspector

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

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Derby Street School address Nursery Type of school Heywood Community School category Lancashire OL10 4QJ 3 to 5 Age range of pupils 01706 369 889 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01706 627 379 Fax number 75 Number on roll Mrs L Wileman Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs K Leigh Headteacher 15 May 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 277401 8 May 2006 - 3 to 5 9 May 2006 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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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.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

Derby Street has seen many changes over recent years. It has developed from a nursery school to a children's centre and now provides a wide range of services for children from 0 to 4 years of age. It serves the families of Heywood and, though the immediate area is socially disadvantaged, draws children from a wide range of backgrounds. Children's attainment when they start nursery is below average, with some having very weak skills. The proportion with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is high. Almost all the children are from white British backgrounds. A few are from minority ethnic heritages but none is at the early stages of learning English. The school has changed its name since the time of the last inspection.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Derby Street Nursery Unit, 8 May 2006 to 9 May 2006

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Grade: 2

Derby Street is a good nursery school with outstanding features. Parents speak very highly of the education and services it provides. 'Nothing has been too much trouble for the staff. My child has achieved far more than I expected.' The school has a mostly clear picture of its own effectiveness, and is well placed to bring about further improvement. It provides good value for money. Many children join the nursery with skills that are below average, but all make good progress. By the time they leave, most children reach standards that are at least close to those expected for their ages. Particular strengths are the good progress made in developing language and mathematical skills, and the very good progress in physical skills. Children of all abilities and from all backgrounds do well. Children's personal development is good. They enjoy being at nursery and tackle activities with great enthusiasm. The quality of teaching is good. Warm and productive

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Grade: 2

relationships give the children the confidence to succeed. Activities are imaginative and fun. Staff usually support children's learning well but, occasionally, there is too little focus on what children could be learning next. The school has good systems for keeping track of children's progress, but lacks ways of comparing it to other nurseries. The curriculum is good, well planned and meets the diversity of children's needs effectively. The care and support children receive is of high quality. Leadership and management are good, and outstanding in some respects. The headteacher has led the school very effectively through a period of great change. Senior staff have a clear view of what needs to be done next and team work is at the heart of the way the organisation thrives. Governors are very supportive, but do not yet have a clear enough grasp of how the children's achievement might be improved.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure that, in all activities, teaching supports children's learning effectively. • Build on the good systems for keeping track of children's progress by making more use of local and national comparisons. • Enable governors to play a significant role in the debate about raising standards.

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Grade: 2

When they join the nursery, most children have at least average personal and social skills because they have benefited from pre-school or provision within the Children's Centre. On the whole, children's language and mathematical skills are below average, with some having significant language delay. The children make good progress in all areas of learning, owing to good teaching and a rich range of activities. By the time they leave the nursery, the great majority reach standards close to those expected for their age. 2 Inspection Report: Derby Street Nursery Unit, 8 May 2006 to 9 May 2006 Children make particularly good progress in their physical development. The outstanding facilities for outdoor learning and a wide range of activities, from play on the climbing frame to digging in the garden, help the children to improve their physical control. Children's language skills develop well through good opportunities for speaking and

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Grade: 2

listening. For example, a game picking out items hidden in a box was great fun, and the children were encouraged to describe their choice. Knowledge of numbers and shapes develops well through games and activities that emphasise the enjoyment of learning. Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress. They join in all the activities, and the staff match these skilfully to the children's needs.

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Grade: 2

As one parent said, 'the nursery is such a happy and stimulating place, the children can't wait to get there.' This is reflected in the children's good attendance and their very positive attitudes to learning. When acting out the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, the children had great fun making the porridge and waiting for the bears to return from their walk. Such interesting activities help the children to be eager learners. The children behave well. Relationships are very positive. The staff are quick to praise children for their efforts and this breeds the confidence to be successful. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. It is woven into everything that happens in the nursery, such as sharing out food fairly at snack time. Children are developing a sense of their own well-being. They know that some foods, such as fruit, are healthy and some are not. They remember a recent visit from a dentist

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Grade: 2

and the need to look after their teeth. Children feel safe at nursery. They say they talk to an adult if they are unhappy. They are given good opportunities to express their ideas and the staff listen. Through a variety of jobs, such as giving out the drinks at snack time, the children are learning to be part of the community. The skills they learn, particularly the social skills, are equipping them well for the future.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Activities are planned very carefully to help the children learn a wide range of skills. Learning is fun. For example, a teacher used a puppet to find lots of model animals hidden in a bag. The children enjoyed the suspense and were very keen to name and count the animals when they appeared. The staff know the children very well and so they are skilful at adapting activities to meet varying needs. They manage and organise children's learning effectively because relationships are very positive. When children choose their own activities, staff usually support learning effectively. Occasionally, however, staff do not focus sufficiently on what the children can gain from an activity, so opportunities for learning are lost. 3 Inspection Report: Derby Street Nursery Unit, 8 May 2006 to 9 May 2006 Good systems for assessing children's attainment and tracking their progress help to

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Grade: 2

ensure that work is appropriately challenging. The school gathers a good deal of information about children's progress and this is shared well with parents. The school does not, however, compare progress with what might be expected locally or nationally, to help to confirm strengths or highlight areas that need to be developed. Careful assessment of children who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities and the setting of clear learning targets help them to make good progress.

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Grade: 2

A good range of activities and experiences, with some outstanding features, meets the children's needs well. The curriculum is carefully planned and organised, which helps all the children to build their skills and understanding steadily. Staff are very adept at combining different areas of learning within one activity, which creates a rich experience. For example, activities using cornflour mixed with water stimulated a wide range of learning. Opportunities for physical development are outstanding. The curriculum for language, literacy and mathematics is also strong because the school has introduced good activities to develop particular skills. For example, a sharper focus on strengthening children's speaking and listening has already led to higher standards. Visitors to the nursery enrich the curriculum, such as the nutritionalist who helped parents and children to think about healthy eating. The curriculum meets the needs of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities

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Grade: 2

well. Clear plans for these children's learning and skilled support from staff help them to make good progress.

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Grade: 1

Levels of care are outstanding. As one parent put it, 'I can't believe how well the staff know my child. I have complete confidence in the care they provide.' This reflects the way that all the staff work hard to ensure each child is safe, happy and ready to learn. The high quality of care extends well beyond the nursery sessions and is evident in relationships with parents and in the wide range of caring that happens throughout the children's centre. The school has clear procedures for first aid, health and safety and child protection, and these are implemented well. Children's progress is checked frequently and the information is used effectively to ensure that each child is doing as well as possible. The staff have a good awareness of children's individual needs and what they should be learning next. Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities receive good support and guidance. 4 Inspection Report: Derby Street Nursery Unit, 8 May 2006 to 9 May 2006

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good, with outstanding features. During the past few years, the nursery has undergone a series of great changes in its work and has recently achieved children's centre status. The outstanding leadership of the headteacher, the only constant member of staff throughout this period, has ensured that the children's good achievement has been sustained. Leaders have a good understanding of how children's learning can improve. For example, the school identified weaknesses in many children's speaking and listening skills and, working in partnership with an organisation that supports children's learning in nurseries, devised activities to strengthen them. This initiative has been successful, with many children making very good progress during the past six months. Activities, teachers' planning and children's progress are monitored carefully, and action is taken to improve learning.

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Grade: 2

The school evaluates and reviews the work of the staff and sets targets to improve their skills. The school development plan provides a very clear way forward. All these strengths put the school in a good position to improve further. The views of parents and other members of the school community are sought and acted upon. The school is very successful in ensuring that all children are fully involved in learning and school life, whatever their background, ability or particular needs. Governors provide considerable support and have a good grasp of the school's strengths. As yet, however, they do not have enough information about children's achievement to play a full part discussing how the nursery can improve. 5 Inspection Report: Derby Street Nursery Unit, 8 May 2006 to 9 May 2006 .

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Derby Street Nursery Unit, 8 May 2006 to 9 May 2006

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Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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learners?

NA 2 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 2 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 3 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 2 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 1 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 2 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 3 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse NA Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you very much for making me so welcome when I visited your nursery last week. I really enjoyed talking to you and seeing the things you were doing. I think there are lots of very good things about your nursery, but there are a few ways in which your learning could be even better. The things I particularly like are: - everyone is very happy and you really enjoy all the things you do - you learn a lot from the exciting activities in the nursery - you all get on well together and you help each other - your nursery is a very caring place - you behave well and listen to your teachers carefully - you are very friendly towards visitors and you asked me some good questions - you really enjoy playing in the outdoor area - you watered the plants very well - there are lots of interesting things to do - your pictures are good - you eat healthy snacks. Here are the things I want your school to do so that you learn even better.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

- When you have your choosing time, the activities help you to learn things. Sometimes, you need more help to learn as quickly as you can. I've asked your teachers to give you as much help as possible. - You learn well in your nursery. I've asked your teachers to find out if you do as well as children in other nurseries, so they know how you can learn even better. - You have governors who take a special interest in your school. I want the governors to find our more about how you learn and how you could learn even better. Thank you for helping me so much when I came to your nursery. I hope you will carry on enjoying learning and helping everyone to make Derby Street Nursery a good place to be.

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