Susan Isaacs Nursery School

Susan Isaacs Nursery School Inspection report

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105141 Unique Reference Number Bolton Local Authority 308776 Inspection number 18–19 November 2008 Inspection dates Clare Henderson Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The registered childcare, managed by the governing body, was inspected under section 49 of the Childcare Act 2006.

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Nursery Type of school Maintained School category 3–5 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 57 School (total) 342 Childcare provision for children aged 0 to 3 years The governing body Appropriate authority Ms Eileen Watson Chair Mrs C MacLeod Headteacher 16 May 2005 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Vernon Street School address Bolton Lancashire BL1 2XN 01204 333050 Telephone number 01204 333051 Fax number

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3–5 Age group 18–19 November 2008 Inspection dates 308776 Inspection number .

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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. 2 of 10 Inspection Report: Susan Isaacs Nursery School, 18–19 November 2008

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

This is a small Nursery school. It offers Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) education with extended provision of day care for babies and children (aged 0 to 3) together with before-school, after-school and holiday clubs for 51 weeks of the year. The Nursery also has resourced provision available for children with additional multiple needs. Although situated in an area of high social disadvantage, a number of families travel from other local areas of the town to attend. Almost all pupils speak English as their first language, although a small but increasing proportion is from minority ethnic groups. A few of these children are at an early stage of learning English. The school has a number of awards in recognition of its work. These include: Basic Skills Quality Mark, Inclusion Kite Mark and the National Day Nurseries Association Quality Counts Award.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Susan Isaacs Nursery School, 18–19 November 2008

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Grade: 1

This outstanding Nursery provides an excellent education for its children. There is exceptionally good provision for children with additional multiple needs and extended provision in the baby unit, before and after school and during holiday time. The main reasons for its success are teamwork, enthusiasm and a whole-school belief, with outstanding leadership by the headteacher, that every child is treated as an individual and that their unique needs are met. All parents agree and speak in glowing terms about the school's considerable achievements in providing, 'a combination of care, well-being and first-hand experiences that make sure children get a superb start to their learning.' Children begin Nursery with few of the skills expected at a comparable age and their social, speaking and listening skills are particularly poor. As a result of the whole-school focus on these areas, children's skills accelerate rapidly. This is because the school carefully assesses the

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Grade: 1

needs of all children and provides them with exciting and fun-filled learning opportunities both in the classrooms and in the outside play area. Therefore, from their low levels on entry, most children reach expected levels by the time they move onto Reception and some go beyond that, which represents outstanding achievement in all areas of their learning and development. One reason why children achieve so well, including those with additional multiple needs, is that the quality of learning and development is excellent. Staff know their children exceptionally well. A wide range of resources and carefully planned and relevant themes means that all children can relate to, and have a first-hand input into what they are being taught. Children's personal development and well-being, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, are outstanding. Parents comment on how much their children enjoy

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Grade: 1

school, saying, 'she evens wants to come at the weekend'. Children behave very well and work and play together harmoniously. Adults skilfully help children to understand their feelings by talking through difficulties and children soon learn to consider these steps for themselves. They learn how to share and take turns. They listen exceptionally well for their age because of the high focus the school pays to developing these skills. Consequently, they become confident learners. Children learn how to keep themselves safe through visits from people in their local community such as police and road safety officers. The quality of children's welfare is outstanding. Safeguarding arrangements and those for child protection are strong and supervision is at a high level at all times. The school has excellent links with a wide range of outside agencies and these provide very high levels of support for children and their families. Learning records are shared with parents so they, too, can quickly

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Grade: 1

see how well their children are doing and can also make their own contributions. Staff ensure all children achieve exceptionally well and are successfully prepared for their next school. Leadership and management are outstanding. The school has built well on the good practice identified at its previous inspection. The governors have an excellent understanding of the school's work. They rigorously check and review the work of the school and this leads to well-considered action plans for improvement. All staff are fully involved and fully support each other, discussing concerns and celebrating achievements. The value it offers for money and its capacity for future improvement, are outstanding. 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Susan Isaacs Nursery School, 18–19 November 2008

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What the school should do to improve further

■ The school has an extremely clear view of how it can continue to develop and there are no further areas for improvement that it has not already identified in its school improvement plan.

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Grade: 1

Many children begin Nursery with skills well below those typical for their age, particularly so in social, speaking and listening skills. The school welcomes a high proportion of children with multiple additional needs who make exceptionally good progress. This is because of the skilful support they receive from dedicated staff within the school. The school also engages successfully with a wide range of support agencies which benefit children's personal and educational needs effectively. Well planned learning opportunities in all the areas of learning with a particular focus on developing children's physical, social, emotional and communication skills ensure all children make excellent progress from their starting points. Consequently, when they transfer to their various Reception classes, all have made significant strides in their education. Most reach expected levels and some surpass them, particularly in their physical, communication,

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Grade: 1

'I love everything here', is a comment typical of the children. They say they feel safe and know to go to a teacher if they feel upset. Their good rate of attendance, excellent behaviour and smiling faces as they enthusiastically set about their activities, are testament to this view. They rapidly develop into confident young learners who gain an excellent understanding of their place in the world. Themes covered during their time in school teach them to be safe and healthy. Children's readiness to wash their hands before they eat their healthy snack shows a rapidly expanding understanding, from the baby unit through to school, of the importance of good hygiene and diet. Because physical development is a priority, it is planned into all activities both within the classrooms and outside. Consequently, children become fit and active learners. They share their activities happily with others, ready to give someone else the chance to have

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Grade: 1

a go, for example, on the computers or in stirring the Christmas cake mixture whilst making a wish! A wide range of visitors, including police, fire and road safety officers introduce the children, in a fun and exciting way, to the world of work from a child's viewpoint.

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Grade: 1

Well planned learning experiences within all areas of learning are delivered through challenging, enjoyable activities. This enables all children to make outstanding progress in their learning. An exciting outdoor environment, which includes a jungle and a wildlife sensory garden, develops children's imagination, curiosity and increases their knowledge and understanding of the world in an exciting way. To see children as young as two and three speaking and singing in French is inspiring. Experiencing such activities lives out the ideals of their founder, Susan Isaacs, that 'learning is a joy' and again that 'play is the work of children'. Physical skills of climbing, 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Susan Isaacs Nursery School, 18–19 November 2008 exploring and entering imaginary worlds of pirates, for example, are developed by highly-skilled dedicated staff. This addresses the creative learning needs of all children exceptionally well.

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Grade: 1

Excellent support for all groups, including more able children, is developed, for example, within story time when children, whilst reflecting on a story, learn their letter and sounds. In another session, 'signing' was interwoven meaningfully into all activities to ensure children with multiple additional needs were able to take a full part and achieve very well. The EYFS curriculum has been effectively introduced and used very well to track children's development as they move from babies to toddlers to older Nursery aged children. All staff have extremely high expectations of every child valuing them, as their families do, as 'our most precious possession'. The school plans children's start in Nursery and their move to Reception very carefully, and in close partnership with families. Consequently, this becomes a smooth, carefree experience for each child and family.

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Grade: 1

The welfare of the children is at the heart of the school's work. Staff care sensitively for all children. Each child benefits from an identified key worker who meets their individual needs attentively. Plans, assessments and observations are well thought out with activities based firmly within children's view, likes and interests. Safeguarding and child protection procedures are in place. The safety of children is paramount in all school activities without inhibiting the desire of children to explore and learn. High on the agenda of all staff is ensuring everyone, child, families, staff and visitors are welcomed and treated equally. The different religious and cultural beliefs of each family are appreciated and celebrated through topics and themes throughout the year. This ensures difference and cultural diversity are quickly appreciated and respected by all in the school community. Families give their overwhelming support to the

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Grade: 1

school saying, for example, it offers, 'the best start for any child'.

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Grade: 1

Outstanding leadership and management are major factors in the school's success. The headteacher's very strong leadership has successfully created a climate where everyone is constantly trying to improve the school further. She is admired and respected by staff who respond enthusiastically to the way their work is valued and they are involved in the management of the school. She is very well supported by all staff who make a significant contribution to the effective leadership of the school and, in particular, the management of the curriculum and of children's safety and well-being. Well organised systems and procedures ensure that the school runs smoothly. The governors are an important element of the effective team approach and fulfil their responsibilities very well. Each governor is linked to a particular area of learning and through regular visits they are able to review the progress of the school.

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Grade: 1

6 of 10 Inspection Report: Susan Isaacs Nursery School, 18–19 November 2008 .

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Grade: 1

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Susan Isaacs Nursery School, 18–19 November 2008

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Inspection judgements

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

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EYFS?

Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well being? 1 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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Achievement and standards

1 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? 3 The standards[1] reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 1 How well learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make progress

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children?

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

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The quality of provision

1 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 1 How effectively is the welfare of the children in the EYFS promoted? 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Susan Isaacs Nursery School, 18–19 November 2008

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Leadership and management

1 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed? How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education 1 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 1 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 1 How well does the school contribute to community cohesion? How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Susan Isaacs Nursery School, 18–19 November 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for making me feel welcome when I inspected your Nursery school. I really enjoyed my inspection and seeing all the lovely things you do. I am writing now to tell you what I found out about your Nursery. Yours is an outstanding Nursery school. I can understand why so many people in your families wrote to say that they are delighted that you are able to go even when you are small babies, to such a lovely school. They know, as I discovered, that the staff look after you extremely well and make sure you have many interesting things to do every day. You are learning new things all the time. You have especially good opportunities to make things, like your big Christmas cake, and to learn to get on with each other and become confident about who you are. You are also doing well in starting to write, listening to stories and finding out about numbers. You behave really well and I could see that you enjoy choosing from all the activities available. The

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

teachers and other adults who work with you are very experienced in knowing what children of your age need and they work very hard to make learning enjoyable for you. The Nursery is led and managed exceptionally well and the headteacher and other staff are always looking for ways to make it even better. Recently, they have been checking very closely how well you are doing. I have asked them to carry on with this so you can keep on learning new things and having fun. 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Susan Isaacs Nursery School, 18–19 November 2008

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