Gateshead Jewish Nursery School

Inspection of Gateshead Jewish Nursery School Alexandra Road, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear NE8 1RB

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Inadequate

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders provide a caring and vibrant learning environment. They want children to achieve highly so they have designed an ambitious curriculum. They also set clear boundaries for behaviour. Children are beginning to self-regulate their own behaviour because adults are strong role models. Adults log any negative behaviour or bullying, but this rarely happens. Children have positive attitudes to their learning. In classrooms and outdoors, inspectors saw children absorbed in the exciting activities on offer.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

The outdoor learning environment is a hive of excitement. Children perform as an orchestra with their pots, pans and wooden spoons. They experiment by rolling balls down plastic ramps. They change the angles of the ramps to control the speed of the balls. Leaders ensure that children of different ages have allocated time in each outdoor area.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Children access enrichment experiences. They draw, write and talk about their visits to farms, parks, shops and a wetland centre. Children do follow-up learning back at school. They make their own role-play shops and learn the names of adult and baby animals.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

All parents and carers who gave their views hold the school in high regard. Views were overwhelmingly positive. One spoke for many, stating: ‘My daughter has thrived in every area, emotionally, academically and socially.’

p.2

better?

Leaders adapted their curriculum in September, in line with the changes to the national early years framework. Staff accessed relevant training. Many aspects of the updated framework have been implemented well, such as mathematics and physical development. Some aspects of ‘understanding the world’ are in place, such as learning about past and present. However, learning about different religions and cultural communities is not planned for specifically within the long-term curriculum overview. Instead, teachers are spontaneous about how they teach this. They do not set clear end points to assess what children know and remember about this part of the curriculum.

p.2

better?

In most areas of the curriculum, leaders set clear end points for children to reach by the time they leave playgroup, Nursery and Reception. Teachers are clear on how to check what children know and can do. Staff use this information to adapt their teaching and learning activities. This helps children to revisit learning where there are gaps in their knowledge. By the end of Reception, most children are ready to access learning in key stage 1.

p.2

better?

Teachers provide activities relevant to real life, to develop children’s mathematical skills. Children in playgroup practise counting backwards from five when singing a song about ducks swimming away one by one. In the Nursery, children measure and 24 to 26 May 2022 put prices on shoes to sell in the shop. In Reception, children solve real-life number problems. Children use mathematical vocabulary such as ‘same, more than and less than’ with confidence.

p.2

better?

Children apply the knowledge they learn in reading, writing and mathematics across other activities. Children wrote shopping lists in the role play area or told a story to a doll. As post office workers, children matched the different numbers of dots on envelopes to the correct numerals on the large pictures of houses. Staff encourage children to be aspirational. In their role play settings, they pretend to be doctors, post persons, construction workers and florists.

p.3

better?

Outdoor physical activities enable children to develop their large-muscle skills. They ride scooters and tricycles and balance on wooden benches. Indoors, children cut with scissors and use paint brushes and pencils to develop their small-muscle control. Children practise these skills regularly so that they are able to cut and paint without any direction from adults.

p.3

better?

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well in the classroom. Children receive therapy from a range of professionals. Staff are trained by the therapists to deliver regular specific programmes. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) reviews and adapts children’s support plans regularly. Children with SEND achieve well.

p.3

better?

Children access a language-rich environment. Adults encourage children to listen, express their ideas and hold conversations. Leaders promote reading for pleasure. Children learn new vocabulary through stories, rhymes and songs. This provides a firm foundation for children in Reception to begin learning phonics. Leaders are in the early stages of implementing a new phonics programme. Staff have attended relevant training to deliver this. Leaders are prioritising embedding this programme. Children’s reading books match the letters and sounds that they know. This means that they are able to read with confidence.

p.3

better?

Children learn how to manage their emotions, make relationships with others and keep themselves healthy. Leaders encourage children to be kind to others. Staff teach children to develop their independence. Children as young as two years old wash and dry their hands and hang up their aprons. Leaders ensure that the youngest children in playgroup have activities and resources appropriate to their age. There is a comfortable place to rest if they are tired.

p.3

better?

Leaders promote fundamental British values. Children understand democracy by voting for which book to read at story time. They learn about different types of families, different relationships, treating people fairly, the rule of law and mutual respect. However, different faiths and cultures are covered sporadically. Leaders have not set out exactly what children need to learn about this across the school.

p.3

better?

The proprietor ensures that all independent school standards are met. He also ensures that the school complies with the Equality Act 2010 and health and safety 24 to 26 May 2022 legislation. Although the school does not have a website, leaders ensure that all necessary information and policies are available to parents upon request.

p.3

better?

Governors know the improvement priorities of the school well. They check how well the curriculum, including phonics, is being implemented. Governors have high expectations and aspirations for the children. Staff say that leaders ensure workload is manageable. This is helped by leaders supporting staff with planning on a weekly basis. All staff say that they feel valued and they enjoy working at this school.

p.4

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.4

Safeguarding

There is a united approach to ensure that safeguarding is the responsibility of everyone. Leaders, staff and governors receive regular training to stay up to date with signs of children being at risk of harm. The designated safeguarding lead (DSL) and the deputy DSLs check on any safeguarding concerns raised. They also seek external professional support if it is needed. The pastoral leader works closely with families and children, offering effective and timely support.

p.4

Safeguarding

The proprietor ensures that the building is clean and safe. He also ensures that all of the essential safety checks are undertaken before staff are appointed.

p.4

(Information for the school and proprietor)

 In most areas of learning, including communication and language, literacy and mathematics, the long-term curriculum design and assessment of end points have a cohesive approach. However, some aspects of some areas of learning are not fully included in the overarching curriculum structure. For example, leaders do not set out clearly how they want children to learn about ‘people, culture and communities’. They also do not identify how staff will assess what children know about these aspects by the end of Reception. Leaders should ensure that all areas of learning in the current early years framework are set out clearly in long-term curriculum design so that teachers are clear on what they teach, when they teach it and how they will assess children’s knowledge and understanding.  Leaders promote some aspects of fundamental British values well, for example democracy, rule of law and mutual respect. However, learning about different

p.4

(Information for the school and proprietor)

faiths and cultures is not planned within the long-term curriculum design. Therefore, teachers’ delivery of this content is sometimes spontaneous and does not identify the sequence of facts that children will learn. This is not preparing children well for life in modern Britain. Leaders, including governors, should ensure that the long-term curriculum overview identifies the essential knowledge about different faiths that they want children to know and remember. 24 to 26 May 2022

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

p.5

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

p.5

How can I feed back my views?

If you are the provider and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted . 24 to 26 May 2022

p.5

School details

Email address secretary@gatesheadkinder.org.uk

p.6

School details

Date of previous inspection 11 to 13 December 2018 24 to 26 May 2022

p.6

Information about this school

 The school has three separate sites. One is adjacent to the main building and another is in close proximity. One of the sites is used specifically to support children with SEND.  The school has provision for two-year-old children.  The school does not use any alternative education provision.  There is one child with an education, health and care plan and eight children with SEND who receive support.

p.7

Information about this inspection

Inspectors carried out this inspection under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008. The purpose of the inspection is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

p.7

Information about this inspection

The school meets the independent school standards. These are the requirements set out in the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.

p.7

Information about this inspection

This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID 19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.

p.7

Information about this inspection

 Inspectors met with the head teacher, deputy head teacher, pastoral leader, SENCo and other members of staff, including teachers and teaching assistants. Inspectors considered how well leaders deliver the early years foundation stage curriculum so that it meets the needs of all children, including those with SEND.  The lead inspector met with three members of the governing body, including the chairperson. The lead inspector also met with the proprietor.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following areas of learning: early reading, communication and language, mathematics, understanding the world and physical development. Inspectors met with senior leaders, staff and children, listened to children read to a familiar adult, looked at children’s work and visited lessons and independent learning sessions, indoors and outside.  Inspectors observed children’s behaviour at lunchtimes, in lessons, in the outdoor

p.7

Information about this inspection

learning environment and as children moved around the school. Inspectors considered children’s attitudes towards their learning. Inspectors spoke to children informally, to find out what it is like to attend this school.  During the inspection, inspectors checked how leaders keep children safe. They checked the safeguarding systems, records, procedures and training certificates. The lead inspector checked the single central record and met with the DSL and 24 to 26 May 2022 deputy DSL. Inspectors checked the implementation of health and safety policies. This included the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.  The lead inspector carried out checks of the premises on three sites to ensure compliance with part 5 of the independent school standards.  Inspectors considered responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey and free-text responses. Inspectors also talked with parents at the start and the end of the

p.7

Information about this inspection

school day to gather their views. Inspectors considered the views of staff via Ofsted’s staff survey.

p.8

Inspection team

Alison Aitchison, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

p.8

Inspection team

Suzette Garland-Grimes Ofsted Inspector 24 to 26 May 2022 to 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.8

Inspection team

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspection team

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspection team

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspection team

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9