Margaret McMillan Nursery School

MARGARET McMILLAN NURSERY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 13 th – 14 th March 2001

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MARGARET McMILLAN NURSERY SCHOOL

Short inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.

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MARGARET McMILLAN NURSERY SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary 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. Margaret McMillan Nursery School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: Local Borough of Islington

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: November 1996 Margaret McMillan Nursery School - 4 INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Team members 20865 Mr M S Burghart Registered inspector 9426 Reverend L Barley Lay inspector 20977 Mr R W Thelwell Team inspector

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be raised with the inspection contractor. Complaints that are not satisfactorily resolved by the contractor should be raised with OFSTED by writing to:

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Margaret McMillan Nursery School - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

Information about the school How good the school is What the school does well What could be improved How the school has improved since its last inspection Standards Pupils’ attitudes and values Teaching and learning Other aspects of the school How well the school is led and managed Parents’ and carers’ views of the school

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Margaret McMillan Nursery School is in the Education Action Zone of Islington in North London. The school is housed in a mixture of 1970s and 1980s buildings, modified to provide accommodation for children aged nought to five. Currently there are 160 children on the school roll, including 61 for whom the school provides day care for 50 weeks of the year. 87 children attend school part time. Under a ‘special needs inclusion project’ the school provides places for up to 12 children with complex needs, six of whom are younger than three years old. As children below statutory school age in Islington are not attributed statements under the terms of the DfEE Code of Practice 1 for special educational needs, none of the school’s children are yet statemented. However, all children supported by the project are likely to have their needs formally defined shortly after they enter infant schooling. About 30 per cent of

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

children on the school roll have been referred by social services.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Pupils are drawn mostly from the local surrounding area but those with special needs come from across the borough, some travelling by minibus. Children’s experiences and ability when they first enter the school vary widely, but overall are below what is expected, and in some cases well below. Thirty-seven children require extra support as a consequence of having English as an additional language. This is above average. The headteacher has been in post for 14 years. She is supported by six full time, and three part time, teachers, and 26 support staff.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The school has a high reputation and places are highly valued. The school has been awarded ‘Beacon’ status by the DfEE; which means it serves as an exemplar of good practice to other nursery and primary schools which feature the Foundation Stage 2 .

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Margaret McMillan Nursery is an excellent school. It very successfully balances its very clear educational direction with high levels of physical and emotional care for children. Relationships are excellent, teaching is of very good quality and staff work well together as a very good team. As a result, children’s learning is good, and often very good. A consequence of rapid progress towards each of the areas of learning defined for this age group is that the majority of children are on line to achieve the Early Learning Goals 3 before they complete the Foundation Stage at the end of Year R in the infant school. Many children reach this level by the time they finish the nursery. Standards are good and for higher attainers very good. In the light of high levels of special educational needs and English as an additional language (very well supported) this represents a considerable achievement. As a result of excellent

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

leadership and management, the school has maintained this outstanding situation consistently over a period of years. The school continues to give very good value for money and is very well placed for future development. It fully deserves its Beacon school status and its selection for a short inspection.

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What the school does well

1 The DfEE Code of Practice gives practical advice to schools and local education authorities about their responsibilities to ensure that all pupils who have special educational needs receive the most appropriate help to further their learning and personal development. This is a statutory duty under the 1993 Education Act. 2 From September 2000, the term Foundation Stage refers to children’s education from the age of three until the end of the reception year. 3 QCA (Qualifications and Curriculum Authority) has produced a set of ‘Early Learning Goals’, comprised of skills, knowledge and understanding that children might be expected to achieve by the time they enter Year 1. There are six areas of learning: personal, social and emotional development; communication, language and literature; mathematical development; knowledge and understanding of the world; creative development; and physical development.

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What the school does well

Margaret McMillan Nursery School - 7 • The quality of children’s learning is very good and this leads to high standards. • The school takes excellent care of all children and support for special educational needs and English as an additional language is very good. • The school successfully encourages children’s very good attitudes and behaviour. Relationships, and progress in children’s personal development are excellent. • Curricular opportunities are excellent and teaching is frequently very good. • The leadership and management of the school are exemplary. • The school’s links with parents are very good.

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What could be improved

There are no issues to address. The school’s own development plan is very effective in managing change and improvements. Some problems with trees roots and drainage need addressing, but as the school does not have a delegated budget, responsibility lies with the local education authority.

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What could be improved

The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The last report in November 1996 raised no issues for improvement in the light of the judgement that this was a ‘very good school’. It did recommend that there should be a period of consolidation to implement initiatives and provide for stability and reflection. In its planning the school demonstrated its intentions from this point of view and was successful as far as it had control over the situation. Factors outside the school’s influence: notably the changing face of education in the form of the newly created Education Action Zone; the newly defined Foundation Stage; substantially reduced financial support; and a change of over half the staff; have yet to allow for such consolidation. However, the school has very good procedures for reviewing and evaluating its own performance and these have led to sustained good practice and improvements: for example in the use of assessment. Since the last inspection the

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

school has been recognised as having Beacon status as an example of good practice in support for English as an additional language, the ability to manage change, and the quality of its teaching and learning policy. Initiatives developed such as parent workshops and improving links with infant schools are having very positive effects. Overall the school has maintained its high quality provision and made very good progress. On the basis of its well established policies and procedures the school is very well placed for future development.

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STANDARDS

Many children come to the nursery with skills and experience which are below what is expected of their ages. The school adds considerable value to their education and by the time they leave most children achieve the Early Learning Goals usually expected at the end of the Foundation Stage. As this is formally when they will have completed Year R in the infant school, this means that many children are well ahead of expectations, and the majority are ahead by the end of the nursery. As reported at the time of the last inspection, standards are good in all recommended areas of learning and children are making good, and often very good progress; especially in communicating. In the light of above average special educational needs and high levels of English as an additional language this is an excellent profile.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Very good: children like coming and readily join in.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour Very good: notwithstanding those who sometimes have problems. The management of behaviour is excellent.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Very good. Plenty of opportunities are created for children to make choices, share, take turns and contribute orally. Relationships with adults and other children are excellent.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Very good. Procedures to monitor and encourage attendance are very effective.

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Teaching of children: Ages 0 - 5

Sessions seen overall Very good. Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses.

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Teaching of children: Ages 0 - 5

Teaching is frequently very good and sometimes excellent. In almost all cases observed teaching was at least good. The quality of teaching of all adults working in the nursery was considered in this inspection. Ninety-seven per cent of lessons were good or better, forty- seven per cent very good or better, and three per cent excellent. The high standards which children reach are achieved as a result of this very good profile of teaching. Obvious strengths in teaching are in planning, which links theory to practice very effectively, excellent relationships, very good management of children, time and resources, high quality questioning which requires children to answer with more than one word, and setting the right challenge for different ability levels. Particularly good features were identified in assessing and recording children’s performance and progress. Strategies to support the high proportion

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Teaching of children: Ages 0 - 5

of children with special educational needs and English as an additional language are very successful, not only in creating a caring, safe environment, but in helping children to make very good progress. All adults working in the nursery are clearly committed to raising and maintaining standards in both the academic and personal sense. Staff have high, yet realistic expectations and this makes a significant contribution to children’s learning and the school’s excellent ethos.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Very good. Exemplary planning provides a rich, well balanced curriculum which fully meets requirements and provides for progression, building on skills already learned. Children are encouraged to make choices. Play is valued.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for children with special educational needs Very good provision with excellent features in care for those with physical needs. Very good assessment and recording. Good individual education plans and teaching lead to very good progress. Such children are fully included in school life.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for children with English as an additional language Very good assessment of children’s experience and needs. Good teaching and support makes the most of children’s own cultures.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for children’s personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good, especially excellent provision for social development. Excellent moral model for children to use as an example of how to behave. Very good cultural and, in particular, multicultural consideration. Spiritual development good.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its children Excellent care: from babies in the ‘home base’, to those about to leave. A safe secure environment where children can experiment and investigate. Particularly good assessment and record keeping leads to realistic and challenging targets for all children.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s partnership with parents is very good. Parents are very supportive. Liaison between parents and the school is considerably enhanced by parent workshops and the parent teacher association. The reputation of Margaret McMillan as a school is very high.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Excellent. Head and deputy give the school very clear educational direction, as well as maintaining high levels of care and consideration. Planning at all levels is exemplary and extremely well documented. Staff are very well led as a very good team.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Good. Governors are very supportive and well informed. All statutory requirements are met.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Excellent assessment and analysis of standards, policies and procedures, used very effectively to inform planning.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources The lack of a fully delegated budget restricts the school’s ability to manage its affairs, but staffing, space, resources and time are very effectively used to benefit children’s learning. The school is very efficiently run and what finance it does have at its disposal, is used very effectively to maintain and promote standards.

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Aspect Comment

Principles of best value are strictly applied. Although the aggregated expenditure per child is high, this very effective school continues to give very good value for money.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Leadership and management. • Children make good progress. • The school is approachable. • Children like coming. • Their children are helped to become mature. No negative comments were made.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Support for the school in response to the Ofsted questionnaire, and in meetings with inspectors was very strong. Parents are very pleased with children’s progress, both academic and personal. Inspectors are pleased to support these very positive views.

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“The quality of children’s learning is very good and this leads to high standards.”

1. Many children enter the school with experiences and ability which are below expectations for their age. As a result of excellent planning, very good teaching, assessment and record keeping, the quality of children’s learning is very good. Children make very good progress and the majority (other than those with complex special educational needs) leave having achieved most of the Early Learning Goals recommended for the Foundation Stage. As they still have another year to go before they complete this stage, this indicates that standards are well above expectations.

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“The quality of children’s learning is very good and this leads to high standards.”

2. In language and literacy a high proportion of children were observed enjoying listening to stories: for example ‘Mr Gumpy’s Motor Car’, interacting effectively with others, showing good understanding of the role of characters, and retelling the story in the correct sequence. Children know that texts and books go from right to left, and higher attainers make regular attempts at writing which conveys meaning. Most children hold writing implements correctly and many can form recognisable letters, with some writing simple sentences as well as their names. Children experiment with phonetic sounding of words and average and higher attainers are able to make good associations of sounds to letters and to some blends.

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“The quality of children’s learning is very good and this leads to high standards.”

3. Children who began school hardly speaking, either through lack of confidence and opportunity, or because English is not the language spoken at home, leave capable of communicating effectively in sentences. For example, in role play for a travel agency children were observed acting out choosing holidays and buying tickets; and children working at the computer discussed, very effectively, their preferred planets, explaining their choices.

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“The quality of children’s learning is very good and this leads to high standards.”

4. Mathematical development is good. Most children count reliably to 10, recognise single digit numbers and understand relationships such as less than and more than. They recognise sequences and patterns and can appreciate simple addition and subtraction. Children respond well to the challenge of problem solving, such as finding how much mashed potato is needed for potato cakes; and how many knives and forks will be needed when laying up for lunch.

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“The quality of children’s learning is very good and this leads to high standards.”

5. By the time they leave, children have a sound understanding of materials for their age. They appreciate similarities and differences, select tools and techniques needed to make things, and have learnt to find out through questioning. Although the school could do with more resources, good use is made of information and communication technology (ICT) and many children have good skills of using the mouse and keyboard considering their age. Margaret McMillan Nursery School - 11 6. Physical development is good. Children move with confidence and control: for example balancing very well on outdoor obstacle courses, riding deftly on trikes and scooters, climbing large outdoor equipment, and building things with large and small construction kits to complement their play.

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“The quality of children’s learning is very good and this leads to high standards.”

7. Children’s creative development is a strength of the school. Children work in a wide range of activities which allow them to perfect techniques and express themselves. The quality of art work is very good, such as mixing colours to paint different kinds of cats, and creating outstanding designs for clay tiles on the theme of ‘the tree of life’. Although the school has identified a need to develop musical activities further, children are given plenty of opportunities to experience and appreciate music. Children experiment with sounds in compositions of their own. Most children have a good sense of rhythm, and readily join in singing, role play and dance, to a good standard.

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“The quality of children’s learning is very good and this leads to high standards.”

8. In the area of social and personal development children’s progress is rapid because teaching is very good and the school is expert at creating opportunities for children to work and play together. Children of all needs and cultural backgrounds are very effectively encouraged to relate to one another. The quality of relationships is excellent and children’s confidence develops very well as a result of high levels of care.

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“The quality of children’s learning is very good and this leads to high standards.”

9. Children are maturing fast, responding very well to responsibility and the high expectations and very professional support of the staff. The school’s excellent ethos and learning environment create the right kind of atmosphere, where children feel valued, readily take turns, share, and are not afraid to make mistakes. Even at this early age children are beginning to evaluate the success of their work and this is impressive. As a result children experiment freely and explore their own potential. This very positively affects the quality of their learning which is very good and leads to high standards.

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needs and English as an additional language is very good.”

10. Not only are the learning environment and the school’s ethos excellent, but levels of care for children of all ages are of top quality. Staff are highly committed, and very successful, in providing a safe, secure, stimulating environment. The school is very well organised to provide small themed areas. For those between the ages of nought and three in the ‘home base’ these resemble different rooms of a house to reinforce relevant life skills, such as sitting at a table and getting ready for bed. In the ‘downstairs’ and ‘upstairs’ which serve as bases for classes one to four, areas have been created to match the six Early Learning Goals of the Foundation Stage curriculum: for example, for construction and science, in addition to role play and writing corners, and very well resourced outdoor spaces for physical development.

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needs and English as an additional language is very good.”

11. Staff deliberately and very successfully provide care for children of all ages, all abilities, and whatever their ethnic backgrounds. This ranges from the full variety of personal needs, such as feeding and changing for babies in the ‘day care home base’, to implementing detailed individual education plans for the high proportion of children with special educational needs throughout the school. Particular care is evident in consideration for children for whom English is an additional language. All children are provided with activities, not only to develop speaking skills, but their understanding of different cultures. The result is a rich mix of multicultural experiences and very good progress in language, literacy and personal development.

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needs and English as an additional language is very good.”

12. Throughout the school care means more than simply looking after children’s physical needs and their safety. It involves excellent use of assessment and very good record keeping to identify and track children’s achievement. Although the school still plans to make improvements to its practice, procedures are judged as very effective in promoting children’s progress. Margaret McMillan Nursery School - 12 13. Close monitoring, excellent communications between staff and very effective target setting, form the basis upon which very good teaching builds to ensure that children are able to capitalise sequentially on what they already know, understand and can do. This provides excellent support, not only for those at the lower end of the academic spectrum, but for those higher attainers. A minority of such children have been identified by the school: for example a two year old who spontaneously looked for rhyming words for an inspector’s name; and a

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needs and English as an additional language is very good.”

four year old who when asked the colour of a daffodil replied, “Well, the long thin bits are green!”

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needs and English as an additional language is very good.”

14. The success of the school’s care and assessment is particularly evident in the remarkable progress children make from the majority below, and in some cases well below, expectations when they first enter the school, to most achieving what is expected at the end of the Foundation Stage, a year early. Children’s response to very high levels of consideration is reflected in their love of school and their well developed maturity for their age by the time they leave. Parents clearly value this and were very keen to tell the inspection team so in response to the Ofsted questionnaire and in meetings with inspectors.

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needs and English as an additional language is very good.”

15. Care and support offered to children by all staff, teachers, nursery education workers, nursery nurses and support staff is of excellent quality. Staff truly know children well. This represents a combination of dedicated personal attributes, exemplary planning and the excellent leadership and management of staff by the headteacher as a very good team. The school’s stated aim to consider the ‘whole’ child is very successfully pursued and achieved.

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needs and English as an additional language is very good.”

“The school successfully encourages children’s very good attitudes and behaviour.

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Relationships, and progress in children’s personal development are excellent.”

16. Children’s response to the school, staff and daily activities is very good. One hundred per cent of parents who returned the Ofsted questionnaire reported their children like coming to school. Most children were observed coming in very eagerly at the start of sessions and on the very few occasions where a child was upset, staff received them well, skilfully taking individuals in with little fuss.

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Relationships, and progress in children’s personal development are excellent.”

17. Without exception, children showed enthusiasm for the activities during the inspection. This is because teachers plan very effectively, taking ability and children’s previous experience into account. Staff provide a very interesting variety of things for children to do and pay careful attention to preparation so that for all children, full and part time, resources are to hand and in good condition. For example, nursery nurses are very careful to ensure that sand trays are as neat and tidy for afternoon children as for the morning sessions.

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Relationships, and progress in children’s personal development are excellent.”

18. Children’s attitudes and personal development are heavily influenced by the many opportunities created to make choices of activities planned through the school’s ‘curriculum wheel’ and the excellent examples set by staff. Respect and trust are the norm and at all times children are treated with consideration. Relationships throughout the school are excellent. Adults and children are prepared to listen to each other and because of this children experiment and investigate without fear and learn from their mistakes.

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Relationships, and progress in children’s personal development are excellent.”

19. Children learn to be tolerant. Their lives are enriched by working and playing with children, some with special needs and some for whom English is not their first language. Staff provide many opportunities for children to spend time with a variety of others and are careful to ensure that all children are seen to succeed. Developing children’s self esteem and confidence is a considerable strength of the school and one of the many reasons why children respond so positively.

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Relationships, and progress in children’s personal development are excellent.”

20. Although some children have special needs which could, and sometimes do, give rise to extrovert or unsocial behaviour, behaviour was still judged very good during the inspection. The majority of children behave consistently very well. The fact that the remainder do so for most of the time is a credit to the school’s very good management of behaviour, organisation and consistency. Children know what the parameters are and even at very young ages Margaret McMillan Nursery School - 13 understand cause and effect. Staff ensure that children know right from wrong and by five years old children are beginning to appreciate that what they do affects others. For example when riding trikes and scooters children from ‘upstairs’ were seen to be aware of the fairness of taking turns; and in the ‘downstairs’ base two boys were observed sharing toy farm animals to load their trucks even when they were not involved in the same game.

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Relationships, and progress in children’s personal development are excellent.”

21. All parents who returned the Ofsted questionnaire rightfully believe that the school effectively helps their children to become mature. This inspection confirms that children both ‘upstairs’ and ‘downstairs’, make choices, take responsibility, and show initiative, in ways which are clearly above what is usually expected at this age. Children make very good progress in their personal development because of the conscious effort of the school.

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“Curricular opportunities are excellent and teaching is frequently very good.”

22. As a result of the particularly good understanding of teachers, especially the head and deputy, of the needs of very young children, curriculum planning is excellent.

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“Curricular opportunities are excellent and teaching is frequently very good.”

23. In all required areas of the Foundation Stage curriculum provision is at least very good with a wide, and interesting, range of activities continually on offer. In each session what the school terms its ‘curriculum wheel’ allows children a variety of things to do. On the face of it children can choose what to be involved in, in reality staff skilfully and carefully direct children and record what each individual has been involved in to ensure that they cover a balance of work towards all Early Learning Goals, every day. Because of the low level of children’s experience in language and literacy, activities in this aspect take a high priority. Opportunities are planned in all other areas to promote speaking and listening: for example asking children to describe the texture of play dough, or how they feel about the colours they have mixed.

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“Curricular opportunities are excellent and teaching is frequently very good.”

24. A strong feature of the school is the very clear link between good educational theory and school practice. Each teacher regularly takes initiative for leading (and subsequently recording) educational projects as part of curriculum development. Particularly good examples feature working with clay to complement ‘the tree of life’ theme; and investigating schema (patterns of behaviour) that children use to cope with everyday life. This work takes into consideration children of all ages, abilities and ethnic backgrounds. It makes a significant impact on the fully inclusive nature of the school, providing particularly good equality of opportunity.

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“Curricular opportunities are excellent and teaching is frequently very good.”

25. Teaching is consistently good, frequently very good and sometimes excellent. The quality of teaching of all adults who work in the nursery was considered by this inspection. To their credit all lessons were at least satisfactory with 97 per cent good or better, 47 per cent very good or better and 3 per cent excellent. All teachers were observed teaching at the very good or better level. The high standards which children achieve and their very good progress are the result of this very good profile of teaching. Obvious strengths in teaching are in planning, linking theory to practice, excellent relationships and very good management of children, time and resources. Teachers use very good questioning to encourage children to express themselves clearly. They set the right challenge in targets for children of different experience and ability. This very effectively enables children to make very good progress as a

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“Curricular opportunities are excellent and teaching is frequently very good.”

26. Particularly good features in teaching are in careful assessment and detailed recording of children’s performance.

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“Curricular opportunities are excellent and teaching is frequently very good.”

27. Strategies to support the high proportions of children with special educational needs and English as an additional language are very successful not only in creating a caring, safe environment, but in helping children to make good, and often very good, progress in personal and educational development. All adults working in the nursery are obviously committed to raising and maintaining standards in both the academic and personal sense. Staff set high yet realistic expectations which make a significant contribution to children’s learning and the school’s excellent ethos. Margaret McMillan Nursery School - 14 28. Teachers and support staff make learning fun. For example, when joining in role play in ’mission control’ as the captain of the space ship a member of staff when confronted with a child in urgent need of a tissue asked, “What colour are the bogeys from an alien’s nose?”

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“Curricular opportunities are excellent and teaching is frequently very good.”

29. Staff work very well as a team making very good use of their experience and expertise to support one another in planning and sharing ideas. The quality of teaching and the curriculum is considerably enhanced by teachers observing each other and, on occasions, through team teaching. Very effective monitoring by the head and deputy, which forms an integral part of teachers’ professional development and appraisal, makes a real difference to the way in which staff teach. Adults working in the school are good listeners to children and each other. Consequently the quality of children’s learning benefits significantly.

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“Curricular opportunities are excellent and teaching is frequently very good.”

30. Part of the school’s Beacon status recognises that the school’s curriculum planning, and teaching and learning policy are of top quality, setting a worthy example to staff in other schools. This inspection reinforces these very positive views.

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“The leadership and management of the school are exemplary.”

31. As a result of the excellent leadership of the headteacher and the notable success of her management partnership with the deputy head, the school has excellent educational direction. This is not to say that it is not a very caring place, nor that it does not seek to fulfil all that is expected of ‘day care’ for very young children. However, the senior management team are convinced that as a school, as opposed to an extension of health services, aims should focus on areas of learning recognised as appropriate for the Foundation Stage. The school is extremely successful in pursuing these aims and manages to provide not only an excellent caring ethos, but a top quality learning environment. It has built upon the very good situation reported in the last inspection to become an excellent school. Children, staff, accommodation, resources, time, finances and communications are all managed extremely well.

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“The leadership and management of the school are exemplary.”

32. The head, with the strong support of governors through their good understanding of management issues and their committee structure; staff and parents; maintains a very good development plan. This identifies priorities based on excellent analysis and evaluation of the school’s performance. This plan is a very good tool for the management of the school and is highly effective in addressing areas for development. It successfully itemises timescales, attributes responsibilities and identifies criteria to judge success by. The relatively small amounts of money which the head has directly available to her are used extremely well and this is a very strong component in the inspection team’s evaluation that the school continues to give very good value for money. However, the lack of a fully delegated budget has negative effects on the potential for head, governors and staff to manage resources to best effect.

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“The leadership and management of the school are exemplary.”

With their demonstrated very effective record of efficiency, there is every indication that they would be even more successful given greater responsibility over finances.

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“The leadership and management of the school are exemplary.”

33. It is because of the success of the school’s management procedures that neither the last inspection nor this one raised issues for the school to improve upon. A measure of staff conscientiousness is that an aspect (record keeping) judged as very good by inspectors is considered an area for development by the school itself.

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“The leadership and management of the school are exemplary.”

34. Part of the school’s Beacon status is the result of its very high quality management of change; support for English as an additional language; and its teaching and learning policies. Inspectors fully endorse the Beacon classification and judge that the school’s selection for a ‘light health check’, short inspection, was entirely justified.

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“The school’s links with parents are very good.”

Margaret McMillan Nursery School - 15 35. Parents respond to the school’s very good efforts to communicate and keep them informed, by being very supportive. The reputation of the school is very high and places for day care and the nursery are highly valued.

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“The school’s links with parents are very good.”

36. One hundred per cent of parents returning the Ofsted questionnaire confirmed that the school is approachable and works very closely with them. Excellent newsletters, very good information about the curriculum, guidance concerning how to help children at home, an informative prospectus, and good quality annual reports from governors, keep parents well informed of the school’s aims and policies as well as events. A very active parent teacher association, very well supported by staff and parents, enhances communication and raises money. A strength of home/school links is in parent workshops. These are run by staff to show parents some of the techniques and skills children will be learning and how to support them. These evening sessions are very well attended and documented, and not only inform parents about educational issues, but confirm the very good partnership between school and home which has been very successfully developed over a period of years.

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“The school’s links with parents are very good.”

37. The high quality of the school’s links with parents makes a very positive contribution to children’s learning and personal development.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

38. There are no issues to address. The school’s own development plan is very effective in managing change and improvements. Some problems with trees roots and drainage need addressing, but as the school does not have a delegated budget, responsibility lies with the local education authority.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

39. In the context of this excellent school this inspection raises no issues for further development, but encourages the school to continue the high quality work which is very effectively managed through its existing development planning. Margaret McMillan Nursery School - 16

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 10

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 99.5

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 31

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 49

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 37

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission N/A

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving N/A

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Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Margaret McMillan Nursery School - 17

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Financial information

This school does not hold a delegated budget and figures below show only the relatively small proportion of finance which is actually managed by the school

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Financial information

Teachers and classes Financial year 1999 -

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Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 8.2

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Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 13.9 £

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Financial information

Total number of education support staff 26 Total expenditure 59966

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Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 767.5 Expenditure per pupil 375

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Financial information

Balance brought forward from previous year

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Financial information

Number of pupils per FTE adult 3 Balance carried forward to next year 0

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Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. * The school was able to balance its accounts by virtue of an additional £6000 grant from central government. Margaret McMillan Nursery School - 18

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Strongly agree Tend to agree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 92 8 0 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 81 19 0 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 43 0 7 14 36

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 65 32 3 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 92 8 0 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 57 40 3 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 76 24 0 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 94 6 0 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 81 19 0 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 82 12 0 0 6

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Summary of parents’ and carers’ responses

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The 21 per cent of parents who seemingly disagree with the ‘amount of work to do at home’ are composed of parents who expressed the opinion that this question should not have been applied to nursery schools.

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