Tachbrook Nursery School

TACHBROOK NURSERY SCHOOL

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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TACHBROOK 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. Tachbrook Nursery School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Cockburn House Tachbrook Estate Aylesford Street London Postcode: SW1V 3RT

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mrs. Ivy Searle

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 17 – 19 March 1997 Tachbrook Nursery School - 4

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Team members

Jane Lamb Registered inspector David Tytler Lay inspector

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Team members

Cambridge Education Associates Ltd. Demeter House Station Road Cambridge CB1 2RS

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Team members

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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Team members

The Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

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

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6 - 9

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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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL 10 - 13

The leadership and management of the headteacher, very ably supported by the deputy head and the senior management team and governors are excellent and show strength, professionalism, vision and commitment. The quality of teaching by all staff is very good and the children respond very well and have excellent attitudes to school and personal and social development. The ethos and quality of relationships in the school are excellent and the children are very well supported and cared for. The partnership with parents is excellent and they are very well informed about their children.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED 13

The school has no significant areas for further improvement. Any areas for relative further improvement have been clearly identified in the current school development plan.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Tachbrook Nursery School is a community nursery school, which takes children from 3 to 5 years of age. There are 65 children on roll, 40 boys and 25 girls, and they attend the nursery either part time or full time. There are the equivalent of 40 full time places. The school serves a community which is socially and culturally very diverse and there are 13 home languages spoken, other than English. Almost a quarter of the children speak English as their additional language, which is above average. On starting at the nursery, the children vary in their language, mathematical, social and emotional development, from children who are well above average for their age to those who have below average English language development and some social and emotional immaturity. Overall, the attainment on entry is average. There are 12 children on the school’s special educational needs register.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a very good school with some excellent features, which makes extremely good provision for all its children. Children learn and progress extremely well because the teaching is very good and the work that the children do is interesting and challenging. By the time they are five, children are generally exceeding the expected levels of work for their age group. The impact of the excellent leadership of the headteacher, very ably supported by the deputy head, the senior management team and governors is a major factor in the high expectations and excellent level of care in the school. The school provides very good value for money.

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What the school does well

• The leadership and management of the headteacher, very ably supported by the deputy head, the senior management team and governors, are excellent and show strength, professionalism, vision and commitment. • The quality of teaching by all staff is very good and the children respond extremely well and have excellent attitudes to school and personal and social development. • The ethos and quality of relationships in the school are excellent. The children are very well supported and cared for. • The partnership with parents is excellent and they are very well informed about their children.

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What could be improved

• The school has no significant areas for further improvement. Any areas for relative further improvement have been clearly identified in the current school development plan. 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 good improvements made since the last inspection in March 1997, have enabled the school to maintain the good standards and achievement of the children despite some changes in the language attainment of the intake of the school. There have been significant improvements also in the teaching, breadth of the curriculum, including provision for information and control technology, and in further refinements to the leadership and management of the school. The support for children with English as their additional language and those with speech and language immaturity has been greatly enhanced by the new appointments of a teacher to support English as an additional language and a part-time speech therapist. The newly developed outside learning area and gardens also enhance the environment and extend learning opportunities for the children. Tachbrook Nursery School - 7

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STANDARDS

The table summarises inspectors’ judgements about the achievements of pupils in relation to the desirable outcomes for learning by the time they leave the school.

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Performance in: Key

Language and literacy B well above average A Mathematics B above average average B C Personal and social development A below average well below average D E Other areas of the curriculum B

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Performance in: Key

Children who are moving into reception classes later in the year are attaining well above average standards in their personal and social development. In language and literacy, mathematical development, knowledge and understanding of the world and creative and physical development they are generally attaining standards above expected levels for their ages. The children are making good or very good progress from their previous attainment on entry to the nursery. Particular strengths are the provision for language, literacy, mathematics and creative work. The school also makes excellent provision for the children’s personal and social development.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Children are eager to learn and work extremely hard. They are responsive, enthusiastic and enjoy their work.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour in and around the school is consistently very good and children are relaxed, busy and happy.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships The personal development of the children is excellent and relationships throughout are very positive, caring and supportive.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Attendance is generally good.

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Teaching of children:

Lessons seen overall The teaching by all members of staff is very good and is a major strength of the school. Almost a quarter of the lessons seen were excellent. 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:

The teaching by teachers and nursery nurses is very good and has many strengths and no weaknesses. The strengths are in the very supportive relationships, the high levels of expertise of the staff and the consistently high expectations of and challenge for the children. The activities are extremely well planned and evaluated and are closely linked to the interests of the children so that learning is fun. The needs of all the children are very well met. The children respond very positively to this very good teaching and are well focused, co-operative, busy and able to sustain very good concentration for their ages. Teaching is very good with some excellent features in language and literacy, mathematics and information technology. Tachbrook Nursery School - 8 Teaching was good or better in all the lessons or activities seen and very good or better in 76 percent of lessons. Excellent teaching was seen in 24 percent of lessons.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The curriculum is broad, relevant, rich and interesting and is well matched to the children’s interests, ages and previous achievement.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for children with special educational needs The provision is very good and allows the children to make very good progress towards the targets set for them.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for children with English as an additional language The provision for children who have English as their additional language is very good and is well supported by all staff.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for children’s personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development The provision for children’s personal development is excellent and this is well supported by the very good role models of all staff and the very good provision for children’s spiritual, moral social and cultural development.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its children The quality of care and support for the children is very high.

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Aspect Comment

The school fully meets all statutory requirements and there are many strengths and no weaknesses in the breadth, range, richness and relevance of the curriculum provision. This is extremely well planned, evaluated and monitored by the staff. The school exercises a high level of care and concern for all its children.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff The excellent leadership of the headteacher and the strong and caring ethos are very well supported by the senior management team and other staff.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governors fulfil their responsibilities well and are extremely supportive.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance This is very good and ensures that resources are targeted to meet the children’s needs. A clear strength of the school is its overview and vision for improvement.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources These are extremely well deployed to ensure that the children are taught by very good staff, in an attractive, well-resourced and carefully maintained school environment.

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Aspect Comment

The strengths of the leadership and management are the clear vision, professionalism, commitment and strength of the senior management team. This ensures that the children’s needs are very well met and that their future needs are anticipated. The school constantly seeks to review and improve its provision and evaluates its own performance very effectively.

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Aspect Comment

The four principles of best value are very well applied by the school in comparing itself with other schools, challenging the children’s learning, consulting with staff and parents and competing to achieve the very best value for money in the purchase of resources and improvements. Tachbrook Nursery School - 9

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Parents, at both the parents’ meeting and in the pre-inspection questionnaire responses, were very happy with all aspects of the nursery and valued the education that their children received. There were no areas identified that they felt needed improvement.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspectors fully agree with the parents’ very positive views of the provision and care offered by the school. Tachbrook Nursery School - 10

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deputy head, governors and staff, are excellent and show strength,

1. The aims of the school are reflected well in its every day life. The high expectations and clear vision of the senior management team make a major contribution to the high levels of achievement by the children from their previous levels. The headteacher, the very effective deputy head and staff with senior management responsibilities have built a particularly strong team who are well involved in promoting high standards and overseeing the work of the school to improve it further for the benefit of the children. The governing body is well led by a Chair of Governors with strong commitment and good levels of expertise. The governors participate fully in the educational direction of the school.

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deputy head, governors and staff, are excellent and show strength,

2. A clear strength of the school is the extremely effective way in which it closely monitors and evaluates its own performance and following that, the flexibility and precision with which resources are used to secure further improvements. For example, the current refurbishment of the outside learning area and garden, is being very well managed and is backed up by a well thought-out planning programme to ensure its effective future use in raising standards and providing good value for money.

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deputy head, governors and staff, are excellent and show strength,

3. All the resources available to the school are very effectively managed and used well strategically and flexibly to improve further the very good quality of provision. The management is also constantly looking forward to anticipate future needs. For example, the school now employs its own part-time speech therapist to support identified children early on. The efficient and friendly administrative staff contribute well to this effectiveness. The headteacher has prudently carried forward money in the budget to improve further the outside learning area and for the landscaping and building work. The specific grants, such as that for ethnic minority achievement, are clearly focused on the intended children. All spending decisions made are linked well to the identified educational priorities in the relevant and realistic school development plan.

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deputy head, governors and staff, are excellent and show strength,

4. The school compares its performance closely with that of other nursery schools, and consequently, challenges itself, the staff and the children to improve further. There is very good consultation with parents and the school community about whether the school is meeting their needs and working in their best interests. The school also aims to provide its services economically and efficiently to offer best value.

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well and have excellent attitudes to school and personal and social

5. This strong, professional leadership also has a major impact on the very good and consistent quality of teaching by all staff. This is a clear strength of the school and has a positive impact on the very good learning and excellent personal development of the children. This has shown good improvement since the last report in teachers’ and nursery nurses’ planning, support for children with English as an additional language and those with language immaturity and in the use of assessment information to review children’s progress.

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well and have excellent attitudes to school and personal and social

6. Teaching in all lessons is at least good and in 76 per cent it is good or very good; in 24 per cent of lessons excellent teaching was seen. There are many strengths in the teaching and no weaknesses and this very good provision makes a significant contribution to the very good response and learning of the children. This picture includes teaching by teachers, nursery nurses and the primary helper, who work extremely closely together as a team.

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well and have excellent attitudes to school and personal and social

7. The children respond with enjoyment, enthusiasm and very good levels of concentration for their ages. They are also learning to share and co-operate; for example, when working together outside with the programmable toy, or when taking turns to be timed on a running circuit. They Tachbrook Nursery School - 11 are kindly and concerned for each other and show very good levels of politeness and respect for adults and others.

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well and have excellent attitudes to school and personal and social

8. All areas of learning for the children are taught by staff with very high levels of understanding of the learning needs of young children. The main strengths are the very good planning and evaluation, and the particularly positive interaction between adults and the children, which consistently promote high standards and challenge the children to improve further. The very positive and kindly relationships and caring ethos also make a very good contribution to the children’s excellent personal and social development.

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well and have excellent attitudes to school and personal and social

9. In the best lessons, teachers have excellent knowledge of their subjects and extremely high expectations of the children’s work and behaviour, extremely good child and classroom management skills and there is very good use of time and an appropriate pace of learning. Relationships with the children are very good and they are well supported and extended according to their needs and previous attainment. This includes the children with special educational needs. A strength of the best teaching is the liveliness and enthusiasm of the teachers and nursery nurses, which encourages, interests and motivates the children well. Resources are consistently well used to support learning and the preparation for sessions and activities is meticulous.

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well and have excellent attitudes to school and personal and social

10. The teaching of children with special educational needs is very good and they are consistently well supported by all staff. Individual education plans for special needs children contain specific targets and very good records are kept of each child’s progress. The provision of a part-time speech therapist is also positive in ensuring that children are quickly identified and supported.

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well and have excellent attitudes to school and personal and social

11. The provision also includes very good support from a part-time teacher of English as an additional language. All staff have very good awareness of the need to focus on the development of English with these children in all their activities. This thoroughness and consistency of practice results in these children often making very good progress in acquiring English.

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well and have excellent attitudes to school and personal and social

12. Teachers and nursery nurses plan lessons very well, and clear learning intentions are given for the adult-child focus activities, which are linked to the previous attainment levels of the children and assessment information. All activities are evaluated at the end of each session in the team meetings and this makes a major contribution to the children’s half-termly reviews and also informs planning for the next activities.

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well and have excellent attitudes to school and personal and social

13. Teaching in language and literacy is very good with some excellent teaching seen. In mathematics, teaching is also very good. The teaching of knowledge and understanding of the world is also of high quality with particular strengths in the teaching of information technology.

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well and have excellent attitudes to school and personal and social

14. The consistently good quality of teaching by all staff, and the high levels of professionalism, care and concern shown, have had a major impact on the consistently good or very good learning and above average achievement made by the children. For example, a small group of children making their own books were very well encouraged by their teacher to use language and writing effectively to express their own ideas. The personal and social development of the children is also very effectively developed in every activity in the school and this contributes well to the good standards attained.

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The ethos and quality of relationships in the school are excellent and the

children are very well supported and cared for.

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The ethos and quality of relationships in the school are excellent and the

15. The very good teaching and learning seen is enhanced by the excellent and consistent quality of relationships in the school and the constant concern for improving and challenging the existing standards and provision.

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The ethos and quality of relationships in the school are excellent and the

16. A major factor in the good standards attained by the children, and their excellent personal and social development, is the extremely positive ethos and high quality of supportive relationships within the school. There is a strong family feeling in both the school and the community and high levels of trust and partnership with parents. All members of the staff, parents, governors and the children treat each other with care and concern and there are high levels of sensitivity and concern for others' feelings. The headteacher and staff encourage warmth, friendliness Tachbrook Nursery School - 12 and respect in the children by their own very positive attitudes as role models. Parents, carers and visitors to the school are also treated positively and are welcomed. The very good attitudes of the administrative staff also reflect this warmth.

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The ethos and quality of relationships in the school are excellent and the

17. The children respond very well to this and show very high levels of patience, co-operation and concern for others for their ages. In group activities, such as story time, even the youngest three year olds listen well to others and are starting to take turns to express their opinions. Talking to others is highly valued and the children are forthcoming because they know that someone will listen to them and treat what they say with respect. This also encourages a very happy atmosphere in the school, where children work hard knowing that they are valued and because the careful planning of activities ensures that they are enjoyable as well as educational.

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The ethos and quality of relationships in the school are excellent and the

18. Children are particularly well supported and cared for by all staff. Those who are full time have a carefully planned day to make sure that they are not repeating the morning’s work in the afternoon. The arrangements for lunchtime are excellent and staff and the headteacher work hard to make this a worthwhile and happy time. The beginning and end of sessions are welcoming to parents and carers and sensitive to the children’s needs to settle in cheerfully.

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The ethos and quality of relationships in the school are excellent and the

19. Children with special educational needs and those who need other support, are carefully identified, assessed and helped by appropriately qualified staff. The health, safety and welfare of the children is a prime consideration. This high quality of concern and care is well appreciated by the parents.

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The partnership with parents is excellent and they are very well informed about

20. Parents were extremely supportive of the school in both the parents’ meeting, in their responses in the parents’ questionnaire and informally. They particularly liked the fact that their children enjoy coming to school and felt comfortable with approaching the school to ask questions or deal with problems. They were also very happy with the quality of both leadership and teaching in the school. Parents were happy with the progress made by their children and the standards they attained. There were no areas of significance that the parents wished to see improved and there was a strong feeling of support and respect for the school from all parents and carers who were spoken to.

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The partnership with parents is excellent and they are very well informed about

21. Parents feel well informed about the information given to them by the school and about their children's progress. The children’s half-termly reviews are of high quality and are shared with the parents in a way which enhances their partnership and takes account of their viewpoints. The high level of support for children is highly valued by parents and they are fully involved in any decisions made. They feel that good improvements in reporting to parents are being constantly introduced.

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The partnership with parents is excellent and they are very well informed about

22. The home-school curriculum links are also well valued by the parents and are of very high quality. The home-school partnership in reading is very well established and the recently introduced mathematics game loan scheme is extremely valuable and innovative. The school has taken great care in making a series of structured mathematics games and activities to be borrowed by parents.

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The partnership with parents is excellent and they are very well informed about

23. The parents also value the school’s links with the arts, the children’s visits to local galleries and the high quality of visits to the school, which are related to the arts. They feel that their children’s time in school is extremely well spent on productive, enriching and stimulating activities.

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The partnership with parents is excellent and they are very well informed about

24. The school has worked hard to promote this high level of partnership and trust and highly values the response and comments of parents. The views of parents are carefully considered and sometimes used to modify curriculum planning and also to inform policy-making. For example, a parent felt that the parents needed a leavers’ meeting just as much as the children did, so the school is now implementing this suggestion and preparing a booklet prior to organising meetings. The high level of information given to parents offers a comprehensive view of what the school is doing.

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The partnership with parents is excellent and they are very well informed about

25. The impact of this close working partnership is to further enhance children’s progress by Tachbrook Nursery School - 13 sharing their learning openly with parents and valuing their work at home with their children. By offering parents high quality information and materials the school promotes a real home-school learning partnership and thus raises standards further.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

26. There are no areas for significant improvement. Any areas for further relative improvement have been clearly identified in the current school development plan. Tachbrook Nursery School - 14

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 12

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

24 52 24 0 0 0 0 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) 65, FTE40

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 4 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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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 12

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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 15

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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 8

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 8

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Attendance

School data 9 School data 2 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Tachbrook Nursery School - 15

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff Financial year 1998/9

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 3.6

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 11.1:1 £

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 4.0 Total expenditure 226,458

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 126 Expenditure per pupil 3,484

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance brought forward from previous year 10,243

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per FTE adult 5.3:1 Balance carried forward to next year 23,431 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 75 22 0 0 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 61 36 0 0 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 39 25 8 3 25

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 67 28 6 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 81 19 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 42 42 0 0 17

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 56 36 0 0 8

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 86 11 0 0 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 64 31 0 0 6

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 50 14 14 0 22

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