Fairfield Nursery School

SPRING HILL NURSERY SCHOOL

Full 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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SPRING HILL 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. Spring Hill Nursery School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Fairfield Street Accrington

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Local Education Authority

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mrs L Taylor

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 04/07/1997 Spring Hill Nursery School - 4

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responsibilities

21374 Heather Evans Registered inspector Foundation stage Equal opportunities English as an additional language What sort of school is it? How high are standards? a) The schools results and achievements How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed? 9974 Daljit Singh Lay inspector How high are standards? b) Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 18709 Nina Bee Team inspector Special educational needs How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils?

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responsibilities

Demeter House Station Road Cambridge CB1 2RS

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responsibilities

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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responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Spring Hill 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 Children’ 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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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 10 - 13

The school’s results and children’ achievements Children’ attitudes, values and personal development

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The nursery school is part of the Hyndburn Family of Schools and is situated just outside the town centre of the town of Accrington. The housing is mainly old terraced property and the most recent socio-economic evidence indicates that this is an area where there is high unemployment and a higher than average percentage of overcrowded homes. There are 80 children on roll all attending on a part- time basis. Children all attend for just three terms. They then move on to one of a number of reception classes in local schools. More than one third of the children are from homes where English is not the first language and the majority of these have only limited linguistic skills in English on entry. At the time of the inspection seven children had special educational needs. Two have support through a statement of special need, one for autism and another for hearing impairment. On entry to the school the entry

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

profiles of children indicate that overall attainment is below that usually found for three-year-olds nationally. The chief areas of concern are that amongst all of the children many have a limited vocabulary and their skills in speaking and listening are underdeveloped. Many are unsure how to play either alone or when sharing toys with others.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a very good nursery with a number of excellent features and it provides a very effective foundation for the future learning of all its children. They are well prepared for work in reception classes at the time of transfer. Children make good progress in all areas of learning and, by the time they are five, almost all are likely to reach the standards expected for their age and a significant number exceed these levels. The level of oral communication used by most children is confident and they express their needs and discuss their work well. A few are still timid and need encouragement and support in order to speak clearly in front of others. Teaching and leadership are never less than good and are frequently very good. All resources and funds are well managed to ensure the best value for the children. Overall the school provides very good value for money

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What the school does well

• All teaching is good and much is very good. Staff have a very good understanding of the needs of young children and this helps to promote good levels of learning and good progress. • The school promotes children’s independence in learning and high levels of care and support encourage children to become effective learners. • Children develop good listening skills and basic skills in literacy and numeracy are promoted very well. • The teaching of English as an additional language is very good. • Children enjoy nursery life, and this is reflected in their positive attitudes towards behaviour, learning and relationships with one another. • The curriculum provides a good range of challenging activities across all of the areas of learning. • Staff form a highly effective team, creating a nursery that is exciting and stimulating for children. • Children with special educational needs are supported well.

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What could be improved

• Formal procedures for the use of information gained from everyday assessment to help plan individual children’s future learning more accurately. 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

Since the previous inspection in 1997 the school has addressed all of the identified weaknesses very successfully. There is now strong, consistently good skilled support for those children learning English as an additional language. The school development plan is a very clear document that is used to monitor all initiatives and to set priorities for further development in all aspects of the life and work of the school. It includes practical reviews of the benefits of all spending against improvements in provision. The percentage of good and very good teaching has increased. Spring Hill Nursery School - 7

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STANDARDS

The table summarises inspectors’ judgements about the achievements of children in relation to the national early learning goals 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 B below average well below average D E other areas of the curriculum B

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Performance in: Key

Children enter nursery with overall attainment levels that are below those for most children at the age of three and they achieve well. By the time they transfer to their reception classes in other schools, most four-year-olds already attain the standards expected for their age within all the recognised areas of learning. A significant number of children are likely to reach above-average levels of attainment. All children settle quickly into nursery routines and make particularly good progress in relation to personal and social development and knowledge and understanding of the world, areas in which the nursery provides particularly well. In language and literacy most children learn quickly that print conveys meaning, and almost all of them can list a few objects beginning with particular letter sounds. They understand the importance of writing and mark making and their achievements are at the appropriate level. Oral communication is good and most children express themselves clearly and

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Performance in: Key

use appropriate language structures for their age. In mathematics, children sort and count appropriately for their age and most can explain facts about different shapes and many know the days of the week. As part of knowledge and understanding of the world, children learn well from handling different materials and show special enthusiasm for mini beasts, hatching duck eggs and showing care for other animals. The overall standards in creative development are better than the level expected for the age of the children, with all of them able to paint recognisable pictures and use malleable materials to support their learning in other areas. In their physical development, children are able to move, dance and play to the level expected for their age. Imaginative play is good in the role–play areas and in the outside area, which is set up and monitored particularly well by the very knowledgeable staff. Children with special educational needs make good progress in relation to the

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Performance in: Key

targets set for them. Children learning English as an additional language learn effectively at the same rate as other children because they are well supported by skilled bilingual learning assistants.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Children have very good attitudes to school; they enjoy every day and treat the building and the learning resources with care and respect.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour Behaviour is good because children are managed very well and they have a clear understanding of the system of rewards and sanctions of the behaviour policy.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Relationships are very good; children are developing an understanding of the beliefs and values of others. Some are starting to show personal initiative and are taking a good share in managing their own work.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Whilst not statutory, nursery places are highly valued and the unsatisfactory attendance of some children denies others a place and affects the learning opportunities for others.

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Aspect Comment

Some parents do not comply fully with attendance requirements although the school does all it can to encourage good attendance and prompt timekeeping. Extended holidays in Pakistan have caused some places to be withdrawn and offered to other children.

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Teaching of children:

Sessions seen overall 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:

The quality of teaching was at least good in all of the 21 observed sessions and in 7 sessions (33 per cent) it was very good. This high level of good and very good teaching is better than that in 1997 and supports most effectively the needs of the children and helps promote their everyday achievement. Children learn well. Staff are very knowledgeable about the learning needs of young children and devise a wide range of stimulating activities for children to enjoy on a daily basis. Teaching is particularly good in aspects of children’s personal, social and emotional development, together with the teaching of language and numeracy, in children’s creative development and in extending their knowledge and understanding of the world. All staff work very hard as a strong team to promote the personal, social and emotional development of all children. The teaching of early literacy and mathematical development is particularly good. The teaching of all children’s oral communication

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Teaching of children:

from a low level on entry is also very good. Staff use the outside play area and environmental garden with considerable imagination and skill and children make consistently good progress in their co-ordination and ability to use outdoor resources. Teachers plan effectively and ensure that children experience a wide range of creative activities. The use made of the computers is better than that found in most schools and work in this area is used very effectively to support learning in literacy and numeracy. The amount and quality of adult support are strengths of the overall teaching provision, with significant amounts of teaching undertaken by skilled well-qualified nursery nurses. The levels of teamwork and corporate planning are strong and highly influential on learning. Great care is exercised when managing children and time and learning resources are used imaginatively and well. Assessment is carried out regularly and the results obtained are used to help identify the next stage

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Teaching of children:

of learning for different attaining groups of children. However with increased refinement there would be clearer identification for planning for the needs of individual children. Children learning English as an additional language and those with special educational needs are taught and supported well.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Very good provision for young children. Opportunities for learning are closely matched to children’s needs and planned activities and experiences are generally exciting and enjoyable.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for children with special educational needs Good. Children’s needs are well identified and are well supported by good planning and knowledgeable and sensitive adults.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for children with English as an additional language There is very good provision for the support of the many children who are learning English as an additional language

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Aspect Comment

Provision for children’s personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good personal development is a part of everything that the nursery believes in and undertakes. The provision for children’s social and moral development is very good and it is good for their spiritual and cultural development.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its children A strength of the overall provision. Children’s needs are well known, and these are supported by a committed staff who all value every child. Procedures for child protection and for ensuring the welfare of all children are good.

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Aspect Comment

The school works well with parents and involves them fully in the planned work. Each week it shares with them the achievements of children through a record of achievements shown on the computer by means of a pictorial record using the digital camera. There are no weaknesses in the curricular provision that fully meets the national recommendations. The care provided for every child is very good. Spring Hill Nursery School - 9

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The leadership and management of the headteacher, with all the key staff, are very good. Through hard work and dedication they have been successful in creating a very effective nursery school with some excellent features.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governing body, led by a committed and competent chairman, fulfil their responsibilities very well. Their understanding of the finance and their support for the planning of the introduction of the early learning goals has been very effective.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance The school has effective and practical procedures for evaluating its performance. The monitoring of teaching and attainment is good.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources The strategic use of personnel and practical resources is very good. Resources for teaching and learning are plentiful and of good quality. They are used very well on a day-to-day basis.

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Aspect Comment

The management of the school is well organised and is very effective. Teachers and governors have a shared vision for success and continued improvement. There are sufficient experienced and well- qualified teachers who are supported by a suitable number of well-trained, skilled nursery nurses and learning support assistants. The accommodation is well suited to the requirements for nursery education and enables the full curriculum to be taught successfully. Recent improvements to the garden have further enhanced the good provision. Resources are imaginative, plentiful and in good condition and are regularly reviewed by the staff. Financial management is only partially delegated but with the support of the governing body the management team has a very effective understanding of setting the budget against the plans contained in the comprehensive school development plan. Staff regularly review the evidence of the effect of spending on maintained and improving attainment

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Aspect Comment

levels. The school has a good understanding of looking for best value when buying materials or appointing and deploying personnel.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The enjoyment their children have in school. • The approachability of all of the staff. • The support provided for children with any kind of additional need. • The quality of teaching and learning. • The sharing of success through the special books. • Parents would like full-time places as they find it difficult to provide the quality of work and play at home that their children enjoy in the nursery.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The team talked with many parents and could not find any criticism of the quality of learning that their children enjoyed. The team agrees with the parents about the many positive aspects of the nursery. Spring Hill Nursery School - 10

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The school’s results and children’ achievements

1. Children are admitted to the nursery on a part-time basis in the September after their third birthday. Occasionally there are late admissions later in the year, as a place becomes available. All of the children leave in the following July and they move on to neighbouring infant schools. Children usually move to one of six schools but this year they will actually move to eleven different schools in September. Children enter the nursery school with a range of prior attainment and previous experience. Teacher assessment on entry indicates that most children have below average skills in personal, social and emotional development, English literacy and numeracy. Many have very limited knowledge and understanding of the world. Their oral speech and communication is frequently weak. A significant number of the children lack confidence to play with toys either alone or in groups. Almost all children, however, are

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The school’s results and children’ achievements

eager to learn and after entering the nursery they make good progress in all areas of their work particularly in their personal, social and emotional development and in their development in language and literacy and numeracy. By the time they leave nursery and move on to neighbouring infant or primary schools, they have achieved well in skills, knowledge and understanding, and almost all of them are on course to attain expected levels by the end of their time in the nursery. A significant minority in both the morning and afternoon groups, about one third, already exceed these levels. This means that by the time they are five, in their varied reception classes most are likely to attain levels that exceed those expected by that age. Attainment levels have remained broadly similar to those reported during the previous inspection

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The school’s results and children’ achievements

2. The school places considerable emphasis on the personal, social and emotional development of children. As a result, almost all of them make rapid strides in this area, building on their growing experiences and relationships. A significant number are poor communicators on entry but gradually grow in confidence as their range of experiences increases through the opportunities provided on a daily basis. Listening skills improve, and most children show good levels of concentration for their age. When given a choice, most children tend to persevere well with a single activity and explore its potential to a high degree. During the inspection no children were seen to move unproductively, flitting between too many activities. Children follow instructions very well and enjoy the secure routines and familiar faces. They co-operate well with one another and are particularly adept at tidying up. Over time the staff have been

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The school’s results and children’ achievements

careful to build this into all everyday routines. Relationships between children are very good, as are the relationships between adults and between adults and children. The respect shown by adults to everyone in the learning areas provides a very good example as to how children are expected to behave and work in harmony with one another. The children respond well to the expectations of adults in this respect. They are taught about making right and wrong choices and understand why they should behave and react in a particular way. The majority of children can explain reasons for making choices clearly and confidently although some are still reluctant to speak in a large group but speak quietly to a listening adult.

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The school’s results and children’ achievements

3. Staff plan very well to reinforce children’s language across all areas of learning. No opportunity is missed to promote thinking and extend skills in speaking whatever the focus of the activity. Role-play is fun and is greatly enjoyed. Preparation for these organised and well-supported activities include sets of open questions designed to promote discussion and to develop language. Some of these sessions are conducted in Punjabi, the first language of many of the children, and links are skilfully made from the known words to new English vocabulary. The sessions are replicated and then English is the main language of the session but children from all backgrounds share in these activities as they play with their special friends. Oral language is sometimes repetitive but there is always an element of language extension through the imaginative situations that are presented. The school is a rich environment for reading with

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The school’s results and children’ achievements

clear labels in two languages. All children have an understanding of the purpose of print and readily identify their own names and those of others when they register at the start of each morning or afternoon. They find their names quickly should they need to copy them although many write their own name without needing to copy. Children have access to a rich selection of books, which they love. Books are handled sensibly and children enjoy familiar stories. Many children are able to make inferences; for example, what it must be like to be a spider who has had her boots stolen or how the mice might feel when the owl threatened to eat them. Spring Hill Nursery School - 11 Language is also carefully built up by learning nursery rhymes by heart and most of the children were confident explaining how the birthday chart worked. All of the children were eager to view the chart about when the ducks would hatch in the incubator and when the eggs

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The school’s results and children’ achievements

next needed to be turned. Almost all children understand that letters are linked to sounds and they delight in the letter of the week, showing great interest in those objects they can see beginning with the letter ‘s’. Children’s successes at mark making, copying the teacher’s script or writing in sand are at the level expected for their age. Those children capable of higher attainment try to write independently and are pleased to show their stories, recorded in their special books. The improvement since the last inspection, particularly the support for those children learning English as an additional language, is very good.

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The school’s results and children’ achievements

4. In their mathematical development, most children attain the level anticipated for the age of five, and their understanding of basic number up to ten is secure for the majority although a few do not have secure knowledge beyond eight. They are good up to eight because the present topic about mini-beasts has meant the counting of many spiders’ legs. Children immediately recognise groups of numbers up to three and beyond this they count on from one with a high level of accuracy. A few count accurately to twelve and beyond and most of these relate actual objects to the number in question with a high level of success. Most sequence numerals pinned on a small washing line, and most give the right order, although a few make some mistakes and look for help to accomplish the task. Children have a good basic number vocabulary and speak confidently about concepts such as ‘more than,’ ‘less than’, ‘too much

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The school’s results and children’ achievements

flour’, ‘not enough butter’ and understand ‘the same as’ and ‘balance’. In a food technology lesson they discussed how ingredients changed and the good things that happened during cooking. Children recognise different 2-dimensional shapes such as circle, square, triangle and rectangle and relate them successfully to three-dimensional building blocks. They know that they can build well with cuboids and cubes, that cylinders roll and that cones are good to put on the top of towers but are of no use at the bottom.

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The school’s results and children’ achievements

5. Staff plan well to give children a deeper understanding of their everyday world. There is much provided for them to explore, investigate and sharpen their senses. For example, children are curious about the rapidly developing tadpoles and can replicate the life-cycle using good quality pictures and life-like models. Frogspawn was described as being like flat black bits in jelly bubbles. Work on mini-beasts and their habitats carried out in the environmental garden was at a level above that expected for such young children and was as good as that found in the early stages of work at Key Stage 1 in most primary schools. Staff are very knowledgeable and have created conditions that enable children to identify a range of insects, beetles, snails and worms. Children view them in special boxes through magnifying lenses and know they must be gently returned to the correct place in a short time after collection. They reach the

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The school’s results and children’ achievements

level expected for their age when working in wet and dry sand and demonstrate how to separate larger items from the dry black sand by sieving. They know very well that the dry sand is good for pouring whilst for building they need the damp sand. In all of these activities most select the right words to describe what they are seeing and feeling although some need more help and encouragement than do others. The children have a good awareness of other cultures and use pictures and artefacts well to explain about events such as Christmas, Diwali, Eid and the Chinese New Year. Their work on computers is above the level expected for such young children. The majority are working at a level that is most frequently found towards the end of reception classes. Although hardly any have computers in the home one demonstrated how to write his name using a paint program and others explained how to locate the text box and the

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The school’s results and children’ achievements

6. The physical development of children is at the level expected for their age. They know that they need to co-operate with one another to make some of the bigger trucks move any distance. Most move with appropriate co-ordination and, particularly outside, climb and jump enthusiastically with tremendous confidence although they are all alert to the safety rules that are very firmly established. The fine control needed to cut along straight and curved lines and to cut string using scissors varied but all of the children who attempted the tasks attained a level that enabled them to complete their working model of Incey Wincey spider climbing up the spout. During outdoor play, most use bicycles and pedal cars to the anticipated level. Their play is very purposeful and imaginative due to the very good facilities provided by the staff that have been enhanced by the fundraising of governors with the parents.

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The school’s results and children’ achievements

7. Standards of attainment in creative development are above those expected nationally for children of this age. Most have an increasing awareness of how different medium can be used to model, paint and print. Some good examples of all these techniques were on display. Children hold brushes appropriate to their age and try hard to bring shape and form to their Spring Hill Nursery School - 12 paintings. Creative role-play is good and is designed to consolidate known language and introduce new vocabulary. Singing is tuneful and most children acquire a good range of songs and nursery rhymes that they are proud to demonstrate to visitors. The use of a range of instruments, including a key board, is enjoyed by the children who maintain a beat and who wait until it is their turn counting beats before joining in for their section of the repeating tune.

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The school’s results and children’ achievements

8. The standards reached by children with special educational needs vary according to their learning difficulties. All special needs children progress well because of their own enthusiasm and through careful teaching that breaks down basic learning into small steps enabling them to taste success before moving on to new things. The work is well supported by carefully produced individual learning plans that list small attainable targets and record progress very well. The support provided for hearing impaired and autistic children is good and enables them to make good progress. The care, enthusiasm and encouragement of the staff enable them to be fully involved in the life and work of the school.

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The school’s results and children’ achievements

9. Children who learn English as an additional language are very well supported. This is a great improvement since the time of the last inspection. There is always an adult to explain new language and routines in their first language and build bridges between the familiar vocabulary and new language. For these reasons children make good progress that matches that of the rest of the group both in the morning and the afternoon sessions. The same stories are regularly told in both languages and questioning is used to check that the use of imagery in stories is understood because of the skills of the bilingual staff.

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The school’s results and children’ achievements

10. All children achieve well in all areas of their learning and make good progress as a result of the good and very good teaching as well as their own physical and creative efforts. Only a few are still very reliant on the teacher for guiding them through an activity and many are already confident independent learners who plan their day with their teachers but regularly take turns and use their own initiative within the secure framework of the day. During the inspection, team members regularly needed to review their judgements, as it was possible to think that they were not in a nursery class but were observing children towards the end of the reception year.

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Children’s attitudes, values and personal development

11. Children’s attitudes, their behaviour and relationships with each other, staff and visitors are very effective, constructive and purposeful. The social environment for learning is always warm, friendly, harmonious and very conducive to children’s’ personal social and emotional development. Children are excited about coming to school, although the level of attendance of a small minority of children is erratic and spoils the overall attendance levels.

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Children’s attitudes, values and personal development

12. Children consistently approach their tasks with enthusiasm and excitement and gain immense enjoyment from everything they undertake. They listen attentively to their teachers and are often keen and eager to answer questions. Their spirit of inquiry helps children to become highly motivated and confident learners. Children are eager to please and exhibit their work with pride. At story time, their inquisitive nature helps them to develop speaking and listening skills and most children readily engage in discussion. This was particularly evident when some bilingual children were invited to listen to a story in Punjabi and confidently spoke about what was happening in the story, expressing their views in English and Punjabi. This experience helped them to raise their self-esteem and to grow in confidence. Very good teaching offers effective opportunities for independent learning, which are taken and used very confidently and

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Children’s attitudes, values and personal development

maturely by most children. During a music lesson children were invited to assist the teacher with the distribution of instruments. Children exercised their responsibilities with confidence and enthusiasm. During the lesson, all children, irrespective of race, gender and culture expressed their delight in singing. Very occasionally some bilingual children still lacked confidence evidently due to their under-developed skills in speaking English. These children are helped to succeed by the gentle intervention and support of the bilingual team. The children use a good spirit of enquiry to learn, share and appreciate the efforts of others.

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Children’s attitudes, values and personal development

13. Behaviour is very good in teaching and learning sessions and around the school. Children clearly understand the school’s code of conduct, and the concept of right and wrong. Children respect each other and they all respect their teachers. They always ensure that they approach adults with respect and in a warm and friendly manner. Most children have a very strong willingness to speak about themselves, their parents, and aspects of activities in the home and school. In the playground, there are no signs of bullying or other types of inappropriate behaviour. Children are taught how to learn and how to relate well to one another. Children use Spring Hill Nursery School - 13 their playtime effectively to learn, explore the environment and ensure they interact in a cohesive and very purposeful manner. Sanctions are rarely used and teachers rely on children’s self-discipline to ensure consistent good behaviour. There have been no exclusions

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Children’s attitudes, values and personal development

and the total absence of racist attitudes and behaviour highlight this. The school community continues to learn in a harmonious and stimulating environment.

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Children’s attitudes, values and personal development

14. Relationships between children and with all adults are very constructive, warm, caring and all children and staff enjoy the challenge of positive interaction with visitors. There are very effective friendships within and outside gender and race groups. All staff members promote and develop children’s learning and support their personal, emotional and social development. They use these positive relationships effectively to increase trust and understanding. Teachers consistently encourage learning in mixed gender and racial groups and complement this by supporting the learning of bilingual children in their respective racial group. This method of teaching helps to discourage sexist and racist attitudes and behaviour, as well as to ensure that all children are proud of their cultural heritage. All staff value their working relationships and the minority ethnic bilingual staff work diligently alongside their colleagues, sharing

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Children’s attitudes, values and personal development

responsibilities for the multi-racial school community that they serve. These positive examples of good practice are an integral part of children’s development. This environment creates an ethos of mutual respect and understanding.

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Children’s attitudes, values and personal development

15. Children are given very good opportunities to help and support each other and they enjoy assisting the teacher in parts of lessons. For example, during music lessons children were eager to manipulate a puppet spider in order to demonstrate the key elements of a song. Children help to tidy up at the end of the lesson quickly and efficiently. Many children are excited about explaining how they support charitable causes and contribute to school funds. These opportunities enable children to become responsible citizens of the school and the wider multi-racial community.

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Children’s attitudes, values and personal development

16. For a minority of children the level of attendance is less than satisfactory. This is often affected by the significant number of families who take their children on extended holidays during term time. Such absences obviously disrupt children’s learning and progress as well as preventing another child from benefiting from the nursery place. Although, the school makes serious attempts to discourage parents from taking their child on holiday during term time, and makes effective use of the education welfare service, as well as rigorous investigation of all absences, attendance remains below the school’s desired ninety per cent benchmark. However, the school continues to remind parents of their responsibility and encourages them to bring their child to school regularly and on time.

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Children’s attitudes, values and personal development

17. Since the last report the school has sustained its high expectations of behaviour and this continues to support the very effective attitudes, which were observed on this inspection.

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HOW WELL ARE CHILDREN OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

18. The quality of teaching is good. In the 21 sessions observed it was never less than good and was judged to be very good in 33 per cent. This is an improvement since the time of the last inspection. Throughout the inspection teachers demonstrated a number of excellent facets within their teaching. The shared understanding and structured organisation of the teamwork are strengths of the provision and have a positive effect on the children’s everyday learning. Teaching is often carried out by classroom assistants, under the direction of teachers following an initial introduction by the teacher. Sessions are regularly for short periods of time and build into a total accomplishment of the objectives set over time. Understandably this step by step process of development is designed to consolidate learning over time and large jumps are made in very few lessons. The systematic progress over time is good and reflects continuously

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HOW WELL ARE CHILDREN OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

good teaching and builds up to very good work and a very effective school. However, this means that there are very few ‘set piece’ lessons that would attract many very good or excellent teaching grades. Nevertheless, over time, in order to achieve the very positive results seen there must be a consistent level of good and very good teaching.

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HOW WELL ARE CHILDREN OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

19. The overall good quality of teaching and learning is based on careful planning across all areas of learning. All staff have a good understanding of the curriculum for the new Foundation Stage and are very knowledgeable about how to enable children to attain the early learning goals. They are hard-working, conscientious and determined to provide experiences that meet the needs of all children. Planning is successful in providing highly active learning as well as Spring Hill Nursery School - 14 involving investigating, repeating, revising and consolidating the children’s developing knowledge, skills and understanding. Parents praised the quality of teaching and the support given to their children by all the adults in the nursery.

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HOW WELL ARE CHILDREN OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

20. Examples of very good teaching and learning were particularly evident in the excellent start to each session, when adults provided very good role models for the children in their social interaction with one another. Children quickly learn the rules and routines of the nursery as a direct result of the effective planning, organisation and teamwork of all the staff. Activities are set out invitingly, careful thought being given to the presentation of resources and their effect on learning. For example, a small group of children entered the nursery confidently and chose to work together sociably at the dough table with others choosing to work in the sand. They shared out the interesting tools and utensils sensibly and played with them in a mature manner. All of the children displayed a level of maturity that was greater than that frequently found in nursery classes. One parent commented that her child had behaved in a very immature way

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HOW WELL ARE CHILDREN OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

when he started the nursery and was then unable to sit still and was unwilling to share toys with others. He would, she said, grab toys and sit on them to prevent others playing. The good development was put down by this parent to the skill of the staff in offering opportunities that he could not bear to ignore. Adults are very effective in assessing the needs of groups of children in many similar situations, and teaching and learning are well supported by many such skilful interventions. Overall planning is structured effectively, such as in the well-thought-out entry procedures, but it is also flexible enough to allow both direct and indirect teaching and learning to take place in both indoor and outdoor play settings.

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HOW WELL ARE CHILDREN OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

21. The identification of the needs of individuals is more informal and although there is good communication between adults the recording of observed problems is not as good as the recording of attainments and successes. A minor omission is the formal recording of extension activities initiated to extend the learning of those children that have attained a set goal. Such activities are organised and are used very effectively but whilst a record of these activities is maintained in the teachers’ files it is not part of the formal recording process in individual records of achievement. Similarly these records identify only successes and the detailed steps towards success are part of the records only of those children identified as having special educational needs. As a result, although all of the staff share their comprehensive knowledge with one another very well, their written plans do not sufficiently highlight the special individual

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HOW WELL ARE CHILDREN OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

intentions to check or extend the learning of some children. However, observation shows that the teachers and nursery nurses all modify their language and support for every individual child because they know them so well.

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HOW WELL ARE CHILDREN OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

22. In all direct teaching sessions both support staff and teachers use questions effectively to encourage and challenge children to develop their vocabulary and their independent thinking. In such a situation, a small group of children were captivated by the habits of insects and mini- beasts in the well-organised garden. The teacher guided the children’s thinking very skilfully by modelling language for the least confident and those with English as an additional language and by posing questions to challenge the most accomplished as they observed the different specimens through magnifying glasses. A collection of pictures and reference books provided by the teacher was looked at eagerly as she guided children in finding out where beetles and worms lived and what the parts of spiders were called and how they made their webs. The very good balance between adult intervention and the children’s own initiative meant that that most

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HOW WELL ARE CHILDREN OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

youngsters had the confidence to persevere and concentrate with their observations for a good length of time. Many returned to the task in other sessions and continued their explorations and observations. Careful discussions between the staff at the initial planning stage mean that all adults are well prepared to respond to children in a variety of situations and this resulted in some very successful teaching and learning situations. The staff prepare lists of questions and intended outcomes for volunteer helpers who come to share in activities such as sewing or baking. Through effective organisation and thoughtful questions, all adults established clear links to literacy, numeracy and the area studied in learning about the world.

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HOW WELL ARE CHILDREN OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

23. A consistent feature found within all the teaching, is the influence of skilled, caring adults who provide stimulating and interesting activities for the children in their care. Well-established routines and well-prepared sessions with very attractive good quality resources provide relevant experiences. Lively approaches to support learning are also applied consistently amongst all the adults, with appropriate intervention to engage children in the learning process. The basic skills of literacy and numeracy are taught well and both long- and medium-term planning clearly identify the stages of learning and experiences that children need to attain the early learning goals by the end of the Foundation Stage. Although the teachers and nursery Spring Hill Nursery School - 15 nurses are always very clear about what the learning objectives are these are not always shared fully with those children who choose to join an activity after it has been begun. The

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HOW WELL ARE CHILDREN OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

review session does highlight what has been achieved and what has been learned but sometimes it is only informally that children know why they are undertaking what is always a very useful and enjoyable activity. However, every opportunity is taken to ensure that at every step all opportunities to develop language and numeracy skills are exploited.

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HOW WELL ARE CHILDREN OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

24. Teaching and learning for children with special educational needs and those learning English as an additional language are consistently good. This is a marked improvement since the last inspection. Care is taken to include them in all nursery activities. Careful support and questioning by all the adults help to promote effective learning. Skilled management of these situations means that all children are included positively in the life of the nursery, which raises their self-esteem as learners. Adults work closely together to support the children, regularly assessing their progress and planning the next step of learning.

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TO CHILDREN?

25. The indoor and outdoor curriculum provided for the children in the nursery is good. The nursery provides a good range of worthwhile opportunities within a stimulating and well-balanced curriculum. Lessons are well planned according to the nationally recommended areas of learning for children at the Foundation Stage and all activities are well matched to the children’s ages. Very clear and detailed policies and guidelines for all areas of learning enable teachers to plan work effectively. This is an improvement since the previous inspection.

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TO CHILDREN?

26. The curriculum provides equality of opportunity and access in order for all children including those with special educational needs to make good progress. This high standard of equality of opportunity for all children has been improved since the last inspection in particular in relation to the provision for children with English as an additional language.

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TO CHILDREN?

27. Cross-curricular work is a very good feature of teachers’ planning, which makes children aware of connections between the different areas of learning. For example, when the children were painting pictures of spiders the teacher consistently reinforced the number of legs which they needed to paint. The nursery provides a good range of interesting activities, in the classrooms and outside which enhance children’s learning. A very good example was seen as the children worked with clipboards and pooters as they looked for mini-beasts and then referred to a chart to identify what they found. Good emphasis was given to the detail on the chart regarding the drawings and the written word. A higher attaining little boy confidently said ‘ Most of the mini- beasts are under the ground because it is so cold’. The children have many opportunities to watch new life and care for animals in the nursery. Gerbils and guinea pigs are tenderly

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TO CHILDREN?

cherished by all of the children and adults. All children show interest as they learn about the life cycle of frogs and butterflies. Most children eagerly talk about how ‘one tadpole has already turned into a frog’ . Another child said that to begin with ‘The tadpoles looked like flat bubbles’. Children watch with amazement as the duckling eggs in the incubator move. These young children have followed a chart counting the days and are now aware that they are due to hatch tomorrow. These exciting activities enable them to learn how to look after and care for animals as they interact socially and develop good personal and social skills. 28. Visits to places of interest such as the theatre where they see pantomimes like ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ enhance the children’s’ understanding of stories they hear and give them an insight into the world beyond the nursery. The dental nurse, one of many visitors, promotes the

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TO CHILDREN?

importance of looking after teeth when she is invited in to talk to the children. Displays enhance the nursery and celebrate and reinforce what has been taught. All adults clearly value the children’s efforts and displays are of high quality.

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TO CHILDREN?

29. The teachers have worked hard to develop good strategies for the teaching of literacy and numeracy. Basic skills in these areas of learning are well promoted in all activities. This results in most of them confidently working with letters and numbers. Speaking and listening skills and the teaching of early reading skills and a love for books are well promoted. Resources are good to support these areas of learning; books have been carefully chosen and resources are generally of high quality so as to capture the interest of the children and encourage them to maintain their concentration and promote learning. There are many opportunities for children to develop basic skills as they confidently use the computers. Spring Hill Nursery School - 16 30. Very good provision is made for children’ personal, social and health education and this is an improvement since the last time the nursery was inspected. This area of learning is well

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TO CHILDREN?

promoted in everything the children take part in. The importance of a healthy lifestyle is discussed frequently as children eat their snacks and identify their name on their own clearly labelled milk carton.

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TO CHILDREN?

31. The school provides good support for children with special educational needs. Children causing concern are highlighted early and useful, informative records are kept on each child. Individual education plans have clear targets and these plans are reviewed regularly. Parents are involved with this process and the nursery has maintained this high standard since the previous inspection. Good provision is provided for the children who have English as an additional language. Since the last inspection the school has increased the number of trained staff working with children by the addition of two skilled bilingual support assistants. Since then the work to support children from minority ethnic groups has been greatly enhanced and as a result they now learn at the same rate as other children.

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TO CHILDREN?

32. Good induction procedures include parents and children being invited into the nursery during the summer term and staff visiting all new children at home. Parents state that this results in the children settling in happily and quickly during the autumn term. Mutual benefits have been developed from constructive relationships with partner institutions such as the local primary schools. Visits are arranged so that when children move on from the nursery they are familiar with basic procedures before they start their new school. The nursery is well supported by the local education authority’s advisory service whose staff provides advice and support for children with special educational needs. The local authority provides the additional funding for the bilingual staff, but it is the school that undertakes the monitoring of the effectiveness of the work in this area with the governors.

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TO CHILDREN?

33. Links with the community are good. The school is involved with Hyndburn First, which involves the nursery working closely with the local borough council. Plans over the next few years clearly show how the nursery intends to extend the services it offers. The local area is used well as the children use it to begin to get an understanding of the area near to the nursery. These planned visits to places like the Bubble factory and visitors from the local community invited in, such as the local Member of Parliament and policeman, enrich the curriculum in all areas.

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TO CHILDREN?

34. The provision for moral and social development is very good. It is good for spiritual and cultural development. This high standard has been maintained since the last inspection and continues to be a strength of the school. Provision for spiritual education pervades the many activities in which the children take part. The classrooms and the outdoor playground and garden celebrate the wonderful world in which we live through carefully planned child-friendly areas. All children have many opportunities to sit, listen and look at the wonders around them. During the inspection there were many examples where the children looked, listened and learnt in amazement. During outdoor play sessions they are amazed as they discover life in the form of mini-beasts. In the classrooms as they listened attentively to stories such as The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle, many were able to decide what the spider might find on the farm. All of

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TO CHILDREN?

the children are very excitedly waiting for duckling eggs to hatch in the incubator in the classroom. One little boy stood and watched an egg move and said ‘I can hardly wait until tomorrow when they might hatch!

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TO CHILDREN?

35. Provision for moral development is very good. Children are expected to behave well and quickly learn the difference between right and wrong. As they get older the children begin to show higher levels of respect to adults and visitors in the school and towards each other. They know how to share equipment and the importance of taking turns. They are inquisitive and confident and the more articulate children politely ask questions for example ‘What are you writing?’ and ‘Is this my carton of milk?’ All adults provide good examples as to how children should relate to one another and constantly reinforce thoughtful and good behaviour.

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TO CHILDREN?

36. Very good provision is made for social development. Most children demonstrate very good listening skills in lessons and pay close attention when others speak during class discussions. This is because listening skills are consistently developed very well throughout the nursery. This atmosphere, created by the courtesy shown by every child to others, makes these sessions enjoyable and very good social occasions. Good examples were seen at the end of sessions when the children shared work which they had completed and were encouraged to Spring Hill Nursery School - 17 discuss what they had learnt. There are many opportunities for children to work together in lessons. For example children confidently and maturely work in pairs as they develop basic skills when they use the computers or in small groups when they use sand trays to learn how to write their names correctly. They generally relate very well towards each other when they work

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TO CHILDREN?

together in groups in the classrooms and during the time they spend in the outside area.

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TO CHILDREN?

37. The provision for cultural development is good. Through learning about different festivals such as Christmas, Eid and the Chinese New Year the children begin to understand their own and the cultural traditions of others. Resources for this area are good; the children see many dual language books and listen to stories from other cultures, complete jigsaws that show different foods around the world and dress up in clothes from different traditions. Cultural development is promoted well in many activities. The children are happy in everything they do. To them the world appears to be a wonderful place to be in.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS CHILDREN?

38. The provision for children’s care, their support, guidance and welfare is very effective. This is evident in the priority that the governors and staff give to health and safety. It is complemented by the arrangements for child protection, which are good and together these factors enable the school community to learn in a very safe and secure environment.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS CHILDREN?

39. Teachers enjoy a very constructive, trusting and purposeful relationship with children. They celebrate and reward children’s achievements, both inside and outside the classroom. Teachers and support staff provide very effective supervision and listen attentively to children’s concerns. They provide good quality educational advice, guidance and moral support. Through this care all children feel secure, confident and self-assured and in turn this strong self-esteem leads to good standards of achievement.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS CHILDREN?

40. The health and safety policy ensures very good practice in the school. The local education authority makes regular health and safety checks on the building and on the equipment. All aspects of safety are thoroughly inspected. Parents are informed of all accidents, even very minor bumps, which involve their child. These practices ensure that children and staff are safe. The personal, social and health education programme encourages even the youngest children to make informed choices about what they choose to eat and healthy eating is a planned feature at snack-time. A dental nurse makes regular visits to emphasise the importance of oral hygiene and to support learning about taking care of our teeth.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS CHILDREN?

41. There are very good procedures in place for monitoring and raising existing levels of attendance. The headteacher and other staff implement a very effective system, which ensures all absences are thoroughly investigated and monitored systematically This information is used effectively to discourage further absences, particularly extended family holidays to Pakistan, which drastically affect the attendance levels of some children. Most parents work well alongside the school and support their efforts to improve existing levels of attendance. The educational welfare officer is available and supports the school’s work. A system of rewards for children’s individual and collective efforts is used well to foster good attendance and time keeping. These measures including attendance certificates and prizes for perfect attendance have encouraged many parents to help their own child gain the awards with the resulting

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS CHILDREN?

42. The procedures for monitoring and promoting positive behaviour are good. Children are consistently encouraged to follow the school’s code of conduct and behave in an orderly and mature manner. All staff, particularly the headteacher, use very effective strategies which enable children to achieve very good standards of behaviour and to care for one another. There is a very interesting range of formal and informal learning opportunities. Children appreciate and value the reward system that is used consistently and fairly by all of the adults so ensuring that children’s attitudes and behaviour are constructive and purposeful. All of their good behaviour and attitudes are recorded and celebrated both inside and outside the school. Children’s work is well displayed and this creates a stimulating and creative environment for further learning and helps children to take great pride in their work. This pride in achievement

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS CHILDREN?

raises children’s confidence and self-esteem and reinforces the values of good behaviour. Parents are rightly proud of their children and make an invaluable contribution to their child’s education. Spring Hill Nursery School - 18 43. Procedures for monitoring and eliminating oppressive behaviour are good. The behaviour policy clearly illustrates that inappropriate behaviour is unacceptable and outlines a code of conduct, which ensures the safety and well being of the school community. Parents are informed of the rules of behaviour and are expected to support the school in expecting all children to conform to the rules. All children are taught what is expected of them and which behaviour is unacceptable. In practice all incidents of concern, which are rare, are thoroughly investigated. There is a system in place for recording, monitoring and reporting to parents. Racism is rarely an issue for the school. Parents and children rightly value the school as a

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS CHILDREN?

place which is safe, secure, friendly and happy.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS CHILDREN?

44. Arrangements for monitoring and supporting children’s’ personal development are very good. Praise is very effectively used to encourage efforts and raise children’s self-esteem. Significant achievements, both inside and outside of the classroom, are celebrated daily in story time and through informal contact with teachers and other staff. Diversity is acknowledged and celebrated. For example, two bilingual support workers use children’s community language to extend learning and to check understanding through stories, direct teaching and role-play. During the inspection, other staff were observed making very effective use of group discussion and role-play which were complemented with music and information about health education. This provision enables children to make informed choices and helps to create a warm, friendly, calm and enjoyable learning environment. It helps raise children’s confidence and self-esteem

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS CHILDREN?

and ensures equality of treatment and experience for both boys and girls.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS CHILDREN?

45. The overall assessment of academic achievement is practical and thorough. Groups of children are monitored each day so that over a week every child has been observed undertaking work in the developmental areas and the milestones towards the achievement of the early learning goals are recorded. All observations are reviewed regularly and the progress made by groups of children is an important part of the next stage of planning. The school is aware that although each teacher and nursery nurse knows the children well, and modifies activities and teaching strategies appropriately, the detailed steps of any modified programme are only recorded formally for those children with special educational needs. The school has plans to pilot a new, more individually based, system with those children who are to join the school in the coming term. The new approach is intended to provide a clearer entry profile that

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS CHILDREN?

will enable planning and recording to be more precise for every child. This approach will also benefit those children capable of higher attainment who make rapid gains, as it will show what additional activities have been employed in order to offer greater challenge. At the present time this work is undertaken in a less formal manner and, although the progress is maintained very well, the selected activities depend on the personal knowledge that teachers hold about each child. Notes made on the weekly checking grid are useful but do not form a systematic record over time. At the present time, the work undertaken, and its success or failure, is communicated orally to other members of the teaching team either informally or during weekly review meetings.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS CHILDREN?

46. Samples of work are collected across the year as each child is helped to create his or her special book. In this book there are examples of work that demonstrate progress towards the learning goals. These include samples common to all children as well as work considered to be special by the individual child. These books include pictures, work undertaken on the computer and photographs of special models or activities. Children and parents prize these special books. Children delight in displaying ‘when I made a castle’ or, ‘ when I painted my daddy’ . Sharing these books with adults is important to each individual. Alongside these each child has a record of when each stage of the early learning goals was achieved. Both of these records go with the child to its receiving primary school before being returned to parents as a record and memory of their child’s first year of formal learning.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS CHILDREN?

47. Besides this the art gallery displays a selected piece of work by every member of the nursery, which is changed at the request of the child. Everyone knows where their space is and most reflect on how much better the new work is when compared with the picture being replaced. The step-by-step progress is observed by the vast majority of interested parents who take home the older picture to place against first efforts in kitchens and bedrooms. Since the last report, the school has consistently sustained the effective provision for the care, support guidance and welfare of all children.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

Spring Hill Nursery School - 19 48. Parents’ views of the school are very positive. The great majority enjoys a constructive and purposeful relationship with the school and all parents who offered an opinion spoke well of its work. Parents value the very positive atmosphere for play, work and learning within the school, the work of the leadership, other staff and the good standards of behaviour, which are encouraged and achieved by children. Parents’ suggestions and concerns are fully addressed and this creates a mutually caring and trusting environment. The inspection team is in full agreement with the parents’ very positive views of the school and its work.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

49. Parents are pleased with the good quality of information they receive through the school prospectus, the home-school agreement and the annual report from governors. These school documents are written in an accessible style and comply with statutory requirements. Some important school letters and the annual report from governors to parents are translated into Urdu. Parents value the opportunity to speak with members of staff in their community languages of Punjabi and Urdu. This provision is available at the start and end of every session and further enhances the good levels of communication between school and home. Parents state that they enjoy the regular newsletters, which are interesting and attractive. This communication enables them to follow the topics being undertaken in the classroom, as well as to celebrate the achievements of the children and the school community. Parents particularly

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

appreciate the information they receive at parents’ evenings. This is complemented by events organised by parents and the community inside and outside the school. Parents perceive social events as constructive and particularly informative. This is due to the headteacher and teachers’ positive attitudes to parents. During the inspection, a significant number of parents were observed talking purposefully with class teachers and assistants, exchanging information and building on the positive relationships that contribute to the work of the school.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

50. Parents are consistently encouraged by the headteacher and staff to support learning in the classroom and around school. Inspection evidence indicates that many parents support learning in the classroom by their involvement at the end of each session in what their child has done. They help at home by sharing books and reading with their children. This helps to raise levels of attainment and enhances the achievements of the children. This involvement contributes greatly to the children’s’ progress and development

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

51. Parents make a good contribution to children’s learning in the home by supporting speaking skills in the community language in the home and by playing with toys and sharing books. They help to finance school visits and most ensure that their child attends school regularly and on time, and comes each day with a good attitude to learning. The governors endeavour to ensure that both parents and staff meet the requirements of the home-school agreement. This support enables the school to continue to flourish as a positive, industrious and harmonious community. Since the last report, the school has continued to develop close working links with its parents, maintaining strong effective channels of communication and building on the good provision that was observed at that time. The provision has improved because the day-to-day activities of the school have made the work of the nursery more accessible to many parents

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

through the use of trained speakers of the community languages.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52. The school is very well led by the headteacher who is ably supported by the team of teachers, nursery nurses and bilingual assistants. Effective teamwork is the key to the nursery school’s management provision. Specialists who visit to support hearing impaired children and the child with autism make valuable contributions. The insistence by the headteacher that all bilingual staff are skilled not only linguistically but in their knowledge and understanding of how young children learn has been a very positive step in increasing the effectiveness of the school.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. The nursery has clear aims that are displayed for all parents and are reflected in its everyday practice, activities and procedures. The support given to children with special educational needs and those learning English as an additional language provides a very good example of educational inclusion, where every child is fully involved in all of the nursery’s activities. There is strong emphasis on equality of opportunity for all children to gain maximum benefit from their time there. This successful enterprise of including every child fully is an improvement since the time of the last inspection. Spring Hill Nursery School - 20 54. The headteacher’s vision and sense of purpose give clear educational direction and this is reflected in the priorities for the nursery as expressed in the school’s well organised development plan. Roles and responsibilities are well-established, but it is largely the co-

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

operative teamwork that makes the nursery operate so successfully on a daily basis. There is a shared commitment to maintain and enhance the provision and to meet the targets set within the development plan. This now is a useful working document, better than at the time of the last inspection and it takes a realistic view of planning for new initiatives with manageable time-scales as to what can be achieved in any given year. The small staff accept a share in all of the responsibilities and the practical support given willingly by many members of the governing body is invaluable.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55. The nursery has a well-informed knowledgeable governing body that assists the headteacher in planning priorities and monitoring progress towards agreed targets. Together with the headteacher the chair of governors and other members regularly evaluate the quality of teaching and learning that occurs. There is a strong awareness of the strengths of the school and a realistic view of areas where change would be beneficial so that no hint of complacency is allowed. The governors share fully in fundraising activities and have initiated some of the improvements such as the development of the garden play area and the creation of the pebble fountain, which is ready for repair following a time when the garden was vandalised.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

56. The current team of teachers and governors has taken appropriate action to help meet the nursery’s targets for growth and future success. Skilled practitioners have suitably increased the level of staffing and although the support personnel have changed, the good quality has been maintained. The additional bilingual staff has made it possible to lift the quality and extend the range of learning that occurs. This represents a considerable improvement for the nursery since the previous inspection. The book collection and the quality and range of resources for teaching and learning are very good. All of these are well managed and are used effectively to extend children’s learning and progress. Correct focus has also been given to improving those areas in need of attention following the previous inspection.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

57. The allocation of money given to the nursery involves only partial delegation and development of funds. The basic funds for establishment staffing are not part of the school’s budget although support for children with special educational needs and the budget for raising achievements for ethnic minority children are. All available finance, including specific grants, managed by the headteacher and the governors is well-targeted and the impact of spending in the nursery is monitored very carefully to good effect. Good attention is paid to the principles of best value to ensure that resources are used most effectively to meet the needs of the children.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

58. The overall number of staff who work in the nursery is good and clearly has a good impact on teaching and learning. Teachers and nursery nurses and bilingual support staff blend together well and children receive close, individual attention. All of the staff attend many courses to increase their own subject knowledge and improve experience. Parents rightly praise this highly supportive system.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

59. The accommodation is good. It is imaginatively laid out and well managed and supervised. Staff work together very well to monitor work and to prepare the various activity bases. The nursery is a bright and stimulating environment for learning where children’s work is well displayed and there is much for the children themselves to see, handle and think about. The management of children’s learning is good. Informal procedures to track problems and how they are solved and the provision of more challenging work for those capable of higher attainment are undertaken sensitively. However, the school has identified a need for more formal manageable procedures to record these endeavours in order to increase the efficiency of the work already undertaken. Resources for learning are very good.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

60. The management of children with special educational needs and those learning English as an additional language is good, and the regular staff meetings when the needs of individuals are discussed ensure that all such children make good progress. Time is made each day for the quiet observation of a different set of children in turn and this enables teachers and all nursery staff to identify any part of the provision that requires review.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

61. On entry the overall levels of attainment, as shown by scrutiny of children’s entry profiles, are below those for most children of the same age nationally. Children make very good progress and quickly develop very good attitudes to school and learning and establish a very good pattern of relationships and behaviour. The management of the school by the governors and Spring Hill Nursery School - 21 the headteacher, through the well designed school development plan and the pattern of good and very good teaching, means that children of all abilities make progress that is always good and for many is very good. When set against the available money allocated and considering that most children leaving at four have attained the levels that are expected by the time they are five the team considers that the school provides very good value for money.

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LANGUAGE

62. Since the last inspection there have been a number of significant changes in provision for work with children learning English as an additional language. With the governing body the headteacher gained the support of the local education authority in providing skilled trained nursery specialists who have a good knowledge and understanding not only of English, Punjabi and Urdu but also of how young children learn. All of the designated staff are bilingual nursery nurses who have had specialist training to work with children using English as an additional language. These specialist workers are an integral part of the nursery team and are fully involved in the entire planning process. They never work with a special group in isolation. All staff regularly use their own time to discuss children’s needs and progress. This time is given willingly as it enables the specialist teachers to offer more to children than if they were working

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LANGUAGE

63. The value of these workers to the settling and establishment of routines for three and four- year-old children is immense. The help provided to children by the bilingual personnel during story sessions and in role-play activities enables the majority to make progress with the same speed as all other children in the class. They make observations and evaluations of children’s needs, in preparation for new vocabulary so those children from minority ethnic groups are always fully involved in the learning process.

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LANGUAGE

64. The evaluation of the benefits of this work is undertaken by the school, following a set of procedures that have been developed by the staff themselves. These strategies fit well within the assessment strategies used by the school. All available data in the teachers’ and children’s special books and records of individual achievement are maintained for all children not just those with a first language other than English and shows in detail the successes of individuals and groups. The benefits of the cost of the support staff are carefully evaluated each year to ensure that attainment levels are raised because of the success of the intervention. Details of problems are shared but are not always recorded and in turn it is more difficult to track progress. Any lack of progress or sudden change in circumstances is always identified but it tends to be by observation rather than by systematic monitoring.

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LANGUAGE

65. The school uses the information gathered by the general evaluation process in a sensible way in order to ensure that all staff provide suitable support for children. Since the previous inspection, the intervention by the bilingual staff has lifted the quality of learning overall from good to very good because of their specialist language skills and their full integration with the nursery team. The school has identified a need to develop a more detailed process of tracking individuals as well as groups so that through the process those interventions that work well can be recorded and used to promote the learning of others in due course.

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LANGUAGE

66. All teachers set learning objectives, which are invariably achieved. An analysis of attainments achieved in respect to ethnicity is carried out informally and is set against the attainments of all other children. For most children the profiles of attainment are hard to separate and children from minority groups prosper as well as any of their peers. Every member of staff is committed to the care and the needs of all children and the nursery team collaborates fully in all work discussing effective ways of supporting children through the work of the curriculum.

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LANGUAGE

67. Within the school support for children learning English as an additional language is managed very effectively. Through collaborative planning all work is targeted to support the curriculum planned for all children. Resources are very good and match the needs of teachers, individuals and groups. There is an efficient use of time; all of the bilingual staff are fully integrated into the life of the school. They are known well by the children and their impact is greatly valued by parents. Their work is valued highly by the rest of the school personnel.

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LANGUAGE

68. At the time of the previous inspection the lack of bilingual support was the chief weakness of the school. It is now an additional strength. The language and cultural support is very well Spring Hill Nursery School - 22 organised and of good quality and in turn this enables all Punjabi speaking children to have full access to the curriculum so that they make gains at the same rate as other children.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

69. There are no significant weaknesses at Spring Hill Nursery School. However, in order to improve provision and enhance the already good practice the governors, headteacher and staff might consider the following recommendations:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

review the formal procedures for recording the assessments made of children in establishing their individual entry profile, as identified in the school development plans, in order to be more precise as to where children need additional intervention strategies;

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Use these individual details to highlight modifications in planning for teaching to promote specifically identified learning skills

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Paragraphs 21, 59. Spring Hill Nursery School - 23

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and children 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

0 33 67 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 children

Number of children on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time children) 40

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Information about the school’s children

Number of full-time children known to be eligible for free school meals 0 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Information about the school’s children

Number of children with statements of special educational needs 2

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Information about the school’s children

Number of children on the school’s special educational needs register 7

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Information about the school’s children

English as an additional language Number of children

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Information about the school’s children

Number of children with English as an additional language 28

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Information about the school’s children

Pupil mobility in the last school year Number of children

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Information about the school’s children

Children who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 3

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Information about the school’s children

Children who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 5 Spring Hill Nursery School - 24

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Teachers and classes

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 2

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Teachers and classes

Number of children per qualified teacher 20

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Teachers and classes

Total number of education support staff 7

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Teachers and classes

Total aggregate hours worked per week 127

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Teachers and classes

Number of children per FTE adult 4.4 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Teachers and classes

The school does not have full financial delegation. Only the salaries of additional staff funded through special grants are within the management of the governing body and the more usual table for financial information is not relevant to the audited accounts maintained by the school, inspected by the team and included in the body of evidence.

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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 23 0 0 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 77 23 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 30 34 14 5 18

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 64 27 7 2 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 84 11 2 0 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 66 30 0 0 5

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 59 34 0 2 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 77 23 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 75 16 0 0 9

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 48 25 5 5 18 Spring Hill Nursery School - 25

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

70. Children join the nursery school in the September of the year in which they will be four. For some of them this is soon after their third birthday. The assessment procedures undertaken in the autumn term, soon after entry to the school, indicate that overall the attainment on entry is below that for most children of the same age nationally. The school follows a programme of work that covers the six areas of learning recommended by the Department for Education and Skills and all staff are working within the new guidelines for early learning goals. At the time of the inspection 24 children, 30 per cent, were still only three. The majority of children are well on course to achieve the expected levels for children at the age of five before they leave the nursery to attend a number of local schools in the reception classes. Teachers extend learning opportunities for children in graded steps and create additional more difficult tasks for those

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

capable of exceeding the work normally planned for children of this age without pushing them into formal work that is best suited to the infant school.

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Personal, Social and Emotional Development

71. Attainment in personal, social and emotional development is above average by the time children leave the nursery and all children mix and socialise well. This is a similar pattern to that observed at the time of the last inspection. On entry, whilst some of the children are able to work together, many are unable to play with others and some will grab toys and sit on them to prevent other children using them. From this below average start they now share resources well and have learned and understand the need to take turns and listen to each other. A group of children were observed playing a matching and sequencing game, taking turns, without adult intervention. They behave well in all situations, work co-operatively, and concentrate and persevere with their learning during the majority of sessions. A session designed to promote personal, social and emotional education enabled children to learn how a group functions: the

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Personal, Social and Emotional Development

idea of waiting for others to finish speaking and listening to their views. The teacher and the support assistants create a secure atmosphere where each child feels they are special. There are high expectations of behaviour and the children want to please the adults who are teaching them.

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Personal, Social and Emotional Development

72. Teaching in this area of work is very good. The work planned is organised effectively and the teachers and all of the nursery nurses arrange many opportunities for children to extend their experiences and develop ways of learning through play, building effective relationships with one another.

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Communication Language and Literacy

73. As at the time of the last inspection overall, the children’s attainment in this area is well below average on entry. By the time they leave the nursery the attainment of the majority is already in line with what is expected by the end of the Foundation Stage. This is improved because of the additional bilingual support now provided by the nursery. A high proportion, more than two thirds, are confident talkers and respond well to the teacher’s and other adult’s questions. Whilst some are understandably and properly shy, when talking to strangers, most of the children converse comfortably with known adults and with each other. Throughout all lessons they are encouraged to develop their vocabulary and listen carefully. During the inspection no opportunity to extend speaking clearly and extending vocabulary was seen to be missed. Teachers list suitable questions and expected or desired responses for all adults who engage in

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Communication Language and Literacy

working with the children in any way. Children enjoy books, take great pleasure in handling them and in taking care of them. Most of the children are able to talk about the book they are reading and predict what might happen, while other children are beginning to recognise initial phonic sounds. The focus sound during the inspection was ‘s’. Almost all of the children recognise the sounds in their own name, recognise their own name and, some of them readily identify the names of other children in their registration group. They show their names on work in the art gallery and say that belongs to ‘ B ’ or ‘ H ’. Some are eager to talk about their favourite books and retell well-known stories. Sometimes they get very excited at funny parts and pretend to be scared of monsters such as the big bad wolf in the story of ‘ Little Red Riding Hood ’. Spring Hill Nursery School - 26 74. Most children attempt to copy their name from a card and others are starting to write their own

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Communication Language and Literacy

names with little or no help and with a suitable level of success. In all cases it is possible to identify who has added his or her name to their work. Most children hold their pencils correctly and are developing good pencil control. Letter formation is taught correctly and some always remember how to form the letters in their name although others are still happy to start at the bottom for every letter.

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Communication Language and Literacy

75. The quality of the teaching is imaginative, thorough and very good. An appropriate range of activities including speaking and listening, writing and reading is provided. The planning is clear and takes into account what the children know and can do. The enthusiasm of the teachers for promoting good listening, speaking and writing and for books helps to foster positive attitudes towards literacy and ensures that the children make good progress. The effective use of the skilled nursery nurses and bilingual assistants ensures that all children receive additional support as required. The teachers and all of the assistants use questioning effectively to help children extend their knowledge and increase their language skills.

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Mathematics

76. By the time they leave the nursery for their reception classes, the level of attainment for the majority of children in this area is at the expected level. This is similar to the attainments observed at the time of the last inspection. Children recognise numbers to five and most sequence them correctly. They use and understand ‘more’ or ‘less than’ when counting to 10. They confidently name two-dimensional shapes such as circle, square, rectangle and triangle and explain why and how they differ very well. These shapes are used successfully to create interesting pictures. Children are good at making continuing patterns on magnetic boards and work in sequencing colours and numbers very successfully. Children recognise groups of objects up to three with good accuracy but then need to count on for four, five… … up to eight. Because the work on mini-beasts and spiders has been a strong focus during this half-term

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Mathematics

more than half of the year group are very secure up to eight and most of the others manage to eight with help. The children capable of higher attainment count to ten and beyond with confidence. They clearly understand and use appropriate vocabulary such as taller, shorter, lighter, heavier and know which words to use in conversations about their work. The children enjoy the tasks set and eagerly join in the class sessions because they delight in showing adults how good they are. They work well, sharing resources and helping each other. They are interested and make good progress. When engaged in weighing activities terms such as ‘too much’, ‘not enough’, ‘too light, ‘just the same as’ and ‘balance’ were used without prompting.’

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Mathematics

77. The teaching is good and a series of appropriate activities catch the interest of the children and ensure a positive attitude towards mathematics. The impact of the good pace and well-planned activities all add to the children’s good rate of progress. The sensible use of topic areas such as working out how many caterpillars make four and the number of caterpillars on separate leaves makes fun out of successful and repetitive learning. Teachers are skilled at finding many ways of teaching the same concept so that children play and learn in a seamless way without stress and where recording is just part of the play process.

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Knowledge and Understanding of the World

78. The children’s attainment at the age of four in this area is above average. The attainment levels are above those observed at the time of the last inspection. The children are enthralled by the present topic about mini-beasts and explain the life cycle of tadpoles and frogs, caterpillars and butterflies and how beetles, worms and spiders live as though they were much older than three and four. The way they collect specimens using ‘pooters’ and return them to the exact location of capture after studying and drawing them is impressive. They delight in pointing out antennae, spinnerets eyes and legs as viewed with magnifying lenses and offer to protect visitors from spiders if they find them unfriendly. There is a very well planned garden area with specially prepared homes for slugs and worms. The children plant and raise seeds and sell the surplus to parents and friends after planting out their school garden. Other

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Knowledge and Understanding of the World

scientific knowledge about pouring and building is gained by play in the sand tray. Children also enjoy experimenting with water and describe very well the joy of making boats that float and of sinking them by piling on heavy objects. The difficulty of making boats that float although they are heavy is described. Alongside this the idea of trapping air to create buoyancy is demonstrated very well. The range of activities available for the children gives them a superb range of opportunities to find things out for themselves and they are always ready to explain what they are doing. The children learn well from the opportunities on offer and share Spring Hill Nursery School - 27 the resources in a very friendly way. For example, in the sand tray the children do not fight over who has what but take turns to use the containers. Children have studied times past in a previous topic and know about games that their parents and grandparents played when they

p.26

Knowledge and Understanding of the World

were children. They have some idea of how people live in other parts of the world as some have visited family in Pakistan. Children enjoy using the computers in the classroom to paint and to label their work as well as for games involving colours, words, shapes and numbers. During the inspection they demonstrated their skills using the paint program and used a reading program at three levels of difficulty. They are confident as they explain that the mouse is easier to control than the arrow keys. However, the child who requested help to find the text box was keen to try writing his own captions.

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Knowledge and Understanding of the World

79. The quality of teaching observed was good but this only revised the very good work that has been part of the development of this work over the year. The extensive well-planned stimulating activities show a deep understanding of the requirements of the early learning goals. The range of activities and topics covered ensure the children have wide experiences and develop a good understanding of the world around them. The way that skills are taught and used systematically enables children to make good use of many programs without any adult intervention. The teaching of other subjects using the Internet link is very effective.

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Physical Development

80. The children’s attainment in this area when children leave the nursery is at least in line with that found in most classes for children towards the end of the Foundation Stage. This is an improvement since the last inspection because the facilities and opportunities have been enhanced by the efforts of the nursery staff with the parents. They use scissors and many can cut carefully and accurately keeping to straight and curved lines. Most hold pencils and crayons correctly and have good control, being able to write their names and draw recognisable pictures with increasing confidence. In outdoor play they run around taking care and finding spaces without bumping into each other. They climb and jump with care knowing to watch carefully and jump sensibly bending their knees as they land. The new surface, which yields to landings, helps children to use the equipment safely. Children use wheeled vehicles well. They

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Physical Development

are obliged to co-operate with some trucks that only work with two people. At the start of the year it was known for children to just sit, or to walk away because they did not know how to play with a partner and had to learn to ask and to share. Boys and girls all enjoy the tricycles but follow safe paths and cause very few collisions.

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Physical Development

81. The quality of teaching is good. The choice of equipment and the time allowed for energetic activities enables the teachers to watch and offer encouragement and support. All adults use good movements, shapes, and performances demonstrated by successful children to show others how they might extend their own performance.

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Creative Development

82. For the great majority of children attainment in this area is above average and exceeds the requirements of the early learning goals. They use shapes to make pictures and carefully spread the glue on the paper. They know the names of the shapes well and often accompany their work by talking through what they are doing quietly amongst themselves. When making models or painting pictures they select appropriate tools or colours and use them carefully and purposefully. Pictures of butterflies, where children worked from a restricted palette, showed a sensitivity not often found from such young children. The children have experimented with bubbles to make some attractive pictures, and have painted enthusiastically about well-known traditional stories such as that of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Much of their work is displayed on the wall and they like to show adults and other children what they have done. The

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Creative Development

children enjoy the creative activities and are particularly enthusiastic about music and join in readily, knowing a range of nursery rhymes, which they say and sing well. Most children know the names of some of the percussion instruments and play them sensibly, explaining whether they are hit, scraped or shaken. They appreciate the difference between loud and soft sounds and how to play the instruments. Some children have a special love of music and like to listen to recorded melodies and arrangements. Some are eager to play on the keyboard and one child was observed ‘playing’ with his left hand whilst turning over the pages of the music book with a flourish with his right hand, as though he was really reading the music. The work in this area of learning is better than at the time of the last inspection because all pupils are now fully involved and they are able to explain their pleasure in their work to others.

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Creative Development

Spring Hill Nursery School - 28 83. Teaching is good because the teachers’ planning and their understanding of the needs of young children and how they learn mean that the choice of activities both for art, design and technology and music match their needs and abilities. Throughout the day a range of learning opportunities is made available to the children so that they grow in confidence to use paints and other media and enjoy music of all types. Children who are learning English as an additional language and those who have special educational needs are all taught alongside their classmates and make equally good progress.

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Creative Development

84. At the time of the previous inspection the work in the nursery school was considered to be effective with three-quarters judged to be good. It is now better because all of the teaching is now good and one third of teaching sessions were judged to be very good, again an improvement since the last inspection. There is more equipment and better facilities linked to the computers. Most of all, the support for children from minority ethnic groups was impaired last time because there were no skilled bilingual staff. The addition of this provision as well as the new equipment and the improved outdoor facilities has enabled attainment to be maintained and strengthened. The computers and the interesting range of suitable software are used well. The children use the equipment spontaneously to reinforce their learning in language, art, music and mathematics as they do the listening centre where they listen to

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Creative Development

recorded stories and match the narrative to the pictures and text in their books. The overall provision for all of the children in the nursery is very good. This is because the planning, the quality of teaching and the relationships that prevail are all very well targeted to meet the varied needs of all the children who attend for three terms before moving on to many different reception classes and more formal education.

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