Moorgate Nursery School

ORMSKIRK MOORGATE NURSERY SCHOOL

Full inspection carried out under Section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Ormskirk Moorgate Nursery School - 2

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Moorgate Ormskirk Lancashire Postcode: L39 4RY

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: Local Education Authority

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mrs J Burnett

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 20 October 1997

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

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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INFORMATION ABOUT THE 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. Ormskirk Moorgate Nursery School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Area of learning responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

25350 Mrs P Kime Registered inspector Foundation Stage Equal opportunities English as an additional language Characteristics of the school The school’s results and children’s achievements How well are children taught? How well is the school led and managed? What should the school do to improve further? 9970 Mr J Acaster Lay inspector Children’s attitudes, values and personal development How well does the school care for its children? How well does the school work in partnership with parents?

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

21666 Mr A Margerison Team inspector Special educational needs How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to children?

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Bench Marque Ltd National Westminster Bank Chambers Victoria Street Burnham-on-Sea Somerset TA8 1AN

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Ormskirk Moorgate Nursery School - 4

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 5

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’s 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

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Ormskirk Moorgate Nursery School caters for 80 three- and four-year-olds, who attend part- time, either mornings or afternoons. The school serves a socially and economically mixed community and some of the children come from beyond its ‘catchment area’. It is oversubscribed for the coming year. There are no children from ethnic minority backgrounds. Two of the children speak another European language as well as English. Twelve of the children have special educational needs. Nearly all of these children have significant learning difficulties and four of them carry statements of special educational needs. These are high proportions for a nursery school. Taken overall, the children’s level of attainment, when they start nursery, is broadly average for their age. A ‘toddler group’ is run on the premises.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The school gives all its children a very good start to their education. They develop excellent attitudes to learning and a degree of maturity that will stand them in very good stead for further learning. The school is very well led and managed and children have a rich range of opportunities for learning in a very good atmosphere. Teaching and learning are good and the children achieve high standards. This is a good school with some very good and outstanding features.

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What the school does well

• Good teaching enables the children to reach higher than average standards for their age. In some aspects of the work, standards are well above average. • The provision for children’s personal development is very good. As a result, the children have excellent attitudes to school, they are very well behaved and they are extremely sensible and mature for their age. • The headteacher leads and manages the school very well. Consequently, everyone involved in the school works really well together to do the very best for all the children and they are all committed to the school’s aim of children learning through play. • The school has established a very good partnership with the children’s parents and carers. • The school takes very good care of the children.

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What could be improved

• More use could be made of the information obtained from checking children’s progress to judge, more precisely, the effectiveness of different aspects of the school’s work. • The planning for some areas of children’s learning has not yet been brought into line with the latest national guidance. 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

• There has been at least good improvement in all aspects of the school’s work, since it was last inspected in October 1997. • The standards children reach are higher in all areas of learning. The improvement in standards has been very good in personal, social and emotional development, and physical development, and in work with computers and other information and communication technology equipment. Ormskirk Moorgate Nursery School - 6 • The quality of teaching has improved. There is now more very good teaching and none that is unsatisfactory. • Improvement has been at least good on all the key issues for action from the last inspection (improving planning and assessment, provision for outdoor play and information and communication technology, and the accessibility of resources). On the latter, making resources more available to the children so they can make choices and develop independence, the improvement has been excellent and this underpins one of

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

Taken overall, the improvement since the last inspection has been very good. The school is very well placed to go on from strength to strength.

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STANDARDS

• The children reach higher than average standards by the time they leave the nursery. • Standards are well above what is expected for the children’s age in personal, social and emotional development, physical development and creative development. Standards are also well above average in some elements of other areas of learning: speaking and listening; understanding of shape, space and measures and early work on handling data; and in information and communication technology skills. • Standards are above the national expectation in communication, language and literacy; mathematical development, and knowledge and understanding of the world. • The standards the children reach represent good achievement in view of their broadly average starting point. • Children with special educational needs make very good progress towards the targets set for them. This is because they benefit from high quality support.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Excellent; the children love coming to school, they really enjoy all the activities and they are keen to learn.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour Very good; the children are very well behaved at all times.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Excellent; the children are exceptionally responsible and independent for their age. They make considered choices about their activities. Relationships amongst the children and between children and staff are excellent, because the children follow the staff’s excellent example.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Satisfactory; most absence is for medical reasons but a few children are taken on family holidays in term time. Children arrive at school on time. Ormskirk Moorgate Nursery School - 7

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Teaching of pupils: Aged 3 - 4

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 pupils: Aged 3 - 4

• In all but one of the 15 sessions seen (93 per cent), teaching was at least good. In 33 per cent of the sessions, the quality of teaching was very good and, in 7 per cent (1 lesson), it was excellent. • Some aspects of the work are taught very well. These are: personal, social and emotional development; speaking and listening; work with computers and other information and communication technology equipment; the practical aspects of mathematical development; physical development; and creative development. • Taken overall, the teaching of communication, language and literacy is good. Early reading and writing skills are taught well, whilst the speaking and listening component is very well taught. • Mathematical development is taught well overall; the teaching of early number work is good, whilst the practical aspects of mathematics are taught very well. • The teaching of knowledge and understanding of the world is good.

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Teaching of pupils: Aged 3 - 4

• The teaching is underpinned by the staff’s very good understanding of young children and how they learn, and by their excellent ability to create a very orderly and purposeful atmosphere and secure very good standards of behaviour. • The quality of children’s learning parallels that of teaching. The rate at which they make gains in their learning is best in the areas of learning where teaching is very good. Consequently, in these aspects, they attain very high standards for their age. • The children’s learning is greatly aided by their excellent attitudes. They tackle all activities enthusiastically, they concentrate very well and they try very hard. • The school meets all its children’s needs equally well.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Good; the children have a rich range of stimulating opportunities for learning that cover all areas of learning. The staff base work on ‘topics’ that interest the children and educational visits are used very well. The provision for personal, social and health education is very good. All children have equal opportunities to learn. Some of the school’s curricular plans have not been brought into line with the latest national guidance.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for children with special educational needs Very good; all the staff are strongly committed to meeting these children’s needs. The children’s work is planned well; they benefit from very good support and they are fully included in all the nursery activities. Ormskirk Moorgate Nursery School - 8 Provision for children’s personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good; provision for personal development permeates all aspects of the school’s work and, by the time they leave, children are ready to move confidently into the next stage of their education. The provision for moral and social development is excellent, for spiritual development it is good and for cultural development it is very good. The multicultural dimension is particularly strong.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its children Pastoral care and the attention to children’s welfare and safety are very good. The school excels at establishing a harmonious and co-operative atmosphere in which children behave very well. The arrangements for checking on children’s progress are good.

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Aspect Comment

The school has established a very good partnership with the children’s parents and carers.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Very good; the headteacher gives a very good lead and gets the best from the staff. Staff work very well together and they are very thoughtful about their work and how to improve the quality of education they provide.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Good; the governors carry little responsibility and the bulk of the school’s funding is managed by the local education authority not the governing body. Nevertheless, the governors have a high level of involvement in school life and in laying plans for the future. The governors and headteacher have a strong and effective working partnership.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Good; teaching is monitored effectively. There is some very good analysis of assessment data to determine how much progress children have made, but this does not cover all the areas of learning.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Very good; the support staff are used very well. Time is made the most of so the children are continually brought on in their learning. The principles of best value are applied very well.

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Aspect Comment

The staffing, accommodation and resources for teaching and learning are all good. Ormskirk Moorgate Nursery School - 9

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• They think the school is well led and managed. • Their children like school and are well behaved in school. • They think the teaching is good and staff expect their children to work hard. • Their children are making good progress and becoming more mature and responsible. • They find the staff approachable and think the school works closely with parents. • There is an interesting range of activities outside lessons. • A small number of parents would like more information about how their children are getting on.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Just over half the inspection questionnaires were returned and five parents attended the meeting with the registered inspector before the inspection. All these parents had a very positive view of the school. • The inspectors agree with all the parents’ positive views. The arrangements for reporting the children’s progress are good overall. The annual reports are of a good quality and parents have ample informal opportunities to talk to staff about how their children are doing. Even so, there is scope for more formal reporting on progress during the year. Ormskirk Moorgate Nursery School - 10

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Children in the Foundation Stage (from three years of age to the end of the reception year) are taught six areas of learning: personal, social and emotional development; communication, language and literacy; mathematical development; knowledge and understanding of the world; physical development; and creative development. Ormskirk Moorgate Nursery’s children reach high standards. In all the areas of learning, most of the children are working at a level beyond what is expected for their age and, in some aspects of their work, the majority attain well above average standards. They are on course to exceed the expectations for the end of the reception year (the Early Learning Goals). The children achieve well because they make good progress in their time at nursery, whatever their starting point. Children with special educational needs make very good progress towards the individual targets set for them and this is recognised by their parents.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. In all six areas of learning, standards are higher than at the last inspection. Since 1997, there has been very good improvement in standards of personal, social and emotional development. This is because the school’s curriculum and teaching methods have been changed to give much higher priority to this area of learning. The improvement in standards has also been very good in physical development, which is now taught systematically rather than merely supervised, and in information and communication technology, as a result of improved resources and better teaching.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. The children attain very high standards in personal and social development. Staff give high priority to this area of learning and teach it very effectively. As a result, by the time they leave nursery, the children have excellent attitudes to learning. They tackle new activities with confidence and enthusiasm and they have a very good degree of independence. They have established excellent relationships and they have learned how to play their part in a group and abide by simple rules. These standards represent excellent achievement because, when they start nursery, the children’s attainment in this area of learning is broadly average and a significant minority find it hard to make friends and to share. A few of the children have special educational needs in this area of learning. These children make good progress in learning self-control and in building relationships.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. Standards are also well above average for the children’s age in physical development and creative development. For example, in movement, body control and awareness, awareness of space, and understanding of the importance of a healthy lifestyle, the children are working at the level expected of children around 18 months older.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. The children achieve above average standards for their age in communication, language and literacy. In the speaking and listening component of this area of learning, standards are very high; by the time they leave nursery, most of the children have reached the standard expected by the end of the reception year. This is primarily because speaking and listening is promoted very well in all aspects of the children’s work. Standards in early reading and writing are above average for the children’s age. Children who have special educational needs, because of communication and language difficulties, make particularly good progress in this area of learning.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. Standards in mathematical development are above average for the children’s age. In the practical aspects of the subject, such as measuring, naming and recognising Ormskirk Moorgate Nursery School - 11 shapes, and handling data, standards are very high. Standards in understanding and using numbers, and early calculation skills are above average.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. The children attain above average standards, for their age, in knowledge and understanding of the world; the work that lays the foundations for later study of science, design and technology, geography, history and information and communication technology. Standards in early information and communication technology work are well above average. In this component of the work, by the time they leave nursery, children reach the standard expected at the end of the reception year.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. It is notable that standards are very high in the two aspects of learning that are assessed thoroughly when children start nursery and again when they leave (personal, social and emotional development, and speaking and listening). This is indicative of the importance of extending the scope of the ‘on-entry’ assessments and comparing these with what the children can do when they leave.

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Attitudes, values and personal development

9. The children’s attitudes, relationships and personal development are excellent, and their behaviour overall is very good. This is a considerable achievement and a marked improvement since the last inspection, when standards in these aspects were good. These standards are the fruit of very good provision for the children’s personal, social and emotional development, very good pastoral care and excellent relationships. The children’s extremely positive response to school has a very good effect on the quality of their learning and their achievement. The standard of attendance is satisfactory.

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Attitudes, values and personal development

10. The children’s parents and carers recognise these strengths. They report that their children like school and will be very sorry to leave, that behaviour is good and that the school helps their children to become mature and responsible.

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Attitudes, values and personal development

11. The children are indeed very enthusiastic about their activities and get a great deal of enjoyment from them. They clearly love coming to nursery. They come into school cheerfully and immediately get involved in the productive activities provided by staff and work with a real sense of purpose. The children become thoroughly absorbed in their activities. All the children, including those with special educational needs, have equally good attitudes and show the same eagerness to learn.

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Attitudes, values and personal development

12. The children pay excellent attention to the staff, particularly in sessions of direct teaching. For instance, they listen intently in story sessions. They follow instructions properly and try very hard, always doing their best. Only with the youngest children does concentration occasionally lapse. The children’s excellent attitudes, combined with high quality teaching, lead to good learning as well as enjoyment. They are keen to learn; they take a lively interest in all the things they do at nursery and they tackle new activities and challenges with ever growing confidence, even when they find them hard. For example, in a most effective physical education lesson, the children enjoyed meeting physical challenges in all the phases of the lesson. They stepped and jumped across hoops carefully and passed them over their bodies. They co-operated well in a game of ‘Wiggly Woo’, taking it in turns to either hold the ‘worm hole’ sideways or be a

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Attitudes, values and personal development

worm wriggling through the hole. They played a musical game very well standing in the decreasing number of hoops each time the music stopped and counting how many children were in each hoop.

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Attitudes, values and personal development

13. For many of the children, behaviour is often excellent. However, a few are occasionally rather boisterous or stubborn and need to be dealt with firmly. Nevertheless, no Ormskirk Moorgate Nursery School - 12 instances of unkind behaviour or rudeness were seen. Children conduct themselves very well when they move around the school from one activity to another or to go outside. They follow the simple rules. For instance, they keep to the designated outdoor play area each day.

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Attitudes, values and personal development

14. Relationships among children and between children and staff are excellent and are marked by evident enjoyment of working and learning together. The children learn to listen patiently to each other in ‘circle time’. This is a daily session in which all the children sit round with staff, sing songs, recap what they have done and learned previously, and are introduced to interesting new things and ideas. The children accept their classmates’ special needs and take account of them, for instance not interrupting while staff wait for responses from them. Staff and children have a very high level of respect for each other.

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Attitudes, values and personal development

15. The children develop extremely high levels of responsibility, independence and maturity for their age. They share and are considerate of others without being reminded. In the ‘plan and do’ part of each nursery session they learn to make considered choices and to accept responsibility for using opportunities well. They respond very well to the staff’s high expectations. For example, as a matter of routine, they put on their own aprons, cover the tables with newspaper and get their own equipment, using their own initiative very sensibly. Children see what needs doing and do it without prompting. For instance, they pick up things that have been dropped and pass equipment to others without any fuss. At the end of a music lesson they put the instruments down without the teacher needing to ask them to do so.

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Attitudes, values and personal development

16. The level of attendance for most children is satisfactory. The rate of attendance is just below 90 per cent. Most absences occur for medical reasons and occasional holidays. Parents are generally careful to ensure their children arrive on time.

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HOW WELL ARE CHILDREN TAUGHT?

17. The quality of teaching and learning, taken overall, is good. It is at least good in all six areas of learning. It is very good in personal, social and emotional development, physical development and creative development. The good teaching is the main reason why the children make better than average progress in their learning and reach high standards for their age, by the time they leave nursery school.

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HOW WELL ARE CHILDREN TAUGHT?

18. In all but one of the 15 sessions seen during the inspection, the quality of teaching was at least good and in a substantial proportion it was very good. Seven per cent of the teaching observed was satisfactory, 53 per cent was good, 33 per cent was very good, and seven per cent was excellent.

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HOW WELL ARE CHILDREN TAUGHT?

19. The teaching has several very good features. • Lesson planning is very good. Teachers and nursery nurses plan the work together, with the teachers taking the lead. Staff discuss how well different activities have worked and share ideas for improvement. This system is very effective. It enables the support staff to make a strong contribution to teaching and all the staff learn from each other. Furthermore, all the staff who teach groups of children know exactly what they should cover and what the children are supposed to learn. • The staff have a very good understanding of young children’s needs and of how they learn. This enables them to make the work appealing and interesting and to set high but achievable expectations so the children do as well as they can in most Ormskirk Moorgate Nursery School - 13 of their learning. The result is that the children are enthusiastic about learning and they try very hard.

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HOW WELL ARE CHILDREN TAUGHT?

• The staff’s management of the children is excellent. They gently guide children into meeting the very high expectations for their behaviour and they steer them into purposeful and productive activity. This means that the nursery is an orderly and purposeful place for the children to learn in and standards of behaviour are very high. • The organisation of children into groups, each attached to a ‘key worker’, and the very well structured daily programme mean that staff and time are used very well. Key workers have very good knowledge of the children in their groups and how they are getting on. This has two important effects on learning. Firstly, work is generally matched very well to the children’s needs. Secondly, children benefit from direct teaching of new work in small groups.

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HOW WELL ARE CHILDREN TAUGHT?

20. The teaching of personal and social development is very good. Opportunities for children to develop in this area of learning are built into all of the nursery’s work and, as a result, the children flourish. They gain in confidence and self-esteem, they develop independence and the ability to use their own initiative, and they build excellent relationships. The school’s success in this area of learning means the children are very well prepared to benefit from the next stage of their education.

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HOW WELL ARE CHILDREN TAUGHT?

21. The teaching of communication, language and literacy, taken overall, is good. Speaking and listening skills are taught very well. The staff take every opportunity to extend the children’s vocabulary and they provide very good opportunities for them to explain their ideas in words, and to listen for a purpose. As a result, the children reach a very high standard for their age in using language to communicate effectively. Early reading and writing skills, that lay the foundations for literacy, are taught well and the children reach above average standards. Nevertheless, expectations are not set as high in these aspects of the work as in speaking and listening or, indeed, as in some other areas of learning. A key contributory factor in this is that the whole-school planning for this area of learning is not yet closely matched to the new national guidance for the Foundation Stage. Furthermore, staff sometimes fail to capitalise on

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HOW WELL ARE CHILDREN TAUGHT?

opportunities to teach these early literacy skills, for instance to help children learn to recognise familiar words on sight and to point out the left to right reading direction.

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HOW WELL ARE CHILDREN TAUGHT?

22. A similar situation pertains in mathematical development. The practical aspects of this area of learning are taught very well. Staff set their expectations for this element of the work very high. They provide well-planned and relevant experiences and help children to build up their understanding and apply what they already know to new work. For example, children learn to make tally charts and to produce simple block graphs on the computer. They were taught how to combine the two. They made tallies of the number of different coloured cars passing the school and, with support, converted this data into graphs. They all made good progress in understanding how to present data and to obtain information from graphs. However, expectations are not so high in early number work. For instance, children who count to ten with absolute confidence and accuracy cannot count reliably to twenty. Again, the curricular planning has not been brought

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HOW WELL ARE CHILDREN TAUGHT?

into line with the new national guidance.

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HOW WELL ARE CHILDREN TAUGHT?

23. Children with special educational needs are taught well. They benefit from very good support that enables them to join in all the lessons. Staff are skilled at matching work to these children’s needs. For example, they ask simpler questions of children who find learning difficult and they give those with communication difficulties the time they need Ormskirk Moorgate Nursery School - 14 to respond. The school meets all the children’s needs equally well and enables them all to make at least good progress from their starting points.

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The curriculum – the learning opportunities provided by the school

24. The school provides a rich range of interesting experiences and activities for the children. The curriculum fully meets the recommendations in the national guidance for the Foundation Stage and the staff take pains to ensure that all the children, including those with special educational needs, have equal access to what the school offers. The improvement in the curriculum since the last inspection has been good. 25. The staff base work on topics, such as ‘Journeys’, so that work appeals to the children and is relevant to their interests and their experience of the world. They use these topics very well, and found much of the work on the local area and community, so children can use their existing knowledge as the basis for learning more. For instance, the topic on journeys includes a visit to a local travel agent and subsequent creation of a ‘Travel Agent’s in the nursery. This provides good opportunities for children to

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The curriculum – the learning opportunities provided by the school

develop their social skills and speaking and listening skills, to use writing for a meaningful purpose in their play, and to learn about money. 26. At the time of the last inspection, some of the key issues related to improving the planning of the curriculum and the provision of learning opportunities in some aspects of the work. Overall, progress has been good. The improvement in provision for children to use information and communication technology and to learn from outdoor activities has been very good. The staff have produced long-term plans for the work in five of the six areas of learning. However, most of these were written before the introduction of the latest national guidance for the Foundation Stage. They are now due for review in order take full account of the ‘stepping stones’ towards the targets for the end of the reception year (the Early Learning Goals), to ensure that all elements of

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The curriculum – the learning opportunities provided by the school

the recommended curriculum are given appropriate emphasis, and to align them more closely with the school’s systems for assessing children’s learning. For the most part, standards are higher in the areas of learning in which plans were drawn up most recently and therefore take account of the latest national guidance. 27. The timetabled daily sessions of direct teaching are properly planned to ensure that all the children cover all areas of learning. However, only informal checks are kept on the balance of each child’s self-chosen activities in ‘plan and do’ sessions. There is the potential for staff to miss seeing if some children rarely select certain activities. 28. The curriculum is enriched by a very good range of well-planned educational visits in the immediate vicinity and further afield. These are used very well to extend the children’s learning across the curriculum. They include visits to a garage, the local

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The curriculum – the learning opportunities provided by the school

church and to Liverpool. 29. The provision for children with special educational needs is very good and, as a result, these children make very good progress towards the targets in their individual education plans (IEPs). Children who may have special needs are identified early so they can benefit from special teaching methods and advice from external support services at the earliest opportunity. The children’s IEPs are of good quality. This, combined with the staff’s very good knowledge of their particular learning needs, underpins these children’s very good learning; activities are very well matched to what they need to learn. Ormskirk Moorgate Nursery School - 15 30. The school puts a high priority on making sure that all children, in both morning and afternoon sessions, have full access to all activities. All the staff are strongly committed to ensuring equal opportunities. Consequently, all children, irrespective of

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The curriculum – the learning opportunities provided by the school

their age or their ability, are fully involved and have the same opportunities to learn. For example, in a music session, every child had the chance to play a musical instrument and the teacher made sure that they all had a go, including those whose special needs made playing in time difficult.

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The curriculum – the learning opportunities provided by the school

31. The school provides very well for the children’s personal, social and health education. Provision to develop personal and social skills is a strong thread running throughout everything the school does. Consequently, children flourish as individuals and, by the time they leave nursery, they are extremely independent and responsible and they have a high level of respect for each other and adults. Health education is taught through several areas of learning. For example, in physical education lessons, children learn about the importance of exercise and what happens to their bodies when they exercise.

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The curriculum – the learning opportunities provided by the school

32. The school has established good links with the community, local businesses, and external support agencies and providers, such as the child development unit. These links make a valuable contribution to the school and have a positive effect on the children’s learning. The school provides a base for a ‘toddler group’ which many of the children attend before starting nursery. These young children visit the nursery before they start and the school makes sure they and parents are familiar with the staff. Consequently, when they start nursery, the children feel safe and secure and this has a positive effect on their rate of learning. Links with the schools the children move on to are good, so they are well prepared for transferring to the next stage of their education.

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spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

33. The school provides very well for children’s personal development. Provision for the personal, social and emotional development area of learning permeates all the school’s work. The provision for children’s moral and social development is excellent; it is good for spiritual development and very good for cultural development. The many strengths in this aspect of the school’s provision underpin the children’s growing self- esteem, confidence and maturity which equip them so well for learning. The children respond very well to the provision; they are very well behaved, they have excellent attitudes to school and to learning and they form very good relationships.

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spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

34. The provision for children’s spiritual development is good. Each nursery session starts with a whole-school meeting, ‘circle time’, where a specific topic is discussed. This gives the children good opportunities to think about their experiences and to extend their awareness of the wonders of the world and man’s achievements. For instance, during one ‘circle time’, they looked at an elephant ornament from India and marvelled at the detailed decoration. The children celebrate the main Christian festivals and they are taught about some of the festival and symbols of other world religions, such as Judaism. Staff rarely plan opportunities for reflection into the group teaching sessions but they nevertheless nurture children’s sense of wonder well, by providing a wide range of enjoyable activities and giving the children a rich diet of new experiences. For example, in one session during the inspection, a group of children were provided with

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spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

puddles of blue and white paint on a table top and expected to mix the paint with their fingers to make a stencil pattern. One child was absolutely wide-eyed with expectation. Ormskirk Moorgate Nursery School - 16 35. The staff work very hard at promoting children’s moral and social development and the provision for these aspects is excellent. The school’s organisation is based on a system (High/Scope) that teaches children to make choices, to exercise responsibility and to become independent. The adults provide excellent role models for children. Their approach matches the school’s motto, ‘learning through play’. They clearly enjoy what they are doing and they join in with the children. Their enthusiasm, very good relationships and laughter are very effective in showing the children that learning together is fun. The staff set very high expectations for children’s behaviour and relationships and they are consistent in following the school’s behaviour policy.

p.15

spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

Activities are planned so that each child has opportunities to work and play in a range of situations. In one session a child might, for example, work as a part of the whole group in a music or physical education lesson, be in a small teaching group of four to eight children for mathematics, work with one other child in the sand or water and paint on their own. The result of all this high quality provision is that the children learn to work and play together harmoniously, they know what is expected of them and meet these expectations, and they develop a very good understanding of right and wrong.

p.16

spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

36. The provision for developing children’s appreciation of a range of cultural traditions is very good. A range of visits to local places and to those further away, such as the Liverpool ferries and the maritime museum, teach children about the history and traditions of their own area. The provision for multicultural education is particularly strong. Topics are used very well to teach children about cultures from around the world and about similarities as well as differences. For example, the current work on ‘journeys’ has been used to develop the children’s awareness about people who live on boats in various parts of the world, including Britain, and of travellers. A display about India includes a good number of artefacts, including a copy of the Urdu Times. The staff read books from other cultures to the children and teach them songs and greetings in different languages. The children play musical instruments from a wide

p.16

spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

range of places and listen to a wide range of music, for instance pan pipes in a physical education lesson.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS CHILDREN?

37. Pastoral care is of a high quality and very good attention is paid to health and safety and child protection matters. Staff create an excellent climate for learning by their extremely effective promotion of good behaviour and positive, co-operative relationships. Taken overall, the assessment of children’s learning and the use made of the information obtained are good. Since the last inspection, the school has made at least good progress in all these aspects of its work. Progress has been particularly good in supporting the development of responsibility and independence.

p.16

Children’s welfare and safety

38. The school provides a very good overall standard of care for all its children. Welfare arrangements are very thoughtful and thorough. The staff have a very high level of concern for the children’s well-being, they provide a very good level of supervision and they are alert to any potential risks. A qualified first aider is always available. The arrangements for child protection are very good; the staff are properly trained and all are aware of the school’s procedures. The premises are kept in very good order and effective risk assessments are carried out periodically. The school is a very safe place for young children. Ormskirk Moorgate Nursery School - 17

p.16

development and attendance, and the support and guidance given to children

39. From the start, the nursery staff are keen to help the children settle into school and to know them well. They smooth children’s start at nursery; the member of staff who will be working closely with each child, their key worker, visits them at home before they start. The subsequent induction programme allows for a gradual introduction matched to how quickly the individual child settles and gains the confidence to attend every day.

p.17

development and attendance, and the support and guidance given to children

40. During the last year, the school has improved and extended its assessment of children’s learning and there are now several significant strengths in this aspect of its work. • An ‘on-entry’ assessment has been introduced to check the children’s levels of attainment when they start nursery. This has already shown the staff that there are differences in the starting points of boys and girls. • Each term, children’s progress in all the areas of learning is recorded against the ‘stepping stones’ towards the Early Learning Goals for the end of the reception year. • Samples of each child’s work, throughout the year, are kept in a ‘Record of Achievement’ that shows the progress they have made. • The ongoing assessment of children’s progress is very thorough in communication language and literacy and personal and social development. • At the end of the year, the ‘on-entry’ assessments are repeated. The data

p.17

development and attendance, and the support and guidance given to children

obtained is used very well to judge the progress children have made and to check for any differences between groups, for example boys and girls.

p.17

development and attendance, and the support and guidance given to children

41. Nevertheless, there are some shortcomings in aspects of the assessment of children’s academic performance. This means that there is scope to improve some aspects of assessment even more in order to make it more effective in helping staff provide exactly what the children need to do as well as they possibly can. Firstly, the ‘on-entry’ assessments cover only a limited range of the children’s attainment. They are limited to personal and social development and speaking and listening. This was appropriate as a start to the process. However, standards are higher by the time the children leave nursery in these aspects of their learning than in some others, notably early reading and writing and number work, which are not assessed on entry. Secondly, some assessments are not used as effectively as they could be. They are used to record children’s progress but are not analysed to identify which aspects of the school’s

p.17

development and attendance, and the support and guidance given to children

teaching and curricular provision are least and most effective, in order to guide planning for improvement. Thirdly, children’s attainment and their rate of progress in mathematics are not checked as carefully as in communication, language and literacy.

p.17

development and attendance, and the support and guidance given to children

42. The monitoring of children’s personal development is very good. The way children are organised into groups, each attached to a ‘key worker’ who works closely with them, is very effective and, as a result, staff know the children very well. They keep a very good check on their development and maintain a record of significant steps forward. They skilfully encourage each child in the development of good learning habits, the ability to make sensible choices, and to have regard for the needs of others. The children have a strong sense of ownership of their work and take pleasure in learning.

p.17

development and attendance, and the support and guidance given to children

43. Children with special educational needs benefit from very good support. The staff take endless trouble to make sure they can join in all the nursery activities. For example, special chairs and walking aids are accommodated and signers work alongside the Ormskirk Moorgate Nursery School - 18 staff in taught sessions so children with hearing impairment can follow what is going on and keep up. Support staff and school staff work closely together in a very effective partnership.

p.17

development and attendance, and the support and guidance given to children

44. The promotion of good behaviour and harmonious relationships is excellent. It is guided by a clear and purposeful whole-school behaviour policy and is rooted in the school’s use of the High/Scope approach. It underpins the school’s excellent climate for learning and its remarkable achievement in developing excellent attitudes and very high standards in personal, social and emotional development.

p.18

development and attendance, and the support and guidance given to children

45. Attendance is not compulsory for these young children who are below statutory school age. Nevertheless, it is recorded and monitored well. However, absence is not followed up unless it is prolonged and not all parents are clear about the arrangements for informing the school if their children are unable to attend nursery.

p.18

development and attendance, and the support and guidance given to children

46. The high quality support and guidance the school gives its children has a very positive effect on their learning as it develops their learning skills and positive attitudes, gives them the confidence to tackle new activities, and ensures that work is matched to their needs and interests.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

47. Parents and carers have an extremely high opinion of the school. There is a high level of parental involvement in the life of the nursery and parents are enabled to make a very good contribution to the children’s learning.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

48. Around half the inspection questionnaires were returned. Few parents expressed any dissatisfaction and most gave an exceptionally positive response. They all think the school is well led and managed and find the staff approachable. They report that their children thoroughly enjoy school and they consider the teaching to be good. They think the children are well behaved and the school helps them to grow in maturity and responsibility. The parents who attended the meeting with the registered inspector before the inspection pointed out that much improvement has occurred since the last inspection. The inspectors agree with the parents’ positive assessment of the school.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

49. The school’s links with the children’s parents and carers are very effective. The overall quality of information provided by the school, in documents and through informal contacts, is very good. For instance, the prospectus is very well written and illustrated; it is informative and user-friendly. The governing body’s annual report to parents is informative and meets the requirements of the law but its tone and presentation are very formal. This might be a contributory factor to the disappointing attendance at the school’s annual general meeting, despite there being much to celebrate. Parents are given much very useful information about the school’s approach; the nationally recommended curriculum; the work planned for each topic; and the High/Scope methods used. As a result, parents are aware of the aims of the school and of its teaching. They feel included and they are encouraged to contribute.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

50. The key worker system is used very effectively to establish and maintain very good communication between home and school. This starts with optional home visits before children start school. These visits are carefully planned. They help the staff get to know the children and their parents and carers individually and lay the foundations for a productive partnership. Close informal contacts are maintained throughout the children’s time at nursery. A record of each child’s achievement is built up during their time at nursery. These booklets are easily accessible to parents and carers. When Ormskirk Moorgate Nursery School - 19 children leave nursery, the records of achievement are presented to their parents who value them highly. Parents also receive a written end-of-year report on their children’s progress and have an opportunity to discuss it with the key worker. Most parents are satisfied with the arrangements for consultation and reporting. However, a few,

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

understandably, would like to be informed about their children’s progress before the end of the year. There is scope for providing opportunities for more formal reporting on the children’s progress during the year.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

51. Staff liaise very well with the parents of children who have special educational needs. Parents are fully involved and properly consulted. Daily ‘dialogue books’ ensure that parents know how their children are getting on and what they can do to help them. This results in a very productive partnership that contributes to the children’s very good progress.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

52. Several parents contribute to the children’s learning in school and complement the work of the staff. Some lend artefacts for topic work and use the school library with their children. A significant number help in school and they make a good contribution to the children’s learning. Additionally, the ‘Friends’ association raises considerable funds that are used to enhance the indoor and outdoor environment and to purchase extra resources. They have funded the purchase of attractive, brightly coloured, modern furniture and provided the labour for the improvements to the grounds. Planting and weeding is done by parent-power. The benefits of this mutual co- operation are integral to the school’s ethos.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

53. The staff wish to ensure the maximum benefit for the children from the partnership with their parents and carers and a member of staff has therefore been given responsibility for co-ordinating work with parents. This very effective aspect of the school’s work is set to improve further.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54. The headteacher provides very good leadership and management; the governing body’s contribution is good; there are many strengths in the way the school’s performance is judged; and the resources available to the school are used very well. The headteacher, staff and governors work well together. They have shared aims and long-term plans for the school and they are all committed to working with parents to do the very best for the children. The effectiveness of the leadership and management can be seen in the many improvements in the quality of education the school provides and the standards the children achieve. Since the headteacher took over, a few weeks before the last inspection, there have been many changes for the better at Moorgate.

p.19

The contributions of the headteacher, staff and governing body

55. The headteacher has a very clear sense of educational direction for the school and staff and governors share her view of the sort of school Moorgate should be and how it should develop. She sets high standards for all the school’s work and provides a very positive example in her teaching and her relationships with the children and their parents. She values the staff and their contribution to the success of the school. She has established an open climate in which everyone is constantly striving to improve their work. Consequently, she has secured a high level of commitment from the staff and this has a positive impact on the quality of education the school provides and the standards the children achieve. The school’s appropriate aims, based on ‘learning through play’ are met very well in all aspects of its day-to-day life. Ormskirk Moorgate Nursery School - 20 56. The headteacher and staff keep a good check on how effective the school is. For

p.19

The contributions of the headteacher, staff and governing body

instance, the headteacher monitors the quality of teaching. The close working relationships and the arrangements for joint planning of work mean the headteacher has a good picture of all the staff’s work. The headteacher checks the children’s progress in personal, social and emotional development, and speaking and listening very thoroughly. This means the staff are able to judge the effectiveness of their work and they have evidence on which to base decisions about where improvements might be needed and how to overcome any weaknesses. However, they do not have so much evidence to work on in other areas of learning. Even so, planning for the school’s future development is of good quality and, for the most part, the right priorities have been identified. The staff and governors take a long-term view and they take good account of local trends when making decisions about the future.

p.20

The contributions of the headteacher, staff and governing body

57. The governing body carries little direct responsibility for the school and has control over only a small part of the budget. The bulk of the budget is managed by the local education authority (LEA). Nevertheless, governors give a lot to the school. Many of them bring valuable experience of working with young children and their parents or in education. They have a good level of involvement in the leadership and management of the school. They receive good information about the life of the school and its progress in meeting targets for improvement. They keep a check on what is going on and on how funds are being spent. They make a very good contribution to the process of planning for the school’s continuing development and to decisions about how funds received directly from national government should be spent.

p.20

The adequacy of staffing, accommodation and resources

58. Care has been taken to ensure a good match of teachers and support staff to the demands of the curriculum and the needs of the children. There are sufficient staff and they are of a high calibre. The staff work very well as a team and their effectiveness is enhanced by a good amount of appropriate additional training. The arrangements for all staff to benefit from what any one of them learns on a course are good and the non- teaching staff have good opportunities to attend courses and develop their skills and expertise. Many students spend time in the school. They receive a good induction and make a positive contribution to the children’s education.

p.20

The adequacy of staffing, accommodation and resources

59. The standard of accommodation in the school is good and all areas of learning can be taught effectively. The rooms are of an appropriate size, and allow for flexibility. They are aesthetically pleasing and well decorated with stimulating learning materials, including many examples of children’s work. The outdoor accommodation is very good. It contains a wide variety of fixed apparatus and is attractively planted and well maintained. The non-teaching areas, such as the office, are rather cramped; there are no areas for work with smaller groups or individuals and no suitable accommodation to extend the school’s work with community groups, such as the ‘toddler group’.

p.20

The adequacy of staffing, accommodation and resources

60. Taken overall, the resources for teaching and learning are good. They are at least satisfactory for all areas of learning. Resources are good for creative development, knowledge and understanding of the world, and personal, social and emotional development. For music, information and communication technology, and the movement element of physical development they are very good. The number, range and quality of books is very good.

p.20

The strategic use of resources

61. The school makes very good use of all its resources. Spending of the funds under the school’s control is very well planned to support the agreed educational priorities in the Ormskirk Moorgate Nursery School - 21 school’s development plan. This means that spending is very carefully targeted. Funds provided directly by national government, for particular purposes, are used very well and this makes a strong contribution to enhancing the staff’s professional knowledge through further training.

p.20

The strategic use of resources

62. The unofficial school fund is published and audited each year but the nursery’s own finances have not been audited for many years.

p.21

The strategic use of resources

63. Time and staff are used very well to enable the children to achieve well. The pattern of each nursery session and the organisation of children into working groups are very effective in making the best use of the children’s time in nursery. The support staff make a strong contribution to school life and to the children’s learning. They provide very good value for money.

p.21

The strategic use of resources

64. The nursery staff and governors are very committed to continuing improvement and efficiency and they apply the principles of best value very well. As a result, improvement since the last inspection has been swift on many fronts. Staff and governors compare the nursery with other providers and are dedicated to offering the best service possible to the children and their families. They look to the future and take account of local trends in their long-term planning. They have an entrepreneurial approach to seeking out new opportunities and meeting the challenge of improvement. Consultation is widespread. Children are asked daily about their preferences and are involved in decisions about some of the arrangements in the nursery, for instance what to include in the settings for imaginative play. Staff and governors are routinely involved in giving their opinions. Liaison with parents is very frequent, mostly informal,

p.21

The strategic use of resources

but sometimes by questionnaire. Ormskirk Moorgate Nursery School - 22

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

65. In order to raise standards still further in this successful school, the head teacher and staff, together with the local education authority and the governing body, should:

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) further develop the use of assessment in the planning of the curriculum by: • strengthening the links between the whole-school curricular planning and the assessment systems so that all elements are firmly based on the national guidance for the Foundation Stage • checking more thoroughly and systematically, when children start nursery, what they know and understand and what they can do. • assessing children’s progress in mathematical development more rigorously; • carefully analysing the information obtained from assessing children’s progress and acting on the findings by making any necessary changes to the curricular planning, to ensure all children do as well as they can in all the areas of learning. (Paragraph Nos: 8, 41, 56)

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) * ensure that the whole-school curricular planning for communication, language and literacy; mathematical development; and knowledge and understanding of the world fully reflects the new national guidance for the Foundation Stage, in order to: • raise staff’s awareness of just how far the children can go; • raise standards in these areas of learning to match those attained in other aspects of the children’s learning. (Paragraph nos: 21, 22, 26, 82, 83, 85)

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

* The school has identified this issue and has a rolling programme of review of the whole-school curricular plans.

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

66. In addition to these key issues for action, the following points should be considered for inclusion in the action plan:

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• keeping a closer check on the balance of each child’s self-chosen activities (paragraph no: 27) • making arrangements to inform parents, during the year, about their children’s progress (paragraph no: 50) Ormskirk Moorgate Nursery School - 23

p.22

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

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

p.23

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.23

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

7 33 53 7 0 0 0 The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

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

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

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

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 4

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 12

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 2

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

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

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 2 Ormskirk Moorgate Nursery School - 24

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff Financial year 2000/2001

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 2.2

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 18.2 £

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 9 Total expenditure 23,819

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 136 Expenditure per pupil 596

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance brought forward from previous year -204

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per FTE adult 9.3 Balance carried forward to next year 387 FTE means full-time equivalent. Ormskirk Moorgate Nursery School - 25

p.24

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 89 8 0 0 3

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 78 19 0 0 3

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 27 16 3 3 51

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 51 32 16 0 0

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 78 22 0 0 0

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 49 46 0 0 5

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 81 14 0 0 5

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 95 5 0 0 0

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 81 14 3 0 3

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 70 16 0 3 11 Ormskirk Moorgate Nursery School - 26

p.25

Personal, social and emotional development

67. Standards are well above average. The provision and teaching in this area of learning are very good. All the children make very good progress in their learning. When they start nursery their attainment, in this area of learning, taken overall, is average and some children find it hard to make friends and learn to share. By the time they leave the nursery, most have reached the standard expected at the end of the reception year (the Early Learning Goals), in nearly all aspects of this area of learning. High priority is given to the children’s personal, social and emotional development and there has been a very good improvement in standards since the last inspection.

p.26

Personal, social and emotional development

68. The children develop very positive attitudes to learning and they are keen to try the many new and interesting activities the staff provide. For example, one day there were foreign breads, such as tikka nan bread and ciabatta, to try at ‘snack-time’. All the children tasted them and they wanted to know what they were called and where they were from. They are equally enthusiastic about new challenges in physical activities out of doors. Furthermore, they develop perseverance so that, when given choice, they stick with the activities they have selected for long enough to learn from them.

p.26

Personal, social and emotional development

69. These attitudes and learning skills are the result of very good teaching, which is particularly effective in helping the children to gain confidence and grow in self-esteem. The staff support and encourage the children very well and create an atmosphere in which they feel secure and are therefore willing to experiment and have a go.

p.26

Personal, social and emotional development

70. The children learn to sit quietly and sensibly and to attend to adults and each other and they develop very good levels of concentration for their age. This is seen vividly at ‘circle time’. All 40 children sit in a circle together with two or three members of staff. They are exceptionally well behaved, interested and attentive as they join in familiar songs, listen to staff and answer questions, and look at interesting new things, like a highly decorated elephant ornament from India.

p.26

Personal, social and emotional development

71. The children learn to share and to think of others and co-operate with them. For instance, they wait their turn for milk and a snack which are served by their classmates. They play together with construction equipment and in imaginative play settings, such as the ‘garage’ and the ‘travel agent’s’, where they organise themselves to take different roles, like greeting customers and showing them travel brochures, filling in forms, and operating the computer. They learn that there are similarities and differences between the lives of people around the world and to accept and respect others. For example, they know that people in other countries speak different languages and they have learned to say ‘hello’ in French. They know that some people in Britain and other countries live on boats. Some of the children have special educational needs, for instance mobility difficulties, and the others learn to accept and

p.26

Personal, social and emotional development

accommodate them. Children are helped to understand and accept their own feelings. For example, they have made group books about being happy and sad. Their contributions show a good awareness of their feelings, for example ‘the sunshine makes me happy’ and ‘playing in the field with Daddy’s car makes me happy’.

p.26

Personal, social and emotional development

72. The children learn to build relationships and to understand, accept and follow the necessary simple rules for getting along together safely and happily at nursery. Children form excellent relationships with each other and with the staff. They follow the Ormskirk Moorgate Nursery School - 27 staff’s very good model of working together. They willingly accept the boundaries set for their behaviour. For instance, at each outdoor play activity session, children are allowed to use only part of the grounds. They keep to the correct area conscientiously.

p.26

Personal, social and emotional development

73. A few of the children have special educational needs in this area of learning. These needs are met very well and the children make good progress in developing self- control and in relating to others.

p.27

Personal, social and emotional development

74. The quality of teaching and learning is very good. Staff know the strengths and weaknesses in this aspect of the children’s development when they start school. They provide a very good range of interesting activities and a judicious blend of support and challenge matched to each child’s needs. They have established suitable, well- organised daily routines so that the children know where they are. They make sure the children know the reasons for rules and they teach them to think of others. They present children with positive images of a range of cultures and lifestyles, thus promoting tolerance and understanding of others.

p.27

Personal, social and emotional development

75. There are three key strengths of the successful teaching: • The promotion of personal, social and emotional development permeates all aspects of the school’s work and all the staff’s dealings with the children. It is a key feature of the school’s ethos. It is carried through in many small ways that make a big difference to the children’s development. For instance, the children were fully involved in deciding what would be needed in the classroom ‘Travel Agent’s’. • All the staff are consistent in their approach and they have very high expectations of maturity and responsibility and the children rise to them. For instance, when one of the children spilt a little milk, the teacher told him to ‘get a paper towel and wipe it up’ and he did so entirely independently, while she carried on teaching. • The school has adopted a method of teaching that is based on children being expected to make sensible choices about their activities and to be as independent

p.27

Personal, social and emotional development

as possible. At ‘plan and do’ time, children are taught to decide, in advance, what they will do and stick to their plans. Almost all the equipment and resources are stored so the children can get them independently and they are expected to do so. This is very effective as it frees the staff to work intensively with small groups of children and individuals and no staff time is wasted.

p.27

Personal, social and emotional development

76. The very high standards children reach in this area of learning are seen in their attitudes and learning skills, self-belief and very high standards of behaviour. These stand them in very good stead to benefit from the next stage of their education.

p.27

Communication, language and literacy

77. Standards are above average. The quality of teaching is good and the children learn at a good rate. This area of learning covers speaking and listening, and early reading and writing. By the time they leave nursery, most of the children’s attainment in speaking and listening is well above average for their age. This aspect of the work is taught very well and most of the children have already reached the targets for the end of the reception year (the Early Learning Goals). In reading and writing, the majority reach a higher standard than expected for their age, and they are on target to exceed the Early Learning Goals by the end of the reception year. These standards represent good achievement from a broadly average starting point. Standards are higher than at the time of the last inspection. Ormskirk Moorgate Nursery School - 28 78. The provision for speaking and listening is very good and children make very good

p.27

Communication, language and literacy

progress in this aspect of the work. Children whose hearing is impaired make very good progress in learning to communicate; they learn sign language and lip reading. Specialist teaching and very high quality support enables them to join in all the language and literacy activities in the nursery and to benefit from them. Consequently, they make very good progress towards their learning targets.

p.28

Communication, language and literacy

79. Situations in which children will need to communicate and want to do so are built into the settings that staff create for imaginative play. For example, children’s play in the ‘Travel Agent’s’ is based on their visit to a local travel agency. They decide between them who will take the roles of customers and staff and they adopt them very convincingly. As ‘staff’, they ask sensible questions and keep to the point. They offer ‘customers’ relevant holiday brochures and provide foreign currency for them. The nursery staff are attuned to the quality of the children’s use of language in their play. From time to time they join in with the children or suggest particular roles to them in order to promote speaking and listening.

p.28

Communication, language and literacy

80. More organised speaking and listening is a planned part of the daily lessons. At the end of each session of self-chosen activities, the children have a ‘recall’ session in small groups with their key workers, to talk about what they have been doing. Staff lead these sessions very well, using them to get the children talking for a purpose and explaining their ideas in words. They ask questions that are sensitively matched to each individual child, and that make the children think and explain their ideas, for instance, ‘why do you think the sun is very hot?’. The children listen very well in these sessions, to the staff and to each other. For example, when one child talked about the highly imaginative games he and his friend had played, other children asked sensible and relevant questions that showed how well they had listened. These children conducted a conversation, taking turns to speak, listening to each other and making

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Communication, language and literacy

pertinent contributions. The higher attaining children hold their audience very well, for instance introducing their contributions with expressions like ‘you’ll never believe it!’. In one session, children had a selection of items from which to choose what to pack for a holiday to a hot country. Before putting anything in the case they were expected to justify its inclusion. This approach was very effective in helping the children to organise their thinking and to give reasons for their choices.

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Communication, language and literacy

81. The children listen very attentively to stories. They enjoy sound effects and stories where they can join in. Staff capitalise on this, selecting stories effectively to help develop the children’s memory and their ability to hear differences between sounds and to recognise rhymes.

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Communication, language and literacy

82. The children’s early reading skills are good for their age. They have positive attitudes to books and they treat them carefully. They know which way up to hold them and they turn the pages in order. They sometimes choose to look at books with friends or listen to stories read by staff. They know that the adults read the printed word not the pictures. This understanding is aided by staff sometimes reading books without pictures to the children. The children have a good understanding of plot for their age. For instance, they recognised the similarities between a new story and a familiar one, The Gingerbread Man. By the time they leave the nursery, the children recognise their own names; a few can pick out their friends’ names as well. Most of them have learned a lot about letters and are developing phonic knowledge that will help them work out unfamiliar words as they move on in reading. They know the sounds made by many

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Communication, language and literacy

letters and they suggest words beginning with them. They match pictures and words by the first sound. They recognise the letters in their own names when they see them in other words. The children know less about words than letters. Very few of them recognise a few familiar words on sight. This is mainly because, although the written Ormskirk Moorgate Nursery School - 29 word is an integral part of most displays in the nursery, staff do not systematically teach the children a basic sight vocabulary, although some are clearly ready for such work. Taken overall, the teaching of early reading skills is good. Even so, staff could take the children on further and could make more of opportunities to read with children and teach them about deciphering the written word, when they choose to look at books.

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Communication, language and literacy

83. The children reach above average standards for their age in early writing. They understand that writing is used for many purposes because appropriate opportunities for writing are built into lots of activities and play situations. There are forms to fill in and envelopes to address. In the ‘garage’ there is a pad for telephone messages. The children make books. All the children make marks on paper that they call ‘writing’. Most of them include letter shapes and, for many, most of their writing consists of recognisable letters, though they do not write any words from memory, except their own names. A good number of the children copy words accurately. However, many children form letters incorrectly. The provision of a wide range of opportunities for writing is a strength of the teaching. However, more could be done to teach children how to write.

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Mathematical development

84. Standards are above average. Children make good progress because they are taught well. They make good gains in their learning in knowing about numbers and calculating. Their rate of progress in learning about shape, space and measures and using their mathematical knowledge is very good. Most of the children are on course to exceed the Early Learning Goals by the end of the reception year. This represents good achievement from their starting point. Standards are higher than at the time of the last inspection.

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Mathematical development

85. By the time they leave the nursery, the majority of the children have a good understanding of numbers up to ten and of addition and subtraction. They count up to ten objects correctly. They recognise the numerals and write some of them from memory but do not always form them correctly. Nearly all the children give the next number and know, for example, that two is one more than one. The higher attaining children have a good grasp of addition. When getting pictures of cars to match a tally of cars they had seen passing the school, they knew that, if they have six, they need another two to make eight. A few of the children understand early division. For instance they realise that six feet belong to three people and, with support, they count them in twos. Staff base mathematical work on topics that interest the children. In group teaching sessions, staff introduce these new mathematical concepts well and

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Mathematical development

match their questions and challenges closely to individual children. This means that all children, including those with special educational needs, are fully involved. However, they do not take the children as far as they could go in knowing about numbers. For example, children who have a very confident understanding of numbers up to ten leave numbers out when they try to count to twenty.

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Mathematical development

86. The teaching of the practical aspects of mathematics is very good and the children are helped to use what they have learned in one session when tackling new work. For example, the children have experience of making tally charts and they have made block graphs of how they come to school. They understand these and can explain what they show. They built very effectively on this learning when they came to make block graphs to show the number of different coloured cars passing the school. They first made tally charts and then transferred the information to block graphs. All the staff supported the children well in these activities and used resources very effectively to help them do the tally and understand the graphs. For instance, they got the lower Ormskirk Moorgate Nursery School - 30 attaining pupils to build towers instead of making their own graphs. As a result, all the children carried the tasks out very sensibly and tried very hard. They understood what

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Mathematical development

they had done and that the tally charts and the graph showed the same information in different ways.

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Mathematical development

87. The children have a very good knowledge of shapes. They recognise and name circles, rectangles and ovals. They are keen to find them all around. For instance, when they were eating different breads at ‘snack-time’ they quickly pointed out which ones were round and which rectangular.

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Mathematical development

88. Staff use mathematical language correctly so the children extend their vocabulary. This means that the children learn new words in meaningful contexts and use them with understanding. For example, they use word like ‘more’, ‘less’, ‘most’ and ‘least’.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

89. Work in this area of learning lays the foundations for later study of science, design and technology, history, geography and information and communication technology.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

90. Standards are above average and most of the children are on target to exceed the Early Learning Goals by the end of the reception year. Standards are very high in information and communication technology. Standards are higher than at the time of the last inspection. The children make good progress in their learning as a result of effective teaching based on the provision of a good range of opportunities for learning. The standards children reach represent good achievement because they start nursery with broadly average general knowledge about the world around them.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

91. The children have good opportunities to make sense of the world around them through local visits followed up by well-planned provision for purposeful play. The staff make considerable efforts to ensure that imaginative play, linked to the topics studied, helps children learn about the world around them. For example, they visited the local garage and were shown what happened there and how the car-lift worked so they are able to use the ‘garage’ in the classroom effectively. The educational visits, that are a planned part of the school’s curriculum, make a very significant contribution to the children’s learning about their local area and places further afield. The children get a good start in developing early geographical knowledge. They also learn about more distant places, such as India and Africa and about how people live there as well as how different groups of people, such as travellers, live in Britain. They know that some

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

countries have hot climates and that elephants are found in India and Africa and they know there are snakes in Africa.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

92. The children develop a good understanding of time. At first they think about day and night and how things look different at night. Later they learn about changes in transport over time, for instance how cars have replaced horses.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

93. The children make good progress in scientific knowledge and understanding because the staff provide good opportunities for them to experiment with physical phenomena and observe flora and fauna. For example, when children were experimenting with shells in water, they thought they always sank. The teacher joined them and suggested they turn the shells over. They were surprised to see that some of them floated and began to discuss possible reasons for this with the teacher. The children help to dig out flower beds and know that the plants they put in them will grow bigger.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

94. The children use the good selection of construction equipment to make models, such as vehicles. When they made flags for their sandcastles they were confident in the use Ormskirk Moorgate Nursery School - 31 of different ways of joining paper, including cutting and accurately positioning sticky tape.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

95. Standards in early information and communication technology are very high. The children make progress at a very good rate in this aspect of the work and most of them have reached the targets for the end of the reception year, by the time they leave the nursery. The staff give effective individual instruction to children working with computers and the children gain confidence in their ability to use computers and other technological equipment, such as tape recorders. With very little supervision, most of the children use the ‘mouse’ to click on objects and drag them to where they want to position them on the screen. They choose particular functions within a program and explain what they are doing in simple terms. They use the correct terminology.

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Physical development

96. The children reach very high standards because the teaching in this area of learning, taken overall, is very good. The children learn at a very good rate and, by the time they leave the nursery, for most, their attainment exceeds the expectation for their age. In movement, awareness of space and the health education element, the majority have reached the standard expected by the end of the reception year and, in some aspects of the work, exceeded this level. These standards represent very good achievement. Standards have improved greatly since the time of the last inspection when attainment was mostly satisfactory.

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Physical development

97. The staff use the very good outdoor resources very effectively. They offer all the children, including those with special educational needs and limited mobility, an extensive range of physically challenging experiences that extend their abilities to climb, swing and balance. Children make very good progress because all staff support them well during physical activities, encouraging them to try new ways of using the apparatus and to practise skills, such as catching balls. Consequently, children feel safe and secure and have the confidence to be adventurous. The teachers and support staff have very good subject knowledge so children learn why exercise is important to keep healthy.

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Physical development

98. Children choose outdoor activities in ‘plan and do’ sessions and benefit from taught physical education lessons. In the lesson observed, the quality of teaching and learning was excellent and the children performed at a very high level for their age. They showed very good control of their bodies and a very good awareness of space. For example, they found spaces to place their equipment and jumped and hopped around and in and out of their hoops safely, avoiding bumping into each other. The teacher used simple apparatus, hoops, very effectively to give the children very good opportunities to practise and extend their physical skills. She kept all the children fully involved in the lesson, skilfully incorporating their suggestions and getting them to explain to each other what they are doing. The children were very attentive and tried very hard. Support staff were used very well to enable children with special

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Physical development

educational needs to join in and make progress.

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Physical development

99. The children are given many opportunities to use tools and a range of small equipment, such as scissors, crayons, paintbrushes, glue spreaders and pastry cutters, as well as construction kits. These activities help children to achieve good standards of manual dexterity. Ormskirk Moorgate Nursery School - 32

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Creative development

100. The teaching of creative development is very good. The children make good progress in their learning and attain well above average standards. Most reach a standard just below the Early Learning Goals by the time they leave the nursery. This represents very good achievement. Standards are higher than at the time of the last inspection.

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Creative development

101. The staff plan creative activities very well. For instance, they provide very good settings for imaginative play that are closely linked to the work in other areas of learning. The children respond very well to this provision and their imaginative play is of high quality. Staff use resources very effectively and support staff work with children in small groups so that they develop their knowledge and skills thoroughly. The children follow an interesting curriculum and have good opportunities to experiment with a range of media and learn to use a good variety of tools, materials and equipment. Staff manage and organise the children excellently so they derive maximum benefit from the opportunities provided.

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Creative development

102. The children’s art work is of a high standard. For example, when they painted daisies from life, they chose the colours of paint to use carefully, to match the colours of the flowers. They recognise and name most colours and know that when they mix a colour with white, they obtain a lighter shade. Art is also used effectively to support work in other areas of learning. For example, children worked together to produce a large- scale illustration of a familiar story, The Bear Hunt.

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Creative development

103. By the time they leave the nursery, children’s attainment in music meets the expectations for the end of the reception year. They clap in time to songs and sing familiar songs tunefully and enthusiastically. The children thoroughly enjoy music lessons. They enjoy playing instruments and know the names of many percussion instruments, such as drums, triangle and castanets. In music lessons, children of all abilities, including those with special educational needs, are encouraged to take part, to be the centre of an action song or to play an instrument which helps all children to feel valued. In these sessions their behaviour is excellent. They listen very carefully to the teacher’s instructions, take turns to play and leave the instruments alone when they are not meant to be playing them. This reflects the very high expectations of behaviour from all staff and makes each lesson a very positive learning experience.

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Creative development

Very good use is made of music and singing to reinforce children’s understanding in other areas of learning. For example, in the whole-school starting session children sang a song about greetings in other languages linked to the current topic on ‘Journeys’.

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