Rosegrove Nursery School

ROSEGROVE NURSERY SCHOOL

Inspection number: 198628 Full inspection carried out under Section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Rosegrove Nursery School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Havelock Street Burnley Lancashire Postcode: BB12 6JF

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: Local Education Authority

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 13 November 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. Rosegrove Nursery School - 4

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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 Special educational needs 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 the school should do to improve further? 9974 Mr D Singh 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? 17208 Mrs G Briggs Team inspector English as an additional language 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 Rosegrove Nursery School - 5

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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 Pupils’ attitudes and values Teaching and learning Other aspects of the school How well the school is led and managed Parents’ and carers’ views of the school

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 9

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Rosegrove Nursery provides places for up to 70 three- and four-year-old children. Children normally attend the Nursery part-time for a year but when there are spare places younger children are admitted. This means some children spend five terms at the Nursery. At the time of the inspection, there were 40 children attending in the mornings and another 30 in the afternoons. Of these, 21 were early admissions who would be at Nursery for another year. Very few of the children are from ethnic minority families. Only a very small number of the children speak English in addition to another language; they are competent at English. Only one of the children has special educational needs. This child has a statement of special educational needs and attends Nursery on only two days each week. When children start Nursery, their attainment, taken overall, is broadly average for their age.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Rosegrove Nursery is a good school. The children’s personal development is good and they have good attitudes to learning. The quality of teaching is good and the children are making better than average gains in their learning. Consequently, standards are higher than expected for the children’s ages. The acting headteacher provides good leadership and management and this has led to very good improvement during the last year.

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What the school does well

• A good curriculum is taught well. This enables the children to reach above average standards in all areas of their learning. Standards in information and communication technology are well above average. • The school provides well for the children’s moral and social development and children respond well to this. They are enthusiastic about learning; they are well behaved and they learn to form very good relationships. • The staff work well together to continually improve what the Nursery offers the children and to help the children do as well as they can. Their efforts are steered well by the acting headteacher; she leads and manages the school well. • The school takes good care of the children.

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What could be improved

• The higher attainers, though they make satisfactory progress, do not progress as quickly as the other children. • The school does not do enough to promote the children’s cultural development. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The improvement in the school, since it was last inspected in November 1997, has been good. However, there was a lot still to do when the acting headteacher took charge. Improvement in the last year has been very good. Improvement is evident in nearly all aspects of the school. All the major aspects that affect how well the children do (teaching, the curriculum, checking progress, and the leadership and management) are better than reported in 1997. The school is very well placed to continue improving. Rosegrove Nursery School - 7

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STANDARDS

The children attain above average overall standards in all the 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. Standards in the information and communication technology (computers) part of their work are well above what is expected for the children’s age. Standards are satisfactory in building and constructing things and using tools, and in the children’s awareness of diversity in people’s beliefs and cultures.

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STANDARDS

Most of the children achieve well because they make good progress from their starting points. The faster learners make satisfactory progress but do not gain ground as rapidly as the other children.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Good; the children are enthusiastic about the things they do at Nursery. They try hard and they enjoy learning.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour Good; the children know what is expected of them and they are normally well behaved.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Good; the children develop confidence and are reasonably independent in the Nursery. Relationships are very good.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Most children come to Nursery regularly and are prompt.

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Teaching of pupils:

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:

The quality of teaching is good in all six areas of learning and, as a result, most of the children are making gains in their learning at a good rate.

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Teaching of pupils:

The teaching of early computer skills is very good and, by the time they leave Nursery, most of the children have reached the standard expected by the end of the Reception class.

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Teaching of pupils:

The school meets most of the children’s needs well and the needs of all its children at least satisfactorily. Nevertheless, teachers’ expectations for the higher attaining children could be set even higher. These children are not always challenged by the work and, therefore, do not make as much progress, in relation to their starting points, as most of the others. Rosegrove Nursery School - 8 During the inspection, the quality of the teaching seen was always at least satisfactory. It was satisfactory in 47 per cent of the 17 sessions seen. In 41 per cent of the sessions it was good and in 12 per cent the teaching was very good. Both teachers and nursery nurses teach groups of pupils. Understandably, most of the good and very good sessions were taught by the teachers.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Good overall; the work is planned well and the children have a rich diet of interesting experiences. The work is based round ‘topics’ that are interesting and relevant to the children. The curriculum is enriched by a good range of visitors. The arrangements for teaching early reading, writing and mathematics are effective. More attention could be paid to making it clear how work will become progressively more demanding.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for children with special educational needs Good; the quality of teaching for any children with special educational needs is good. As a result, such children make good gains in learning in the light of their learning difficulties.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for children with English as an additional language There are no children at an early stage of learning English. Children who also speak another language are competent at English and are getting on as well as the others.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for children’s personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good overall; the school provides well for children’s personal, social and emotional development and for their moral development. As a result, children gain the confidence to try new things, they are well behaved, and they build very good relationships with each other and with staff. Provision for cultural development is unsatisfactory.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its children Good attention is paid to children’s welfare and health and safety matters. Staff have a very high level of concern for the children’s well-being. Good checks are kept on how well children are progressing.

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Aspect Comment

The school has a satisfactory partnership with parents.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Good; the acting headteacher is clear sighted. She has done a lot to improve the school and has laid good plans for further improvement. She has involved all staff well, carried them with her, and got a high level of commitment from them. Rosegrove Nursery School - 9 How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Satisfactory; the governors carry limited responsibility and the bulk of the school’s funding is managed by the local education authority not the governing body. Governors know the school through their visits; they have an ‘ear to the ground’ and they have confidence in the acting headteacher. However, they depend heavily on her for information about whether the school is doing well enough for the children and how it might improve, and they are not fully involved in planning for the future. There are vacancies on the governing body; some of them are

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance Good within the school; the acting headteacher uses the assessments of pupils’ progress well to underpin decisions about priorities for improvement and to determine if the children are doing well enough. There is a lack of clarity about where responsibility for oversight of the school’s performance lies.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources Good; all the resources available to the school are used to promote the children’s learning. The principles of best value are applied soundly.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

There are sufficient staff. The accommodation is satisfactory. The resources for teaching and learning are good with a very good supply of books and very good provision for work with computers.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Their children like school. • They think the teaching is good and their children are making good progress. • They think the school is helping their children become mature and responsible. • They think the children are well behaved. • They find the school approachable. • They think it works closely with parents and is led and managed well. • The amount of work their children have to do at home. • The range of out of school activities;

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Seventeen of the 70 inspection questionnaires were returned. The vast majority of these parents expressed a positive view of the school. The inspectors agree with the parents’ positive views but find no evidence to support the criticisms of a small number of parents. The work children are given to do at home is satisfactory and it is not usual for extra- curricular activities to be provided for nursery children. Rosegrove 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. In all these areas of learning, Rosegrove Nursery’s children attain above average standards; most of the children are working at a level beyond what is expected for children their age and are on course to exceed the expectations for the end of the reception year (the Early Learning Goals).

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. Pupils attain good standards in the development of early literacy and numeracy skills. They are well set off on the road to becoming readers, writers and young mathematicians. They have good attitudes to books and they enjoy stories. They already know the sounds made by quite a lot of letters. They count confidently and match numbers to sets of objects accurately. The higher attaining children have a good early understanding of addition and subtraction.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. Pupils attain well above average standards in the information and communication technology part of the work on knowledge and understanding of the world. In work with computers, after a year at Nursery, most of the children have reached the standard expected at the end of the reception year.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. Standards in building and constructing things and using tools, and in awareness of diversity in people’s beliefs and cultures are satisfactory but not as high as the standards achieved in other aspects of work.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. The children’s level of attainment when they start Nursery, taken overall, is average. Therefore attaining above average standards for their age, by the time they leave, represents good achievement. However, for the higher attainers, achievement is less good than for the other children. These higher attaining children make satisfactory progress but, for the most part, staff’s expectations for them are not set significantly higher than for other children. This is a key reason why they do not make the same gains in learning in relation to their staring points.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

6. The children respond well to the school’s good provision for their personal development, especially moral and social development. They have good attitudes to school. They are well behaved and they form very good relationships with each other and the adults in nursery. The children’s personal development is better than average for their age. These strengths are the result of the way staff promote the children’s personal development. The result is a warm, friendly and harmonious atmosphere for learning in which children flourish and do well. Parents report that their children enjoy coming to nursery.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

7. In this aspect of the school, high standards have been maintained since the last inspection. Rosegrove Nursery School - 11 8. The vast majority of the children tackle their tasks with enthusiasm and excitement and they try hard at all they do. They respond well to the school’s ethos and the stimulating learning environment it provides. They want to learn and the staff harness their natural curiosity well so they gain confidence and learn well. The children gain immense enjoyment from learning; they are eager to please and show their work with pride. The staff promote children’s self-esteem well and they promote independent learning. As a result, children participate readily in discussions and willingly help in lessons. For example, in a story session, the children acted out the most important parts of the story. This helped them to understand the plot. In a music session, children willingly and confidently helped the teacher by giving out the instruments.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

This increased their sense of involvement in the lesson and they all joined in enthusiastically.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

9. The children are well behaved. They have a good understanding of how they are expected to behave and they know the difference between right and wrong. The staff are successful in teaching the children how to behave, to consider others, and to be purposeful in their activities. As a result, the children achieve a good degree of self- discipline for their age and staff rarely need to use any sanctions to get them to behave properly. When the children play out of doors, there is no bullying or other inappropriate behaviour. The children show no racist attitudes or behaviour and there have been no exclusions.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. Pupils follow the staff’s excellent example and form very good relationships with each other and with the staff and they establish positive, friendly relationships with visitors. Children make friends with others whether or not they are of the same gender or from the same racial group, because this is encouraged by the staff.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. The children learn to co-operate and be considerate of the needs of others and they develop of reasonable degree of independence. They help to tidy up at the end of each session. They help willingly. For instance, in an information and communication technology session, children operated a remote controlled toy, and this helped the teacher to demonstrate how the computer was working. Children are keen to support charitable causes, such as Red Nose Day and sending filled shoeboxes to children abroad. This supports their developing sense of responsibility as citizens.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Most children come to school regularly and arrive on time each day. However, a significant minority miss too much school and some are often late. Absence has a detrimental effect on their learning and lateness disturbs sessions for other children. Children are taken on family holidays in term-time or are kept off school with minor illnesses.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

13. The quality of teaching is good in all six areas of learning. This is the main reason why the children make better than average progress in their learning and achieve good standards for their age, by the time they leave Nursery.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

14. All the teaching seen during the inspection was of at least a satisfactory quality. It was satisfactory in 47 per cent of the sessions observed, good in 41 per cent and very good in 12 per cent. Teachers and nursery nurses teach groups of pupils. Good teaching was seen from all these staff. Nevertheless, most of the good and very good teaching was seen in sessions taught by the teachers. This is understandable Rosegrove Nursery School - 12 but still means that, because of the way group sessions are organised, some children have less opportunity to benefit from good teaching than others do.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

15. The new arrangements for ‘group time’ are proving particularly effective in developing the children’s early literacy and numeracy skills. Staff and parents have been pleasantly surprised by how much the children have achieved. In these group teaching times, staff work intensively with small groups of children for about 25 minutes of each half-day Nursery session. They teach the children about words and letters and how to count and use numbers. However, the work in ‘group time’ is not always sufficiently demanding for the higher attaining children. Consequently, although these children reach high standards, their rate of progress is slower than that achieved by the other children.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

16. Taken overall, the teaching has many strengths:

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

• Staff have a good understanding of the needs of these young children. This helps them to make the work interesting, to capture children’s attention so they concentrate well, to nurture their natural curiosity and, to help them learn from purposeful, well planned play. As a result, the children take an interest in all the activities provided and they try hard to succeed in all they do. • Teachers plan the work well, together with support staff. This means staff benefit from each other’s strengths and all are clear what the children should learn from every activity. This in turn means that the children work productively and gain ground at a good rate. • Staff make good use of the available resources for teaching and learning. They use visual aids to interest children in books and they create good settings for play that stimulate the children’s imagination and promote the development of their language and mathematical skills. For instance, as part of work on a trip to the

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

seaside, part of a wider topic on Journeys, staff set up a shop. This includes a notebook for writing bills and prices are displayed on the goods. Staff play with the children, developing their use of language and helping them to identify coins. • For the most part, staff get the children to behave well, so they can all concentrate on what they are learning. • Staff keep good records of how the children are getting on and use them when deciding what to teach next.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

17. In the most effective sessions, staff match the work very well to children’s individual learning needs, for example, by asking harder questions of the faster learners in group sessions. They expect a lot of the children and give them a good amount of new information and vocabulary at a level that they can understand and learn from. For instance, when the children looked at a crab, staff told them the correct words for its different parts and they expected the children to observe them in a very close and detailed way. In one session the children used a computer to select magnified photographs that they had taken previously and stored on the hard drive. The teacher demonstrated new skills well so the children used the keyboard proficiently. She used questions effectively to get the children thinking and themselves asking about what was happening on the screen. She gave clear explanations that enabled the children

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

to understand the new work and she extended their vocabulary by always using the correct terminology.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

18. Some of the teaching, though satisfactory is less effective. This is usually for one of the following reasons. Firstly, in some sessions, staff miss opportunities to bring the Rosegrove Nursery School - 13 faster learners on in early literacy and numeracy skills. For example, in one story session a suitably appealing story, ‘Mrs Honey’s Hat’, and good visual aids were used, so the children’s attention was caught and held. However, the teacher did little to draw the children’s attention to the print, for instance, to help them learn to recognise words and to know about the left to right reading direction. Secondly, when some children occasionally become restless some staff use only a limited range of strategies to manage their behaviour and have no other methods to fall back on when the usual ones prove ineffective. This was seen in another story session when a few children were inattentive and the reading of the story was frequently interrupted by

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

attempts to settle them down. Thirdly, there are times when staff interact only with those children who approach them and therefore fail to push learning on for the others. An example was seen in an outdoor play session when discussions between some of the children and staff were very productive, promoting good quality imaginative play and extending children’s vocabulary. However, several other children were left largely to their own devices for most of the session. They practised their physical skills by riding on wheeled toys but they were not set challenges that might have helped them to acquire new skills.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

19. Any children with special educational needs are taught well and make good progress in small steps in all areas of learning, as a result of good quality support and well planned activities.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

20. The school provides good opportunities for children to learn and to progress in their personal development. As a result, the children bring good attitudes to their work on a rich variety of stimulating and well-planned activities; this helps them to do well in their time at nursery. Consequently, the majority attain above average standards by the time they leave.

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The curriculum – the learning opportunities provided by the school

21. The school provides a good curriculum that covers all the areas of learning in the nationally recommended programme for children of nursery age (personal, social and emotional development; communication, language and literacy; mathematical development; knowledge and understanding of the world; physical development and creative development). The school’s curriculum is based on ‘topics’ that interest the children, because they are relevant to them and all the areas of learning are connected. The work is enriched by a good range of visitors to school, such as members of the emergency services. These topics are planned on a two-year cycle.

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The curriculum – the learning opportunities provided by the school

22. There was a key issue for action in the last inspection report about improving the planning of the curriculum. The improvement on this issue has been good, particularly over the last twelve months. The staff are planning the work on each topic in detail as it comes up in the two-year cycle. This is effective in ensuring that all the children cover the same ground and all staff know what should be learned from each activity. However, the planning does not indicate how work will become progressively more demanding; it does not yet reflect the ‘Stepping Stones’ in the nationally agreed curriculum for children of this age. This is one reason why the higher attaining children do not progress at such a good rate as the others. Rosegrove Nursery School - 14 23. The curriculum is organised well and the recently introduced arrangements for teaching new work to small groups of children are proving effective in promoting a

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The curriculum – the learning opportunities provided by the school

good rate of learning for the majority. Early literacy and numeracy skills are taught particularly effectively in these ‘group times’.

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The curriculum – the learning opportunities provided by the school

24. The curriculum for information and communication technology is very good. This element of the work on knowledge and understanding of the world is very well resourced and kept right up-to-date.

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The curriculum – the learning opportunities provided by the school

25. The school has begun to provide well for personal, social and health education. Each week, the children participate in ‘Circle Time’. This is a short session when staff and children sit together and children have the opportunity to say what’s on their minds, in a supportive atmosphere, and to discuss issues that matter to them. Sessions have focused on, for example, behaviour and caring for others. The attention to health education is good. Children take part in aerobics sessions and learn about their heartbeats and the importance of keeping fit as well matters of hygiene.

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The curriculum – the learning opportunities provided by the school

26. The provision for any children with special educational needs is good. Support staff follow their individual education plans closely and this enables then to make good gains in their learning in the light of their difficulties.

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The curriculum – the learning opportunities provided by the school

27. The curriculum is enriched by good links with the community. This is a significant improvement since the last inspection when this aspect of the school’s work led to a key issue for action. A good range of visitors from the community come into school, such as members of the Dental Health Service and a Road Safety Officer. The use of the local environment has also improved this year, for example the children have been to the local park for a minibeast hunt. These activities support children’s learning, especially their developing awareness of the world around them. Links with the local college have now been established and the children benefit from having students in the Nursery.

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The curriculum – the learning opportunities provided by the school

28. Good links are now being established with the schools the children move on to after nursery. These include visits to nursery by the schools’ reception teachers and two- way exchange of information about children’s attainment.

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spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

29. Taken overall, the school’s provision for the children’s personal development is good. The last inspection report described provision for this aspect of the children’s education as ‘appropriate’, so the current provision is an improvement. Provision for moral and social development is good and particularly effective. Provision for spiritual development is satisfactory. There are significant weaknesses in the provision for children’s cultural development, which make it unsatisfactory.

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spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

30. The children’s spiritual development is satisfactory. Opportunities to promote spiritual development are not planned systematically but staff, nevertheless, make good use of the opportunities that arise in all areas of learning. For example, the children use a microscope connected to a computer. They were fascinated and excited by the sight of seaside objects, such as shells, under the microscope. They marvelled at the detail of such objects when they appeared enhanced on the computer screen. The children learn to appreciate the wonders of the natural world. For instance, they were excited by the transformation of caterpillars into butterflies. Children learn about the major Rosegrove Nursery School - 15 Christian festivals of Christmas and Harvest but they have very few opportunities for quiet moments of prayer or reflection.

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spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

31. The provision for children’s moral and social development is good and, as a result, the children are well behaved and they get on well together. Clear expectations are set for the children’s behaviour and staff are consistent in their dealings with the children. This means the children know where they stand and they are developing an understanding of the difference between right and wrong. For instance, they follow the rules well when playing outside on wheeled toys. The children have good opportunities to become aware of the need to think of others in the wider world and they raise money for charities. The staff set a very positive model of working together and of caring attitudes, so there is a happy and orderly atmosphere in Nursery. The children learn to co-operate and to share and they develop an understanding of how their actions affect those around them. The children have some good opportunities to

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spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

work independently and to co-operate. For example, two children were given the task of making playdough. This necessitated co-operation, with one child stirring as the other poured the water. Other children served each other when they played in the seaside café. Good quality pastoral care ensures that children gain confidence and self-esteem.

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spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

32. There are not enough planned opportunities to promote children’s cultural development, in particular their awareness of different cultures and beliefs. The children have opportunities to learn about traditions of the English culture, for instance, Maypole dancing. Books are available for some topics that present a range of positive racial and ethnic images. However, opportunities to promote cultural development in all areas of learning are missed. For example, children are introduced to works of art and music, but there are no arrangements to ensure that these represent a broad cultural range. Sometimes there are children in the school with parents from non-British backgrounds. The school arranges for such parents to talk to the children about their cultural traditions. This widens the children’s horizons, for instance, they have learned to count in Turkish. However, experiences like this are too dependent on the presence of such parents. There is scope for much more to be

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spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

done to prepare children for life in our culturally diverse society.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

33. Taken overall, this aspect of the school’s provision is good. The staff have a high level of concern for each child’s well-being. The children’s academic progress and personal development are tracked well. These strengths underpin the school’s positive and caring ethos and the children’s good achievement. This aspect of the school’s work has improved since the last inspection, when the support and guidance for children was judged to be satisfactory.

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Children’s welfare and safety

34. The attention to children’s welfare and safety is good. Staff and governors give high priority to health and safety matters and the arrangements for child protection are in order. The children are properly supervised at all times. These features mean that the children are cared for well and the school provides a safe environment for learning.

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Children’s welfare and safety

35. Good attention is paid to ensuring that the children learn about healthy lifestyles, such as healthy eating and good hygiene routines. For example, a dentist visits Rosegrove Nursery School - 16 regularly and children are frequently reminded to wash their hands after using the toilet and before having their snack. Rosegrove Nursery School - 17

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and attendance and the support and guidance given to children

36. The school keeps a good check on how well the children are getting on in their learning and in their personal development. The staff make good use of what they find out to underpin the planning of future work and to decide what could be improved. This aspect of the school’s work was found wanting at the last inspection and the key issues for action included improving assessment. Good progress has been made.

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and attendance and the support and guidance given to children

37. The staff make ‘on-entry assessments’ to determine where children are up to when they start Nursery and what they are good at and what they might need help with. Throughout their time in Nursery, children’s attainment, their progress and any difficulties they have are assessed and recorded in all areas of learning. The records are particularly thorough for personal, social and emotional development, communication, language and literacy and mathematical development. Additionally, some activities in Nursery are planned to provide opportunities to assess how well children have learned new work. Each member of staff works closely with a group of children and they have a good knowledge of how ‘their children’ are getting on in their learning. Regular staff discussion ensures that the teachers are properly informed about all the children.

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and attendance and the support and guidance given to children

38. The school’s assessment and record-keeping systems have two shortcomings that inhibit their full effectiveness. Firstly, they are not sufficiently closely aligned to the stepping stones for children’s learning in the recommended curriculum for children this age, the Early Learning Goals. This means it is harder than it need be for staff to check that the children are making progress in all aspects of each area of learning in the curriculum. Secondly, there is too low a ceiling on the records. This means that some of the higher attaining children are close to the top of what the school assesses and records when they start school. Consequently staff have no way of judging how much progress these children make. Furthermore, there is a risk that this ceiling lowers staff’s expectations.

p.17

and attendance and the support and guidance given to children

39. The on-entry assessments and regular checks on the children’s progress are used well to help staff get a clear picture of each child’s rate of progress; to compare different groups of children, for example, boys and girls, and to compare progress in the different areas of learning. Information and communication technology is employed effectively to produce useful and easily understandable graphs and charts plotting children’s progress. The information obtained is used well. For example, staff saw that the children were not doing as well in their mathematical development as in other areas of learning, so they took appropriate steps to remedy this relative weakness. The children now achieve well in their mathematical development.

p.17

and attendance and the support and guidance given to children

40. There are many good features in the way the school supports children’s personal development and keeps track of their progress in this area. Taken overall, this aspect of its work is very good. Staff work closely with small groups of children and they keep good records, noting the small but significant steps children make as they grow in maturity. This helps them provide opportunities to help the children develop further. The way staff deal with children, on a day-to-day basis, is very effective in promoting and supporting their personal development and growing confidence and self-esteem and in ensuring good behaviour and harmonious relationships between children. Consequently, the children are well behaved and racism is very rarely an issue for this predominantly white school community. Rosegrove Nursery School - 18 Rosegrove Nursery School - 19 41. The school has good procedures for monitoring and promoting attendance. Children

p.17

and attendance and the support and guidance given to children

are rewarded for good attendance and timekeeping and the education welfare officer is involved when necessary. The school’s efforts have achieved some improvement in the attendance rate. However, despite the school’s best efforts, some parents either do not send their children to Nursery regularly or take them on holiday during term time.

p.19

and attendance and the support and guidance given to children

42. The very good relationships between staff and children, combined with the staff’s concern for children’s well being, ensure that pastoral care is good. Staff know the children well and they listen attentively to their concerns and guide them well. Children’s achievements are celebrated. These features ensure that the children feel secure and confident at Nursery.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

43. The school’s partnership with the children’s parents and carers is satisfactory. It is typical of what is usually seen at this stage of education. Parents and carers are enabled to make a good contribution to school life and a satisfactory contribution to their children’s learning.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

44. Parents and carers have a positive view of the school. All those who spoke to the inspectors praised the school and expressed the view that it had improved greatly since the last inspection. The responses to the inspection questionnaire show that parents and carers find the staff approachable and they think the school is giving their children a good education and helping them to become more mature and responsible.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

45. Parents have good opportunities to become involved in the school’s work and several now take them up. There are more parents helping in the classroom on a regular basis. They read with children and offer an extra pair of hands for practical work. Parents’ knowledge and skills are used in the curriculum. For instance, parents who are paramedics have visited nursery and parents from ethnic minorities talk about their cultural traditions. All these contributions support the children’s achievement.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

46. Parents and carers receive satisfactory information from the school. The prospectus and regular newsletters are ‘user-friendly’ and keep them informed about the school and its life. The two parents’ evenings each year provide suitable opportunities for parents and carers to discuss their children’s progress with staff. Despite these strengths, there are some shortcomings. The prospectus does not include a statement of the school’s aims. The written reports on children’s progress omit targets for the next steps in their learning. The governing body’s annual report to parents does not include information about progress on the action plan to deal with the key issues for action from the last inspection.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

47. Since the last inspection, the school has made good progress in strengthening the partnership between school and home. The channels of communication have been improved as has the quality of information provided to parents and carers. Parents and carers are now enabled to become involved in school life.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

Rosegrove Nursery School - 20 48. Taking account of all the relevant factors, the leadership and management of the school are good. There are strengths in the way the acting headteacher leads and manages the staff. This has led to a very good rate of improvement during the last year that has brought about higher standards. There is a lack of clarity about the arrangements for oversight of the school’s performance.

p.20

The contributions of the head teacher, key staff and the governing body

49. The acting head teacher was already a member of the school’s staff when she took charge. She teaches nearly full-time but has still managed to achieve a great deal in her year in charge. She leads by example and provides a model, for the other staff, of good teaching and concern for the children’s well being. She is strongly committed to enabling all the children to do as well as they can and she has worked hard to change things for the better. She correctly identified what needed to be done to improve the school and established a clear and manageable plan of action to deal with these matters. She has led the staff well through a time of considerable change. As a result, teamwork is good; the staff are a cohesive hard working team who all pull together. They have a shared sense of purpose − to continue to improve the school.

p.20

The contributions of the head teacher, key staff and the governing body

50. The assistant teacher has been given responsibility for leading and managing some aspects of the school’s work. This is effective in the areas concerned. This teacher has attended relevant training courses and has checked, updated and improved the resources, and valuable guidance is given to other staff when work is being planned. Not all areas of learning have an identified teacher to lead and manage the work. The good staff teamwork means this is not having a detrimental effect on what the school provides but there is the potential for things to be missed.

p.20

The contributions of the head teacher, key staff and the governing body

51. The governing body carries limited direct responsibility for the school and it controls only a very small proportion of the finances. The bulk of the budget is managed by the local education authority (LEA). The governors fulfil their responsibilities satisfactorily. Key governors know the school on a day-to-day basis because they are regular visitors and they “keep an ear to the ground”. Furthermore, the governing body now receives good information about school life and how well the children are achieving. However, governors are dependent on the acting head teacher for such information. The governing body is involved in major spending decisions but does not contribute as much as it could to the process of determining priorities for the school’s future development. There are a number of vacancies on the governing body. Some of these are longstanding.

p.20

The contributions of the head teacher, key staff and the governing body

52. The way the school checks on the effectiveness of its work and bases planning for future developments on an accurate view of what works and what could be better, is good. This is because of what is done within the school, by staff, particularly the acting headteacher. She checks the quality of teaching effectively and gives staff helpful advice about how to improve. She also makes good use of information obtained from regular checks on the children’s progress. External monitoring of the school’s performance is less effective. This is because the parties involved have different perceptions of where the responsibility lies for calling the school to account for its performance. This is not currently affecting the children’s education. However, the lack of clarity about the respective roles and responsibilities of the LEA and the governing body mean there is potential for any weaknesses that may arise in the

p.20

The contributions of the head teacher, key staff and the governing body

future to be missed. Rosegrove Nursery School - 21 53. The staff have a shared view of the sort of school Rosegrove Nursery should be and they are agreed about what they want to do for the children. However, the school does not have agreed and written aims to guide its work, to inform parents what it stands for and to measure its success against.

p.20

The contributions of the head teacher, key staff and the governing body

54. When the acting headteacher took charge, there was still a lot to do to complete the action that had been planned to deal with the key issues from the last inspection. A contributory factor to this slow progress in making improvements in the first three years after the last inspection was that progress on the action plan was not checked sufficiently rigorously. Progress on implementing the action plan was not reported in the latest governors’ annual report to parents as it should have been.

p.21

The contributions of the head teacher, key staff and the governing body

55. The management of the provision for children with special educational needs is good. The LEA provides a special support assistant whose work is managed well on a day- to-day basis by the acting head teacher. This assistant is enabled to work effectively in the school and to make a positive contribution to its life.

p.21

The adequacy of staffing, accommodation and resources

56. The accommodation is satisfactory and this means the recommended curriculum for children this age can be taught effectively. The indoor accommodation is spacious and there is adequate outdoor space. The staff create a bright and stimulating environment for learning and display children’s work attractively. There is much for the children to see, handle and think about.

p.21

The adequacy of staffing, accommodation and resources

57. There are sufficient suitably qualified teachers and support staff, including appropriate staffing for children who have special educational needs.

p.21

The adequacy of staffing, accommodation and resources

58. The resources for teaching and learning are good overall. They are at least satisfactory in all areas of learning. The resources for communication, language and literacy are good with a very good supply of books. Resources for knowledge and understanding of the world are good; for the information and communication technology element of this work they are very good. The resources for physical development are good.

p.21

The school’s use of its resources

59. The school uses the resources at its disposal well. Most of the funds are held and managed by the local education authority, with only a small amount being devolved to the school. These funds are supplemented by grants given directly by the government. The school has a thorough and efficient approach to financial management. All these monies are properly planned for, with spending being based on appropriate, costed, educational priorities. Grants are used well to promote the children’s achievement. For instance, the school has purchased a very good range of equipment to support work in information and communication technology and the children reach high standards in this work. Day-to-day budget management is good and computerised budget management systems are used effectively. The governing body monitors spending well and is involved in major spending decisions. An example is the decision to set aside money that has been raised to fund improvements to the

p.21

The school’s use of its resources

outdoor learning environment and the purchase of equipment to develop children’s co-ordination and physical skills further. The principles of best value are properly applied in selecting suppliers. Rosegrove Nursery School - 22 60. Staff are deployed well so that their time is used effectively to promote the children’s learning. This is particularly notable in the recent introduction of ‘group time’ which is having a positive effect on the children’s achievement. Rosegrove Nursery School - 23

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

61. In order to raise standards further and improve the quality of education in this successful school, the head teacher, staff and governors, together with the local education authority, should:

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) * Improve the rate of progress made by the higher attainers to match that of the other children by: • continuing to raise staff’s expectations of what these children can achieve and providing more challenging activities in ‘group time’ for children who can go further; • organising teaching groups to ensure that all children have equal opportunities to benefit from good teaching; • sharpening up the planning of work to: i) closely match the ‘stepping stones’ towards the targets in the Early Learning Goals; ii) make clear how the work will become progressively more difficult. • further developing and extending the assessment systems so that these children’s attainment and rate of progress can be recorded and checked more easily. (paragraph nos: 5, 14, 15, 22, 38, 72, 75)

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) Improve the provision for children’s cultural development. (paragraph nos: 29, 32)

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

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

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• formulating and publishing aims for the school against which its performance can be measured (paragraph no: 53); • clarifying the respective roles of the governing body and the local education authority in the oversight of the school and its performance, in order to assure the maintenance of standards and quality (paragraph nos: 48, 52); • ensuring that parents are properly informed about the school’s progress in implementing the post-inspection action plan (paragraph nos: 46, 54).

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

* The school has already recognised this issue and staff have begun considering how best to deal with it. Rosegrove Nursery School - 24

p.23

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 13

p.24

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.24

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

0 12 41 47 0 0 0 The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

p.24

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 35

p.24

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.24

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 1

p.24

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 1

p.24

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.24

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 1

p.24

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.24

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 6

p.24

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 6

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff Financial year 2000/01

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 2

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 17.5 £

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 1.9 Total expenditure 11365

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 58.75 Expenditure per pupil 163

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance brought forward from previous year 776

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per FTE adult 9.0 Balance carried forward to next year 3002 FTE means full-time equivalent. Rosegrove 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. 71 29 0 0 0

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 76 18 0 0 6

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 29 35 12 6 18

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 47 29 12 0 12

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 71 18 0 6 6

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 59 35 0 0 6

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 35 65 0 0 0

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 71 29 0 0 0

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 82 18 0 0 0

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 35 24 6 12 24 Rosegrove Nursery School - 26

p.25

Personal, social and emotional development

62. Standards are above average. The provision and teaching in this area of learning are good. The vast majority of the children make good progress in their learning and reach higher standards than expected for their age. Relationships are very good but the children’s awareness of, and respect for, cultures and beliefs, though satisfactory, is less good than other aspects of this area of learning. Standards have been maintained since the last inspection.

p.26

Personal, social and emotional development

63. The staff provide an interesting range of activities that children want to participate in. As a result, positive attitudes to learning are established; the children want to learn. Staff support the children well, so that they develop the confidence to try new things. Children have good opportunities to choose what to do from a range of worthwhile learning activities provided by the staff. Consequently, they learn to stick with a task and they develop good levels of concentration and perseverance for their age.

p.26

Personal, social and emotional development

64. The staff teach children to listen to each other and to value everyone’s contribution. This helps the children to develop consideration for others.

p.26

Personal, social and emotional development

65. The children form very good relationships with each other and with the adults in Nursery. This is because the staff provide a very good role model of working together and they teach the children to think of others. For instance, they stress the importance of sharing and of allowing everyone to have a turn. The result is seen in the many small incidents each day. For example, when a group of children were working with malleable material, ‘playdough’, they had to share some of the moulds and cutters. They asked each other to pass the tools they needed and these were given willingly; no-one snatched or refused to share. The staff all set the same standards for children’s behaviour so they know where they stand and they learn what is acceptable. The vast majority of children consistently live up to the school’s expectations for their behaviour.

p.26

Personal, social and emotional development

66. The Nursery is arranged to enable the children to be independent. For example, overalls are hung at child height so children can get them as needed without needing adult help. The children respond well to this provision. They get the materials they need and willingly tidy up after each session. They wash their hands sensibly and independently before ‘snacktime’. The daily routine of the Nursery is well organised so that the children know what to expect and where to go when. Staff expect the children to follow the routines and they do so well. For example, each child is in a group for direct teaching sessions and each group has a working base. Children confidently set off to the right rooms for these ‘group times’, without needing to be reminded where to go or which member of staff they are to work with.

p.26

Personal, social and emotional development

67. The children learn to respect others because they are valued and respected by the staff. They accept differences between people. However, they have too few opportunities to learn that people have different cultures and beliefs and to find out more about them. Rosegrove Nursery School - 27

p.26

Communication, language and literacy

68. Standards are above average. Teaching is good and the children learn at a good rate. Most of the children reach higher standards than expected for their age in all aspects of this area of learning (speaking and listening, and early reading and writing). They are on course to exceed the targets for the end of the reception year (the Early Learning Goals). This represents good achievement because they make good progress. Standards are now higher than at the time of the last inspection.

p.27

Communication, language and literacy

69. Most of the children who have attended Nursery for a year speak confidently. They talk sensibly to each other about what they are doing, for instance, when playing together in the ‘café’ that staff have set up in the classroom, and, in discussion, they keep to the point and take turns to speak. They understand words and use their growing vocabulary accurately. A few of the younger children who have not been at Nursery so long need more encouragement to express themselves clearly. They tend to point or use short phrases rather than speaking in extended sentences like the others have learned to do. For instance one of these children, playing in the ‘café’ could not explain whether or not the café served any hot food. The higher attaining children are able to speculate using words and phrases like, ‘if’ and ‘it might be because … .‘. The children listen well. They are attentive to instructions and

p.27

Communication, language and literacy

explanations from staff and they listen to stories with a generally good level of concentration. This is evident in their good recall of the stories and their sensible suggestions about what might happen next. For example, after hearing a story about sandcastles they remembered about one that, ‘it wobbled and it fell’.

p.27

Communication, language and literacy

70. The children’s early reading skills are good for their age. They all have a positive attitude to books and they treat them carefully. They enjoy looking at books, hold them the right way up, turn the pages over in the right order and talk about the pictures. Most use the pictures in familiar books to help them tell the story. They know that adults read the printed words not the pictures but, as one little girl explained, ‘I don’t know all the words yet’. Few of the children understand that, in English, print is read from left to right. Staff sometimes miss some opportunities to reinforce this when they share books with the children. The children are making good progress in learning the sound made by each letter. Most of them know several letter sounds and words beginning with them. When learning about the letter ‘s’ they quickly picked out a starfish and a snail in the picture and said they began with this

p.27

Communication, language and literacy

letter. Nearly all the children know the sound their name begins with and pick out the letter that makes that sound from a selection of letters.

p.27

Communication, language and literacy

71. The children attain above average standards in early writing. All of them understand some of the purposes of writing. For instance they know to write their names on their pictures. When they talk to each other on the telephone they write messages; when they play in the ‘café’ they write down orders and, when they play in the ‘shop’, they write bills. Most of the children copy their names accurately and form their letters correctly. Staff take great pains to ensure that children learn correct letter formation from the start and this pays off. All the children make marks that they call ’writing’. The majority, when writing on their own, include several letters, but do not write readable words. The higher attaining children write their names correctly from memory.

p.27

Communication, language and literacy

72. The children reach these high standards in communication, language and literacy because they are taught well. Teachers take every opportunity that arises to develop the children’s speaking and listening skills. They plan activities that provide good Rosegrove Nursery School - 28 opportunities for the children to talk. For instance, a crab was brought to school and children studied it closely. The staff skilfully drew them into describing the different textures of various parts of the crab and using mathematical language to compare things like the length of its legs and claws. They introduced new words in a context so that the children could understand them. Staff teach letters and sounds to all the children in small groups. They have suitably high expectations of what the majority of children can achieve and draw their attention to similarities and differences between various letters and words. This ‘group time’ is having a positive effect on standards

p.27

Communication, language and literacy

for most of the children because work is carefully planned and it is challenging but achievable for them. The staff have been pleasantly surprised by how much the children have learned. However, at times, the higher attaining children are not taken on as far as they could go and they spend quite a bit of some group teaching sessions going over work they have already mastered. This means that, although their rate of progress is satisfactory, it is not as rapid as the other children’s. Children’s interest in books and stories is promoted well by the use of ‘story sacks’ containing a book and related visual aids that effectively capture children’s attention. Children’s learning is supported at home as they take books from Nursery to share with their parents and carers.

p.28

Communication, language and literacy

73. The leadership and management of this area of learning are good. This has resulted in higher expectations for most of the children and more direct teaching; this is proving beneficial. Resources have been checked, out of date and shabby items have been discarded and supplies replenished. Overall, the resources for this area of learning are good and there is a very good supply of books. The acting head teacher has a very good awareness of the progress children have made and where there is scope for further improvement.

p.28

Mathematical development

74. Standards are above average. The children make gains in their learning at a good rate because they are taught well. Most reach higher standards than expected for their age in all three aspects of this area of learning (knowing about numbers; calculating; shape, space and measures). They are on course to exceed the Early Learning Goals by the end of the reception year. This represents good achievement. Standards are higher than at the time of the last inspection.

p.28

Mathematical development

75. As in communication, language and literacy, the introduction of ‘group time’ for direct teaching has had a positive impact on standards but, again, these sessions are not as effective for the higher attainers as for the other children.

p.28

Mathematical development

76. The majority of children nearing the end of their time in Nursery have a good understanding of number. Many of them count to ten accurately and match numerals correctly to sets of up to five objects, though some need a bit of help to check they have got this right. A significant minority of the children have a very good early understanding of addition and subtraction for their age. When the teacher gives out five pictures to seven children, they realise that two more are needed for all the children to have a picture. The children develop a good understanding of shape, space and measures. For example, most recognise circles and squares and name them correctly. They use various objects, such as pinecones to find out how heavy things are.

p.28

Mathematical development

77. The quality of teaching is good and this enables the children to learn well. The staff pitch their expectations high for most of the children. They are skilled at developing Rosegrove Nursery School - 29 children’s mathematical understanding through the activities they provide for the children to choose from and through work in other areas of learning. For example, when children were studying a crab, the nursery nurse encouraged them to look very closely at its claws and legs. She introduced words like ‘longer’ and ‘shorter’ in ways that helped the children understand them. This led to a lot of discussion and, when the children made model crabs, they took care to get things the right length. Staff help children to use what they know as they try to grasp new ideas. For instance, getting them to say the next number to decide what is ‘one more than … ‘. The children are confident to try because they know they will get the support they need;

p.28

Mathematical development

by trying new things they learn more. Staff use resources, some of which they make themselves, well. They provide ‘currant buns’ and over-sized cardboard ‘pennies’ to help the children learn as much as possible about subtraction when they sing a familiar number rhyme ‘Five Currant Buns’.

p.29

Mathematical development

78. When teaching is satisfactory, rather than good, it is generally because of one or more of the following shortcomings: • In some group sessions, staff work very effectively with individual children in turn, but the others have to wait their turn, so their progress is not as good as it could be, if time were used more effectively. • Sometimes the room is not laid out effectively for the task in hand. For instance, the children have to sit on chairs too far from the teacher. As a result, their concentration lapses. • Children are allowed to call out answers. This means the staff are not sure what the less forthcoming children know, so they are not able to match their questions in group sessions as closely as they might to each individual child’s understanding.

p.29

Mathematical development

79. This area of learning is led and managed well. An analysis of information obtained from checking the children’s progress has led to well considered changes for the better. Children’s mathematical development was not as good as their progress in some other areas of learning. Staff decided to provide more mathematical activities in sessions when the children choose their own activities. This has been achieved well and mathematical ideas are introduced into many day-to-day activities, for instance, using shapes to make pictures of fireworks. Furthermore, there is more direct teaching about number. The positive effect of these changes is evident in the standards children are now achieving.

p.29

Knowledge and understanding of the world

80. Standards are above average. The children are on target to exceed expectations for their age, by the end of their year in reception. The children make good progress in their learning, and they achieve well in most of the elements of this area of learning. This is because they undertake a good range of well-planned activities that excite them and they are motivated to learn. Consequently, they build well on what they already know about the world around them when they start nursery. Standards in the information and communication element of this area of learning are very high and children with special educational needs make very good progress in computer skills. Children’s knowledge and awareness of religions are just satisfactory. They learn about major Christian festivals but know very little about other faiths.

p.29

Knowledge and understanding of the world

81. Children make very good use of computers and related technology. The staff ensure that all the children undertake a very good range of activities, using good quality Rosegrove Nursery School - 30 resources. The children were excited about using the microscope linked to the laptop computer to observe items found on the beach very closely. They have good skills at programming a robotic toy, which was kitted out as a crab during the inspection. They understand exactly how to move the ‘crab’. Many children operate computer programs independently and confidently, using the ‘mouse’ with a good degree of skill. For instance, a typical child clearly explained what she was doing as she moved through an underwater scene displayed on the screen. The range of good quality equipment available to the children, with the link to the Internet, is ensuring that they benefit enormously from their experiences in this area of the curriculum.

p.29

Knowledge and understanding of the world

82. The children’s early designing and making skills develop well. For instance, they learned to select appropriate shapes from the boxes and tubes available to construct model vehicles. They selected, cut and joined them together and then painted their aeroplanes, trains and cars to produce models of a good standard. These activities make a good contribution to developing children’s growing independence.

p.30

Knowledge and understanding of the world

83. The children’s knowledge and understanding of early scientific concepts are good and their observational skills are well developed as a result of well thought out activities that capitalise on their natural curiosity about the natural world. The children use their senses of sight, touch and hearing to find out about natural objects and to describe them. Children remember well their work on minibeasts from earlier in the year, and they describe sea creatures in their present topic on the seaside accurately. They know that a crab moves sideways and an octopus has eight tentacles. The investigation table, set up on a daily basis, interests the children and provides them with excellent opportunities to find out about their world. This table has included mirrors, prisms and sheets of coloured rigid plastic to look through. The children comment on the weather sensibly and accurately, using appropriate language when

p.30

Knowledge and understanding of the world

they complete their daily weather chart.

p.30

Knowledge and understanding of the world

84. The children have good knowledge and understanding of historical and geographical concepts. They are studying a seaside locality, and explain some of the relevant features, such as the beach. They are developing an understanding of differences between localities and enjoy their role-play in the ‘beach café’. They have visited the local park and begun to ask questions about creatures found there. The children listen to the experiences of others when returning from holiday, and especially the information given by a parent on life in Turkey.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

85. The quality of teaching is good; it is very good in science and technology activities. The staff use an interesting selection of activities to motivate children, capture their interest and make them want to learn more. Staff working with the small groups for intensive teaching each day, are very successful in enabling the children to make progress at a good rate. These sessions are planned well and all staff know what the children should learn from them. In these sessions staff give clear explanations and they ensure that every child is involved and challenged. Staff make good use of the good quality resources. All staff achieve a good balance between leaving pupils to work independently, especially at the start of lessons, and more direct teaching of new knowledge and how to do things. The good relationships between the staff and the children ensure effective learning in a well-managed atmosphere.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

86. The provision for this area of learning is good. It has improved since the last inspection. The staff now interact more purposefully with the children. The quality of teaching is consistently good and sometimes it is very good. Resources are better and the local area and community resources are now being used effectively to Rosegrove Nursery School - 31 broaden the children’s horizons and support their learning. For example, the local park was used well for the minibeast topic. Speakers from the fire service, dental health and ambulance services are invited into the school to talk about their work. The planning for this area of the curriculum is now clearer about what children should learn from their activities in the topics planned to date. However, planning has not yet been completed for all the topics in the two-year cycle, though plans are in hand to do this.

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Physical development

87. Standards are above average. The children are on target to exceed the standard expected for their age by the end of the reception year. Children make good progress in this area of learning because full use is made of all the available resources both in and out of doors. There are plans to improve provision for this area of the curriculum still further; it is intended to spend £9,000 on improvements to the outdoor environment and outdoor equipment, for instance, for climbing.

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Physical development

88. The children’s attainment is good in their handling of small equipment and in using tools such as pencils, paintbrushes and scissors. They have lots of opportunities for cutting and sticking, and they handle small pieces and shapes well, for example, when making their pizza toppings. Children demonstrate good manual dexterity when drawing round shapes and cutting them out. They handle the computer ‘mouse’ confidently and are even beginning to use the touch-pad on the laptop with a degree of success. They have good hand to eye control when throwing beanbags through cut out shapes standing on the playground. The children are confident in using large apparatus such as the climbing frame, the slide and the tunnel. They are developing good spatial awareness in the way they use the more confined space outside. This is seen in the way they control the wheeled vehicles and toys, steering, manoeuvring in

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Physical development

different directions and changing speed to accommodate other riders. However, in inclement weather, when all the children play on the hard surfaced area, they cannot avoid some bumps. The children use the balance beam confidently and walk along it successfully, taking great care and concentrating hard. The workbench set up outside provides a satisfactory setting to further develop fine handling skills, using a range of tools. Children understand about physical activity and its effect on the body. They listen to their heartbeat when undertaking aerobics and more strenuous tasks.

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Physical development

89. The provision for this area of learning is generally good. The children take part in an outdoor session each day and this is complemented by more specific movement sessions each week. They take part in Maypole dancing each year. There is a wide range of manipulative tasks set each day which interest the children and help develop their skills. These include such activities as drawing in the sand, painting seaside creatures, drawing and colouring fish, making sandwiches in the role-play area, stirring the flour and water to make the playdough and creating designs with small pieces of apparatus.

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Physical development

90. The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff work alongside the children supporting their learning. They develop the children’s confidence when using the larger apparatus, and continually praise their achievements. This ensures all the children, including the lower attainers, make good progress and continually improve their physical skills. Staff follow safety procedures and provide a good level of supervision. Outside, pupils are made aware of the needs of others and are continually encouraged to think about what they are doing, to avoid accidents. During Rosegrove Nursery School - 32 teaching sessions, staff model what has to be done by the children and this gives them a clear understanding of how to undertake the tasks.

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Physical development

91. The school has improved provision since the last inspection and standards of attainment are higher. The planning for this area of learning has improved with more attention being paid to children developing their physical skills. The resources are good and the school makes good use of a national sports project (TOPS) to provide excellent small games equipment including balls, bats, beanbags and juggling scarves. These supplement the existing resources and extend the range of apparatus available to the children. Children are well motivated and thoroughly enjoy physical activity.

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Creative development

92. Standards are above average. The children make good progress, because they are taught well and have a good range of opportunities to express themselves purposefully and creatively. They produce good artistic displays; they participate in imaginative role-play sessions and they enjoy and produce some good quality music. By the time they leave the nursery, the majority of children produce work which is of a higher standard than is expected for their age. They are on target to exceed national expectations, by the end of their reception year. Standards are higher than those reported at the last inspection.

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Creative development

93. In music, the children name a range of percussion instruments correctly. They quickly identify the sounds these instruments make, when they are hidden from view. They make choices about which instruments they enjoy playing and they participate enthusiastically in group presentations, accompanying songs they know well. The children enjoy music and they try hard at it, for example, listening attentively when trying to discriminate between different sounds. The children are keen to offer ideas and suggestions throughout music sessions, for instance, joining in eagerly when singing the ‘Willaby, Wallaby’ song.

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Creative development

94. Children enjoy participating in art activities and produce work of a good standard. The children undertake a good range of activities, exploring and experimenting with a range of techniques. They have produced an interesting display of an underwater scene using collage techniques when creating fish. They have used a range of media including lentils and sand to produce texture for the fish and underwater creatures. They produce some good quality large three-dimensional work and a large colourful octopus hangs brightly from the ceiling. Children are aware of the mix of colours and explain that when red and blue mix together they make purple. The children have produced good quality paintings depicting woodland scenes, and created appropriate food to display in their seaside café. They have undertaken modelling of woodland creatures. The group enjoyed making the playdough for the whole class and were sensible in the way they mixed the flour and the water. They

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Creative development

experiment with printing techniques using sand.

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Creative development

95. Children enjoy participating in imaginative play. However, the staff miss opportunities to extend children’s language and to participate in children’s play to make their activities more purposeful. Nevertheless, standards in this element of creative development are satisfactory. The children enthusiastically made and served food in their seaside café and were happy to chat ‘in role’ about what was available, serving adults sensibly and imaginatively. Staff work hard at developing children’s imagination by providing many varied opportunities to re-enact and depict life in other Rosegrove Nursery School - 33 settings. Role-play areas to promote imaginative play are well resourced, bright and attractive and they inspire the children.

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Creative development

96. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall. Staff work with the children and provide a good range of interesting activities for them to try. All these activities have a clear purpose and staff know what the children should learn from them. Relationships are very good and teachers maintain good discipline so lessons move along at a good pace. This was particularly evident in the music lesson. Children are keen and motivated and this ensures they all make good progress.

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Creative development

97. The provision for children’s creative development has improved since the last inspection. The work is planned better with more useful guidance for staff. The quality of teaching has improved and there is some very good teaching of music. The staff continue to maintain a colourful, stimulating environment for the children with imaginative displays of the children’s work.

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