Ashgate Nursery School

ASHGATE NURSERY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 10 – 11 January 2000

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ASHGATE NURSERY SCHOOL

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

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ASHGATE NURSERY SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. Ashgate Nursery School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Age range of pupils: 3 years –4 years 9 months

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: 18 Stepping Lane Derby Postcode: DE1 1GJ

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mrs. K. Merry

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 14 th - 15 th April 1997 Ashgate 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

Mrs. M. Graham Registered inspector Personal and social development Language and literacy Leadership and management Results and achievements Mr. M. Moore Lay inspector How well does the school care for its pupils How well does the school work in partnership with parents Equal opportunities Mr. M. Mackay Team inspector Mathematics Knowledge and understanding of the world Creative development Physical development Teaching and learning Attitudes, values and personal development Curriculum and other opportunities offered to the pupils Special educational needs

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Sandfield Educational Consultants 16 Wychwood Drive Trowell Park Nottingham NG9 3RB

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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 Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 10

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The school is a nursery close to the centre of Derby. There are forty boys and forty girls between the ages of 3 years and 4 years 9 months who attend either for a morning or afternoon session each day. In the term before they transfer to primary school the children have opportunities to stay for lunch and to attend for some whole days. The children are from a variety of backgrounds. The majority come from homes where English is the first language. The children’s attainment on entry covers a wide range but for most it is below average. The school has identified six children on the register of special educational needs.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The school’s standards are satisfactory because the children make good progress. Although most of the children enter the nursery with below average attainment, most are likely to reach the national standards by the time they are five and some are likely to exceed them. The children enjoy coming to school. They are well behaved and keen to learn. Ninety per cent of the teaching is good and the rest is satisfactory and this supports the children in making good progress. The school is well led by the headteacher who effectively manages a team of teachers and nursery nurses who work hard to teach a well planned curriculum. There are very good arrangements for caring for the children. Parents and carers are kept well informed about the children’s work and progress and encouraged to take part in the life and work of the school.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

• The school is a joyful place and provides a welcoming, supportive and well ordered environment with stimulating learning experiences. • Children of all abilities are valued, their self- esteem is raised and they are encouraged to become independent learners. • The teaching is good in ninety per cent of the lessons and satisfactory in the rest and supports the children in making good progress. • Good provision is made for the children with special educational needs and they make good progress. • The teachers and nursery nurses have high expectations of how the children should behave and what they can achieve. • The children’ s language, literacy and numeracy skills are being well developed.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

• Now that there is permanent staffing the school could regularly monitor the quality of teaching. • The role of the governing body could be developed so that it can monitor the work of the school and support it in continuing to raise standards. • The development plan could be re-written as a working document and used to identify priorities, monitor the school’s performance and acknowledge its achievements. 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 school has made good progress in overcoming the weaknesses identified during the last inspection in April 1997. A well-planned training programme has been effective in improving staff expertise in language and literacy. The planning clearly identifies the learning objectives and the teachers and nursery nurses have high expectations of what the children can achieve. Monitoring of learning is fully implemented. Monitoring of teaching is beginning to take place now that the school has permanent Ashgate Nursery School - 7 staffing. There is a commitment to improvement through a review of practice and performance and the school is well placed to build on its strengths.

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STANDARDS

The table summarises inspectors’ judgements about the achievements of pupils in relation to the national early learning goals by the time they leave the school.

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STANDARDS

Performance in: Key Language and literacy C Well above average A Mathematics C Above average average B C Personal and social development C Below average Well below average D E Other areas of the curriculum C

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STANDARDS

The school’s standards are satisfactory because the children make good progress. Although most of the children enter the nursery with below average attainment, most are likely to reach the national standards by the time they are five and some are likely to exceed them.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school The children enjoy school, they have positive attitudes and are eager to learn. They work well with the teachers and nursery nurses to plan and organise their work and they become confident and independent learners. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms The children behave very well in lessons and at other times. The school has effective strategies for encouraging the children to behave sensibly and to help them think about the consequences of their actions. Personal development and relationships They children make good progress in their personal development because the school successfully creates an ethos that enables them to become effective learners. They are encouraged to choose some activities for themselves, to share and to be aware of the needs of others. Attendance Satisfactory

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Teaching of pupils:

Lessons seen overall Of the 33 lessons seen, 90 % were good and 10 % were satisfactory The quality of the teaching is good because the teachers and nursery nurses have a wide range of skills that they use well in bringing the learning opportunities alive for the children. I nspectors 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. Ashgate Nursery School - 8

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The planning is good. It is thoughtful and carefully considered and provides the children with stimulating learning experiences. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good provision is made. Individual support and good teaching are effective in enabling the children to make good progress. Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development The school makes very good provision for the children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils The school makes very good arrangements for taking care of the children. Their personal development, attainment and progress are effectively monitored and assessed. There is a range of activities which require the children to make decisions and to take responsibility. These develop the children’s independence and raise their self-esteem. There are effective strategies for encouraging the children to behave sensibly and to think about the consequences of their actions.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff The head teacher is an effective and thoughtful leader. She has a clear vision for the life and work of the school. The teachers and nursery nurses work well as a team and all of them are dedicated to realising the aims of the school. How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governing body does not have full delegated responsibilities. It is supportive of the school. Its role is not yet fully developed in monitoring the school’s performance. The school’s evaluation of its performance There is a commitment to improvement through continuous review of practice and performance. The school is well placed to build on its strengths. Procedures for monitoring learning are fully implemented. Now that the school has permanent staffing the procedures for monitoring teaching are beginning to be implemented.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources The school takes considerable care over how the learning activities are constructed and presented to the children. The learning areas are well organised and well equipped with suitable resources and learning materials. The teachers and nursery nurses are effectively deployed.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The children enjoy attending the school. The school enables the children to make good progress and achieve good standards of work and behaviour. The parents are kept well informed and encouraged to be involved with their children’s learning. The teaching is good. The school is well led and all teachers and nursery nurses are approachable . Two of the parents would like more information about their child’s progress. Five of the parents would like their child to have more work to do at home.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Five parents attended the pre-inspection meeting with the inspectors. Thirty six of the fifty two questionnaires were returned. The inspectors share the parents’ positive views of the school. There is an Ashgate Nursery School - 9 appropriate amount of work for the children to do at home. Reports to parents about their child’s progress are detailed and useful. Ashgate Nursery School - 10

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The school’s results and achievements

1. The children’s attainment on entry covers a broad range but for most it is below average. They make good progress and by the time they reach five years of age most are likely to achieve the national standards in all the areas of learning and some are likely to exceed them.

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The school’s results and achievements

2. The children of all abilities make good progress in their personal and social development. They settle quickly into the daily routines and learn through listening, talking, investigating and exploring.

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The school’s results and achievements

3. The children develop effective relationships with the adults and each other. They are eager to be involved and quickly become more independent. They are very well behaved and respect the needs of others. They are developing an understanding of right and wrong. They take care of the equipment and develop sufficient self- control to share and to wait their turn. It was noticeable that the children become absorbed in their work. They persevere and concentrate on tasks. This is an improvement since the last inspection.

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The school’s results and achievements

4. The children of all abilities make good progress in language and literacy. They learn to talk with each other and with the adults. They are beginning to speak with confidence, expressing their point of view and responding appropriately to questions. They can take turns in speaking to each other and use the vocabulary introduced by the adults during discussions. They take pride in being able to remember rhymes and stories. They listen carefully to stories and predict what might happen next. They listen to instructions and suggestions and can talk about what they are doing.

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The school’s results and achievements

5. The children choose books for browsing or to retell familiar stories to other children. They treat books with respect. Some know that an author writes books and that an illustrator creates the pictures. Some of the children can recognise their name and can match some letters by shape and identify them from the sound. They understand that print conveys meaning and begin to make their marks on letters, cards, messages and captions for drawing. In the term before they transfer to the primary school the children are introduced to a more formal and structured approach. They learn about words that rhyme and how to recognise words by their shape and initial sounds. The children start to form letters; some can write their name and most hold pencils and crayons correctly. They ‘sign’ their names to indicate to the teachers and nursery nurses which activities they wish to pursue and are keen to make lists and write ‘instructions’ to help visitors and children who are new

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The school’s results and achievements

6. The children make good progress in mathematics. They develop the skills of counting and understanding one to one relationships. Most of the children recognise and count numbers to ten and many of them know numbers up to twenty. Some higher attaining children count up to fifty. By the time they are ready to leave the school, most children have a satisfactory understanding of simple number operations such as addition and subtraction to ten. The children use their knowledge of number to design and make mathematical board games. Many of the children can name simple shapes and sort and classify objects by colour and shape and can use correct vocabulary to describe objects being ‘above’, ‘below’ or ‘next to’. They compare, sort, match, order and count objects and they have a good repertoire of number rhymes and songs that they perform with considerable enthusiasm.

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The school’s results and achievements

7. The children make good progress in their knowledge and understanding of the world. They can talk about family events and special occasions in the present and the recent past. The children draw and talk about where they live and some of the features of the area following their visits to the parish church and the Sikh temple. They are proud of the garden they have created in the school grounds. Visits from the nurse, police and fire service and visits to local shops help the children to develop their understanding of people in the community. Ashgate Nursery School - 11 8. The children make good use of their new garden to make observations of the natural world. They are particularly good at noticing the daily and seasonal change in the weather and the creatures that live and feed in the garden. They begin to talk about their observations, make appropriate comments and ask questions. The children are keen to explore and describe what they know about

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The school’s results and achievements

the world and use construction kits to build shops and garages. They can talk about how systems work when they investigate how taps are used to control the flow of water at school. The children make good use of the computer to communicate and record their ideas when they design and print pictures about winter activities.

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The school’s results and achievements

9. The children make good progress in their ability to express their ideas and feelings in creative activities such as painting, modelling, constructive play and music making. They are confident in choosing materials and in using them independently or as part of a group. In making a collage the children explore shape, colour and texture of materials and cut and stick carefully to produce their design. They know how to mix colours. They paint their own portraits and make wall hangings of fabrics, paper and ribbons. They have used shiny and sparkling materials to make an interesting collage of a ‘winter wonderland’ and a three dimensional sculpture of an ‘ice monster’.

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The school’s results and achievements

10. The children use a good range of percussion instruments to express the rhythms and tempo of music from South America. They learn to produce many sounds using different techniques such as banging and strumming and can accompany their own singing of traditional and popular songs. Some of them compose their own songs and most know a good range of action games and songs.

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The school’s results and achievements

11. The children make good progress in their physical development. They are given a wide range of opportunities to develop their co-ordination and manipulative skills and handle pencils, brushes, scissors and tools confidently. They take part in a range of activities such as cutting, printing, gluing and using construction apparatus and jigsaws. Many of them have the necessary hand-eye co-ordination to enable them to control the computer cursor accurately and hammer panel pins into wood.

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The school’s results and achievements

12. The children move confidently during the outdoor sessions and develop poise and increasing control over their movements. They learn to climb and balance on the apparatus and when running and jumping their co-ordination and control are good. They can change and control the level, speed and direction of travel. The children use the wheeled toys safely and confidently as they quickly learn to become aware of space and other children.

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The school’s results and achievements

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

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The school’s results and achievements

13. The children have good attitudes to the school and to their learning. They attend regularly and are well behaved. They make good progress in their personal development because the school successfully creates the conditions and ethos that they need in order to become effective learners. The children’s ability to concentrate has improved significantly since the last inspection.

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The school’s results and achievements

14. The children come into school happily and settle quickly to the good range of activities provided for them. They are interested in the lessons and work hard during them. They willingly ask and answer questions about the work they are doing. They enjoy sharing ideas and opinions. The children enthusiastically discussed how they could make an ice monster for their winter wonderland display. They concentrated hard on the task and worked at a very good pace. They offered suggestions and made decisions about the materials they could use to decorate it and showed considerable pride in the finished product. When the children complete one activity, they move calmly and purposefully to another one without waiting to be directed by an adult.

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The school’s results and achievements

15. The children behave very well in lessons and at other times. The school has effective strategies for encouraging the children to behave sensibly and to help them think about the consequences of their actions. The children are polite to each other and to the adults who care for them. They do not disrupt lessons or interfere with the other children’s learning. Most of them have a clear Ashgate Nursery School - 12 understanding of the school’s code of behaviour and work within it. The older children willingly reflect upon what is desirable behaviour and help to draw up rules to guide how they should act towards each other. Activities like this help the children to feel secure and to understand what is expected of them. They also encourage the children to work successfully on individual and group tasks, to take tuns and to share resources sensibly.

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The school’s results and achievements

16. The children’s personal development is very good because the school provides many opportunities for the children to use their initiative and to take responsibility for aspects of their learning. They quickly learn to make sensible choices from a range of learning activities. They work well with the teachers and nursery nurses to plan and organise their work and as a result they become confident and independent learners. They also learn to be responsible for the choice and care of the equipment they use. The children accept responsibility for carrying out simple tasks on behalf of adults, for example, they tidy up after practical sessions and take round a list asking adults to state preferences for refreshments at break time. They know and carry out many simple daily routines and often, without being prompted, notice and complete tasks that need doing. The children who can fasten buttons often help the younger ones to put on their coats.

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The school’s results and achievements

17. The children form constructive relationships with each other and with adults, which help to promote learning. They readily co-operate with other children. When they work on the computer they discuss possible solutions to problems and help each other to complete tasks. The children trust the adults who care for them and readily respond to their instructions. The adults give the children very clear guidance about co-operative and considerate behaviour and the children quickly learn to reflect on and understand the impact of what they do. A good example of this was seen in a lesson in which the older children considered how the new children would feel when they first came to school. They considered likely causes of anxiety and suggested how they, as the older children, could help to make the first few days as comfortable as possible for the new children. It is work like this that helps to ensure that no child is upset by the thoughtless behaviour of another.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. The quality of the teaching is good because the teachers and nursery nurses have a wide range of skills that they use well in matching the learning opportunities to the needs and interests of the children. The quality of the teaching has improved significantly since the last inspection, particularly the teachers’ expectations of the children, lesson planning and expertise in teaching language and literacy.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19. The teaching is never less than satisfactory and is good in nine in ten lessons. The questioning skills of the teachers and nursery nurses are a very good feature of the teaching and are effective in promoting the children’s thinking and extending their understanding. A significant strength of the teaching is the quality of planning. It is thorough and clear to meet the needs of all the children, including those who have special educational needs. The lesson plans are clear about the learning objectives and how the staff will assess what the children have learned. The quality of the assessment is another very good feature of the teaching. It is done regularly and thoroughly so that the school is well informed about what each child knows, understands and can do. This information is used well to plan further learning opportunities. The teachers and nursery nurses are skilled at noting when children are in difficulty and when they are ready to move on to the next stage of

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

learning. Because they share this information and support each other, they are able to provide a well-structured and coherent programme of learning opportunities that match the children’s needs.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. The teachers and nursery nurses organise the learning activities and manage the children very effectively. This ensures that all the children have equal access to a wide range of interesting and challenging tasks and experiences. The staff ensure that their explanations are clear so that the children know what is expected of them. They listen carefully, work hard and eagerly contribute to lessons. The teaching ensures that all of the children are purposefully occupied in activities that help them to learn effectively. Ashgate Nursery School - 13 21. Underpinning these significant strengths of the teaching are the teachers’ and nursery nurses’ good knowledge and understanding of how young children learn. This results in a balanced range of learning opportunities that encourages the children to listen, to talk, to investigate, to work creatively and imaginatively and to solve problems. The teaching pays close attention to the

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

children’s acquisition of the basic skills of reading, writing and number.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

22. The school makes satisfactory use of homework for the older children. They take books home to share with their families and to practise reading skills.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

23. Because the teaching is good, the pupil’s quality of learning is good. Most of the children quickly acquire the skills, knowledge and understanding expected of them for their age. They are inspired by their teachers to invest a great deal of intellectual, physical and creative effort in completing their learning activities and tasks and the pace of their learning is good. Although most of the children enter the school with levels of attainment that are below average, by the time they transfer to full-time education nearly all are likely to achieve what is expected of children of their age.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

24. The quality of the teaching and the very good management skills encourage the children to become interested learners who are able to sustain their concentration well and take a measure of responsibility for their own learning. The children select many of the learning activities for themselves. They learn to time how long they work at particular tasks and they sometimes record for themselves which activities they have undertaken. In one activity the children ‘signed’ their names to indicate their interest in participating in the weaving activities. The children grow in confidence because their ideas are respected and valued. Because the teachers and nursery nurses make very good use of explanations, questions, discussions and demonstrations, the children develop a good understanding of what they are learning. The teaching helps the children to link new learning to previous work and encourages them to think constructively and imaginatively. For

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

example, many of the children understand much of what is recorded about their learning in their individual record profiles. When the children discuss their creative work they can relate the purpose of each piece of work, say what materials they have used and give an opinion about how far they think they have succeeded in expressing their original intentions.

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PUPILS?

25. The school has a good curriculum. It is better now than it was at the time of the last inspection because the school has improved the way it plans for scientific and technological learning and has devised effective plans for physical, historical and geographical learning. The school has also improved the ways in which the learning objectives are identified and explained to the children.

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PUPILS?

26. The school provides a wide range of learning opportunities that are well matched to the interests, aptitudes and needs of all the children. The planning of learning activities is well grounded on information about each child. The school keeps very good records of what children know, understand and can do and uses this information to plan further work. The school takes considerable care over how the learning activities are constructed and presented to the children. The learning areas are well organised and well equipped with suitable resources and learning materials. The teachers and nursery nurses take care to ensure that the needs of all of the children are taken into account when they plan activities. For example, because many children have few opportunities to spend time out of doors at home, the school ensures that the range and type of outdoor learning it provides is broad and interesting. When they are in the school garden the children read, draw, write,

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PUPILS?

do mathematical activities and play musical instruments as well as play on the outdoor apparatus.

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PUPILS?

27. The school has very effective strategies for teaching the basic skills of literacy and numeracy. The activities are well planned to engage the interests of the children and to challenge them to use their knowledge and skills to extend their learning. Some children use their current knowledge of numbers to construct board games whilst others use reading and writing skills to sign up to activities, record the words of invented songs and write instructions to other children. Ashgate Nursery School - 14 28. The curriculum is well constructed to promote the children’s personal and social education. The teachers and nursery nurses skilfully identify opportunities to make the children aware of health issues and give them practice in making choices. The children use a well chosen computer software program to reinforce sensible choices about healthy diets. In lessons in which hammers and nails are used, the children discuss the need to protect their eyes with goggles. In all activities the

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PUPILS?

children are made aware of safety issues in relation to themselves and to other children.

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PUPILS?

29. The school’s links with parents and the community make a significant contribution to the children’s learning. The teachers and nursery nurses work closely with the parents of children who are about to join the school in order to prepare appropriate learning experiences for them. They work closely with parents of the children who have special educational needs when they draw up the individual education plans. The school contributes to a joint project involving the local National Children’s Home and Social Services to provide a measure of support to parents whose children have special needs. The school makes very good provision for the children with special educational needs.

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PUPILS?

30. The school makes good use of a range of visitors to enhance the children’s learning opportunities. For example, when the children visited a science and technology exhibition at a local university they learned to spin plates, use a diabolo and walk on stilts. The school has established useful links with the local church and a Sikh temple to help the children understand important events such as getting married and celebrating birthdays.

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PUPILS?

31. A strength of the school’s curriculum is its provision for the children’s personal development, particularly for their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. It makes very good use of opportunities to help the children reflect on life’s fundamental questions when, for example, they discuss how to care for plants and animals. There are many opportunities for the children to reflect on the beauty of the natural world and on their experience of it. They explore the characteristics of snow and frost in winter, examine the tracery of frost on leaves and plants and express their responses by weaving frost patterns from silver pipe cleaners. The teachers often ask the children to stop and reflect on what they are doing and why they are doing it.

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PUPILS?

32. The school is very successful in helping the children to understand and live by the principles of right and wrong. This aspect of provision has improved since the last inspection. The children exhibit honesty, fairness and respect for each other when they play and work together. They are provided with many opportunities to develop and express their understanding of right and wrong because the teachers and nursery nurses spend much time helping them to express and understand moral values.

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PUPILS?

33. The school provides very well for the children’s social development by giving them many opportunities to take responsibility and show initiative. The children have many opportunities to select their learning activities and to make suggestions about how activities should be carried out. The teachers and nursery nurses place much emphasis on helping the children to share in and contribute to the life of the school community through discussion, helpful tasks and thoughtful behaviour towards others.

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PUPILS?

34. The school successfully teaches the children to appreciate their own and other cultural traditions. They have opportunities to learn and participate in traditional songs and playground games. The school uses story, drama, role-playing and music from a wide range of cultures and arranges visits to places of cultural interest.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

35. The school is extremely effective in ensuring the pupils’ welfare, health and safety. The comprehensive child protection procedures are understood by all the staff and monitored carefully. Through its personal and social education programme the school incorporates health education into the curriculum. The teachers and nursery nurses identify opportunities to make the children aware of health issues. The children use a computer software program to consider sensible choices about Ashgate Nursery School - 15 healthy diets. In all activities the children are made aware of safety issues in relation to themselves and others. The children discuss the need to use goggles to protect their eyes when they are using hammers and nails.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

36. The school is a joyful place and the welcoming atmosphere enables the children to settle quickly and to learn and play together. Relationships between the teachers, nursery nurses and children are very good. The key worker system underpins the relationships between the school and the families. Each child is visited at home before they start school and the key worker is responsible for monitoring and assessing their progress and promoting regular attendance. The quality and use of assessment is good. It is done regularly and thoroughly and detailed records and reports are prepared so that the key worker can keep the parents and the other teachers and nursery nurses fully informed about what each child knows, understands and can do. This information is used effectively to plan appropriate learning experiences for each child. This ensures that provision is effective for the range of children with special educational needs, those who are high attainers and

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

those who are about to transfer to primary school. The children are involved with the entries into the portfolios of work and their personal ‘All about me’ files. They are keen to explain what they had to do to complete the work, what materials they had to use and whether they think they had succeeded. The teachers and nursery nurses date the work samples, note the purpose of the tasks and the children’s learning.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

37. The school has been very successful in forming a strong partnership with the parents. The children’s first contact with the school is sensitively planned. A teacher or nursery nurse is named as the family’s key worker and visits each child at home. This encourages the parents to become involved in their children’s education even before entry to the school. The parents are pleased that their children settle into the school routines very quickly and that the staff are readily available to discuss or share any concerns. The vast majority of the parents consider that the school works closely with them and that they are kept well informed about their children's progress.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

38. The school provides the parents with good quality information. The brochure includes a statement of aims and details of the curriculum as well as explaining the organisation of the school. There is a notice board and system of newsletters to provide day to day information about activities within the school in addition to regular consultation evenings. The governing body intends to produce an annual report for the parents. The school has full and effective liaison with all external agencies and good links are being developed with the neighbouring primary school.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

39. The school is keen to encourage parental involvement in the children’s learning. Discussions about work and progress take place both in school and at home. This is effective in preparing appropriate learning experiences to meet the needs of individual children. These links make a significant contribution to the children’s learning. The teachers and nursery nurses work closely with parents of the children who have special educational needs when they prepare the individual education plans.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

40. The headteacher provides thoughtful and effective leadership and she has a clear vision for the life and work of the school. She sets the tone by her sensitivity and her very good knowledge and understanding of the needs of young children. She has an energetic approach, sets the example of good teaching and is ably supported by the teachers and the nursery nurses. There are clear aims and the ethos of the school is based on valuing and respecting individuals and reflects the good teamwork of the teachers and nursery nurses. They are committed to serving the children’s best interests and to maintaining high standards. As a result, the children are provided with rich and stimulating experiences and they make good progress in their learning. The headteacher has set up procedures to effectively monitor the learning and this is an improvement since the last inspection. Because of new staff appointments the procedures for monitoring teaching have just begun to be

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

implemented. Ashgate Nursery School - 16 41. All of the teachers and nursery nurses take responsibility for managing some part of the curriculum and aspects of the school. Through the key worker system each member of staff is linked to a number of new entrants. They then become responsible for visiting the home and preparing the child and the family for entry to the school. When they have ensured that the child is happily settled they are then responsible for monitoring, assessing and recording the child’s progress and reporting this to the parents and other members of staff. This information is used to plan appropriate learning experiences. The headteacher is effectively the manager of a team of managers and through this system the school has the potential to be a provider of initial teacher training.

p.15

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

42. The school was without a governing body for more than a year. This is now in place but control of the school budget has not been delegated to it and it has a limited range of responsibilities. The governing body manages the capitation allowance but the local education authority is the appropriate authority dealing with the budget allocated to the school.

p.16

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

43. The governing body is supportive of the school and its role could be developed and strengthened to enable it to account for the school’s performance and its continuing improvement. The school development plan is prepared by the governing body and staff and represents careful consideration of all aspects of the life of the school. However it is not as useful as it might be because it does not identify the school’s priorities or a time scale for development. It is not used as a working document for monitoring the school’s performance or acknowledging its achievements.

p.16

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

44. The teachers and nursery nurses have a wide range of appropriate qualifications and experiences. They work well together and share the common purpose of realising the school’s aims. Arrangements for staff appraisal are appropriate and suitable opportunities for professional development are carefully organised. This results in very well informed teachers and nursery nurses who are committed to high standards.

p.16

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

45. The indoor and outdoor accommodation is used well to provide the setting for a range of interesting and worthwhile learning experiences. The teachers and nursery nurses take great care to create good quality displays of the children’s work. Resources are good in range, quality and accessibility with books, materials, small equipment and climbing and balancing apparatus and a range of wheeled toys. The children look after the resources carefully and information technology equipment is used effectively.

p.16

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

46. The local education authority decides on major expenditure such as salaries and maintenance. The small allowance received by the school gives little flexibility for the purchase of equipment but it has built up a good stock of resources. They are used well and replaced as the budget allows and by private funds raised by the parents and friends of the school. Financial planning is good with current and forthcoming needs thoroughly investigated.

p.16

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

47. The teachers and nursery nurses are used effectively and share responsibilities. The expenditure for special educational needs and use of staff is well thought out. The accommodation, time and resources are used effectively. The daily maintenance and cleaning are good.

p.16

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

48. Financial control is efficient with good systems to ensure the smooth running of the school. The school secretary works hard to support the staff and the meals staff ensure that lunch time is pleasant experience for the children in the term before they transfer to primary school. Ashgate Nursery School - 17

p.16

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

49. In order to continue raising standards the governing body and staff should ensure that:

p.17

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

1. The quality of teaching is regularly monitored. (paragraph 40)

p.17

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

2. The role of the governing body is developed and strengthened to enable it to account for the school’s performance and its continuing improvement. (paragraph 43)

p.17

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

3. The school development plan is written as a working document which identifies the school’s priorities and time scale for development and which is used to monitor its performance and acknowledge its achievements. (paragraph 43) Ashgate Nursery School - 18

p.17

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

p.18

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of lessons observed 33 Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 47

p.18

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

p.18

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor 90 10 The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

p.18

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 40 Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 4 FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.18

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Special educational needs Nursery Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 6

p.18

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

English as an additional language No of pupils Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

p.18

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 0 Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 4

p.18

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Qualified teachers and support staff Financial year 1998/99

p.18

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) Number of pupils per qualified teacher Total income 113,301 Total number of education support staff 4 Total expenditure 112,951

p.18

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total aggregate hours worked per week 66 Expenditure per pupil 2,824

p.18

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Balance brought forward from previous year Number of pupils per FTE adult 20 Balance carried forward to next year 504 FTE means full-time equivalent. Ashgate Nursery School - 19 Results of the survey of parents and carers

p.18

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Questionnaire return rate Number of questionnaires sent out 52 Number of questionnaires returned 36

p.19

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage of responses in each category

p.19

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

p.19

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

My child is making good progress in school. 69 31

p.19

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 41 27 14 9 9

p.19

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 64 28 6 3

p.19

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 75 22 3

p.19

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 46 40 3 11

p.19

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

The school works closely with parents. 64 25 11

p.19

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

The school is well led and managed. 58 42

p.19

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 64 33 3

p.19

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 48 36 3 12 Ashgate Nursery School - 20

p.19

Personal and social development

50. The children are well supported in making the transition from home to school and they make good progress in their personal and social education. By the time they are five most of them are likely to meet the national standards and some are likely to exceed them. The quality of teaching is good and this area of learning is well managed. The teachers and nursery nurses have a good understanding of the needs of young children and promote their self-esteem and encourage their confidence. The children demonstrate co-operative and considerate behaviour and they are beginning to understand the consequences of their actions.

p.20

Personal and social development

51. The children settle quickly into the carefully organised daily routines. The contributions of children of all abilities are valued and they learn through listening, talking, investigating and exploring. They develop effective relationships with the adults and with each other. The children are polite to each other and to the staff and most have a clear understanding of the school’s high expectations for behaviour. The older children talk about ways of behaving and help to draw up guidance as to how they should act towards each other. These activities help the children to understand what is expected of them and how to work successfully with others.

p.20

Personal and social development

52. The children make good progress with their personal and social development because they are provided with many opportunities to use their initiative and to take responsibility for aspects of their learning. They are eager to be involved and quickly become more independent. They learn to choose from a range of learning activities and be responsible for the equipment they use. They plan their work with the teachers and nursery nurses and most of them become independent learners. The children learn to accept responsibility for carrying out simple tasks such as tidying up after practical sessions and helping each other to fasten and unfasten outdoor clothing. They take care of the equipment and develop sufficient self- control to share and to wait their turn.

p.20

Personal and social development

53. The children develop positive attitudes to learning and they persevere and concentrate on their work. This is an improvement since the last inspection. They are interested in the lessons and work hard. They willingly ask and answer questions about the work they are doing. They share ideas and opinions when discussing their observations of how ice and water are affected by high and low temperatures. They offer suggestions and make decisions about the suitability of the materials that they can use to fix skis to model figures. When the children complete one activity they start the next one without waiting to be directed by an adult.

p.20

Language and literacy

54. Most of the children start school with levels of attainment that are below average. They make good progress in this area of learning and by the time they are five most are likely to reach the national standards and some are likely to exceed them. This is similar to the findings of the last inspection.

p.20

Language and literacy

55. The children learn to talk with each other and with adults and they are encouraged to join in discussions. They are beginning to speak with confidence, expressing their point of view and responding appropriately to questions. They can take turns in speaking to each other and use the vocabulary introduced by the staff in discussions. In role-play they plan the routes of journeys to the ‘winter wonderland’ and the adventures they will have when they arrive. During imaginative play they take on different parts and adapt their speech to fit the character such as when they are ‘working’ in the office and answering the telephone. They listen carefully to stories and predict what might happen next. They listen to the teachers’ instructions and suggestions and can talk about what they are doing. They can use increasingly complex sentences to explain why protective clothing and goggles should be worn for some activities and

p.20

Language and literacy

how they serve their own food and drinks at snack time. Ashgate Nursery School - 21 56. The children choose books for browsing or to retell familiar stories to other children who become the pupils when they are taking the role of teacher. They treat books with respect, handle them carefully and use the pictures to ‘tell’ the story. Some know that an author writes books and that an illustrator creates the pictures. Some of the children can recognise their own name and can match some letters by shape and identify them from the sound. They identify letters of the alphabet and match objects to the initial sound. The wealth of print around the school encourages the recognition of familiar words. The staff and children use books well as a basis for discussion and to explore feelings. The weekly ‘reading together’ day is effective and involves parents with the development of the children’s reading. In the term before they transfer to the primary school the

p.20

Language and literacy

children are introduced to a more formal and structured approach. They learn about words that rhyme and how to recognise words by their shape and initial sounds. This is an improvement since the last inspection.

p.21

Language and literacy

57. There are good opportunities for the children to develop their writing skills. They begin to understand that print conveys meaning and begin to make their marks on letters, cards, messages, lists, instructions and captions for drawing. The children start to form letters, some can write their name and most hold pencils and crayons correctly. They ‘sign’ their names to indicate to the teachers and nursery nurses which activities they wish to pursue and are keen to make lists and write ‘instructions’ to help visitors and children who are new to the school. All of the children make books to record their observations. For example, in connection with their investigations about the most suitable clothing for cold weather the children ‘write’ and illustrate books in the shapes of hats, gloves and boots. The older children are suitably challenged in the content and presentation of their writing. This is an improvement since the last inspection.

p.21

Language and literacy

58. The children make good progress in communicating through speech. The richness of the language of the school is reflected in their play and their eagerness to record their thoughts and feelings. They take pride in being able to remember rhymes and stories and most become confident in expressing themselves and their point of view. These skills are successfully developed in small group and individual sessions. These sessions are particularly effective for those children who lack confidence in talking in a group.

p.21

Language and literacy

59. The children’s positive attitudes contribute to the quality of their learning. They listen carefully to instructions and when they contribute to class work and discussions they are learning to take turns to speak. The children concentrate on the tasks and can work together sensibly.

p.21

Language and literacy

60. The teaching is good and this area of learning is well managed. The teachers and nursery nurses make the development of language and literacy a priority and they provide a rich language environment. Their expertise supports the good progress made by the children and their clear explanations ensure that the children know what is expected of them. In their planning the staff clearly identify the learning objectives and they provide interesting and imaginative activities to encourage the children’s participation. The activities are well planned and supervised and they provide a good level of challenge. The teachers and nursery nurses focus on what the children are learning and this enables them to assess what they have achieved and to plan for them to make progress. The children’s confidence increases because all of the staff show that they value each child’s contribution to discussions. The children are given time to speak and clarify their ideas and

p.21

Language and literacy

sensitive questioning encourages them to give fuller replies. Every activity is used to extend the children’s vocabulary. The teachers’ and nursery nurses’ questioning skills are a good feature of the teaching and are effective in promoting the children’s thinking. They ask appropriate questions to extend the children’s understanding and monitor their progress. The teachers’ interventions are always sensitive and positive and help the children to solve problems associated with the activities. This helps the children to think about their work and encourages them to try hard to improve. They develop the children’s early reading skills through the sharing of books and stories. All of the staff read to the children in an expressive way that engages their interest. The support given to the children who have special educational needs effectively promotes their good progress. Ashgate Nursery School - 22

p.21

Mathematics

61. The quality of the children’s learning is good in this area because the teachers and nursery nurses plan a broad range of activities and match the teaching and learning well to the needs of individual children, including those with special educational needs. By the time they are five most of the children will attain the national standard and some will exceed it. Standards of attainment are similar to those found at the time of the previous inspection.

p.22

Mathematics

62. The children use mathematical language confidently when talking about what they know about shapes, measures and numbers. They identify, draw and label common shapes such as squares, circles, rectangles, hexagons and triangles and use them to make patterns and pictures. They talk about shapes being ‘in front of’, ‘behind’, ‘next to’, ‘above’ and ‘below’ other shapes. They compare, sort, match, order and count objects in lessons and in games and imaginative play.

p.22

Mathematics

63. Most of the children recognise and count numbers to ten and many of them know numbers up to twenty. Some higher attaining children count up to fifty. By the time they are ready to leave the school, most children have a satisfactory understanding of simple number operations such as addition and subtraction to ten. The children use their knowledge of number to design and make mathematical board games. They talk confidently about how the games are played. One child, for example, based his interesting number game on the camels he had read about in the tales of the Arabian Nights. The children have a good repertoire of number rhymes and songs that they perform with considerable enthusiasm.

p.22

Mathematics

64. The children learn about length, mass and volume in a range of activities. For example, they use non-standard units such as hand-spans to measure the length of objects. They construct card clocks with moveable fingers when they explore how time is recorded and measured. The teaching provides good opportunities for the children to solve number problems using practical apparatus when, for example, they are asked to find out what weighs more - seven apples or four potatoes.

p.22

Mathematics

65. The children’s positive attitudes contribute to the quality of their learning. They listen carefully to instructions and they are keen to contribute to class work and discussions. The children concentrate hard on what they do and work quickly. When they are required to work together to accomplish mathematical tasks they do so sensibly. They share resources and take good care of them.

p.22

Mathematics

66. The quality of the teaching is good and the area of learning is well managed. The teachers and nursery nurses plan a wide range of activities that are well matched to the needs of the children. The activities are carefully organised and the children are managed very well, ensuring that they all have good access to the learning opportunities. They arrange outdoor mathematical activities for the children who like to spend more time outside. The staff make good use of practical work and discussions to help develop the children’s mathematical vocabulary. The school’s extensive range of resources for teaching mathematics is used well to support the children’s learning. The teachers and nursery nurses make careful assessments of what the pupils know, understand and can do based upon clearly defined learning objectives. They also use questions, discussions and observations effectively to ensure that the planned activities challenge and interest the pupils,

p.22

Knowledge and understanding of the world

67. The quality of the children’s learning is good because the teaching is well matched to the needs of all of the children. By the time the children are five most of them will attain the national standard and some will exceed it. What the children know, understand and can do by the age of five is similar to that found at the time of the previous inspection.

p.22

Knowledge and understanding of the world

68. The children talk animatedly about family events and special occasions, both in the recent past and in the present. They draw and talk about where they live and show an awareness of some its features when, for example, they visit the local church and Sikh temple. The children talk proudly about the garden they have helped to create within the school grounds. They talk about people in the community who help them such as police and fire officers, hospital workers and doctors. Ashgate Nursery School - 23 69. The children make good use of their new garden to make close observations of the natural world. They are particularly good at noticing daily and seasonal patterns of change in the weather because they spend more time than is usual working outdoors. They talk about creatures of the night such as bats, mice, foxes and badgers and creatures that live and feed in the school grounds during the day. The children make good drawings of what they notice around them in the natural world. They

p.22

Knowledge and understanding of the world

are keen to explore and describe what they know about the world. They use construction kits to build model farms, towns, shops and garages. They explore how things work and they look at how taps are used to control the flow of water at school and in their homes.

p.23

Knowledge and understanding of the world

70. The children make good use of the available opportunities to explore and select materials and equipment for a wide range of activities. They enjoy making models and are particularly good at collaborating on large projects. When discussing examples of past work, the children talk confidently about the properties of the materials they have used. They describe the different fabrics they use in collage work and the card, paper and plastics they find useful when constructing models. The children work with a good degree of accuracy when cutting, joining, folding and sticking materials. They are conscious about safety when they are using tools and use goggles when hammering panel pins into wood. The children make good use of computers to record and communicate their ideas when they design and print pictures that illustrate winter activities such as building snowmen and using sledges.

p.23

Knowledge and understanding of the world

71. The children’s positive attitudes contribute to the quality of their learning. They concentrate well and work at a good pace. They are particularly good at working together and sharing equipment. They listen carefully to their teachers and to each other. They look after tools and other equipment such as magnifying glasses and they willingly help to put items away tidily and safely.

p.23

Knowledge and understanding of the world

72. The quality of the teaching is never less than satisfactory and is most often good. This area of learning is well managed. The teachers and nursery nurses plan very interesting and challenging lessons that successfully engage the interests of the children and meet their individual needs. The teaching makes very good use of explanations, work on vocabulary, questions and demonstrations to ensure that all of the children understand the work and have opportunities to contribute to the activities. The children are very well managed so that behaviour is good and the pace of work brisk. The teachers and nursery nurses carefully assess what the children learn and make good use of assessment to plan future work. In this way, they ensure that the needs of all of the children, including those with special educational needs, are well met. The school has a good range of learning resources that the teachers use effectively to support learning and to motivate the children.

p.23

Creative development

73. The children make good progress in expressing their feelings and ideas in creative activities such as painting, modelling, role- play and music making. Most of the children are likely to reach the expected standard by the time they are five. The standards the children attain are similar to those found at the time of the previous inspection.

p.23

Creative development

74. The children make good use of a wide range of available opportunities to explore sound, colour, texture, shape, form and space in natural and man-made environments. For example, they represent aspects of the natural word when they paint large pictures of potted plants, landscapes and insects. Following observations they made of frosted leaves in the school garden, some of the children re- created frost patterns on a large display by weaving silver pipe cleaners around panel pins that they had hammered into wall board. In exploring the man-made world, the children use collage to represent the colours and patterns made by fireworks and card and foil to represent traffic lights. The school’s portfolio of photographic evidence shows that the children use a wide range of materials and techniques to express their ideas and communicate their feelings and responses. They use printing techniques to replicate the effects created in the work of artists such as Jackson

p.23

Creative development

75. The children use a good range of percussion instruments to express the rhythms and tempos of traditional South American music. They learn to produce many sounds using different techniques such as banging, strumming, shaking, scraping and plucking. They develop an appropriate sense of Ashgate Nursery School - 24 rhythm and tempo to enable them to accompany their own singing of traditional and popular songs. Some of the children compose their own songs and devise ways to use musical instruments to enhance their performance of them. Most of the children know a good range of songs and action rhymes.

p.23

Creative development

76. The children enjoy stories and listen very carefully to them. They are keen to enter into the imaginative world of traditional and contemporary tales. They enjoy, too, opportunities to engage in imaginative play both indoors and outside. Although the school makes a good range of resources available, the children often make good imaginative use of simple resources such as paper-bag puppets and blankets draped over a frame to represent a tent.

p.24

Creative development

77. The children show strong interest in their activities and boldness and inventiveness when tackling large-scale projects with others. The children are always prepared to make suggestions in the course of their work, but are equally prepared to listen to the suggestions of others. They take pride not only in what they achieve but also in the care they take in the use of tools and materials and they insist upon tidying away carefully when they have completed tasks.

p.24

Creative development

78. The quality of the teaching is good and the area of learning is well managed. The teachers and nursery nurses make good use of the curriculum plans to prepare interesting lessons that match the needs of all the pupils, including those who have special educational needs. The activities they devise are well organised and the children well managed. Because of this the children learn quickly. The teaching is good at developing the children’s vocabulary through different activities such as painting, dancing and music making. The children’s work is valued and well displayed and labelled.

p.24

Physical development

79. The children make good progress in this area of learning. By the time they are five, most of them will reach the national standard and some will exceed it. The standards attained are similar to those found in the previous inspection.

p.24

Physical development

80. The children make good use of large outdoor equipment, including climbing frames, tricycles and hand-propelled pedal cars. They learn how to move confidently and imaginatively with a good degree of control. The children negotiate the hills and bends of the cycle path with considerable skill. They quickly learn an awareness of space and make complex manoeuvres deftly and rarely collide with other cyclists. The children use their physical skills and their imagination to devise different ways to move across the climbing frame. These include, sliding, crawling, swinging and weaving their way across a ladder suspended between two tower frames.

p.24

Physical development

81. The children use a good range of small equipment with increasing skill when they participate in activities such as painting, printing, sticking, cutting and folding. They make good use of jigsaws and construction kits to develop their manipulative skills and hand-eye co-ordination. Most of the children develop sufficient skill to control the screen cursor on computers and to hammer panel pins into wood. They often work together on joint projects to build large-scale models. A group of children constructed a model ice monster about a metre and a half long which they painted and decorated. The quality of the children’s drawing, and painting and the skill with which many of the children use malleable materials such as dough indicates that they quickly develop the control they need to write letters and numbers.

p.24

Physical development

82. The quality of the teaching is good overall and the area of learning is well managed. The activities are well planned and supervised. They provide a good level of challenge across a wide range of activities. A strength of the teaching lies in the effective use of questions and discussion to provide a vocabulary for describing types of movement and how they could be extended or improved. The teachers’ and nursery nurses’ interventions are always sensitive and positive and help the children to solve problems to do with travelling in different ways or manipulating tools and equipment with greater expertise. This helps the children to think about their work and encourages them to try hard to improve. The staff carefully assess the children’s needs and use this knowledge to plan new challenges for them and help them to consolidate newly acquired skills. The teaching makes effective use of the wide range of available equipment to support the children’s learning. The

p.24

Physical development

Ashgate Nursery School - 25 covered outdoor area is used well to provide opportunities for the children to explore a range of small and large equipment.

p.25