Maytree Nursery School

MAYTREE NURSERY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 20-21 November 2000

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MAYTREE NURSERY SCHOOL

Inspection number: 224149 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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MAYTREE 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. Maytree Nursery School - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: 155 Clarence Crescent Clapham Park Lambeth London

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: Lambeth Local Education Authority

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: June 1996 Maytree Nursery School - 5

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Brenda Spencer – 20451 Registered inspector Jane O'Keefe – 19798 Lay inspector

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Capital Inspections Chaucer Building Canterbury Road Morden Surrey SM4 6PX.

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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 Maytree Nursery School - 6

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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 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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Outstanding leadership in seeking constantly to improve the provision by

taking account of up to date knowledge of good practice.

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Develops excellent relationships with parents and is very effective in

supporting them in being effective partners in their children's education.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Maytree Nursery is a small community school near Clapham Common in Lambeth for children aged from three to five years. The school provides both part-time sessions in the morning or afternoon and whole day provision. The attainment of children on entry to school is below average overall particularly for their communication in English. The pupils attending the school are fully representative of the broad social and ethnic diversity of the area.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

There are 88 children on roll, 33 attending full-time and 55 on a part-time basis. Forty are boys and 48 are girls. During the school year the school population is very stable with very few leaving or joining the school outside the normal admission times. Some 67 per cent of children are from ethnic minorities, the majority being of African heritage, Black Caribbean or mainland European backgrounds. Forty nine per cent of children are from homes where English is used as an additional language, of whom 22 children speak little English. The most frequent languages spoken by these children are Yoruba, Portuguese, Twi and French. Sixteen per cent of children are on the special educational needs register, which is low compared with national figures, however a comparatively high proportion, some five per cent have a statement of special educational needs. Forty eight per cent of full-time pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is well above average.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Maytree Nursery School is a very good school with many excellent features. The headteacher provides outstanding leadership in shaping the direction of the school and keeping its work under review. Children are taught very well and from a wide range of starting points they achieve very well especially in personal, social and emotional development. The school provides good value for money.

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What the school does well

§ Outstanding leadership in seeking constantly to improve the provision by taking account of up to date knowledge of good practice. § Develops excellent relationships with parents and is very effective in supporting them in being effective partners in their children's education. § Cares very well for children. § Quality of teaching is very good giving children a flying start in education and very positive attitudes. § Provides a very engaging curriculum which attracts children to learning. § Establishes very good attitudes and behaviour of children and encourages their outstanding personal development.

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What could be improved

There are no major issues for improvement but the school may wish to consider the following minor point • Further detail in the plan for school improvement beyond the current year. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. Maytree Nursery School - 8

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in June 1996. The recommendations made at that time have been very efficiently met. The role of curriculum co-ordinators has been established and provides effective development of the areas of learning. Curriculum policies have now been written and ensure a consistency to planning and teaching. The school development plan does identify targets for improvement which have financial costings and shows briefly future plans beyond the current year to extend the work of the school in the community. The school has maintained the high standards described in the previous report. In addition, the quality of teaching, partnership with parents and leadership and management have improved still further.

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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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Performance in: Key

language and literacy C well above average A mathematics B above average average B C personal, social and emotional development A below average well below average D E other areas of the curriculum B

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Performance in: Key

Despite a wide range of basic skills on entry, including some children unable to speak English and some with special needs, the children achieve well. The majority are on track to achieve the expected standards by the end of reception year in communication. They are likely to exceed them in all the other areas of learning including mathematical development. Particularly impressive are the children's ability to choose and sustain interest in their activities. They explore and experiment well and show individual thinking in design and art activities. They show physical confidence in climbing, balancing and moving over apparatus and are precise in their controlled use of pencils and tools. Children with special educational needs make good progress towards the targets set in their individual educational plans.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Very positive. Children are keen to come to school and are eager to learn.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good. Children with difficulties are supported well to learn to fulfil expectations.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Excellent. Racial harmony and respect for one another is a distinctive feature. Children take up willingly the many opportunities to show Maytree Nursery School - 9 initiative and take responsibility, for example tidying after themselves.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Satisfactory and in line with similar schools

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Teaching of pupils:

Lessons seen overall Very 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 very good or better in 34 per cent of observations of teaching. It was good in 52 per cent of these observations. There was no unsatisfactory teaching. Teaching is good in all areas of learning and meets the needs of all children very well. Skills are taught well and children have many opportunities to apply them in problem solving and creating things. As a result children are curious, confident and resourceful and make very good gains in learning. Communication and numeracy skills are developed well across the curriculum and children meet the staff's high expectations that they will make choices and sustain their interest in their activities very well.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum There is a very engaging curriculum for young children informed by close observation of their interests and abilities. Communication and mathematical development are well promoted across the curriculum. Parents and the school form an excellent partnership in supporting the children's learning.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Very good. The code of practice is fully implemented. There is effective liaison with outside agencies and impressive support is given to the children's families to meet their different needs. The policy of inclusion works very well and children develop very positive attitudes to learning. Learning support assistants sensitively develop children's personal and social skills. Individual educational plans are well written, targets regularly reviewed. Parents participate fully in annual reviews of children with statements of special need.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Very good. Teachers providing support to children learning English as an additional language are fully involved in planning and assessment procedures. Children's progress is regularly reviewed.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Excellent. The curriculum provides many opportunities for wonder and excitement. Adults provide excellent models of social and moral behaviour. They praise quite specifically giving reasons so children can develop understanding. The curriculum and resources reflect the multicultural world of Lambeth and children learn to celebrate the Maytree Nursery School - 10 richness of their society.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils There are very good procedures for monitoring pupils' progress and ensuring the curriculum meets individual needs. Child protection and health and safety procedures are fully in place and understood by staff.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher provides outstanding leadership. She has a very clear sense of purpose. Practice is constantly refined in light of educational research and the leadership seeks to achieve the best quality provision for the children. Co-ordinators established since the last inspection have a positive impact on the quality of learning and teaching.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Very good. Governors are involved in monitoring the school improvement plan and identifying future targets. Individual governors are involved in monitoring the quality of aspects of the curriculum, the management of the school and use of the budget.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Good. There is an established cycle of target setting, monitoring and review. Teaching is monitored through observation and the rate of individual pupils' progress is used to identify effectiveness of teaching strategies. Analysis of the achievement of groups of pupils is carried out for gender and spoken language.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources The school applies principles of best value very well by careful tendering for purchases, having a culture which welcomes parental comment, and by visiting other centres to compare and improve the quality of its own nursery.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• how much their children enjoy school • the effective management and leadership of the school • the quality of the teaching • the partnership with parents and the quality of information they receive • the standards the children achieve and the progress they make No significant numbers of parents raised issues of concern or areas for improvement.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team agrees with the strengths identified by parents. Maytree Nursery School - 11

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Outstanding leadership in seeking constantly to improve the provision by taking account of

1. The headteacher provides outstanding educational direction for the school and has a clear vision of how the school could be an even richer resource to the community. This is evident in the impressive partnership made with parents in supporting the children's education. Positive indicators of the effectiveness of school management team are the award of Investors in People in September 2000 and receipt of the Primary Quality Mark from the Basic Skills Agency.

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Outstanding leadership in seeking constantly to improve the provision by taking account of

2. The headteacher attended an OFSTED course on self-evaluation for schools for serving headteachers. This resulted in development of the existing informal methods of monitoring which enable co-ordinators, governors and senior management team to keep the school under effective review. Members of the governing body now have links with the curriculum and have begun school visits to monitor its effectiveness and extend their knowledge. Monitoring of teaching includes observations of teachers and nursery nurses and use of video footage to support professional analysis of how they can improve their practice and to identify strengths in teaching. The staff involved have verbal and written feedback on their teaching. It is significant that the proportion of very good teaching has increased since the last inspection.

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Outstanding leadership in seeking constantly to improve the provision by taking account of

3. Professional development is linked to the school development plan and focuses on improving children's achievements and the ability of their families to support them. The headteacher is currently studying for a Master of Arts in Early Years Education with Care. This involves visits to a Centre of Excellence which has a reputation for high quality provision of extended care. This work informs the headteacher's vision for the extension of the school's service to the community in the future. An inset day was devoted to the learning styles of boys arising from current research. This resulted in more frequent provision for some children who prefer to learn in very active ways, such as jumping along large ordered numbers outside as opposed to doing small 'table top' activity in number.

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Outstanding leadership in seeking constantly to improve the provision by taking account of

4. Since the last inspection co-ordinators for areas of learning have been appointed from the teachers and nursery nurses. They are reflective about their work, review the children's involvement and achievements and the quality of resources. They take responsibility to share their expertise with other staff and as a result are having a positive impact on standards.

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Develops excellent relationships with parents and is very effective in supporting them in

being effective partners in their children's education.

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Develops excellent relationships with parents and is very effective in supporting them in

5. The school establishes an excellent partnership with parents and carers in educating the children at Maytree Nursery. This is evident in the positive views expressed by them of the school's impact on their children's education. Arrangements to introduce children to school are very successful and include visits to their homes. A useful two way flow of information between family and school ensures that staff are fully aware of and prepared to meet a child's particular needs and each child is already familiar with two adults from the school. As a consequence, children make a successful start to their education. An indicator of how positively parents regard this partnership is the fact that four parents recently sought to fill the single vacant post of parent governor. Maytree Nursery School - 12 6. The school very effectively helps parents support their children's learning in a number of ways.

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Develops excellent relationships with parents and is very effective in supporting them in

Two weekly language and literacy courses are run for parents so they can help their children to learn to read and write more effectively and to increase their own literacy skills. A support group for Portuguese and Spanish speaking families introduces parents to the nursery curriculum and the English education system. Parents with children with special educational needs attend a much valued support group to help each other, run as part of the organisation 'Parents for Inclusion'. They regard this as providing very valued encouragement and understanding in meeting their children's needs. Maytree Nursery is running a pilot project with the education psychology service to support parents with children on the autistic spectrum disorder. This helps parents to become familiar with the nature of autism and to learn strategies to deal with their children's difficulties at home. Parents also work with the school in setting and helping children meet the targets in their

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Develops excellent relationships with parents and is very effective in supporting them in

individual educational plans. The school has links with the Education Business Partnership and the Health Action Zone. This has resulted in courses developing parenting skills for fathers. Courses are available through the Basic Skills Agency which have led to work placements and in some cases school employment. Parents speak very highly of the opportunities offered to them.

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Develops excellent relationships with parents and is very effective in supporting them in

7. The governing body supports the direction in which the school is heading which includes extending links with the Peabody Trust. Such an arrangement would develop the school's work with the community in order to meet parents' needs and raise children's achievement. For example, this would include running a numeracy project and providing care before and after school.

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Develops excellent relationships with parents and is very effective in supporting them in

8. Parents are regular visitors in school. They feel comfortable about coming in with their children and becoming involved in the activities. For example, one morning a father spontaneously formed a band and spent time drumming with a group before going out to the sand pit to mix 'concrete' and lay bricks. A mother brought in various boxes and items useful for the design area and carefully filed them into the storage area ready for the children to use. Another showed a group in the home corner how she cooked chicken, helped them think about the sounds the fat made with the result that they were using adjectives such as 'popping' and 'sizzling'. The well stocked library of literacy and numeracy resources are regularly selected by parents to continue the children's learning at home. The relationship between parent and school is a genuine two-sided partnership in helping the children achieve well.

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Cares very well for children

9. This is a very caring school that gets to know its children and their families well. Very effective procedures are in place for dealing with child protection. The headteacher and deputy are designated to deal with any concerns and all staff are well trained and experienced in dealing with this sensitive area. The school strives hard to ensure the health and safety of the children with regular risk assessments being undertaken by the headteacher and governing body.

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Cares very well for children

10. The promotion of good behaviour is very impressive in the school with children given very clear guidance on what is expected of them. This is further reinforced by the excellent role models presented by all staff in the school. Attendance is monitored closely and any unexplained absences are followed up very promptly by office staff. These procedures and the constant reminders to parents of the importance of good attendance have ensured that this area has remained satisfactory. Maytree Nursery School - 13 11. Observational assessment is a key way in which staff document children's achievements, monitor academic progress and gather data to plan to best meet their future needs. Cameras are carried by some staff to capture significant moments. Each child has a key worker who receives the observations. These are used well to identify whether children are making a broad and balanced choice of the opportunities in the nursery. Pupils are carefully assessed on entry to the nursery

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Cares very well for children

and information from their parents and carers is used to inform plans to support their learning. Children who use English as an additional language are assessed within a few days of starting school using recordings of their spoken language. Individuals are then identified who will most benefit from the focused attention of the specialist language teachers. These specialist staff attend daily planning meetings and consequently influence the nature of the activities to the benefit of children learning English. The code of practice on the identification and assessment of special educational needs is fully implemented. Children's targets are appropriate and regularly reviewed with parents playing an active part in the procedure. Seven children with special needs each have a designated individual learning support assistant. In addition there is a co-ordinating support assistant for the autism project. The school also has a close relationship with the educational

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Cares very well for children

psychology service. This combination with the practice of observing children regularly means their needs are very well catered for.

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Cares very well for children

12. Observations are also used well to identify different learning styles of children to ensure the provision gives them the best opportunity to achieve. In particular the school has identified more opportunities to provide for some boys' active approach to the curriculum. This includes the development of the curriculum outside by providing more opportunities for vigorous activity which involves, for example mathematical learning. Children are also allowed to make weapons for imaginative play within agreed codes of behaviour. As a consequence they often visit the design and making area and create objects to enhance their play. The staff report this has resulted in calmer behaviour of some more naturally boisterous children and a more positive approach to learning.

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Quality of teaching is very good giving children a flying start in education

13. The overall quality of teaching is very good. Teachers, nursery nurses and learning support assistants were all observed working with the children. In 34 per cent of observations teaching was very good or better. This compares very favourably with the last inspection when only 10 per cent of teaching was of such a high quality. It was good in 52 per cent of observations and was never less than satisfactory.

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Quality of teaching is very good giving children a flying start in education

14. The quality of the teaching relates to a number of key features. Staff teach key skills very well and then encourage children to use them in novel ways which may be different to the intended outcomes of an activity. This results in children becoming confident and resourceful. Communication and numeracy skills are developed across the curriculum at a level appropriate to individual children. They are taught how to use the mouse to make choices on the computer and they know how to operate different programs. They use a range of hand tools well because adults give instruction when the need arises, for example on how to use a clamp to hold a piece of wood for sawing or how to find the end of the sticky tape. Children are helped to measure when making a headband, consider whether they have enough flour to make play dough or count how many tags they have discovered in the outside area. Some children may be counting four or five cherries on

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Quality of teaching is very good giving children a flying start in education

a cake whilst higher attainers are asked for example, to identify where the number 14 is out of sequence in the row they have laid out from 1 to 25. Maytree Nursery School - 14 15. It is a distinctive feature of the teaching that staff are flexible in making the most out of each child's response to an activity. A table equipped with watches with numbered faces, strips of paper, paper shapes, tools and glue prompted some children to make watches. However others created quite different things. Staff are alert to these possibilities. One child was drawn into a discussion about the alternating pattern of circles and triangles she had created and the direction they were pointing. Another wished her name to be written on the strap. She was taken to the registration board and watched as the adult modelled copying the name so that she could try herself next time. Staff encourage the different ways children want to explore in their learning.

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Quality of teaching is very good giving children a flying start in education

For example, one child astounded by the projection of coloured water globules from the over head projector on the screen made of white paper, prised it open to try to find the water underneath. This was taken as an opportunity to capitalise on learning rather than tell a child off. The fiddling of another child with the projector head was correctly interpreted as experimentation to find out how the movement affected the final resting-place of the image rather than naughty behaviour. This understanding of the thinking of young children and the many different ways it shows itself results in children developing real thirst for learning.

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Quality of teaching is very good giving children a flying start in education

16. Questions are used very effectively to help children express complex thoughts, to make decisions and for staff to probe their understanding. Only rarely do children face simple questions such as 'what colour is it?' or 'is it nice?'. Boys arriving at the design area wearing batman cloaks wanted to make masks to complete the outfit. They were helped to consider important design decisions, for example by asking 'how are you going to attach the strings to the mask?'. Questioning also helped them evaluate the effectiveness of their masks, for example 'does this eyehole help you see through?'. Questions are used to help children think about what has happened. When they mixed red and blue coloured water on the over head projector and it changed colour they were prompted ' where has the blue and red gone?' and 'can you get them back?'. These questions are associated with above average attainment of seven year olds, but these three, four and five year olds

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Quality of teaching is very good giving children a flying start in education

seriously try to grapple with them. One member of staff was willing to help a child make a shadow puppet but insisted his need was clearly expressed so she 'could be really helpful'.

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Quality of teaching is very good giving children a flying start in education

17. This approach to learning which ensures children are equipped with key skills and are expected to apply them in solving problems or creating things is supported by an extremely attractive and well organised learning environment. Resources, tools, books and materials are stored so that the children can easily make choices and know where to return things. There is an office area next to the home corner, so children can write shopping lists. In the writing area there are many different types of script on show to prompt children's developing writing skills. There are displays which encourage children to investigate, for example bottles filled to different levels with a variety of coloured water and a striker with which to chime them. Books are carefully placed all around the nursery and children often sit and read them or specifically refer to them. For example, one child spent ages looking at a book on insects commenting on them before making a shadow puppet.

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Quality of teaching is very good giving children a flying start in education

18. Staff have high expectations of children in different ways. In particular, they are expected to behave well with consideration towards one another. Reasons are always given as to why something is not acceptable or why it was good. This supports the success in achieving a truly inclusive and racially harmonious school community. Where children have difficulties in being sociable, their learning support assistants encourage them to say hello to children already at an activity they join and to make eye contact. For some children this is difficult. Teaching manages difficult behaviour very well and ensures that disruption to learning is kept to a minimum. Because staff know the children so well, different but appropriate expectations are made of individual Maytree Nursery School - 15 children. The understanding of what motivates children is evident in the very active curriculum outside to attract boys, for example by throwing bean bags at shapes or numbers. One gifted

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Quality of teaching is very good giving children a flying start in education

member of staff in story telling, amid gestures and expressions, deep voiced puppet and crying baby, had children fully involved in the story and predicting which what might be causing the baby such distress. Playfulness, for example in searching for the disappearing projected image, and the use of song in calling on children's attention are all examples of effective strategies to engage young children's interest. The quality of teaching results in children developing very positive attitudes to learning. Staff are also analytical about how a session can be improved, for example by playing alongside children better or breaking up a group time into smaller units so some children do not sit still too long. This reflective approach contributes to the improvement in quality of teaching since the last inspection.

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Provides a very engaging curriculum which attracts children to learning

19. Maytree Nursery provides a high quality curriculum. The curriculum is planned very carefully to be relevant to the children's interests and abilities. Staff carry cards on which they record distinctive responses that individual children make to the activities on offer, for example the language used to describe the different fruits they were cutting up and examining. Records are ticked as children use computers in order to monitor that each child is taking up the opportunity on offer. Careful account is taken of the targets on individual educational plans for children with special needs and resources adapted where necessary. Each day the observations are discussed to decide how the activities for the next day should take account of how the children's interests and how their learning can be extended. This may result in changes such as exploring different mouldable materials, developing new descriptive vocabulary or leaving an area of role play so the

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Provides a very engaging curriculum which attracts children to learning

children can develop their imaginative play further.

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Provides a very engaging curriculum which attracts children to learning

20. The outside area is used successfully to provide an active and large-scale expression for the children's learning. In particular, the staff feel this is important for some boys who have been identified as enjoying learning in this way. They can be found engaging in higher levels of number by hopping along a number trail they have made and counting beyond twenty or pelting the changing display of shapes or numbers on the wall with beanbags. The acceptable face of competition is encouraged, for example by setting up challenging race courses which children clamber over, run along and pass under. They collect a sticker on completion and winner and runner up both enjoy the experience. Photographic evidence shows the outside area being used to explore the natural world, the creatures and plants in it, the changes in temperature, smells and weather.

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Provides a very engaging curriculum which attracts children to learning

21. The curriculum makes excellent provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Children have many opportunities to reflect on the marvels around them. They closely examine plants such as Chinese lanterns which are then captured in beautiful paintings. They feel ice, observe slugs and snails, gasp at the jewel like colours of dyed water. They puzzle that a yellow piece of felt throws a shadow on the over head projection whereas yellow cellophane paper shows all the glory of its colour brightly lit. Social skills are carefully nurtured. Children enjoy relaxed chatty lunchtimes together, participate in co-operative tasks such as searching for hidden objects in the undergrowth, clear up outside apparatus in pairs and generally take opportunities to talk over their activities about the things that concern them. They are given the skills to make a good initial impression, for example by greeting each other with eye contact. It is noticeable that children are

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Provides a very engaging curriculum which attracts children to learning

carefully guided about what is acceptable behaviour and the reasons underpinning it. Praise is linked to the deed which prompted it, for example listening well or allowing some one to complete their turn. This helps the children develop a meaningful understanding of what is right and wrong. The richness of the cultural heritage around them is celebrated fully. Festivals are a joyous Maytree Nursery School - 16 opportunity to share traditions and affect other areas of the curriculum. A recent study of Black history has resulted in increased activity in the design area as children are making masks for all sorts of different reasons. The nursery is very well resourced to support cultural development, for example in the ornaments, food and clothes in the home corner and in the wide variety of musical instruments the children play. The many languages of the school community are used everywhere in signs, including those of only one speaker, for example Welsh. As a consequence there is a

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Provides a very engaging curriculum which attracts children to learning

strong sense of pride in the rich tapestry of different cultures the children experience in their daily activities.

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personal development

22. Children are very keen to come to this school and at times become quite upset when they have to leave. They are very enthusiastic learners and settle within seconds to activities when they arrive. Most listen very well and treat each other with kindness and respect. Children’s behaviour is very good in the school. Those children who need support with their behaviour generally cope very well. They rarely disrupt the learning of the other children, who, in turn, treat them with tolerance and understanding. Relationships throughout the school are excellent.

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personal development

23. The personal development of children is excellent. They quickly learn the routines of the day and the expectations of staff, for example that they should clear away after themselves at lunchtime. They take turns and share very well and listen carefully to each other and staff. Their confidence in tackling problems is impressive and they are truly creative in how they respond to the activities on offer. Children tidy up very sensibly, treating equipment and resources with care. They confidently choose activities and resources and talk about their work with pride and enjoyment.

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Further detail in the plan for school improvement beyond the current year

24. The plan for school improvement identifies appropriate priorities to ensure the school continues to offer high quality education to the children in its care. The success in meeting targets each year is reviewed and this informs the development in detail of the plan for the next academic year. The plan has improved since the last inspection and identifies the implications for cost, the staff responsible for the action, time and responsibility for monitoring and intended outcomes.

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Further detail in the plan for school improvement beyond the current year

25. The plan identifies developments for 2001-2002 to include working with the Peabody Trust to become involved in the training of child minders and other adult classes; to extend the length of day and school year; to cater for younger children and to develop techniques further in planning and observation. These developments are in line with national initiatives on the development of early years education. At present the school is awaiting a decision from Lambeth Local Education Authority on the future role of nursery schools and whether this will be developed into acting as centres with extended care. The headteacher and governors make strong verbal commitment to their long-term plans despite delays in policy decisions at local education level. Given this commitment the plan for school improvement could beneficially be strengthened by establishing in greater detail intended outcomes, costs, and implications for staff training. This would provide a

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Further detail in the plan for school improvement beyond the current year

steer in anticipating priorities in future spending over the long term, guide decisions on staff training Maytree Nursery School - 17 and provide a model to influence the debate about the future of provision in the foundation stage at a local level.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

There are no major issues for improvement but the school may wish to consider the following less important weakness for inclusion in the action plan

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

26. In order to improve further governors and staff should

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

§ Strengthen the usefulness of the school improvement plan by providing increased detail for developments beyond the current academic year (see paragraphs 24-25) Maytree Nursery School - 18

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 9

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 60.5

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 16

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 4

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 14

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 43

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 0

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 0 Maytree Nursery School - 19

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff Financial year 1999-2000

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE)

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 22 £

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 11 Total expenditure 321 189

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 332.5 Expenditure per pupil 5 309

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance brought forward from previous year 9 174

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per FTE adult 9 Balance carried forward to next year 16 689

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Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Maytree Nursery School - 20

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 74 21 0 5 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 60 40 0 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 38 46 0 8 8

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 55 40 0 5 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 80 15 0 5 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 55 40 0 0 5

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 80 20 0 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 85 15 0 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 75 20 0 5 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 74 16 0 11 0

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