Wallace Road Nursery School

WALLACE ROAD NURSERY SCHOOL

Reporting inspector: Ms Frances Forrester

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WALLACE ROAD NURSERY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 9 – 10 October 2000

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WALLACE ROAD 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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WALLACE ROAD 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. Wallace Road Nursery School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Wallace Road, Northampton

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: Local Education Authority

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mrs Laurice Percival

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: January 1997 Wallace Road Nursery School - 4

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Team members

Frances Forrester 11590 Registered inspector Brian Halling 13351 Lay inspector

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Team members

Northampton Inspection and Advisory Service (NIAS) Inspection Division Cliftonville Centre Cliftonville Middle School Cliftonville Road Northampton NN1 5BW

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Team members

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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Team members

The Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

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

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6 - 9

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

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WHAT THE NURSERY SCHOOL DOES WELL 10 - 14

The effectiveness of the nursery school’s provision How well the children are taught Children’s attitudes How well the nursery school fosters children’s well being The effectiveness of the partnership with parents How well the nursery school is led

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE NURSERY SCHOOL

Wallace Road Nursery School offers 80 places for children to attend part-time. There are two class- rooms with two full-time teachers. These include the head teacher who has a very substantial teaching commitment. The support staff are specifically qualified to work with very young children. At the time of the inspection, there were ten surplus places that would not be filled until January 2001. The building was originally a temporary building erected in 1942. It has been well maintained. The nursery school’s immediate surroundings are predominantly pre-war council housing. The nursery school increasingly admits children from further afield in Northampton. Children usually have one year of nursery provision, which commences in the September following their third birthday. The nursery school had some surplus spaces last year, so some children were admitted early. These children have returned for the autumn

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE NURSERY SCHOOL

term and will benefit from four or five terms of provision before they transfer to school. At the end of the year, most children move to two local schools with which the nursery school maintains close links. The nursery school has a balanced number of boys and girls. It prioritises the emotional, personal and social development of children in the first term. There is an above average number of children from lone parent families, and there is some unemployment in the area. Most children were only three years of age at the time of the inspection. Some of the youngest were admitted during the inspection, and their parents spent time helping to settle them in the nursery school. There are four children who speak English as an additional language. The main languages are Urdu, Gujarati, Bengali and French. Nine children have special educational needs. When children are admitted, some have difficulty expressing

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE NURSERY SCHOOL

themselves and others cannot take turns or share with others.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE NURSERY SCHOOL

Wallace Road Nursery School is a very good nursery school. The nursery school aims to foster in children a sense of wonder in the world. Members of staff strive to stimulate children’s curiosity and to provide a good foundation for their later, formal education. The nursery school gives good value for money.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE NURSERY SCHOOL

What the nursery school does well • The nursery school provides outstanding care for the children. • The quality and range of learning opportunities are very good. • The quality of the teaching is always good and most often very good. • Children achieve very well. • Members of staff effectively promote very good standards of behaviour. • The nursery school’s partnership with parents is excellent. • The leadership and management of the nursery school are very good. • Children’s moral and social development are very good.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE NURSERY SCHOOL

What could be improved • Staff awareness of the wide range of mathematical opportunities available in children’s play. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. Wallace Road Nursery School - 7 HOW THE NURSERY SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION In the last inspection the nursery school was judged to be good but governors and staff have continued to make further very successful improvements. The current inspection took place very early in the school year, so it is difficult to judge improvements in standards. However, there is every indication that the nursery school will exceed the high standards it attained last time, especially in promoting children’s knowledge and understanding of the world and creative development. The standard of teaching was consistently good in the last inspection, but it is even better now. Planning for activities was criticised in

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE NURSERY SCHOOL

the last inspection and there was no written policy for personal and social development. The nursery school has successfully improved these two areas; planning for daily activities is now very detailed and of good quality. Governors regularly visit to check that the nursery school is working well and they successfully act as a critical friend. The nursery school is very well placed to continue to improve and develop.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE NURSERY SCHOOL

STANDARDS When children start nursery school, many cannot socialise and have difficulty playing and sharing with other children. They find it very hard to concentrate or sit still for long. Some children have very immature language, and they cannot hold a pencil properly. Although a few can count to ten or more, they cannot count ‘one object at a time’. By the time children leave the nursery school, most will achieve very well in all the nationally agreed areas for early learning for their age group. Most will speak confidently and have simple writing skills. In mathematics, the good provision will ensure children have a knowledge of basic mathematical skills, appropriate for this age group. Children quickly settle and become increasingly sociable. They progress very quickly, due to the effectiveness of the teaching which is having a very positive impact on learning. Most children attain above average standards for their

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE NURSERY SCHOOL

age group in personal and social development and in language and literacy, mathematics, physical and creative development. Their computer skills are good and, at a very early age, they have a very good knowledge and understanding of the world. Children of all abilities achieve very well. Those who have special educational needs are very well supported and are given additional attention in small groups to help them to succeed. They make similar progress to the other children, and achieve according to their individual ability. Children who are learning English as an additional language are also appropriately supported. Members of staff set up imaginative activities, such as using puppets to illustrate a story, to help the children to follow the story. When this is successful and the topic captures the attention of the youngsters who find it difficult to understand the language, they make good progress. Teachers

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE NURSERY SCHOOL

regularly review the effectiveness of their different activities to ensure children are making good progress. They make careful observations to check their work has been successful, and they appropriately monitor children’s stages of development.

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CHILDRENS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Aspect Comment Attitudes to the nursery school The nursery school promotes good attitudes from the very start. Children increasingly develop responsible attitudes. Teachers successfully encourage them to give their best at all times, and to take initiative.. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour is very good; even those children who find it difficult to take turns and share are quickly and firmly encouraged to consider the effects of their actions on others. Members of staff promptly intervene to prompt children to apologise and to consider their actions on others. Personal development and relationships Children’s personal development is very good. The relationships that exist between staff and children are increasingly very strong. This has a very positive impact on learning, and promotes children’s confidence. Attendance Attendance is satisfactory. The very young age of the children often leads to them taking time off because they are very tired.

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CHILDRENS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

The nursery school works hard to establish good attitudes and values. The very calm, relaxed atmosphere, which underpins the work of the nursery school, effectively promotes these aspects. Staff Wallace Road Nursery School - 8 quietly but firmly, manage those children who find it very difficult to mix with others. They work hard to raise the self-esteem of those children who lack confidence. They insist on good behaviour and encourage children to acquire polite habits.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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. The standard of teaching is consistently good. Out of fifteen lessons, nine were very good. The quality and consistency of the teaching is a great strength. The nursery school successfully prioritises personal, social and emotional development during children’s first term in school. Members of staff have established a flexible approach to managing the new intake during their first weeks in nursery school. The two teachers have an excellent understanding of the needs of very young children. All members of staff clearly enjoy their work. Nursery nurses teach well, and there are no weaknesses. Particular strengths of the teaching are the exciting and imaginative range of activities that are organised, skilful

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

questioning and the emphasis staff place on promoting children’s confidence and encouraging them to take initiative. There are many examples of this; for instance in deciding the play equipment, the children have to change their home corner into the three bears’ house. A ‘technology day’ involved parents and children in designing experiments.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

The nursery school very successfully meets the needs of all pupils. Children learn quickly as a result of the its effective management and the good organisation. During the inspection, newly admitted children were noticeably more confident to venture into both rooms on their second visit. The very good teaching is having a successful impact on children’s achievements. Older children, who have spent more time in nursery school, are confident to speak in a large group and to express their own ideas. They willingly talk about their work, and demonstrate that they learned a lot last year.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE NURSERY SCHOOL

Aspect Comment The quality and range of the curriculum The nursery school is very successfully organising activities to cover the agreed areas of learning for this age group. The provision is good, with some very good features. Children’s knowledge and understanding of the world is very good. They are confident to use computers and to experiment. Provision for children with special educational needs Children with special educational needs are very well supported. The nursery school keeps detailed records; members of staff regularly review the progress children have made.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE NURSERY SCHOOL

Provision for children with English as an additional language Good support is given to those children who are learning English as an additional language. Members of staff appropriately use puppets and pictures to help the children to understand what is being taught . Provision for children’s personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good support is given to those children who are learning English as an additional language. Members of staff appropriately use puppets and pictures to help the children to understand what is being taught.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE NURSERY SCHOOL

How well the nursery school cares for its children The nursery school provides outstanding care for the well-being of its children. Members of staff know the children well and understand their individual needs. The nursery school has excellent procedures in place for children’s welfare in nursery school. Wallace Road Nursery School - 9 The nursery school has worked hard to give the children stimulating opportunities. Particular strengths are the computer skills children learn and the work they cover in science and technology. The nursery school appropriately focuses on personal and social development when children first start school. There are no areas of provision that do not meet statutory requirements.

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HOW WELL THE NURSERY SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Aspect Comment Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The staff is a strong and effective team. The headteacher and her colleague teacher both have an excellent understanding of the needs of young children. They are imaginative and flexible in their planning for the nursery school activities. How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governors are actively involved, and they provide positive support. They are very successfully fulfilling their duties. The nursery school’s evaluation of its performance The governors make regular visits to the nursery school; in this way they appropriately evaluate its performance.

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HOW WELL THE NURSERY SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources All resources are very successfully used.

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HOW WELL THE NURSERY SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The nursery school’s leadership is successfully influencing its improvement. It has an increasingly good reputation locally. The two teachers have a clear vision; they strive to ensure the very best provision for young children. The nursery school does not manage its own budget, so it cannot apply the principles of best value to ensure it is cost effective. However, it works with parents and the local community to subsidise the resources through successful fundraising.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE NURSERY SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved • They say the nursery school is wonderful. • They value the care and attention which members of staff give them and their children. • The nursery school promotes personal confidence. • The computers are a special favourite of their children. • The technology day was a great success; it provided an opportunity for parents and children to work together and for children to display their work. • They would like to see the building replaced. It was erected as a temporary building nearly sixty years ago.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE NURSERY SCHOOL

The inspection team agrees with the parents that Wallace Road Nursery School is very successful. They are impressed with the care and attention that is provided for parents and their families. They recognise that the staff make outstanding provision for personal, social and emotional support. Parents correctly assess the nursery provision; it raises children’s self esteem and generates confidence. Children are very enthusiastic about using the two computers; the team acknowledges that this activity seems to be a favourite. Inspectors agree that members of staff do their utmost to work in difficult circumstances. The building is attractively decorated and used well. However, during the inspection, when parents were encouraged to spend time with their children to help them to settle easily, the building was over crowded. Staff do not prevent parents from bringing smaller brothers and sisters along with them. Inspectors agree that this good practice is particularly beneficial for the well

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE NURSERY SCHOOL

being of the children. However, the lack of space led to some disruption to an activity, when a shelf was knocked off the wall by passing adults. In addition, the staff are required to carry apparatus, such as a climbing frame, to the garden outside each day due to lack of storage space. Wallace Road Nursery School - 10

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emotional development

1. There has been a significant improvement to the good provision that was evident in the last inspection; it is now very good. The headteacher, with support from governors, staff and the wider community, creates an ethos for very young children that strongly promotes their learning. Members of staff rightly prioritise emotional, personal and social development in the children’s first term at school. Their flexible organisation, together with a strong emphasis on promoting children’s well being, ensures the children settle quickly and happily into their new, daily routines. The nursery provides excellent activities to promote children’s knowledge of the world and their creative development. At this early stage of the school year, it is difficult to fully judge the standards of communication, language and literacy and mathematical development, but teachers’ planning indicates that provision in these areas is good.

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emotional development

During the inspection, the teachers’ very good use of probing questions encouraged children to communicate in a range of situations. Those older children, who benefited from time in the nursery school last year, are confident and willingly contribute their ideas in group activities. The nursery school’s good programme to promote physical development includes ample opportunities for children to march, tip toe, jump and climb. There is a good range of toys which requires children to co-operate, such as two-person trucks. 2. The nursery school ensures that children are introduced to a wide range of experiences that promote wonder in the world around them. For instance, a very successful technology day for children and their families aimed to promote problem- solving skills. Families were encouraged to design simple inventions and experiments, to be shared with the rest of the group. An imaginative range of

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emotional development

activities resulted. For instance, guttering was used to discover how water flows; cylinders were rolled down a ramp to see which cylinder travelled the furthest. Governors were also very involved in this event, and the chair of governors enhanced the day by inviting a local penny-farthing owner she had spotted in the locality to show the children his unusual bicycle. The children compared the penny-farthing to their own tricycles; they were fascinated when they later investigated the air flow through a bicycle pump. 3. A wide range of activities is aimed to provide children with imaginative choices. Two rooms are well set up for different types of activities. At this early time in the term, children are encouraged to move from one room to another, to try out a variety of different activities. Activities are planned as a topic, following a theme. For instance, the three bears topic was effectively used to develop children’s awareness of different

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emotional development

locations. The teacher had photographs of the nursery school’s teddy bear at the seaside, shopping centre and in the park. Children also made birthday cards for the bear, and designed birthday cake decorations. In another topic, children created a pirate ship from boxes. 4. Snack time is appropriately planned to encourage independence. For instance, children generally choose their own snack time. They put their name card into a box to give the staff some basis for checking who has participated. When children are first admitted, they recognise their card by the picture on the reverse side. This matches their coat hook picture. As children recognise their own name, they are encouraged not to use the picture cue. During snacks, the nursery nurse encourages children to be independent and also to talk to her. Children try pouring out their own drinks, and some older children have lengthy conversations. However, during snacks

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emotional development

Wallace Road Nursery School - 11 and similar informal moments, very little time is given to developing mathematical language. For instance, when food was distributed there was no counting or discussion about ‘one more’ or ‘how many’. When a boy poured too much juice into his cup, there was no attempt to use the incident as a learning opportunity to promote an understanding of ‘more than’ or ‘less than’. At other times, the nursery school provides frequent opportunities to count, for instance, in songs such as ‘five current buns in the baker’s shop’. Teachers are skilled at providing opportunities to count and to introduce simple mathematical terms such as the names of shapes. The provision is good, but would be further enhanced if staff and volunteer helpers had a greater awareness of the wide range of mathematical opportunities which are available daily.

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The quality of the teaching is very good

5. Out of fifteen lesson observations, all were at least good, and nine were very good. The good quality teaching enhances the provision, and successfully promotes children’s learning. Teachers have an excellent understanding of the needs of young children; they nurture them when they are troubled and initiate opportunities for them to make their own decisions and to take responsibility. They clearly enjoy working with this age group. They ask probing questions which encourage children to think carefully. They act promptly to address bad behaviour and treat all children fairly, with equal emphasis on the work of boys and girls. All members of staff ensure they involve all children, listening to their suggestions and ideas and responding sympathetically. 6. Teachers’ planning for daily activities is of good quality and very detailed. Plans effectively use relevant topics to cover the nationally agreed areas of learning for three

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The quality of the teaching is very good

and four year olds. For example, during the inspection, staff chose a topic about the three bears and planned a range of activities such as designing birthday cards and birthday cake decorations, as well as converting the home corner into the bears’ house. Members of staff are very flexible; they use children’s own suggestions whenever they can. For instance, in Red Room, the children were playing and unexpectedly asked the teacher if they could make a ‘spout’. After asking them to explain what they meant, it became clear they wanted to make a spout for Incey Wincey Spider to climb up. Quickly, the teacher found junk materials, two small plastic spiders and some string. The children happily set about their task and were later seen absorbed in their play. 7. Noticeable strengths of the very good teaching are: § a calm, relaxed approach which is conducive to promoting children’s well being; § very good knowledge of children’s individual needs;

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The quality of the teaching is very good

§ tolerant relationships, promoting children’s confidence and raising self esteem; § high expectations of behaviour; § very effective management of a wide range of activities; § imaginative and innovative ideas; § excellent relationships with children’s families which generate confidence; § children’s ideas and experiences are effectively drawn upon. 8. Children learn quickly. During the inspection, it was remarkable to see nervous newcomers becoming increasingly curious and willing to explore their new surroundings. The flexibility of the organisation ensures that those children who have difficulty concentrating in a large group are either well supported by an adult, or they go home early with a parent. In this way, children are gradually and sensitively integrated into attending for longer periods. When activities are interesting, and capture the attention of the children, they learn well. Those who have learning

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The quality of the teaching is very good

difficulties, because they speak English as an additional language, are very well Wallace Road Nursery School - 12 supported; members of staff make every effort to help them to understand. 9. Teachers use a good range of resources, such as puppets and cut-out pictures that they display on a felt board, to depict a story. They have imaginative ideas that aim to promote children’s confidence and good behaviour. For instance, in the Blue Room, two little boys were quarrelling in the ‘bear’s house’ because they found it difficult to take turns. The teacher cleverly said, ‘I hope those two bears aren’t spoiling their picnic!’ Immediately, the boys responded and their behaviour improved. Children who have special needs, or who have immature language, are also very well supported. One parent clearly valued the nursery school’s support. Her child had refused to talk and, after many attempts to promote conversation, the staff finally

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The quality of the teaching is very good

succeeded by inviting the child to speak on behalf of a soft toy. Staff also encouraged her to speak by suggesting she choose her snacks by whispering in the helper's ear.

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The children enjoy nursery school, they are eager to learn and curious to experience

new things. 10. Even the youngest children quickly lose their initial shyness and become increasingly confident. Children are happy to attend the nursery school, and lots of laughter pervades the atmosphere. Children are effectively encouraged to behave very well. They particularly love the creative activities, and they eagerly use the computers. One new entrant was entranced when the staff e-mailed a welcome card to his home. Children enjoy dressing up and dancing to taped music. Those who have had more time in nursery school love to paint freely and to explore a range of different colours. At the very start of the term, older children helped to prepare the nursery school for the new intake. They painted large wall murals in bright colours, and dyed trays of different coloured rice that was later mixed together to be used for children’s play in filling jars and bottles. 11. Despite cramped accommodation, the nursery school staff warmly welcome young

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The children enjoy nursery school, they are eager to learn and curious to experience

brothers and sisters into the nursery school with their parents. This allows families to experience their children’s first days in nursery school and, consequently, very few are tearful when their parents leave. Children quickly build good relationships with other children; the nursery encourages them to have respect for each other and to be considerate. Those children who find it very difficult to share are sensitively encouraged to play outside on double trucks that require additional help to steer them. Very soon they learn that, in this situation, they are dependent on a joint effort and they soon begin to co-operate. 12. Frequent changes to activities mean that children never tire of discovering new, interesting experiences. For instance, new children were fascinated to find two gerbils asleep in their cage in the straw. In water play activities, they fished with nets to catch a range of floating objects such as toy fish and bottle corks. The next day,

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The children enjoy nursery school, they are eager to learn and curious to experience

the same activity had been changed and children had mixing bowls with hand mixers, and bubbles in the water, to arouse their interest. 13. Children are learning to make decisions and to be independent. For instance, they soon learn that their group for the end of session story is named after a colour. They store their work, ready to take home, in a storage box that matches their group. Members of staff work hard to encourage the children to be independent. For instance, children choose their own art materials and they select their own paper when they are writing. They take responsibility for the nursery school garden, learning about compost and using scissors to deadhead flowers.

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Children’s well-being is of paramount importance

14. The well-being of the children is paramount to the life of the nursery school and a great strength of the provision. Members of staff do their utmost to ensure that Wallace Road Nursery School - 13 children feel secure and loved at all times. There is a warm, caring ethos permeating the nursery school’s provision, and even the most reluctant child is nurtured well. The nursery school has excellent procedures for promoting children’s welfare. Members of staff have a good informal knowledge of the children; they are well aware of personal circumstances that may affect their work or behaviour. 15. In activities and story times, members of staff use every opportunity to promote safety issues. For instance, a learning support assistant was working with three children playing picture lotto and encouraging the children to match pictures. She spotted a picture of a kettle and reinforced the fact that children must never touch hot objects.

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Children’s well-being is of paramount importance

16. The nursery school has appropriate arrangements for health and safety, child protection and first aid. Attendance is recorded appropriately and absence is followed up, although staff recognise that sometimes three year olds do not attend because they are too tired. The nursery school has agreed simple rules that are consistently applied. Any misbehaviour or selfishness is promptly dealt with. As a result, the older children clearly know right from wrong. The nursery school has good procedures for assessing children’s progress. Regular observations are made to determine children’s learning and to monitor their rate of progress. A new assessment system has recently been introduced to monitor children’s well-being and their progress in establishing good social habits. It is proving successful and helps to inform teachers’ planning for activities. The nursery school effectively supports children who have

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Children’s well-being is of paramount importance

learning difficulties. Those who give immediate cause for concern because they have already been identified as having special educational needs are nurtured and well supported. They sometimes work in a very small group to ensure they have lots of attention, which helps them to make more progress. Those children who speak English as an additional language are kept under review; members of staff try to adapt their work to include visual cues to help them to understand. The nursery receives no additional support from outside agencies.

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The nursery school has an excellent partnership with parents

17. Members of staff successfully build good working relationships through their home visits prior to admission. The nursery admission procedures effectively encourage parents to take an interest in their children’s learning. The technology day was an excellent example of partnership when staff and parents worked together for the benefit of the children. The pre-induction home visit is much appreciated by parents. Sending two members of staff is recognised as onerous, but well worthwhile. It enables the child to be introduced to one person while the other talks to the parent without interruption. During the inspection, it was very noticeable how relaxed new parents were in spending time in the nursery school. Relaxed conversations were observed between staff and parents at the start and end of the session. Clearly, most new parents had already established a good relationship with the teachers. Parents

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The nursery school has an excellent partnership with parents

agree there is an excellent atmosphere in the nursery school and that there is a staff attitude towards them completely lacking suggestion of ‘us and them’. They are concerned, however, that the building that was erected in 1942, although well maintained, is very out of date. Wallace Road Nursery School - 14 18. The nursery school issues very good reports that are detailed and informative. Parents value the teachers’ comments, and feel they are clearly pertinent to their individual children. The nursery school keeps parents informed about pending activities. Parents enjoy coming into nursery school, and frequently enhance the provision by offering to demonstrate their special skills. Last term, a musician played to the children and a parent demonstrated Caribbean cookery. Parents willingly help to supervise the mid-session snack and they organise the library once a week. They recently helped to tidy up the nursery school site, which suffers from vandalism in

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The nursery school has an excellent partnership with parents

school holidays. Parents and members of the local community raise significant funds to help the nursery school.

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The nursery school leadership is a great strength

19. The leadership and management of the headteacher and her teacher colleague are very good. Both have an excellent understanding of the needs of very young children. They have built a good team spirit with support staff. Members of staff regularly participate in training and they complete evaluations on the courses they attend. The chair of governors visits weekly to talk to staff and children. She willingly lends a hand when, for instance, a new entrant floods the floor with tap water. The two teachers are the curriculum co-ordinators, but all members of staff are fully involved with the nursery school’s planning. The co-ordinators monitor the provision informally because they have substantial teaching commitments. They provide very good role models. The nursery school meets all legal requirements. Governors’ procedures for gathering information about the nursery school’s provision are appropriate though

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The nursery school leadership is a great strength

informal. 20. All governors effectively contributed to the action plan after the last inspection. They have successfully worked with the staff to develop a detailed nursery school development plan, which identifies the available funding that will be necessary to meet its objectives. The governors are well aware that the nursery school has efficiently updated its documentation to meet the requirements of the nationally agreed early learning goals. Governors meet regularly. They effectively monitor the nursery school’s progress when they review the outcomes of objectives, which have been identified in the nursery school’s development plan. Governors are sensitive to the reactions of parents to change and they regularly check they have adequate information. Governors efficiently keep themselves up-to date; they try hard to attend information nights for parents and to familiarise themselves with guidelines such as

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The nursery school leadership is a great strength

‘learning through play’, ‘stepping stones of achievement’, and ‘promoting children’s well being’. 21. The nursery school does not receive a delegated budget from the local education authority. It works hard to save funds to help subsidise children’s educational visits. As a result, the nursery school has accrued a modest contingency budget. Governors are not required to agree the its expenditure. The nursery school uses its funds wisely; successful fundraising is used to purchase additional resources.

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A greater awareness of the wide range of mathematical opportunities available in

children’s play. 22. Although the nursery school has good provision for mathematics, there are often missed opportunities for promoting children’s mathematical learning in the many, imaginative activities which take place throughout their day. Often, support staff will readily converse with children in a relaxed and friendly way, but they do not see other opportunities to ask questions that would easily enhance the nursery school provision. For example, when children are playing freely, asking questions to draw out their Wallace Road Nursery School - 15 learning such as, ‘what happens if we add one more or take one away?’; ’can you see a shape like this?; ‘what shape could we put into that box?’ At snack time; ‘tell me which shape biscuit you like?’ Encourage children to use mathematical language such as ‘same as’, ‘less than’ or ‘fewer than’. In the garden, asking children questions which encourage them to use words such as ‘ empty’, ‘heavy’, ‘shorter than’, ‘under’

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WHAT SHOULD THE NURSERY SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

23. Within the context of the nursery school’s very good provision, the governors, headteacher and staff should consider: § reviewing the nursery school’s activities to identify additional ways to promote mathematical learning though daily routines and in children’s play. Wallace Road Nursery School - 16

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of lessons observed 15 Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 7

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

0 69 31 0 0 0 0 The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 35 Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals N/A FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Information about the school’s pupils

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 9

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils Number of pupils with English as an additional language 4

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 21 Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 2

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Attendance

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence % % School data N/A School data N/A Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Wallace Road Nursery School - 17

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff Financial year 1999/200

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) Number of pupils per qualified teacher 20 £ Total income 121648 Total number of education support staff 3 Total expenditure 116760

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 90 Expenditure per pupil 2919

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance brought forward from previous year Number of pupils per FTE adult 8 Balance carried forward to next year 4888 FTE means full-time equivalent. Wallace Road Nursery School - 18

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Questionnaire return rate

Number of questionnaires sent out 70 Number of questionnaires returned 22

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child likes school. 91 5 0 0 5 My child is making good progress in school. 59 9 0 0 32 Behaviour in the school is good. 68 23 0 0 9 My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 23 14 0 0 64

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Percentage of responses in each category

The teaching is good. 82 5 0 0 14 I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 64 23 0 0 14

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 95 5 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 18 27 9 5 41

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 77 23 0 0 0 The school is well led and managed. 91 5 0 0 5 The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 59 5 0 0 36

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 27 9 5 0 59

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