St Philips Marsh Nursery School and Barton Hill Childrens Centre/Cashmore Early Years Centre

ST PHILIPS MARSH NURSERY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 6 th – 8 th May 2003

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ST PHILIPS MARSH NURSERY SCHOOL

Full 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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ST PHILIPS MARSH 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. St Philips Marsh Nursery School

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Albert Crescent St Philips Marsh Bristol

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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 Joanne Payne

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: November 1997 St Philips Marsh Nursery School

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Mr Douglas Hayward Registered inspector Personal, social and emotional development Knowledge and understanding of the world Special educational needs English as an additional language What sort of school is it? How high are standards? How well are pupils taught?

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Mr Brian Jones Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, behaviour and personal development Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Mrs Gail Robertson Team inspector Mathematical development Creative development How well is the school led and managed? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? Mrs Joyce Cox Team inspector Communication, language and literacy Physical development How good are curricular and other opportunities? How well does the school care for its pupils and students?

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

TWA Inspections Ltd. 102 Bath Road Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL53 7JX

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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 Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE St Philips Marsh Nursery School

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 11

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

St Philips Marsh is a nursery school for children aged 3 and 4. It is situated in an older part of Bristol, near the city centre, that used to be a heavily populated residential area. In the 1950s and 1960s the houses were demolished as part of Bristol’s redevelopment and many industrial units were built to replace housing. Children have to travel to get to school and they come from different parts of the city. Many attend the nursery for the whole day, but others attend either a morning or an afternoon session. The school believes very much in encouraging children to take responsibility and in providing opportunities that will help to develop their confidence and self-esteem.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

At present, 60 children attend the nursery full-time and 65 attend part-time. Most of the children are white and nearly all speak English as their first language. Twenty per cent of children are entitled to free school meals and the same percentage is on the school’s register of special educational needs. When they start school, children show a wide range of ability, but overall their attainment is as expected for their age.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a very good school with many strengths. The standard of teaching is very high and the school is very well managed. Parents like it very much and say that it does a very good job in helping their children to make progress. It is especially good in developing children’s confidence, independence and their ability to get on very well with each other. The school provides very good value for money.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • The school is very well managed. The headteacher and deputy headteacher provide outstanding educational direction for the school and make sure that it goes from strength to strength. • The standard of teaching is very high and this helps children to make good progress. Teachers and nursery nurses are very skilled at their jobs and there is a great sense of teamwork. They care very much about the children and do all they can to encourage and praise them. • It is extremely good at helping children with special educational needs to make progress. Work is carefully planned for them at just the right level. • It helps children to develop excellent attitudes to school and their work. They like coming to school and parents say that it is difficult to get them to leave! They behave very well and try to help each other as much as they can. • It plans a very wide range of subjects for children to learn about. Colourful and interesting

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

children’s work on display in school shows that they learn about lots of exciting things. • It welcomes parents into school and encourages them to play an important part in their children’s learning. Parents think that the school is excellent.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved • The work of subject co-ordinators in monitoring their areas of responsibility. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in 1997, when it was judged to provide good value for money. Since that time it has successfully addressed all the key issues and has improved considerably, even though there were lots of good features then. Parents confirm that this is the case. For instance, the standard of teaching is much higher now. Children’s behaviour and attitudes to school are better than they were and teachers have worked very hard to improve their subject planning. The ways in which the school develops children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development have improved. Teachers’ assessments of what children can do and the ways in which the school tracks children’s progress are much more accurate than before. The school is very well placed to continue its progress. St Philips Marsh Nursery School

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STANDARDS

Children make good progress towards the Early Learning Goals 1 in their communication, language and literacy skills, mathematical development and knowledge and understanding of the world. They make very good progress in their personal, social and emotional development, physical development and creative development. In these areas many children have already reached the standard expected at the end of reception year.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attitudes to the school Excellent. Children love school and arrive each day keen to start. They work extremely hard and, even though they are so young, they concentrate for a long time, persevere and do not lose interest or enthusiasm.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Parents quite rightly think that children’s behaviour in school is very good. They listen carefully to adults and do what they are told. The inspection team found that there was no sign of any bullying in lessons or on the playground. The school expects high standards of behaviour at all times.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Personal development and relationships One of the school’s strengths. It is very good and successful at encouraging children to take responsibility for their work. They are confident and settle very quickly into school routines. They play very well with, or alongside, their friends and get on very well with adults.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attendance Good. Most children attend regularly and arrive promptly. Because the school is situated a long way from most children’s homes, and there is no bus service, some parents find it difficult to get to school on time every day and this can disrupt the start of the day.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Quality of teaching 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 AND LEARNING

During the inspection 21 lessons were observed. Teaching was very good, and on one occasion excellent, in 19 lessons and good in the other two lessons. This is a remarkably high standard of teaching throughout the school and reflects how skilled teachers and nursery nurses are at getting the best from the children. They like them and want them to do well. They constantly praise and encourage children, and this makes them try harder. Their lessons are well planned at just the right level. This helps all children to make good progress, because they find their work interesting and challenging, but not so difficult that they cannot do it. Staff are very good at giving children responsibility for planning their own activities. They make sure that good resources and equipment that children need to use are readily available. They are very supportive and explain things clearly when children need help. This means that they are able to get

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

on with their work quickly and learn effectively.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

1 Early Learning Goals – these are targets for children by the end of the reception year. They refer to personal, social and emotional development, communication, language and literacy skills, mathematical development, knowledge and understanding of the world, and physical and creative development. St Philips Marsh Nursery School

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum Very good. The school plans a wide range of interesting and exciting topics for children to learn about. They are certainly never bored! Opportunities to develop children’s personal, social and emotional development and their physical and creative development are particularly good.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Excellent. Children with special educational needs are quickly identified and they receive lots of very well planned help. The school is very good at making sure that they are always included in all activities. Parents of children with special educational needs are very positive about the help their children receive and the progress they make.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language The school provides very good support for the few children who speak English as an additional language and helps them to make good progress.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils’ personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good, and a strength of the school. There are lots of occasions when children sit open-mouthed in wonder at what they see and hear in lessons. They quickly learn the difference between right and wrong and how to work well with other children. The school provides good opportunities to learn about their own and other cultures. The excellent moral and social provision has a strong impact on children’s learning.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils Adults know the children and care for them really well. Children are safe and very well looked after. The school has very good systems for recording what children can do and uses that information to plan work for the future that gradually becomes more challenging. It sends very good records of children’s work to their next schools to help them to settle in quickly.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The school works very closely with parents. Parents know that all adults will do their best for the children. They are confident that the school will listen to them if they have concerns or suggestions.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher is a very effective leader and parents say that the school has improved since she was appointed. She and the deputy headteacher share a clear idea of how well children learn through structured play. They provide a strong lead and have developed outstanding teamwork, with everyone playing an important part in the work of the school. Teachers have worked very hard at planning in areas for which they have responsibility. They have had no opportunities to monitor how well their areas are taught in school.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Governors are well informed and supportive. They have regular contact with the school. Through no fault of its own the school has found it difficult to attract governors.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance The school is clear about its strengths and those areas that need development. It is very forward thinking and keen to take on new ideas that might help to improve the children’s learning.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources The school uses available space extremely well. The outside area provides outstanding opportunities for children to develop. Teachers use classroom resources exceptionally well to provide stimulating learning experiences.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school makes excellent use of the building, its resources and experienced and talented staff to help children get the most out of their education and make good progress. St Philips Marsh Nursery School

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Before the inspection started 17 parents attended a meeting with the registered inspector and 73 parents (58%) returned their questionnaires.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

• They say that their children like school, behave very well there and make good progress. • They say that the school is well led and managed and works closely with parents. • They feel that teaching is good and that the school has high expectations. • A few parents feel that they are not well informed about their children’s progress.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

The team agrees wholeheartedly with parents’ positive views. In the opinion of the inspection team, the information that the school provides is regular and gives parents a good idea of what happens in school and how their children are doing. The information it provides for parents of children with special educational needs is particularly good. St Philips Marsh Nursery School

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Children start in the nursery after their third birthday on a full-time or part-time basis. Most stay only a year and then join another school, but a few stay a second year. When they start in the nursery their skills are wide ranging; for example, some have a good vocabulary and can express themselves well, while others are reluctant to join in conversations and cannot speak in sentences. Overall, however, their attainment on entry is as expected at that age.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. It should be remembered that when children leave the nursery they go to a variety of schools. Some are for infant pupils only, whilst others are primary schools for pupils from 4 to 11 years of age. Regardless of which school they transfer to, all the children will still be reception age and will experience another year of a curriculum which is planned according to the Early Learning Goals. These are targets for children to achieve by the end of the reception year. They refer to personal, social and emotional development, communication, language and literacy skills, mathematical development, knowledge and understanding of the world, and physical and creative development.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. On their way to achieving the Early Learning Goals there are three different stages, called ‘stepping stones’. These are a guide to teachers and parents about the level of progress children are making. The first stepping stones are yellow, followed by blue, then green until the Early Learning Goals. Children will reach these stages at different times, according to their home experiences and their progress in school. As a general guide, however, many nursery children will be working at yellow and blue stages, and children in reception classes at the green level, before reaching the Early Learning Goals and moving on to the next stage; that is, work planned according to the National Curriculum.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. Children at St Philips Marsh make at least good progress and, in some areas, they make very good progress. Their attainment in this inspection is better generally than in 1997, when most were judged to make at least satisfactory progress. The improvement and the good standards that children reach are because of the following reasons:

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

• the staff are very skilled at working with young children, treat them as individuals and know how to get the best out of them; • the school very carefully plans a wide range of stimulating experiences that the children find irresistible; • the school gives children a great deal of responsibility for planning their own learning during the day. This involves them and helps them to make important decisions about their work, rather than being told what to do; • the school is extremely good at identifying and recording what the children can do, so that future work becomes more challenging, enabling them to progress along the ‘stepping stones’.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. The school attaches great importance to children’s personal, social and emotional development. Its particular philosophy is to provide opportunities for them to plan their own activities, organise resources, to try things out for themselves so that they grow in confidence and self-esteem in an environment that encourages independence and the sharing of ideas and opinions. Many children make very good progress and have already achieved the Early Learning Goals; for example, they are sensitive to others’ needs and they understand right and wrong and why. The way in which they maintain concentration and stick to a task for significant periods is quite remarkable. Not once during the inspection was any child heard to express boredom or not knowing what to do. St Philips Marsh Nursery School 6. Children make good progress in developing their communication, language and literacy skills and many are already at the green ‘stepping stones’ stage, which means

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

that they are doing better than expected. Children are particularly good at expressing their ideas. The school emphasises the importance of children expressing their feelings if there are rows or arguments between them, so that they have to develop the ability to reason, rather than hitting out. The school very carefully monitors the development of their language by recording significant descriptions, sentences and expressions that children use. This is particularly important for the very few children for whom English is an additional language who make good progress. Teachers are very aware that one or two of them are at a relatively early stage of learning English. They encourage the use of children’s home language and give them time to observe and listen to others and confidence to try out new words and sentences. Children demonstrate clearly the progress they make in first speaking with another child and then contributing to class

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. Children make good progress in mathematical development, and knowledge and understanding of the world , and many are already at the green ‘stepping stones’ stage. In mathematics, children have many opportunities to develop their understanding of number, space, shape and measures. They apply their understanding of mathematical concepts well in their play, for example in setting a table for four people for ‘tea’ and counting the number of objects that float or sink in a tank of water. Children have many opportunities for first hand experience when they investigate objects and materials using all five senses. There are many occasions when their activities give rise to ‘awe and wonder’ amongst the children as they can hardly contain themselves with excitement; for example, when green dye was dropped into water and formed spiral patterns one child said, ‘Look! It’s just like smoke from a fire!’.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. Children make very good progress in physical development and creative development and many have already achieved the Early Learning Goals. In physical development this is, in no small part, due to the excellent facilities that the outdoor area provides and the daily timetabled sessions that take place in all but the worst weather. Boys and girls move confidently, using wheeled toys, running or climbing on a frame. Their games are imaginative and they play safely. On no occasion did children bump into each other. This is partly due to the large space available, but also to their awareness of others and a willingness to remember and adhere to the very few safety rules that are laid down. The school is full of vibrant art work that children have done. The care with which it is displayed demonstrates the value that the school places on creative development. Children have many very good opportunities to work in two and three dimensions, often

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

using natural objects to create ‘pictures’, for example shells and fir cones. Many aspects are very well linked to creative work, for example their pictures of snails. The impact of work displayed around the school is heightened by many large digital photographs taken by teachers that add to the ‘art gallery’ feel of the school.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9. The prospectus makes it clear that the school is committed to full integration of children with special educational needs and this is indeed the case. In recent years, children with significant learning, social and physical difficulties have successfully attended the nursery and made good progress. The school identifies children early and makes sure that they are supported effectively. Their very good individual education plans are carefully monitored to assess their progress. These are written in great detail and are most informative for staff, parents and outside agencies. For example, children identified with communication difficulties are targeted and photographs with written comments show significant occasions when they contribute to discussion. A measure of the school’s confidence in its approach to children with special educational needs is the questionnaire that it sends to their parents, asking their opinion of the school’s response and whether

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

they feel they have been fully informed. St Philips Marsh Nursery School 10. The school’s commitment is just part of the way in which it ensures equality of opportunity for all children through the balance and range of activities that it offers. They involve all the children well in focused group planning and recall times, speaking to each in turn and ensuring others listen. Children’s individual records show that teachers monitor each child’s progress fairly and regularly. They support all children equally thoughtfully. They are aware of issues relating to stereotyped activities for boys and girls. In the opinion of the inspection team all children, regardless of gender, have equal opportunities to take part in all activities. The few children from ethnic minorities are also fully included in all activities. During the inspection there was never any indication or suggestion of any racial conflict between the children.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Children have excellent attitudes to school and behaviour and these help them to make progress. In lessons they are keen to answer teachers’ questions and proudly show off their work to visitors. For example, an older child converted a cardboard box into a very impressive model house. She worked on this activity for several days, finishing the model with furnishings made of fabrics. The previous inspection reported good levels of concentration, enjoyment and perseverance. These are now even stronger features of the children's learning and have a significant effect on the standards they attain.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. The children behave very well in lessons, as they move around the school and at breaktimes. They have a very clear picture of what is acceptable and what is not. The school is fully inclusive and a few children have significant behaviour difficulties. If a child misbehaves, the other children do not allow this to disrupt their learning. The school has not excluded any child in recent years. There was no aggressive behaviour during the inspection. When there are disagreements a member of staff talks it over with the children and gets them to say what the problem is. Boys and girls work well together.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. The school’s excellent social provision leads the children to relate outstandingly well to one another and to staff. They learn together effectively in pairs and groups. Lunchtimes, when they eat and play together, are very pleasant and sociable occasions. The children value very highly the friendships they are building. They support other children who have physical or learning difficulties; for example, they make sure there is a place near the front of the class for children who do not hear clearly.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Children are very good at organising themselves and taking responsibility for what they are doing during the day. Each morning, teachers ask children, 'What do you plan to learn today?' and this works. They move independently from one activity to another during their work sessions and enthusiastically take part in the ‘recall sessions’ at the end of lessons. They know that they must look after the resources in their classroom and the outside learning area. They keep their school tidy.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. Attendance is good. The children enjoy school and are eager to attend. Some parents find it difficult to get to school at the start of the day and this does affect the otherwise smooth start to the school day. Many children’s homes are a distance from the school, and there is no bus service. Furthermore, families with other children at primary and secondary schools find it particularly hard to get their children to the nursery on time. St Philips Marsh Nursery School

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

16. The quality of teaching is very good and is a key factor in the children’s rate of progress, the standards they achieve and in the confidence that parents have in the school. All parents quite correctly indicated in their pre-inspection questionnaires that teaching was good. During the inspection 21 sessions were observed. In 19 of those teaching was very good, and on one occasion excellent, and in the other two sessions it was good. The quality of teaching is much higher than the national average and during the previous inspection. There is a very strong sense of teamwork with teachers and nursery nurses pulling together. There is a very calm, relaxed atmosphere around the school that helps to put children and adults at ease.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17. Staff ensure that children are actively engaged in learning throughout all sessions and, consequently, children make good progress, are fully involved and enjoy their work. Teaching has improved significantly since the last inspection although some of the strengths identified then are still apparent, for example the staff’s hard work and their commitment to the school.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. There are a number of strengths in teaching that underpin the work of all teachers and nursery nurses. They are: • excellent relationships between adults and children; • extremely skilled staff who have a clear understanding of how young children learn; • very good assessment and record keeping systems; • their use of resources in very well organised classrooms;

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19. The improvements in teaching since the last inspection are due mainly to the following: • very good intervention by teachers in activities to question children and to use opportunities to develop their understanding and vocabulary; • much better quality and use of information and communication technology resources; • better links between areas to develop children’s knowledge, understanding and skills across the curriculum.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. Adults have excellent relationships with children. Their welcome each morning is genuine, warm and always smiling! They like and care for them and have infinite patience with the demands that they make. They know their children extremely well and want them to experience success. They are always very positive about what their children can do, rather than what they find difficult, and the amount of progress they make. They have excellent strategies for making sure that children behave very well. Part of the school’s philosophy is to help children to solve their own problems and to persuade them to talk about any disagreements they have and how they feel, for example whether they are sad, or upset or angry. For example, when two children had ‘fallen out’ the teacher asked the boy who had been unkind, ‘What do you think she felt when you said that you were not her friend? ’ While adults have high expectations of how children

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

should behave, this is not a school where they constantly tell children off. Teachers are very good at offering children the chance to solve problems by negotiating, rather than confronting them. The whole point of the school’s approach to good behaviour is one of self-discipline based on strong relationships and respect and, despite the young age of the children, it usually works very well.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

21. The staff are experienced and share a common view of how children can learn effectively through play. They plan work very carefully that offers a wealth of different, exciting and worthwhile experiences. They know exactly when to intervene in children’s learning by questioning or offering them the opportunity to make suggestions or give opinions. This is an aspect of their work that has improved considerably since the previous inspection. Teachers are very good at planning adult time to support small groups so that activities can be developed fully, for example encouraging a group to talk about their feelings as St Philips Marsh Nursery School they scooped up handfuls of cornflour and water paste. They trust children implicitly to plan their own activities and then carry them out. They provide excellent resources so that children can fetch them and get on with their tasks without asking for materials. In

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

fact, during the inspection no child was heard to ask anyone for additional materials or where resources were. Classrooms are extremely well organised with resources readily available. This is absolutely essential given the responsibility children have for planning their own work and the system works extremely well.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

22. Teachers’ assessments of children’s work are very good and ensure that they track their progress. Teachers use them extremely well to plan future work. Each pupil has an informative personal record book which adults complete on a regular basis. They contain detailed written and photographic evidence of attainment and progress in each of the six areas of learning, and contain contributions from large and small group work in the classroom as well as observations of activities in the outdoor area. All adults contribute to these valuable on-going assessments. Nursery nurses play a vital role in teaching and their knowledge of the children is extremely important to the quality of the information that the school keeps on children’s development.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

23. The school’s provision for children with special educational needs is excellent. This is better than in the previous inspection when provision was judged to be good. The improvement and the excellent provision are because: • the co-ordinator for special educational needs is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic; • very good teaching ensures that children with special educational needs are fully included in all activities; • the school has better administrative systems to back up extremely good classroom practice.

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PUPILS?

24. The school plans an exciting and stimulating indoor and outdoor curriculum, which ensures that all children make good, and in many cases very good, progress. They have daily access to a very impressive outdoor play area, which represents a considerable improvement since the last inspection, and this has helped children to attain standards in some areas above those expected for this age group.

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PUPILS?

25. The curriculum is very carefully structured to ensure that learning takes account of children’s different experiences and attainment on entry to school and builds skilfully on what children can already do. Teachers and nursery nurses understand that nursery children learn with enjoyment and challenge when they engage in well-planned play. This is very evident in the way in which they support children’s learning through exciting and carefully planned play activities.

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PUPILS?

26. There are very good opportunities for children to engage in activities planned by adults and also those that they plan or initiate themselves. They enjoying choosing from a wide variety of stimulating and challenging tasks and confidently discuss their learning in ‘recall’ time after the activities. Practitioners are very skilled at blending ‘work’ and ‘play’ so that children are unaware of the difference and have time to become engrossed and complete activities.

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PUPILS?

27. There is good provision for children to develop early literacy and numeracy skills (see paragraphs 66-76) . Teachers and nursery nurses are very aware that nursery children learn best when the activities they are given engage many senses; for example, children were completely absorbed in making hand patterns in cornflour and water paste and used words such as ‘soft’, ‘squidgy’, ‘warm’ and ‘comforting’ to describe the sensation. St Philips Marsh Nursery School 28. The school makes very good provision for extra-curricular activities and this helps children to make progress in some areas. There are very good opportunities for parents to take up school-based training, for example making resources to use with their children. Due to the location of the school in the middle of a very large, busy industrial estate, it is very difficult for staff to take children out for walks. However, they more than compensate

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PUPILS?

for this by inviting many visitors into the school to enrich the curriculum. Children have enjoyed Asian dance, music, artefacts and clothes when they learn about Diwali. Other examples include the South Bank Sinfonia, a youth string group, which demonstrated instruments to the children and set music to a familiar story.

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PUPILS?

29. The school makes outstanding provision for children’s personal, social and health development (see paragraphs 55 – 59) . The school recognises that children learn best when they are happy and secure, and this lies at the heart of the school’s ethos and is why children learn so well. All children have equal opportunities to join in and make progress. Individual differences are celebrated; children with special educational needs are said to ‘learn in a different way’ and receive excellent support to meet their needs. There is excellent support and structure given to achieve the successful social and emotional development of vulnerable children and those with particular behavioural or communication difficulties.

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PUPILS?

30. There are good links with the local community. The school provides good support for an adjacent young mothers’ centre, hosting a twice-weekly toddler session. Parents and visitors from the local community support the school’s work. The community policeman is a regular visitor. The school has very good relationships with local schools and pre- nursery groups. The school organises regular mother and toddler sessions in the school’s family room, which are well attended and valued. Staff from schools to which children transfer are invited to the nursery to see how it functions and children’s records are transferred to the receiving infant schools, providing a very useful account of children’s development and achievements.

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PUPILS?

31. The school provides very well for children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The excellent moral and social provision has a strong impact on the children's learning. The previous inspection judged their personal development to be effective. However, a key issue was to extend personal and cultural development through enhanced links to the wider community. The school has responded very strongly. The visitors who now come into school capture the children's enthusiasm and interest.

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PUPILS?

32. Provision for spiritual development is very good. A mother wrote to say how much her son enjoyed the celebrations through the year of different world faiths. These include Easter, Diwali and Chinese New Year. Spiritual moments happen regularly in lessons. There are ‘Oohs!’ and ‘Aahs!’ at moments such as when children watch giant snails feeding and moving. Parents and friends of the school provide musical performances, ranging from guitar solos to a string quartet from London's South Bank Sinfonia. The outside environment is superb, containing different areas of interest. The musical area has a tuned xylophone bridge and chimes sounding in the wind. The many flowers, bushes, trees and tadpoles demonstrate the wonders of the natural world all the way through the year.

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PUPILS?

33. The school's strong ethos leads to excellent moral development. All staff provide very good role models. Children understand what the school expects of them. They have a clear idea of what is right and what is wrong. If someone behaves inappropriately, children and adults hold up their hand. They say, ‘Please don't do that. I don't like it '. Parents say that when the children do this at home, it often has a positive effect on brothers or sisters, even those who are much older than the children at this school. St Philips Marsh Nursery School 34. The school achieves excellent social development. Staff ask children to work together in pairs and groups, and to listen to one another in turn. The planning and review sessions have positive impact on children's learning because they understand what others in their class are aiming to do. Lunch is a sociable occasion and the children have plenty to say

p.15

PUPILS?

to one another. They are aware of their responsibilities to the community. For fundraising on 'Red Nose Day', they wore something red and they brought in a joke.

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PUPILS?

35. Provision for cultural development is good. Since the previous inspection, the school has extended its links with the community and has increased the number and range of visitors. People from different cultures help children to understand the wider world. A teacher from a local school showed elements of Asian dance, music, artefacts and clothing. A saxophonist performed in school. A West Indian party, arranged for later this term, will be a major event.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

36. The school provides very good care for the children. For example, it has improved on the good standard reported by the previous inspection. It has recently updated its policy for health and safety in line with the local education authority's policy and staff receive extensive training on good practice. This focuses on areas that need special care, for example cookery and craft work. The toilets and the rest of the school premises are in good, clean condition.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

37. The school has very good systems for first aid and medical care. Three members of staff have first aid qualifications. At the pre-inspection meeting, a parent told how her daughter has a severe allergy to peanuts, saying, 'The school sorted out how to deal with her if ever she should have a bad reaction. I feel very confident'. The headteacher is the designated person for child protection. She makes sure that staff are aware of the requirements. The school follows local procedures and works closely with local agencies.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38. The school monitors children's personal and social development very well. It uses its assessment sheets to monitor children's progress systematically. There is very good support for the children's personal development. Teachers, nursery nurses and other staff know the children well and the school responds very sensitively to special difficulties. For example, it recently obtained 'mini-mice' to enable children with very small hands to have full access to the computers. It provides left-handed scissors for craft work. Parents at the pre-inspection meeting say they are delighted at the way the school builds up their children's confidence.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. Procedures to sustain good attendance are working well. Teachers take the registers promptly and the same way as in a school for older pupils where registration is a statutory requirement. The school consistently reminds parents that good attendance and punctuality are important. It asks them to avoid taking family holidays in term time.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. The school has excellent procedures to improve behaviour and promote harmony. In this respect, too, it has improved on the good standard reported by the previous inspection. It has reviewed and updated its social and behaviour policy within the past year. This sets a priority on helping children develop a responsible and fair attitude to others. The school's racial awareness policy further helps to ensure that all the children feel valued and respected.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. There are very good procedures to assess children’s progress and staff make very good use of assessment information to plan children’s future learning. Teachers and nursery nurses constantly observe children and make systematic observations and assessments of each child’s achievements, interests and learning styles. Detailed notes are made, so St Philips Marsh Nursery School that adults can recognise patterns in children’s play, how they interact with others, what they are interested in and how learning can be extended. Excellent use is made of digital cameras to record pupils’ learning.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. Assessment notes and photographs are collected and stuck in individual child record books which provide a valuable account of children’s progress in all the areas of learning. Recording children’s use of a particular activity or a play scenario helps adults monitor how children use their time, their special interest and any gaps in their experiences so that they can plan a balanced curriculum that takes note of children’s strengths, interests and needs. Assessment is also used very well to identify any child who may have special educational needs or particular abilities. Teachers and nursery nurses share and receive assessment information with parents about children’s achievements and targets. This sharing of information helps to ensure that staff and parents can work together to teach and support their children.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

43. The school has an excellent partnership with parents, which supports children’s learning very well. It has greatly improved since the previous inspection, when it was judged to be satisfactory. Parents are exceptionally pleased with all aspects of the nursery’s work. They said that their children loved coming to nursery and made good progress. In particular, they praised the nursery for helping their children become more confident and independent. They feel that all staff are approachable and helpful and always welcoming. The inspectors agree with all these views.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

44. The school provides very good and wide-ranging information for parents. They value this information because it helps them to become more involved in their children’s learning. The prospectus complies with requirements and provides relevant information in a clear format. Teachers discuss children’s progress with parents during the term, and informally during the beginning and end of each session, which parents value. The school has plans to increase the number of formal interviews in line with parental wishes. Parents receive a copy of the written reports sent to the child’s next school. They are informative and provide clear information about children’s progress towards the Early Learning Goals. A wide range of leaflets on education, health and local issues is also available. Newsletters, sent out at least half-termly, also provide good information.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

45. The school encourages parents to support their children’s learning at home. Children choose books from the library to share with their parents and all enjoy and benefit from these experiences. The school regularly conducts excellent parental consultations through questionnaires. Parents are consulted on a wide range of topics, for example events and changes in school and special educational needs. The nursery induction arrangements are a very effective feature of the partnership with parents. There are formal and informal visits to the school to help build links between home and school. Many parents help in the nursery and were seen providing good quality support during the inspection. Parents support the school’s fundraising efforts that help to purchase additional resources. Parents’ and carers’ involvement makes a positive impact on the work of the school. St Philips Marsh Nursery School

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

46. The leadership and management of the school are very good. The headteacher provides outstanding educational direction for the school and this is recognised and appreciated by staff, governors and parents. Issues for improvement identified in the last inspection report have all been successfully addressed. There is a continuing emphasis on maintaining and improving high standards. The deputy headteacher plays a significant part in the management of the school and she and the headteacher form a very strong partnership. A strength of their leadership is the way in which they ensure that the aims and values of the school are reflected throughout all aspects of its work. The shared commitment to improvement, to the promotion of high standards of teaching and learning and the caring ethos is evident and have a significant impact on the achievements of all groups of children.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

47. There is good monitoring of the school’s effectiveness by the headteacher and deputy headteacher, but there is more limited monitoring by the other teaching staff. The school has recognised this as an area for future improvement. School self-evaluation is clearly established and the headteacher and governing body know the school’s strengths and areas for improvement.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

48. The management of special educational needs is excellent. The co-ordinator is very knowledgeable and skilled at organising support for children. Their individual education plans are clear and progress is measured regularly in great detail. Outside agencies value the school’s work and parents of children with special educational needs greatly appreciate the commitment that the school makes to include them fully in all activities.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

49. The governing body works hard for the school and fulfils its responsibilities well. Governors are exceptionally supportive and knowledgeable about the school and its organisation on a day-to-day basis. The school’s location makes it difficult for some governors to be as well informed as they would like. The school has tried hard to attract people to fill vacancies but, through no fault of its own, has not been fully successful. Governors have a good understanding of the strengths of the school and areas for its development. They currently monitor the work of the nursery in a systematic and focused way to allow them to act as critical friends to the headteacher regarding standards and progress.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

50. The school’s plans for development and improvement are very good. There are clear and appropriate priorities and targets and a system of checks is used to ensure that action plans are carried out and targets met. The headteacher monitors the overall school plan and governors are fully informed of its progress. Owing to the excellent relationships that exist at the school, and the very good management of the teams of teachers and nursery nurses, the school is in a very good position to raise standards still further.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

51. Although the school does not have a fully delegated budget, it has impressive procedures in place to ensure very good financial control. Identified priorities are carefully supported by adequate finance and there is a good understanding of the principles for getting the best value from all spending. The use of information technology is very good. It is effective in supporting the efficiency of the school and in extending children’s learning. The use of the school’s digital cameras is exceptional. All funds, including those for specific purposes, are used appropriately to assist in the raising of standards.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52. Staffing, accommodation and resources are excellent overall and have a major impact on the quality of education. A team of experienced, talented practitioners is committed to the school and its aims. The school benefits from generous and imaginative accommodation, including outstanding provision for physical development. It has spent its money St Philips Marsh Nursery School extremely wisely to ensure that areas are very well resourced with suitable material for young children’s development

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. In common with most nurseries, St Philips Marsh receives generous funding compared with other types of school. However, taking into account the following factors:

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

• the very good progress made by the children; • the very good standard of teaching and learning; • the very good curriculum it provides; • the exceptional level of care for children; • the very good leadership and management; • the very good improvement since the previous inspection;

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

• the school gives very good value for money.

p.19

improve monitoring and management responsibilities by:

• developing the role of subject co-ordinators to ensure they have regular

p.19

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

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

p.20

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very poor

p.20

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Percentage 5 85 10 0 0 0 0 The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents more than four percentage points.

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 93

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 19

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 1

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 19

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 27

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 5

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Attendance

National comparative data N/A National comparative data N/A Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. St Philips Marsh Nursery School

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Teachers and classes Financial information

The school does not have a delegated budget

p.21

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year

p.21

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 5 Balance carried forward to next year

p.21

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 12

p.21

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 7

p.21

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 37

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per FTE adult 7 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 1

p.21

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 1

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0 FTE means full-time equivalent. St Philips Marsh Nursery School

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Questionnaire return rate 60%

Percentage of responses in each category

p.22

Questionnaire return rate 60%

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

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Questionnaire return rate 60%

My child is making good progress in school. 77 21 0 0 2

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Questionnaire return rate 60%

Behaviour in the school is good. 59 40 0 0 1

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Questionnaire return rate 60%

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 14 8 3 4 19

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Questionnaire return rate 60%

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 64 26 8 0 2

p.22

Questionnaire return rate 60%

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 88 11 0 0 1

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Questionnaire return rate 60%

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 58 37 1 0 4

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Questionnaire return rate 60%

The school works closely with parents. 67 27 3 0 3

p.22

Questionnaire return rate 60%

The school is well led and managed. 90 10 0 0 0

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Questionnaire return rate 60%

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 77 18 0 0 1

p.22

Questionnaire return rate 60%

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 59 8 1 0 10 St Philips Marsh Nursery School PART D: THE STANDARDS AND QUALITY OF TEACHING IN AREAS OF THE CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES

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Personal, social and emotional development

55. Children’s personal, social and emotional development is critical to the school’s ethos and forms a very large part of its work through focused sessions, such as circle time, and through everyday activities. Children make very good progress and many have already achieved the Early Learning Goals in this area, well in advance of expectations. Their high attainment in this area is due to every child being treated as an individual and the staff’s expertise in developing every child’s potential. They are interested in learning, confident, independent and well behaved. The few children who struggle to make good relationships with other children are identified on the school’s register of special educational needs and supported well by teachers and nursery nurses. This area was not reported on separately in the last inspection.

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Personal, social and emotional development

56. Children settle very quickly at the beginning of morning school. They enter the classroom confidently and happily. On the rare occasions that children are upset, others support and comfort them sympathetically. They know and understand the routines very well. One of the advantages of having full-time children in school is the way in which they support others who start during the term and help them to settle in. Making decisions about their tasks for the day gives them confidence and they settle to their tasks for extended periods. They admire others’ work, but do not interfere or spoil it. On the only occasion this was seen a child with significant behaviour problems deliberately stepped on another child’s model. His self-control was quite remarkable.

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Personal, social and emotional development

57. They show consideration for others, for example helping younger children with their coats or working as a ‘hairdresser’ and, while combing others’ hair gently, asking ‘How does that feel?’ Children care for each other very well and are always aware of those who might be upset or playing alone. On one occasion a child ran up to an adult working outside to say, ‘That little boy is crying over there. I think he wants his mummy’ . Their consideration extends to animals, as well as humans. In his role play as a vet, ‘treating’ another child’s ‘dog’ a boy said, ‘Take him home and take good care of him’ .

p.23

Personal, social and emotional development

58. Children have a very well developed sense of fair play. They are very good at taking turns, for example at activities on the outside area. They don’t often tell tales, but know when someone is not behaving as they should and often react indignantly to this, rather than angrily. An excellent example of how children are aware of others’ needs came when two of them wanted to take home the same picture that they had helped to make. When a teacher asked how the problem could be resolved, one said, ‘Cut it and give us a piece each’. They often display a maturity far beyond their years and an ability to conform to others’ wishes, despite their natural tendency to do the opposite. In a game called ‘under the blanket’ individual children had to try to guess the identity of another child who had been hidden by the teacher. The success of this game depends entirely on others, who know the child’s identity, not shouting out. This would be a natural reaction

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Personal, social and emotional development

by young children, but they realised that the game would be spoilt and did not do so.

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Personal, social and emotional development

59. They take responsibility well. For example the daily routines of taking registers to the office and self-registering in the attendance register when they enter. They are also very good at tidying up at the end of sessions and responding appropriately when told to do so. Teachers send children around the group with a five minute ‘warning’. One boy, engrossed in an activity with some others received this news with the mature comment, ‘I think that’s enough now guys!’ St Philips Marsh Nursery School

p.23

Communication, language and literacy

60. Provision to promote communication, language and literacy skills is very good and ensures that all children make at least good progress. By the time they leave nursery the majority of children attain the expected levels for their age and higher attaining children exceed these levels. This attainment is particularly impressive as there are a significant number of children who have difficulties with using and understanding language when they start nursery. Staff are very skilled at providing an exciting and stimulating range of activities for children to enjoy and talk about. All children, and in particular those with communication difficulties, are treated sensitively and lovingly and are never ‘put on the spot’ or forced to respond if they don’t want to. Consequently children grow in confidence and self-esteem and talk unselfconsciously about the exciting activities provided by the teachers and the nursery nurses. For instance, children were fascinated and enthralled

p.24

Communication, language and literacy

by three giant African snails, and talked excitedly about the snails’ appearance and diet. Children with speech and learning difficulties are able to contribute because of the very good support they receive from all staff.

p.24

Communication, language and literacy

61. There are daily opportunities for children to plan their own learning and staff encourage children to describe their chosen activities clearly and confidently in ‘recall’ time. The older children are confident and articulate when speaking. They talk in long sentences and contribute well to group and class discussions. Children talk happily together about their learning as they explore the different activities. They use language well to clarify their thinking and one child said, ‘ I was looking at a book about snails. I found out that when snails are scared they blow bubbles’. All children use an increasingly wide vocabulary and begin to ask pertinent questions. One child said, ‘Will it shiver when I touch it?’ referring to a plastic slug, which had been placed in a tree in the garden. Another child asked logically, ‘ If you take a snail’s shell off does it turn into a slug?’

p.24

Communication, language and literacy

62. There are very good opportunities for role-play. Staff work very hard to make exciting and inviting props and resources for the children to use in space stations and home corners. Teachers and nursery nurses intervene at precisely the correct moment to extend children’s play. Consequently, children develop their imagination and language. In all the classes there are attractive displays and resources which inspire and interest the children. For instance, examining and talking about a large collection of beautiful seashells is a favourite activity for some children, who said they enjoyed listening to the ‘ swishy, swashy sound of the sea’ when putting the shell next to their ear.

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Communication, language and literacy

63. Teachers and nursery nurses encourage children to think of themselves as readers and writers whatever their stage of development. Large supplies of paper, pens, crayons and pencils are always available and children readily use them to make books, cards, lists and letters. Staff read stories, rhymes and poems, expressively with clear diction and make excellent use of facial expression which catches the children’s attention. Children listen well, discussing the illustrations and the content, as well as putting in the missing words. Puppets and costumes are always available for children to retell stories and rhymes such as, ‘ Five little Ducks Went Swimming One Day’ in their own words. Children happily share books with each other, telling the story in their own words.

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Communication, language and literacy

64. As soon as they start school children are encouraged to recognise and write their own names. They quickly identify their name in print when they place their name on a register when they arrive. Some write them on their work and they are becoming aware of other familiar words, such as those on labelled displays. Emphasis is given to teaching older children the shapes and sounds of the letters of the alphabet. Staff frequently provide opportunities for the children to use the shapes and sounds of the letters of the alphabet. Higher attaining children are beginning to associate the sounds with words and syllables through rhythm and songs. They are very familiar with a good range of rhymes and St Philips Marsh Nursery School stories with repetitive passages, which enables them to begin to develop a sense of the patterns in language.

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Mathematical development

65. Children’s achievements are good in this area because teachers provide many appropriate, specific activities to develop children’s mathematical skills. They also take opportunities within other work to strengthen mathematical thinking. Teachers have a good awareness of each child’s current level of understanding, so they are able to consolidate existing skills and extend concepts through the wide range of tasks that children tackle. The quality of teaching observed in this area ranged from good to very good, and was good overall. By the time children leave the nursery, they have made good progress in mathematical development. Most children are on target to attain the Early Learning Goals in mathematical development by the end of the reception year.

p.25

Mathematical development

66. All children enjoy counting and most count confidently up to and beyond 10. Their counting is extended as they enjoy clapping and singing number songs and rhymes. Many recognise the numerals up to 10, count out sets of objects, such as toy animals and use their fingers to represent numbers to five. More able children identify the numerals between 10 and 20 and show the correct number of fingers up to 10. A few children can say which number comes after a given number up to 10 without counting.

p.25

Mathematical development

67. Many children sort items into groups. More able children can sort geometric shapes into groups of similar colour, shape and size and name the shapes of circle and square. During singing rhymes, children gain an awareness of basic subtraction when they act out the words of five little monkeys jumping on the bed. They work out how many are left each time. They are developing a basic awareness of addition by combining two small groups of objects and counting the resulting total number. However, they have not yet started to record their work by simple drawings as a first step towards recording.

p.25

Mathematical development

68. Children are developing a good awareness of measurements. They describe items as ‘big’ or ‘small’ and use some comparisons of ‘bigger’ and ‘smaller’ or ‘taller’ as they compare the height of their towers of blocks or the length of their sausages. They become aware of simple measurement when finding out how many of their feet long an object is or how many hands tall they are. They measure by weighing or using containers when in the role-play area. Their ideas of capacity are developed well as they use a variety of containers during play with sand or water and most understand ‘empty’ and ‘full’. When using paint they develop a good idea of symmetry by folding and pressing their painted patterns to make ‘butterfly’ pictures.

p.25

Knowledge and understanding of the world

69. Children make good progress and reach similar standards to those found in the last inspection. Almost all will attain the Early Learning Goals by the end of their reception year. Teachers plan a wide and exciting range of topics for children to study, with a major emphasis on ‘hands on’ experience, where children make astute observations based on careful handling or watching closely. Their work is often well linked to what is happening at different times of the year, for example studies of tadpoles and chicks hatching in the spring. Additionally, this ‘seasonal’ focus is often well matched to special cultural times of the year, for example Diwali and Christmas and their significance, shown when one child wrote, ‘When I was littler I hided the chocolates under the Christmas tree’.

p.25

Knowledge and understanding of the world

70. Children are aware of different times of the year and teachers plan good opportunities to reinforce this. For example, in the very cold weather water had frozen in the tyres in the outdoor area. Children handled large lumps of ice and watched in fascination, first as it melted and then as they retrieved leaves that had been trapped inside. Children have St Philips Marsh Nursery School good opportunities to see the effect of heat and water when they grow sunflower seeds, carrot tops and watch the root growth of potatoes in a glass tank.

p.25

Knowledge and understanding of the world

71. Children are very inquisitive and the very exciting activities that teachers plan help to develop this. By closely observing a giant snail moving and eating, or dropping objects into a tank of water, children are encouraged to hypothesise about what might happen. This is also true of their model making using a wide range of large and small construction equipment. They like adding ‘propellers’ to their models and then working out how they can counterbalance the additional weight to make it stay upright.

p.26

Knowledge and understanding of the world

72. Children use information and communication technology confidently. They have good mouse control and use the computers well individually and in pairs. They use a programmable robot well to move in different directions and have lots of opportunities to use tape recorders as well as develop an understanding that technology is used frequently in everyday life

p.26

Knowledge and understanding of the world

73. The school’s location makes it difficult to study the immediate locality, for example to note differences between features of the local environment. They do understand differences between their own homes and those of other children; for example, one child said, ‘I’ve got a garden at my house ‘cause I don’t live in a flat’. They talk about other members of their families and see babies being bathed to give them an idea about how children grow. Although there are only a few children from ethnic minorities the school has bought a number of clothes from other cultures to provide children with an opportunity to dress up in them and see how they differ from their own.

p.26

Physical development

74. Children start nursery with average physical development. They make very good progress in the development of their physical skills and most attain the Early Learning Goals before they move to reception classes. This is because of the high quality of teaching and the imaginative development of the indoor and outdoor play areas. The outdoor area contains a wealth of exciting and stimulating equipment and carefully planned activities. Since the last inspection the outdoor area has been transformed and contains exciting areas, for example the sensory garden where children can smell herbs and learn about a variety of different plants. There is a music area with large chime bars and a musical swinging bridge where children can create different tunes using wooden planks. There is a large climbing frame, which is enjoyed by all children, including those who may be physically impaired. Staff sensitively and lovingly carry a child who cannot

p.26

Physical development

walk to the top of the slide and the sheer joy and delight on the child’s face at being able to slide down is incredible.

p.26

Physical development

75. Children confidently and happily run, jump, balance, pedal and climb on the equipment and show a mature awareness of the needs of others in the space around them. They enjoy the outdoor home corner, where they bathe dolls and do the washing, expertly hanging clothes on the line to dry! All four classes use the outdoor play area every day, even in the coldest weather. Staff provide an excellent range of natural materials for children to use, such as shells, leaves, fir cones, rope, pebbles which are relatively inexpensive resources which involve children using all their senses.

p.26

Physical development

76. The children are particularly able when handling smaller equipment indoors. Teachers and nursery nurses provide a very good range of activities to develop and improve children’s finer movements, for example small construction kits and puzzles. As the children plan their own learning for part of the day they have sufficient time to persist and learn from their mistakes. For example, one child carefully followed a plan to build a bi- plane using a small construction kit and looked very carefully at the instructions to modify and change his construction. St Philips Marsh Nursery School

p.26

Creative development

77. The majority of children make very good progress towards meeting their Early Learning Goals. They are on line to attain the Early Learning Goals in creative development by the time they complete the reception year. Children’s very good achievements in their creative development stem from the rich variety of activities provided by the nursery. Opportunities to paint, to make models, to work with a variety of materials and to play creatively in a range of environments are part of each session in the nursery, so children are able to extend their knowledge, skills and understanding steadily.

p.27

Creative development

78. The children’s work on display shows the wide range of artistic skills they are developing. For example, using paint in a wide variety of ways, often with particular attention to colour and pattern, has led to attractive ‘bubble paintings’, striking observational paintings of daffodils and sponge-printed chicks that almost seem to be alive. Children have opportunities to explore and use various media and materials. They learn the names of primary colours and find out what happens when such colours are mixed together. Children also use their art skills to contribute to the interest of role play areas, such as the background imaginary space scenery for the play spaceship and the ‘vet’s surgery’ using painting and printing to make the walls real. When they draw around shapes and colour in the shape and build patterns, they begin to understand that colours can be chosen for a particular purpose and some colours go well together, for example when they undertake

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Creative development

leaf printing in the autumn. During the inspection, activities exploring what happens when coloured liquids are mixed, work with clay and constant opportunities to build models and paint them all extended children’s understanding, as well as being enjoyable. The standard of work produced by the oldest children is better than would be expected for their age and their good skills across a variety of work underline their above average attainment.

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Creative development

79. Teachers make the most of the links between creative work and other areas of the curriculum. For example, in collage, using common shapes provided opportunities to consolidate and extend mathematical understanding as well as creating a visually interesting finished product. Art activities invariably involve using brushes accurately, cutting and pasting, or manipulating materials such as clay, which makes a significant contribution to children’s physical skills. These links do not happen by accident. They are carefully planned so that children get the most out of each activity.

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Creative development

80. Children love to play instruments and sing, and all are provided with very good opportunities to do so. They are encouraged to explore the wonderful recycled acoustic instruments in the garden. Very good planning and preparation by the staff ensure that children build on previous knowledge and link new pieces of knowledge together, for example making connections between sounds and how instruments are played. In more formal settings children sing well together. Their rhythm is good and they know the words of their favourite songs well and quickly learn the actions required. Staff are quick to respond to children’s interests in music and allow them to listen to the background music of a program when they work on a computer.

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Creative development

81. In all respects the provision for creative development is very good. Very good use is made of a very wide range of materials and staff plan very carefully to ensure that all children get opportunities to explore and develop their creativity. Staff value children’s work and set a very good example for children by displaying their work carefully and designing other very good displays around the school.

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Creative development

82. There has been very good improvement in the provision for creative development since the last inspection. Children’s progress and attainment have improved and higher attaining children are now appropriately challenged. Learning opportunities are rich with St Philips Marsh Nursery School potential for creative responses and children’s progress in all aspects of their creative development is very good. Children now easily make the leap from reality to imagination.

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