Greenfields Nursery School and Children's Centre

GREENFIELDS NURSERY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 15 - 17 October 2003

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GREENFIELDS NURSERY SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Greenfield Nursery School - 2 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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GREENFIELDS 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. Greenfield Nursery School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Nursery School category: Maintained Age range of pupils: 1-5 years Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 70 FTE

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Recreation Road Southall Post code UB2 5PF

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: O20 8813 8079 Fax number: 020 8571 5944

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: Local Education Authority

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 1-3 December 1998

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

Greenfields Nursery School serves a densely populated and diverse community. More than 90 per cent of the children are of Indian or Pakistani heritage and the school also serves the local Traveller community. More than 95 per cent of children speak English as an additional language and are at an early stage of learning English. On entering the nursery most children speak very little English and this has an impact on their understanding of other areas, and their social and emotional development which are well below average. There are substantial numbers of transient and refugee children and asylum seekers’ children and higher than average numbers of children who join the nursery part way through the year. Many children live in overcrowded housing and unemployment levels locally are high compared with the national average. The school has a mixture of full and part-time children and there is also extended day provision and provision for under threes. There is the equivalent of 70 full-

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

time children on roll. Five children are identified as having special educational needs. The school works very closely with its community, running a number of adult and family learning classes and offering additional provision in other areas. The nursery is now part of a federation of three nursery schools managed by one Head of Centre. The school received the School Achievement Award in 2001 and 2002 and the Healthy Schools’ Award in 2001. The school also received the Investors in People Award in 2002. Greenfield Nursery School - 4

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

2153 Jane Lamb Lead inspector Communication, language and literacy Personal, social and emotional development Creative development English as an additional language 9406 Roy Cottington Lay inspector 14732 Enid Korn Team inspector Mathematical Development Knowledge and understanding of the World Physical Development Special Educational Needs

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

Demeter House Station Road Cambridge CB1 2RS

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be made initially to the inspection contractor. The procedures are set out in the leaflet ‘Complaining about Ofsted Inspections’ , which is available from Ofsted Publications Centre (telephone 07002 637833) or Ofsted’s website (www.ofsted.gov.uk). Greenfield Nursery School - 5

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY CHILDREN 8

Children’s attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 11

Teaching and learning The curriculum Care, guidance and support Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

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OVERALL EVALUATION

This is a very effective school with some excellent features. Very high quality provision and teaching, and particularly strong and vigorous leadership, result in children achieving extremely well. Partnership with parents and the community is particularly strong. Standards are likely to be in line with the goals children are expected to reach by the end of the reception year. The school currently gives very good value for money from the budget it manages.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are: • Leadership of the school is particularly strong; the Head of Centre’s leadership is excellent. • Links with parents and the community and provision for Traveller children are excellent. • Provision is particularly good and matched very well to the children’s needs, including those with special needs. • Very good teaching and learning ensure that children achieve very well and get a particularly good start to their education. • Provision for children with English as an additional language is very effective. • There are minor weaknesses in the planning for some of the children’s daily activities.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The rate of improvement since the last inspection has been very good, particularly in teaching and learning, children’s achievement, the leadership and management of the school, the broader and richer curriculum and the extension of community support and ‘Wraparound’ provision. The issues from the previous inspection have generally been improved well although the planning for teaching some daily activity groups still needs further detail.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Children’s achievement is particularly good. The children learn quickly and although most start school with very little English language, they make rapid progress in all areas and are likely to meet the goals children are expected to reach by the end of the reception year, in all areas except their speaking skills. Standards in physical development are likely to be higher than the goals by the end of reception. Their achievement in communication, language and literacy, mathematical, creative and physical development is particularly good. Children achieve particularly well also in their personal, social and emotional development. Very effective use of skilful staff to support children with special needs results in these children making good progress towards their targets. All staff support well the achievement of children at an early stage of learning English and they make rapid progress. Children achieve particularly well in their personal, social and emotional development and

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

meet the expected goals by the end of reception. The school operates as a secure, friendly and harmonious community and children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good. They have particularly positive attitudes to school and behave very well. They show good respect for each other and get on well with staff and other children. The school makes good efforts to improve attendance, which is satisfactory.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The quality of education provided by the school is very good.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

Teaching by all staff is particularly good. Staff have very good levels of understanding about how young children learn and the areas of learning to be taught. They expect a great deal from the children in their learning and behaviour and the children respond well to this. They operate particularly well as a team and are very well trained to improve their professional expertise and keep it up to date. Expert teaching and very effective support means that children who are just beginning to speak English learn quickly. Staff work extremely closely with parents as partners in their children’s learning and give very good support to enable them to help their children at home. All staff treat children with great respect and meet their Greenfield Nursery School - 7 individual needs particularly well. Staff and children get on very well together and the great respect and courtesy shown by staff for children set them a good example.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

Children enjoy a very rich, interesting and broad range of experiences within a curriculum which is enriched by a very good range of visits and other activities and extended provision. Good account is taken of children’s cultural backgrounds and many staff at the school reflect these cultures and speak the children’s home languages. The staff are always seeking ways of improving the experiences for the children and are extremely well committed to the children and parents. Information technology is used across a wide range of areas of learning. The school cares particularly well for the children and staff are very good at listening to them and responding to their needs. The school values parents’ views and the partnership with parents and the community is excellent. There are extensive links with the community which benefit children and parents alike.

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Leadership and management of the school are very good and the leadership of the Head of

Centre is excellent. The very strong vision, innovation and drive of the Head of Centre and her excellent commitment to the school has built a very strong staff team who constantly seek to improve the provision for the children and their parents and continue to raise achievement. The Local Education Authority, who are currently acting in place of the governors, share in this vision and are effective in supporting the school while the new governors are being elected. The school is very well managed on a day to day basis by the deputy headteacher, who also supports and manages the additional provision made for under- threes, ‘Wraparound’ care and parents’ support activities.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents hold the school in particularly high regard and are happy about all areas of provision for their children. They are particularly happy with the leadership and management of the school and the arrangements for settling in the children when they start, and were very pleased that their children liked school and were treated fairly. There were no areas that they had concerns about. The school has listened to the children’s views and they said they like school, enjoy playing with others and like imaginative play.

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IMPROVEMENT NEEDED

This is a relatively minor improvement in a very effective school. What the school should do to improve is:

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IMPROVEMENT NEEDED

• More clearly identify the learning objectives for the specific group of children in the day to day planning of high profile activities. Greenfield Nursery School - 8

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Standards achieved in the areas of learning

Children’s achievement throughout the school is very good in all areas of learning. They are likely to reach the goals expected by the end of reception in all areas but speaking. Standards in physical development are likely to be higher than the goals by the end of reception. Children who have English as an additional language achieve very well and so do Traveller children. Those with special educational needs make good progress towards the targets set for them and their achievement is very good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school has improved children’s achievement since the last inspection. • Standards have been maintained and have improved in physical development. • Children at the early stages of learning English make rapid progress. • Children who have special educational needs achieve very well. • Children are well prepared ready for the next stage of their education in reception and are likely to reach or exceed the goals by the end of reception.

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Commentary

1. By the time they leave reception children are likely to reach the Early Learning Goals, which are the goals children are expected to reach by the end of reception, in all areas except speaking and are in line to exceed the goals in physical development, which is an improvement since the last inspection. This is impressive given that many children start nursery with very little or no English and often with limited personal and social skills. They achieve very well in all six areas of learning, and children’s learning skills are particularly good throughout the school. Staff use information technology well to support all areas and children are developing good skills using computers. Very early literacy and counting skills are well developed.

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Commentary

2. The school makes constant adjustments and improvements to the provision and teaching, based on close monitoring of standards and learning. If any barriers to learning are identified they are improved or become the focus of teaching, for example, improving standards of boys’ work in writing and listening to children. This results in consistency of standards through ensuring that children are well supported in their individual needs. For example, the outdoor play areas are used very well across many areas of learning and for physical development and staff focus well on raising standards in children’s skills in drawing, painting, writing, cutting and glueing. This has enabled standards in physical development to improve.

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Commentary

3. All staff work hard to develop children’s English and so they achieve particularly well in communication, language and literacy, meeting the goals in all areas but their speaking by the end of reception. Most children are early stage English learners and their very good achievement is directly related to the strong leadership, staff training, skilful teaching and high expectations in that area. These strengths also ensure that achievement in other areas of learning such as mathematical, creative, and knowledge and understanding of the world is very good, as children are helped to understand what they are learning, and are often supported in their home languages by bi-lingual staff.

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Commentary

4. Children who have special educational needs are particularly well supported by all staff and those with individual plans receive the modified support which they need to progress well. This is enhanced by additional therapists who work at the school and the daily staff meetings to discuss children’s progress. The school has made very good improvements in raising children’s achievement since the last inspection, especially considering the wider range of children’s home languages it now needs to cater for. Greenfield Nursery School - 9

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Children’s attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Children’s attitudes to school are very good, they really enjoy being at school and behave well. They enjoy the harmonious and stimulating environment and are eager to learn. Attendance is satisfactory and punctuality is good. Their personal, social and emotional development is very good, as is their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children’s enjoyment and interest in school and their wholehearted involvement in the activities provided. • The very positive relationships with other children and staff. • The very successful way in which the school promotes a desire to learn, confidence and high self-esteem in the children. • Children have very good spiritual, moral, social and emotional development which is provided for well.

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Commentary

5. This area has shown good improvement since the last inspection. The school very actively promotes independence, cooperation and very positive attitudes. From the moment the children arrive at school they show pleasure and interest. They arrive with broad smiles and greet staff warmly. They quickly move into the teaching areas and greet other children. They know the routines well; they remove and hang up their own coats and choose their own name cards to register themselves. They immediately choose and settle to an activity and quickly become engrossed in what they are doing. When the time arrives for registration they leave what they are doing and gather quietly to answer their names with confidence. Their very good behaviour is an important factor in their very good learning and achievement.

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Commentary

6. During teaching sessions children show very good interest and concentration in the range of lively and well planned activities. They confidently use and explore a wide range of resources such as the computers and outdoor climbing equipment. They listen attentively to staff and respond well to the skilful questioning. As a result they are developing a deep understanding in the areas of learning.

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Commentary

7. A key aim of the school is inclusion for all, in which everyone has full access and is valued and respected; the school meets this aim very successfully. The strong leadership and vision of the senior staff have had a major impact on this. There is a strong sense of community with high levels of mutual respect, warmth and kindness. As a result the children feel secure and happy, which in turn, enables them to achieve very well. Relationships across the school are very strong. Children come from a wide range of cultural and religious backgrounds; this experience prepares them well for life in a multi-cultural society. Several staff share these cultural and religious backgrounds and speak home languages. Staff use their bi-lingual skills to communicate effectively with the children and also act as very good role models. The school has developed an innovative method of developing the children’s moral and social

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Commentary

values through the use of three toy bears. The bears have names and their own identities. The children grow very fond of the bears and through them, learn about sharing, how to treat each other and how to behave. Children are allowed to take the bears home and, with help, keep a dairy of events. A very good example of this was observed at lunchtime. To help develop sharing and awareness of the needs of others the bear moves around the children with a plate. Children are encouraged to give a very small part of their food to the bear who has none. Children give willingly.

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Commentary

8. The school also very successfully meets its aim to encourage the children to develop positive self-esteem and to become life long learners. Children are made to feel important and successful through praise and recognising achievement. This has a very positive impact on their learning. Staff listen particularly well to children and show a keen interest in their Greenfield Nursery School - 10 activities. They have very high expectations of the children and provide challenging activities or questions; children respond very well to this. When talking to visitors they show very high levels of confidence, maturity and responsibility for their ages. There are many occasions when children act without being asked or prompted. Examples include, picking up waste paper accidentally dropped on the floor, tidying up and using the waste bin during lunchtime. By the end of reception, children are likely to reach the goals for their personal, social and

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Commentary

emotional development. The school works hard to improve attendance and this is satisfactory at 91.3 per cent with no unauthorised absence, slightly higher than in the last inspection. Children arrive on time and punctuality is good, because parents and children are keen to come to the school.

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Attendance

Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

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Attendance

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 8.7 School data 0.0 The table gives the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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Attendance

9. Provision for children’s spiritual development is very good and they are aware of experiences beyond ordinary events. For example, during the parachute games outside on a windy day children experienced joy and elation when the wind blew the parachute high and they ran underneath. There are philosophy sessions in which children can start to talk about and appreciate the meaning of life. The visual arts and beautiful displays of children’s work are effectively used. Music is used particularly well both in the learning environment and to promote tranquillity and calm, such as at lunchtime. Staff are very conscious of the need to add to children’s understanding by extending their spiritual awareness, which is very good for their ages.

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Attendance

10. The excellent example set by the staff of respect for different faiths and customs, and their unfailing courtesy and respect for the children, has a positive impact on their development of children’s respect for other people’s feelings, values and beliefs. The school is good at helping the children to distinguish right from wrong. Children are listened to and consulted and the impact of their actions on others is clearly explained by staff, and they are developing good understanding of moral issues.

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Attendance

11. Many children come with very limited social skills and lack of experience of large groups. Staff work very hard to develop children’s confidence, courtesy, cooperation and empathy with others. Children are given very good opportunities to share and work with others, for example, on the computer or in teaching groups, and have developed good respect for school equipment such as books. They take care of the school environment when tidying up together. They are encouraged to greet people and politely ask or say ‘Thank you’, for things. Staff are very good role models in their courtesy and politeness with parents and children. Children achieve very good social skills for their ages.

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Attendance

12. The school promotes very good appreciation of the wide range of cultures represented both in its community and beyond. The staff work hard to make children feel valued, which leads to pride and confidence in their own cultures and respect for those of others. There is a good breadth of art, music, story and dance as well as food, customs, visits and celebrations from many religions and cultural backgrounds. These aspects of cultural awareness permeate the life of the school and lead to very good cultural development. Greenfield Nursery School - 11

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The quality of education provided by the school is very good. The strengths are; • the high quality of teaching and learning, • the breadth and richness of the curriculum, • the wide range of extended provision, • particularly good care of children and taking account of their views, • excellent partnerships with parents and the community.

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Teaching and learning

The quality of teaching is very good and consequently children’s learning is also very good . The assessment of children’s work is good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Staff have very good expertise in how young children learn and are imaginative and lively. • Support staff and bi-lingual staff are particularly well used. • Staff have high expectations and challenge children to learn well. • There is a lack of focus in the learning intentions for high profile activities.

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Commentary

13. Teaching and learning overall are very good, and are particularly strong in personal, social and emotional development, communication, language and literacy, creative and physical development. In mathematical development and knowledge and understanding of the world teaching overall is good, with some very good teaching seen in mathematics. The areas of learning are taught in specific sessions and also across all activities planned and this contributes to the high quality of children’s learning and their consistently good achievement. The school has very well developed systems of identifying the professional needs of staff and provides high quality training both from outside and national providers and within the three schools. This is a high priority of the leadership of the school and has a major impact on the very good learning and achievement. Staff are very knowledgeable and confident in their

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Commentary

understanding of how to teach the areas of learning and very young children with specific learning needs, such as early English skills. This is even more important considering the wider range of children’s home languages the school now needs to cater for.

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Commentary

14. Staff are imaginative and lively in their planning and teaching of a wide range of stimulating activities and share their skills and expertise well as a very cooperative team. Information technology is used well which contributes to children’s very good achievement. The strong team ethos is reflected in teaching; with children being taught in an open plan area and moving from activity to activity, each led by very confident staff. There is also very good monitoring of the children and high quality discussion at the end of each day about how individual children learnt, sharing assessment information with the whole team and the key worker for that particular child. This contributes to a very clear understanding of what children have achieved and what they need to learn next. The development of social and personal skills and English language is a major focus of teaching and leads to quick progress in basic skills and good

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Commentary

access to other areas of learning. Boys and girls learn equally well and staff target areas for improvement based on monitoring gender differences in learning.

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Commentary

15. The staff benefits from some bi-lingual speakers and very skilful support staff, including one from the local Traveller community. This benefits the children’s learning in three ways; • The whole staff have access to these particular skills and the team is more skilled. • Bi-lingual staff are very successful in ensuring that children are included by speaking and writing in the children’s home languages, alongside English to ensure that they understand. • Children are assessed both in their home languages and English which is particularly useful for very early language learners and children who have special needs. Greenfield Nursery School - 12 16. The excellent partnership with parents, which is vital to the children’s learning, is enhanced by members of staff who represent and understand their cultures and who discuss children’s needs with them. Many displays incorporate home languages and interpretation and

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Commentary

translation is an important part of giving parents information and support about their children’s learning.

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Commentary

17. The leadership of the school is committed to excellence and this is shown in the very good levels of challenge for children by all staff. Particularly positive, kindly and caring relationships with staff develop children’s confidence in trying new experiences, encouraging them to move on and consolidate their learning. This promotes high levels of achievement and secure and thorough learning. The children respond well and learn with very good focus and extended concentration for their ages. They enjoy their activities and are learning to share, take turns and cooperate with others because of the strong focus on their personal and social development and acquiring basic learning skills quickly. For example, in the ‘Greenfields clinic’ a child politely asked a member of staff to ‘Come back please, you’ve forgotten’, when some ‘medicine’ was left behind. Higher attaining children are extended well because teaching

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Commentary

targets the needs of each individual child to improve their achievement. Children with special needs are very well provided for and individual programmes support their learning very well, enabling them to make good progress towards their targets. The school has attached music and speech therapists who add particularly well to the wealth of teaching expertise, both for identified children and the whole staff.

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Commentary

18. Staff plan a wide and exciting range of learning activities and use their skills creatively. This is linked well to the ‘Stepping Stones’ for learning, which lead to the goals expected by the end of reception. Learning is very well organised into specific areas taught by members of staff and children are allowed to choose or are targeted for an activity based on previous observations and assessment. There are also high profile adult led activities for targeted groups, which are planned in depth, and often assessed. These are well linked to the Early Learning Goals and ‘Stepping Stones’ for learning, but are not clear or specific enough in targetting exactly what the children are intended to learn in the sessions. This relates to an aspect of the Key Issues in the last inspection and is a relatively minor weakness in otherwise very effective teaching and learning. Assessment overall is good and is well organised and thorough. Staff keep a wide

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Commentary

range of evidence from observations, samples of work, photographs and tracking of children to produce good records of progress through the ‘Stepping Stones’ for learning. This is used well to decide what children need to learn next and set individual targets. The children are starting to understand how well they are doing and are very proud of their achievements. This area has shown good improvement since the last inspection in the overall quality of teaching and learning, the use of computers and more high quality support staff.

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 27 lessons which were graded for teaching - 4 were ungraded

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Commentary

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

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Commentary

The table gives the number of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons; figures in brackets show percentages where 30 or more lessons are seen.

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The curriculum

The curriculum provided by the school is very good.

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Strengths and weaknesses

• The curriculum is broad and balanced and activities are presented in a very exciting manner appropriate to the ages and interests of the children. • Curriculum development has been enhanced by very good innovations and staff training. Greenfield Nursery School - 13 • The impact of support staff is very positive. • The school provides good opportunities for enrichment. • The overall standards of the accommodation and resources are good. • There is a lack of precision in keeping records of review meetings for children with special educational needs.

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Commentary

19. The school plans and provides an extremely effective curriculum that enables the children to achieve very well and which particularly meets their individual needs. There have been very good improvements in the extent, range and quality of this since the last inspection. The very good leadership and management of the school have a strong impact on this. There is a good balance between teacher led and child selected activities. All areas of the Foundation Stage curriculum are taught in each session, both indoors and outside and many of the activities develop more than one area of the curriculum. Activities are planned around a project theme, currently ‘Ourselves’; this gives added meaning and relevance to the activities for the children and enhances their learning. Activities are lively, practical and interesting and encourage children to participate and to persevere, improving their achievement. There is very good

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Commentary

emphasis on children’s personal and social development and on the development of early English language skills, which contribute well to their learning and achievement. Children’s creative development is encouraged in many sessions and different moods of music are played throughout the day. Physical development is encouraged well in many activities, both indoors and outside and has a positive effect on the above average development of the children. For example, the good emphasis on cutting and glueing in many activities has enhanced the children’s skills. Staff meet to review the teaching and children’s learning every day which ensures that children are monitored and assessed daily, have appropriate work and are included. The learning that has taken place by the target children and those with special educational needs is also reviewed daily with all the staff and from these discussions the planning is modified to match closely the children’s needs. Music and speech therapists

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Commentary

enrich the curriculum for the special needs and other children very well.

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Commentary

20. Several innovations have come through involvement with university research. Each is very well evaluated and acted upon. For example, research linked to Worcester University identified that two areas of the curriculum, mathematical development and children’s knowledge and understanding of the world, needed to be modified. An action plan and staff training helped this and are currently being implemented. Extended day ‘Wraparound’ care was introduced in conjunction with Oxford University as an example of best practice for supporting children and their families, such as Traveller children and parents who are studying or at work. This has recently been evaluated and shown to greatly improve children’s social and personal development. Philosophy sessions are taught weekly to develop children’s thinking and language skills. A very effective innovation to develop children’s social and personal skills,

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Commentary

particularly their confidence, is the ‘Listening to children’ initiative. This is also a university- based project, the underlying idea being that the child has a right to be heard. As a consequence, staff listen with respect to children and incorporate their suggestions into the following day’s planning or overall provision. Innovation and leadership from the school’s senior management have a strong impact on the constant investigation of better ways to provide for the children.

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Commentary

21. The school has very effective teachers and support staff, who represent most of the children’s communities. They understand the children and as many are bi-lingual, support the children in their home languages, where appropriate. All are particularly well trained, knowledgeable about very young children’s learning and well fitted to teach all aspects of the curriculum. Many staff have specific expertise, such as in supporting the Traveller children or children with English as an additional language, enabling these children to achieve very well and ensuring that other staff develop additional skills. They support the children with special educational needs very well, providing targeted teaching towards these children’s individual plans and in general activities, enabling these children to achieve very well. The very effective ‘Wraparound’ care, Greenfield Nursery School - 14 before and after the school day and at lunchtime is well led by support staff who provide a wide

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Commentary

and interesting range of activities for up to twenty five children. This enriches the curriculum for the full-time children who receive very good and varied teaching and opportunities during the long school day. The high numbers of support staff ensure that the children are very well included and participate fully; this supports their very good learning well. All children are prepared well for their future schooling.

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Commentary

22. Children with special needs are taught and supported very well and benefit from additional outside support and therapy when needed. As a consequence these children make good progress towards their targets, achieve very well and are very well included in all aspects of school. They have appropriate specific learning targets within their Individual Education Plans. Parents are informed well about their children’s progress but there are few written records kept of reviews. This is a minor weakness in the otherwise very good provision and teaching of children with special educational needs.

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Care, guidance and support

Children’s care, welfare, health and safety are high priorities for the school and very good procedures are in place to ensure children work in a safe and secure environment. Staff know each child very well and are very sensitive to their individual needs. Child protection procedures are well known by staff and effectively followed in the event of any concerns.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The very friendly, warm and secure atmosphere created by all school staff. • The very effective support, advice and guidance provided to each child. • Very good and effective settling in arrangements for the children. • The extended ‘Wraparound’ care is particularly good.

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Commentary

23. The welfare and well being of the children are very strong and a high priority of the school leadership. They have shown very good improvement since the last inspection. This has a major impact on children’s effective learning and overall development. Staff are vigilant about children’s safety in school. Physical safeguards are good, for example, doors, latches, fences and gates. Effective child protection procedures are in place and staff have a very good understanding of the systems. Underpinning the school’s approach is the development of trusting relationships with the children. Staff show very high levels of patience, tolerance and kindness to the children, all of whom they know very well. In turn the children respond very well and are very happy in school. There are very few occasions when they become upset or unsettled and crying and tears are very rare.

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Commentary

24. The support and help given to individual children are very good, both in areas of learning and their personal development. During sessions staff will work with every child individually to develop knowledge, skills or understanding. This is done skilfully through encouragement, praise and the evident enthusiasm of the adult. Also, children are encouraged to take responsibility and support is given when it is judged to be appropriate. For those children who are full-time and attend after the school day, the extended ‘Wraparound’ care and support is very effective. These children benefit hugely from the range of challenging and interesting activities at lunchtime and after school, which are often linked to the work during sessions. For example, following the afternoon session when children were finding out about insects, the children staying after school continued to search the playground for interesting insects. The

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Commentary

staff responsible for these children, work tirelessly to maintain their interest during a long day. At lunch or teatime staff continue to maintain the friendly ethos and work with the children in their personal development. Before they begin school on the home visits and from when they first start school, children are observed, assessed and monitored. This is very effective and is used well to identify early on children’s specific or special educational needs. Children with Greenfield Nursery School - 15 special educational needs are given very good support which helps them to make good progress towards the targets set for them. Monitoring is also used well to measure progress and helps staff to set targets for individual children or small groups of children, including higher attainers and those with specific aptitudes. For example, a child doing very well on the computer was given specific extension programs. This enables staff to provide greater

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Commentary

challenge in line with children’s needs and aptitudes . Staff listen very well to children and take account of their views about school and what they like best.

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Commentary

25. The induction arrangements are very effective and enable children to settle into the school very quickly. Prospective parents can visit the school and to talk to staff. During these visits they see the very positive atmosphere of the school and how happy and busy the children are. These visits are followed up by home visits when the staff are able to assess the home circumstances, the needs of the child and whether there are any parental needs. When children start school, parents are encouraged to stay with their child during sessions until the staff feel that the child is able to cope without them. Relationships with parents as partners in their children’s learning are strong following this and contribute to the very good achievement of the children.

p.15

Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

The school has developed outstanding partnership with parents and works very closely with them to support their children’s achievement. There are excellent links with the community that greatly enhance the educational provision at school and within the local area. Working relationships with other schools and colleges are very good . The extended services for parents and the community are very good .

p.15

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The excellent partnership and involvement of parents and the hard work of the staff working with parents and the community. • The very good range of programmes and services provided for parents and prospective parents. • The very productive involvement with other schools and colleges.

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Commentary

26. The school provides an impressive range of extended services for the benefit of parents and prospective parents which has been significantly extended and improved since the last inspection and reflects the vision of the Head of Centre. School staff, including the administrator, provided a range of help and translation for parents. The recently opened Infant Toddler Centre which is managed well by the school and funded by Lottery money, enables parents to work and participate in the community. There is an excellent range of activities to develop parents’ skills. This includes courses in English and mathematics, childcare classes, computer training and family learning. A particularly effective course, ‘Keeping up with the Children’ helps parents to support and teach their children. This is well attended by parents and open to other members of the community, and is very well led by a staff member to

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Commentary

provide parents’ with practical understanding about how children can learn at home. For example, how making a meal can be used to develop numeracy, literacy, and understanding of textures and shapes. There is also an excellent toy library with a very high quality range of toys for lending and a book library which includes many books in two languages. Parents are also taught how to get best use out of the toys and how to develop good play and learning in their homes. This training has a particularly strong impact on children’s learning, including those with special educational needs and early English language learners.

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Commentary

27. The school’s involvement with the community is excellent and the school site is used well as a resource by community members. Extremely good use is made also of the local area as a means of extending children’s learning and personal development. Children visit different places of worship and learn about different religions. In addition there are numerous visits to Greenfield Nursery School - 16 local shops and places of interest, such as nearby Heathrow Airport. Visitors from the community include representatives from the local fire service.

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Commentary

28. Links with other schools and colleges are very good. There are very strong links with the other two schools led by the Head of Centre and students from local universities and colleges work and help in the school. There are very good links with local support teams such as the Traveller Support Team and speech and language therapists. There are very effective arrangements with local primary schools and close working relationships with reception class teachers. The school has been involved well nationally with university research projects and the headteacher has a strong national profile for innovation in nursery schools, such as in the development of ‘Wraparound’ care extended provision, which is new to the school since the last inspection.

p.16

Commentary

Example of outstanding practice The school has an outstanding partnership with parents, who think the school is excellent, enabling children to learn and achieve particularly well. Links with the local community are outstanding. Underpinning the school’s success is the establishment of high levels of trust between parents and school. This is the key to the very high level of parental involvement in their childrens’ education. Trust is established through very effective induction procedures during which parents, many of whom have little English language and little understanding of how their children will be taught, develop an awareness of their role as their children’s first teachers. Bi-lingual staff, who share the same culture, are able to establish very effective communication at this early stage. This early success continues during the first months of school life when parents are encouraged to

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Commentary

remain with their children and help during sessions. As they gain confidence, parents learn about the activities and support available to them, and discover how children learn and how they can help. They feel that their contributions are valued and that they are an important part of the school community. They are kept well informed about their children’s education and encouraged to make their own contributions in shaping the life of the school. The excellent level of parental support greatly benefits the school in a number of ways. Punctuality at the start of sessions is very good, parents’ evenings are well supported and the number of parents helping in school is impressive. Two indicators also testify to the school’s outstanding success. The first is the great warmth and goodwill extended to staff by parents when children arrive or leave. The second is the outstanding support for the school in the parents’ meeting and questionnaire with no areas of concern or dissatisfaction and a

p.16

Commentary

very high percentage of response. The school’s involvement with the community is also outstanding. People in the community, including the Traveller families, are encouraged and welcome to join activities and courses for parents, and staff have been recruited who represent these communities. Courses have become very popular as word is spread around about the benefits. The school site is used well as a resource for the community. Not only do bi-lingual and other staff help in many ways, but there is also an extensive range of resources available, including an extremely well stocked toy library with high quality toys and learning resources, loaned for a small fee, and a book library. Very good use is made of the local area for children’s learning and personal development; there are many visits out and visitors into the school. The school is particularly welcoming and warm to visitors.

p.16

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

• The overall leadership and management of the school is very good. • The leadership and vision of the Head of Centre is excellent. • The management of the school is very good. • The governance of the school is good.

p.16

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The Head of Centre gives inspirational leadership and has an outstanding vision for the improvement of the school. • The school has created an extremely effective team whose professional training is very good. • The extended provision, staff and resources are very well used and managed.

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Commentary

29. The excellent leadership of the Head of Centre is the major factor in the school’s particular effectiveness and very good improvement since the last inspection. The school is innovative Greenfield Nursery School - 17 and strives constantly to improve and extend provision to meet the needs of the children and their parents. The vision, innovative skill, understanding and drive of the Head of Centre are outstanding and she has appointed staff of a very high calibre, to form a strong team who share this vision. The school is one of three nursery schools led by one Head of Centre, who ensures that expertise, staffing and resources are shared for the benefit of the three schools, the children and their parents. The school is very critical of itself and uses regular school self- evaluation to plan training, meet children’s and parents’ needs and make innovations. Staff have high levels of energy and commitment and are very skilful educators of young children;

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Commentary

this adds to the high quality of education and very good achievement by children. The ethos and relationships within the school are particularly caring and respectful. The school is a multi- racial community and parents, children and staff represent a wide variety of cultures who work together in harmony and trust.

p.17

Commentary

30. The school works particularly hard to identify and meet the needs of the children and their parents. For example, the ‘Wraparound’ care meets the needs of specific children and their parents, including Traveller children, who benefit from full-time provision, improving learning and achievement. Particular strengths are staff development, the management of the ‘Wraparound’ provision, provision for Traveller children and for those with English as an additional language, the toy library and the excellent partnership with parents and the community. There is strong focus and determination in initiating new projects and seeing them through; for example the new Infant Toddler centre for under threes, funded by Lottery money. These innovations are part of overall very good improvement since the last inspection and overcome many of the barriers to learning of children in the community, by increasing uptake

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Commentary

of places and attendance and offering support tailored to the children’s specific needs so raising their achievement.

p.17

Commentary

31. The school is currently setting up a new governing body since the dissolving of the last governing body at the end of August. The local authority is acting in place of the governors temporarily, giving good support and challenge to the school and being clear about its future development. Support is well informed, which enables full participation in discussions and developments and meets statutory requirements. There is good trust in the Head of Centre and staff and a clear shared commitment to constant improvement, which includes planning for a new replacement building. The development plan is clear, focused and concise, and relates to the specific needs of the school in the overall context of the three schools. It is implemented and monitored well by staff, and keeps the school moving constantly towards its targets and aims. The school does not currently have a delegated budget, but receives a

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Commentary

small amount for spending on resources for learning; these are of high quality, prudently chosen for good value and are very well used. This ensures that the school provides very good value for money in terms of the budget it receives and the very high quality of education provided.

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Commentary

32. The school is part of a federation of three nursery schools led by one Head of Centre. This places great responsibility on the deputy headteacher who manages the day to day provision, including all the extended provision, particularly well. She is also responsible for co-ordinating and implementing the curriculum and monitoring the day to day teaching and progress of the children. The deputy head shares the strong vision of the Head of Centre and adds an additional dimension to the breadth of the provision; for example, in leading the development of philosophy sessions with the children and contributing extremely well to the creative and spiritual dimension of the school. The systems and day to day management of the school are particularly good and the administrator is very welcoming to parents, who often speak very little English and are unfamiliar with systems in this country. Support is always available both from

p.17

Commentary

the administrator and the bi-lingual staff to help parents to deal with problems and so help their children. The very effective programme for identifying staff needs and training makes a very strong contribution to the quality of education and the children’s very good learning and achievement. Greenfield Nursery School - 18 33. The use of staff is particularly good in developing parents’ links and community provision as well as in teaching. The high quality toy library, which was an old air raid shelter, is a good example. A nursery nurse is responsible for this excellent resource which serves parents, carers and childminders locally and she teaches how to use the toys. There are also classes in supporting play and learning, often in homes where there is no outdoor space and where families sometimes live in one room or very cramped accommodation. This extends the children’s learning to home and adds to their achievement. Staff give a great deal of extra time

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Commentary

to the school and also benefit from their links with the other two schools; in staff development, seeing other provision and moving from school to school. The building is small, rather old and was not designed as a nursery. It is particularly well used and every space has been utilised to make a safe, exciting and lively learning environment with good outdoor play facilities.

p.18

Commentary

34. The co-ordinators for information technology and English as an additional language have very good expertise and commitment to the school and are shared with the other two schools. Teaching English as an additional language is very well led and expertise is shared well; this is a key factor in children’s high achievement. Many innovations are planned as part of the ambitious programme for developing information technology, including the use of digital cameras in learning. The school supports children with special educational needs well. There is very early identification of concerns and support from the home visits onwards, and individual plans have clear targets that are monitored well. There is a particularly high level of commitment to inclusion for all and children’s needs are very well met through support, including speech and music therapy, extended provision, well chosen activities and the rich

p.18

Example of outstanding practice

The Head of Centre provides excellent leadership that is innovative and inspirational, making sure that children’s and parents’ needs are well met, ensuring inclusion and raising children’s achievement. The school serves a community of great diversity, including refugee and asylum seekers’ children, Traveller children and children from ethnic minority backgrounds. Most children are at an early stage of learning English and some are from unsettled and transitory families. The Head of Centre ensures that the school offers a safe, secure and accommodating environment for meeting these needs. High quality and flexible provision by very skilled staff ensures inclusion and meets the diverse individual needs. Staff reflect the local communities, which encourages parents and children to trust the school and take advantage of the provision available. This raises the children’s achievement and standards attained. The school takes part in a variety of university research projects

p.18

Example of outstanding practice

which have had a great impact on learning and shares its innovations nationally.

p.18

Traveller children and children with English as an additional language

The overall provision and achievement in this area is very good . For Traveller children provision is excellent.

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school works very hard to include all children and meet their specific needs. • The achievement of ethnic minority, Traveller and children with English as their additional language is particularly good. • Many staff come from the different community groups, including bi-lingual staff and staff from the Traveller community. They are highly skilled and committed to the school and raise achievement considerably.

p.18

Commentary

35. The school is very committed to inclusion and giving children the best possible start to school. The ethos of the school places great value on the individual child and is highly respectful of the Greenfield Nursery School - 19 different community groups it serves. Since the last inspection provision has been very well improved and extended to include an Infant Toddler unit for under threes on site and extended ‘Wraparound’ care for some full time children, including Traveller children and others who benefit from a full day in school and after school provision. Parents and the community are very well supported in English, mathematics and computer skills and in specific classes helping them to help their children to learn at home. There is an excellent toy library for parents, carers and childminders with classes to develop parents’ skills in promoting play and early learning. The close and trusting relationships with parents ensures that there is a firm

p.18

Commentary

partnership between parents and staff in teaching and children’s learning which raises achievement.

p.19

Commentary

36. The achievement of these children is particularly good, from a very low baseline in English and in personal and social skills when they first start in the nursery. More than 95 per cent of children come from minority ethnic groups, mostly at the earliest stage of learning English. By the time they leave reception, they are in line to reach the goals for children of that age in all areas of learning, although some will be below that in their speaking skills, particularly in their vocabulary. They are also developing very good learning skills to prepare them for later school life. Traveller children achieve particularly well and are often articulate and confident in their speaking and early language skills. For example, a girl was painting a model house with others and kept up a commentary on who was going to live in it and where they would sleep, which was very articulate and lively for her age. She also had long concentration and was

p.19

Commentary

cooperative and considerate. By the end of reception, Traveller children are likely to meet the goals for children of their ages in all areas.

p.19

Commentary

37. An important factor in the success of this provision is the very well qualified, committed and experienced staff. They are very well thought of by the parents, who trust them and are able to communicate easily with them. A very skilful team support teaching of English to children at the early stages of learning English, who are the majority. Their skill is used to train all staff in the best way of ensuring that children learn English and understand what they are learning. The staff includes Panjabi, Urdu, Hindi, Tamil, French, Shelta and Gujerati speakers who help with translation and interpretation. They are also very skilful in assessing the children’s needs in their home languages, and ensuring that children understand learning activities from the very beginning. This means that children make very rapid progress, particularly in English, which helps them in other learning. There is a Traveller support assistant, from the local community

p.19

Commentary

who is particularly skilful with children, with excellent rapport with their parents. The school is closely linked with many support teams and services which enhance the provision. These include the Traveller Support Team, support from the information technology and English as an additional language co-ordinators of the three schools in the federation and music and speech therapists. There is also very effective support from the local authority Early Years team.

p.19

Example of outstanding practice

Because of excellent provision, Traveller children attend well and achieve very well. Their social and personal development is particularly well provided for and they are very well cared for. Traveller parents respect and trust the school because it values and fully includes their children and because a member of their community, who is very skilful, is employed to support children and families and promote their welfare and education. She also ensures that parents are happy that their children are safe and well cared for and explains the curriculum to them. There is also very good support from the local Traveller Support Team which ensures that all staff are supported, children are included and that there is a good understanding of the local community. The full-time extended day ‘Wraparound’ provision gives children a stable and secure start to school life, which they enjoy, and encourages other families to send their children to school. Children are likely to reach

p.19

Example of outstanding practice

or exceed the goals expected by the end of reception. Greenfield Nursery School - 20

p.19

better teaching and learning and higher children’s achievement. The impact of vigorous

leadership is a significant factor in this.

p.20

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in personal, social and emotional development is very good

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The children achieve very well because the very good teaching ensures they are supported, challenged and encouraged to work hard and take responsibility for their own learning at an early age. • The children generally reach or exceed the standards expected for their age by the end of the reception year, even though standards were well below average when they started.

p.20

Commentary

38. Very good teaching ensures that children comfortably reach standards expected for their age by the end of the reception year. The staff work hard to ensure that the children are encouraged and supported to gain confidence and good learning habits and the lively environment provides interest and stimulation to encourage very good interest and cooperation. As a result, even at this early stage, many children are able to maintain attention and listen quietly, and are confident to try new things and use their emerging skills in English. This also leads to a settled and harmonious learning environment, well suited to very young children mostly just beginning to learn English, and those with special educational needs. They are also learning how to behave well and develop good social skills from working alongside other children.

p.20

Commentary

39. Staff encourage independence and responsibility constantly but when needed they direct the children firmly but gently, supporting their self-esteem. For example, when the youngest children start at the nursery they are encouraged to take part in mathematics sessions and games with the older children and learn quickly how to take turns, listen and join in. Visiting very young brothers and sisters also often observe and try to join in. This encourages the older children to help others and boosts their self- esteem. For example, children were able to work on their own for extended periods in the ‘Greenfields Clinic’ playing at being parents, babies or clinic staff. They behave sensibly on the computers, cooperating, concentrating on activities and taking turns with others. Staff treat children and their parents with great courtesy and respect and are very good role models for developing these qualities in the children. There is

p.20

Commentary

great emphasis on learning social skills, such as saying ‘Good morning’ when they come to school and sharing and eating happily and politely together at lunchtime at tables with cloths and little pots of flowers. By the time they leave the reception class they are likely to be able to work on their own for extended periods and behave courteously and respectfully, sharing and cooperating with others.

p.20

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Provision in communication, language and literacy is very good

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• All staff take every opportunity to develop the children’s language skills, and teaching and learning are very good, leading to particularly good achievement. • The school benefits from some bi-lingual staff who speak the children’s home languages. Greenfield Nursery School - 21

p.20

Commentary

40. Children are on course to reach the Early Learning Goals by the end of the reception but their development in speaking often lags behind this. This is because most start school at a very early stage of learning English as an additional language, although they achieve very well. Many children have developed insufficient English vocabulary and grammar by the end of reception, but their reading, writing and listening skills are likely to meet the goals. Traveller children and first language English speaking children will be likely to reach the end of reception goals in all areas. Every opportunity is taken to extend children’s English and imaginative and exciting provision gives children good reasons for talking, safe in the knowledge that staff will listen to them with respect and interest. Adults keep detailed records of the language development of children, and very early stage English learners are particularly well supported by teachers and

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Commentary

bi-lingual staff who are very well trained and skilled. This ensures that the children with most need get the necessary support. Children develop their speaking and listening skills well through pretend and imaginative play; for example, in the ‘Greenfields Clinic’ or the outside play areas. The majority are still talking alongside others, rather than with them, but they are starting to share their ideas and news with others.

p.21

Commentary

41. The very good teaching and learning are characterised by good understanding of the needs of very young bi-lingual children, high expectations of what they are capable of and well-organised and exciting activities that interest them. For example, in a philosophy group, children looked at a plastic skeleton and talked excitedly about bones and their own bodies in an open-ended discussion tactfully led by a skilled teacher. Writing is taught well throughout the school with many examples of children’s first writing in displays, ‘prescription’ writing and lists in the school ‘clinic’. Children use computers confidently for matching games and can follow simple stories on the computer or from tapes. The teaching of early reading skills and love of books and stories also has high priority. Singing well-known rhymes helps the development of speaking and listening skills and motivates the children to try new words. For example, the children

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Commentary

working with the music therapist loved repeating, ‘Bushy tails’ from the story. All children are encouraged to take books home to share with their parents who are also supported in English classes to help them to help their children. There are excellent toy and book libraries for families and carers to use. Bi-lingual staff are a very good support to the children and their parents and are a major factor in the children’s rapid learning of English because they can help to interpret for them, find out their needs and encourage them in their learning. This area has improved very well since the last inspection in children’s achievement, teaching and learning, better provision and more bi-lingual staff.

p.21

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in mathematical development is very good

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The teaching of mathematics is good overall and at times very good and because of this children achieve very well. • By the end of reception, most children are likely to reach the goals in mathematical development. • The outdoor activities are stimulating and provide many very good opportunities for children to develop their mathematical understanding and language.

p.21

Commentary

42. Most children when they start the nursery, have little mathematical knowledge. They make very good progress and achieve very well through the consistently good teaching they receive. Staff provide a wide range of activities that are well matched to the needs and interests of the children and they gradually make the activity more difficult as the children learn more. Staff are well organised and give children clear instructions, maintaining a calm atmosphere and constantly encouraging learning. Relationships with the children are good, developed through Greenfield Nursery School - 22 listening carefully to what the children say and respecting children’s opinions. This helps the children to feel confident and learn well. There are appropriately high expectations of children’s learning and behaviour and the activities they provide, such as counting spots on dice and identifying the corresponding numerals and groups of objects, hold children’s interest.

p.21

Commentary

Mathematical language is developed in many other activities, such as when children are cooking, or playing parachute games. At the end of each day there is a very effective review meeting of all staff to ensure that all the children have participated and learnt in the activities and to identify the next stages in children’s learning.

p.22

Commentary

43. Most of the children who are four and who have been to the nursery for some time have acquired a secure understanding of numbers to five and beyond and they recognise larger and smaller groups of objects. They can usually identify shapes such as a circle but they are not fully familiar with other basic flat shapes. These older children are generally keen to participate in mathematical activities. For example, one boy selected a counting book that he took to his teacher to share with her. Many children leave the nursery able to write numerals correctly and in the correct order to ten and they use mathematical language for size and shape in their speech.

p.22

Commentary

44. A very good aspect of the provision is the wide range of exciting mathematical experiences provided in the outdoor playground and the very good opportunities provided for developing a good understanding of mathematical language. These include using a parachute to give children the experience of positional language and counting. A skittle game develops early understanding of addition and subtraction and children are encouraged to write their score on a chart. There is a shoe shop that offers good opportunity for mathematical experiences and comparing words as children measure their feet and select matching pairs of shoes. The climbing frames give experience of moving through, under and over and of high and low. When the apparatus is put into a specific course, such as for a ‘Bear Hunt’, children have experience of putting things into a sequence using ‘before’ and ‘after’ correctly.

p.22

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Provision in knowledge and understanding of the world is very good.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• By the time children leave reception they are likely to reach the goals in knowledge and understanding of the world. • The wide range of activities provided and good teaching ensure that children achieve very well. • Information and communication technology is used well to support learning.

p.22

Commentary

45. Children start the nursery with a diverse and sometimes very limited range of experiences in this area. Staff provide them with a wide range of opportunities to successfully capture their interests and enable them to make good progress and achieve well. These opportunities are planned well and linked to the overall nursery theme of ‘Ourselves’ and the ‘Stepping Stones’ for learning and are taught well. For example, staff successfully develop and foster children’s curiosity, such as through an outdoor treasure hunt. As a consequence, older children initiate similar activities such as looking for insects and continue this in the ‘Wraparound’ care after school. Through developing this activity, staff help children to investigate and identify the features and habitats of living things. Children are often stimulated by what they observe and discover, such as when they use tools to dismantle a range of interesting objects. At these

p.22

Commentary

times, adults support their learning well, using picture reference books. At other times, children use tools when cooking, such as knives to cut vegetables and rolling pins to shape pastry and at all times staff use stimulating language that helps children to observe, and extend their vocabulary and emerging language. Children are helped to develop a sense of time through the use of photographs of themselves as babies and a sense of place and purpose is Greenfield Nursery School - 23 developed as children pretend play in the ‘Greenfields Clinic’. In all these activities children’s knowledge and investigation is well developed and they acquire good learning skills and curiosity.

p.22

Commentary

46. All children show an interest in computers and many children have good ability to drag an image across a computer screen and to control the cursor with a mouse. Some are very capable in mouse skills and can understand how to save programs. This is a result of the high priority the school is giving to this area and many future developments are planned, including the use of programmable toys. Information technology is used well in many ways. Story programs effectively stimulate an enjoyment in literature and through skilful questioning, staff help children to develop literacy skills of observation and prediction. Much use is made of the digital camera to record children as they work, including use by the children themselves. Good use has also been made of the digital camera to create a book specifically about the Traveller children. Pretend play areas include an office with appropriate technology as a successful

p.23

Commentary

stimulus for children’s imaginative and social development.

p.23

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in physical development is very good.

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children’s physical development is good for their ages; by the end of reception many will exceed the goals. • The wide range of opportunities for children to participate in and to practise their skills contributes significantly to the children’s good achievement.

p.23

Commentary

47. This area is very well planned for both indoor and outdoor activities and permeates much of the children’s learning. In most of the indoor activities provided, children have the opportunity to develop precision and control as they work. When pouring water into bottles, writing, making marks on paper or threading beads, cutting and glueing, many show considerable control and accuracy, frequently better than would be expected for their ages. Opportunities for children to develop these skills are provided well and regularly and children are given many different resources with which to practise their skills. Outdoors, children demonstrate good ability to climb, crawl through apparatus, balance and run with a smooth movement. These skills are developed through staff assessing the children’s individual learning needs and then using the available apparatus in an inventive range of ways, including specifically designed obstacle

p.23

Commentary

courses, such as that planned for a ‘Bear Hunt’. Children with special needs are supported as they learn to climb and balance their bodies. Frequently, staff encourage children to move in time to music, sometimes giving them streamers to wave that help children develop good control of their bodies. Children have a good awareness of space and rarely bump into others as they run.

p.23

Commentary

48. Teaching and learning in this area are very good and children are encouraged and supported when necessary; because of this they are learning to be independent and confident. Their energy, enthusiasm and participation is strongly supported by staff and leads to very good achievement by the children. Many children live in cramped and overcrowded accommodation with no outside play areas and the school compensates for this in the very well developed outside play provision and range of very imaginative and stimulating activities. Greenfield Nursery School - 24

p.23

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Provision in creative development is very good.

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Staff take every opportunity to provide particularly interesting and imaginative experiences for the children. • Children respond very well to the teaching and provision and achieve very well.

p.24

Commentary

49. When you enter the school you see a wide range of beautifully displayed children’s work and often hear music playing, either to welcome children and parents, to stimulate learning in the outdoor play areas or to soothe and calm children at lunchtime or during quiet learning sessions. The school gives very high priority to the development of children’s creative skills in art, music, dance, pretend play, drama, information technology, philosophy and across other areas of the curriculum. The use of computers in children’s learning is very well thought out and children also use digital cameras, with adult support, to record their experiences and things they like. This area has shown very good improvement since the last inspection in the range of experiences offered to the children and in teaching and learning. The school has the benefit of a music therapist who works with specially identified children and also supports the

p.24

Commentary

staff in giving ideas and training in music, drama and child support. Staff are very inventive and teach this area particularly well. This is due to the very good training they receive and also because they plan stimulating experiences together as a confident team, with a wide range of expertise and lively ideas.

p.24

Commentary

50. Children are able to use painting and modelling materials, scissors and glue with good skills for their ages to make a variety of pictures, patterns, prints, and models. They are encouraged to work together with adults on big projects, such as the beautifully made translucent window blinds which are a distinctive feature of the school and have involved a wide range of creative skills. They are also able to work on their own for quite long periods; painting, using computer programs to draw and paint and model making. They love to sing and make music and are very well encouraged by the staff. An example was a group of children working together on a mathematics activity and stopping to sing the number rhyme ‘ One, Two Three, Four, Five’, to each other. The pretend and imaginative play areas are set up well to encourage children to think creatively and use their imagination. An outdoor ‘Shoe Shop’ was very popular and many

p.24

Commentary

children enjoyed buying shoes to fit feet of many sizes, carrying around large carrier bags of shoes in boxes. They were often able to guess prices, ‘About twenty pounds,’ used real coins and could talk about what they had bought. Because of this very good provision and teaching, children are excited and interested and consequently achieve very well. They are also learning to share ideas, cooperate with others and select materials. They are encouraged to comment on and describe what they are doing and learn new words. By the time they leave reception they are in line to meet the goals for their ages in all aspects of creative development. Greenfield Nursery School - 25

p.24

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The overall effectiveness of the school 2 How inclusive the school is 2 How the school’s effectiveness has changed since its last inspection 2 Value for money provided by the school 2

p.25

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 4 Pupils’ achievement 2

p.25

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities 2 Attendance 4 Attitudes 2 Behaviour, including the extent of exclusions 2 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The quality of education provided by the school 2 The quality of teaching 2 How well pupils learn 2 The quality of assessment 3 How well the curriculum meets pupils needs 2 Enrichment of the curriculum, including out-of-school activities 2 Accommodation and resources 3 Pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety 2 Support, advice and guidance for pupils 2 How well the school seeks and acts on pupils’ views 2 The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents 1 The quality of the school’s links with the community 1 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 2

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The leadership and management of the school 2 The governance of the school 3 The leadership of the Head of Centre 1 The leadership of other key staff 2 The effectiveness of management 2

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Inspectors make judgements on a scale: excellent (grade 1); very good (2); good (3); satisfactory (4); unsatisfactory (5); poor (6); very poor (7).

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