Sir James Knott Memorial Nursery School

SIR JAMES KNOTT NURSERY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 3 rd – 4 th May 2005

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SIR JAMES KNOTT NURSERY SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Sir James Knott 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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SIR JAMES KNOTT 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. Sir James Knott Nursery School 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Nursery School category: Maintained Age range of pupils: 3 – 5 years Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 113

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Percy Square River View Tynemouth North Shields Tyne and Wear Postcode: NE30 4AG

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 0191 2005438 Fax number: 0191 2966897

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: Governing body Name of chair of governors: Mr D Ovington

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 1 st March 1999

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

Sir James Knott Nursery School is situated in Tynemouth overlooking the River Tyne and the North Sea. The socio-economic circumstances of the school are mixed, but average, overall, and children enter the nursery with skills that are generally in line with what might be expected for their age. There are 113 children on roll; one child attends nursery full time and the rest attend on a part time basis. Two of the children who attend are from minority ethnic groups, however, none are at the early stages of English language acquisition. There are eight children within nursery who are on the register of special educational needs and none have a formal statement of special educational need. The school attained Beacon Status in 2000, which recognises its excellence, and it continues to work with other schools within the local education authority to support high quality Foundation Stage practice. The nursery is committed to the achievement of all its children and was awarded a

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

Schools’ Achievement award in 2003. It gained the Investors in People award in 2005. Sir James Knott Nursery School 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

27281 Mrs E Linley Lead inspector Mathematical development, knowledge and understanding, physical development, creative development. 32761 Mr C Gosling Lay inspector 30346 Mrs P Lowrie Team inspector Personal, social and emotional development, communication language and literacy and special educational needs.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Focus Education (UK) Limited 113 – 115 High Street Uppermill Saddleworth 0L3 6BD

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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). Sir James Knott Nursery School 5

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8

Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 10

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

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OVERALL EVALUATION

Sir James Knott Nursery School is a highly effective and inclusive school. As a result of very good teaching, children achieve very well. The school provides a very good curriculum that meets the needs of all its children very well. Very good leadership is provided by the headteacher and by other key staff.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are: • Teaching and learning are very good; as a result, children achieve very well in all the areas of learning and children’s personal development is excellent. • The curriculum is enriched with excellent opportunities for learning. • The leadership of the headteacher and of key staff is very good. • Governors are very supportive of school and work hard to ensure that governance is good. • Monitoring and evaluation are largely informal and do not aid self-evaluation as well as they might; financial management, however, is very good. • Relationships and children’s attitudes to learning are excellent; their behaviour is very good. • The quality of care, welfare, health and safety is excellent. • Very good links are established with the community, parents, local schools and colleges.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school has improved very well since its last inspection. The strengths noted at that time have been maintained and progress has also been made against the minor issues identified. Significant improvement, for example, has been made to the school’s grounds and buildings. The accommodation has been extensively refurbished and the nursery now has an additional room for creative activities that is also available for parents to use. The school has also been innovative in its approach to new opportunities and now provides ‘wrap around care’ in its new nursery centre for children before and after school and during the holidays. Since the last inspection the nursery has further developed very effective partnerships within the local education authority and beyond to provide training for Foundation Stage staff and to aid initial teacher training. It has also been a time of change for the governing body who received fully delegated powers in 2004.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Children achieve very well. The nursery is committed to the very good achievement of all its children. As a result, the majority are on course to exceed the goals they are expected to reach by the end of their year in reception in communication, language and literacy, mathematical development, knowledge and understanding of the world and in their physical and creative development. Children develop confidence and high self-esteem because of the very good provision that is in place. As a result, children achieve particularly well in their personal, social and emotional development.

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Children’s personal qualities are excellent and provision for their spiritual, moral, social and

cultural development is very good. The nursery’s commitment to inclusion and the excellent ethos of the school are demonstrated by the excellent relationships and children’s very good behaviour. Attendance is good and the majority of children arrive on time.

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The quality of education provided by the school is very good and is enhanced by the very

good quality of teaching that children receive. Assessment is good. The school has rightly identified the need to create firmer links between assessment records and planning for children’s needs. Although activities for more able children are not systematically planned, very effective questioning by teachers aids the achievement of all children. This very good level of questioning makes a significant contribution to teachers’ ongoing assessment. The school provides a very good Sir James Knott Nursery School 7 curriculum to develop children’s learning both academically and socially. The opportunities for learning are both stimulating and exciting and enriched with excellent opportunities beyond the classroom. The school provides an excellent level of care for the emotional and physical needs of its children and works very well in partnership with parents and outside agencies; in this way the

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The quality of education provided by the school is very good and is enhanced by the very

school provides very well for children who have special educational needs. Links with the community are very good, as are the links and partnerships with other settings, schools and colleges.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are very good. The leadership of the headteacher and key staff is very good. Together with all staff, the leaders in school have created a highly effective team. Monitoring and evaluation of the school’s work, for example, of performance data that reflects children’s achievements, are largely informal and so do not consistently aid self evaluation as well as they might. Nonetheless, the management of the school is very good overall and is aided by the school’s very good day-to-day administration carried out by the headteacher and deputy manager. Similarly financial management of resources and the nursery’s approach to providing the best value for the money it spends are very effective. Governors are new to governance. They work very hard to carry out their roles effectively and ensure that statutory requirements are met; as a result, governance is good. The governors, staff and all adults who work in the school demonstrate their

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

very firm commitment to inclusion and this underpins the ethos of the school, which is excellent.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

The vast majority of parents expressed very positive views about school. School is valued for its emphasis on learning through play and the development of their children’s independence. Some parents felt that school does not do enough to help them support their children’s learning at home. However, inspection evidence shows that staff are always willing to talk to parents and suggest ways to help their child. Also, the library scheme is a very useful way in which parents can support their children’s learning at home. During the inspection it was evident that children are very happy in school and enjoy the many wonderful opportunities and experiences that are provided for them.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The most important things the school should do to improve are: • Strengthen procedures, and their implementation, to monitor and evaluate the quality of the school’s work. Sir James Knott Nursery School 8

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Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

All children achieve very well across all the areas of learning and the majority are on course to exceed the goals that they are expected to reach by the end of their reception year.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children with special educational needs achieve very well because of the very good support provided for their needs. • Children achieve particularly well in their personal, social and emotional development and this makes a significant contribution to their achievements across all the areas of learning. • The school’s focus on developing children’s independence and confidence is fundamental to children’s developing skills in speaking and communication. • Very effective provision aids children’s achievement in their mathematical, physical and creative development. • Very good achievement in children’s knowledge and understanding and creative development is enhanced by the excellent opportunities for enrichment that exist across the curriculum.

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Commentary

1. The children who attend Sir James Knott nursery start school with a wide range of skills and abilities; overall, they are in line with what might be expected for this age group. Parents are very pleased with the progress that their children make across all the areas of learning. They recognise that their very good achievement is as a direct result of the nursery’s very high quality provision that develops their children’s skills through play, together with very good teaching and learning.

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Commentary

2. The very good level of support and encouragement provided for children ensures that those who have special educational needs also achieve very well. All staff support children very well in whole class, group and individual work. In this way children who have special educational needs feel they are valued and encouraged to do their best, and they do.

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Commentary

3. The provision for children’s personal, social and emotional development is excellent and as a result, children achieve standards that are well above what might be expected for their age. The school’s focus on children becoming independent learners ensures that the majority of children act in a self-assured and responsible way. As a result, children demonstrate high levels of confidence for their age. They develop excellent relationships with each other and with the staff in school. Their behaviour is very good and their attitudes to learning are excellent. Such high standards contribute very well to children’s very good achievement across all the areas of learning.

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Commentary

4. The children’s confidence supports their ability to communicate effectively with each other and with the adults who work with them. For example, children are confident to record their experiences with pictures and marks to represent words. Another major factor in their very good achievement is the emphasis placed on developing their language skills across the full Foundation Stage curriculum. Story time is used very well to introduce children to reading books and to develop early reading skills. Children with speech and communication difficulties are aided very well by the very effective strategies for intervention and support that are planned with the support of speech therapists. This plays an important part in their communication, language and literacy development.

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Commentary

5. Provision to develop children’s mathematical skills also runs across all the areas of learning. Shape and space are explored, for example, through model making, building with construction equipment and through outdoor exploration. Children’s understanding of number and the Sir James Knott Nursery School 9 development of their counting skills are encouraged and applied to the many varied activities in which they become absorbed. As a result, children achieve very well in their mathematical development.

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Commentary

6. A key factor in the development of children’s skills in their knowledge and understanding of the world is the excellent enrichment of the curriculum provided by the school. The range of exciting experiences and opportunities that involves trips out of school, and working with visitors is excellent. Children learn about the world about them through very good direct experiences both inside and out of the classroom. Their clear enjoyment aids their achievement very well. Children achieve very well because of the high quality provision that is in place

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Commentary

7. Children achieve very well in the development of their physical skills. They have regular access to outdoor provision that provides many exciting opportunities for physical development, for example to engage in role-play, and to develop large movements and motor skills by climbing, running and jumping. These opportunities are very well linked to indoor provision and children develop fine movements and become very well co-ordinated for their age. This is seen, for example, where children very carefully position nails on wood and then hammer them carefully into place.

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Commentary

8. A strength of the curriculum is the extent to which children’s developing skills are carefully linked and used across all the areas of learning. Learning about the work of visitors to school, for example, helps them to develop their own creativity. In addition, children’s preparation for, and participation in celebrations out of school, for example in dance and art, provides wonderful opportunities for children to develop their skills across a very wide range of learning. Parents are thrilled with the many opportunities that their children experience and recognise the significant amount of hard work that staff contribute to enable this to happen. These developments enhance their children’s enjoyment of creative activities. Children enjoy the experience of different media and paint; they draw and make music with enthusiasm, and, as a result, children achieve very well in their creative development.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Children’s attitudes to learning are excellent, as are relationships throughout the school. The children’s behaviour is very good and the school’s provision for their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is also very good. Attendance and punctuality are good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• All adults in the school have high expectations of the children’s behaviour. • Relationships are excellent and children have confidence that they will be treated fairly. • Children make choices about their learning and so they are helped to take ‘ownership’ of it. • Children have excellent attitudes to learning and confidently join in the many exciting opportunities that the school offers.

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Commentary

9. The school has a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Staff have achieved a friendly and supportive environment. Children feel safe and secure and know that they will be treated fairly both by adults and by other children. Parents are very confident that their children enjoy coming to school, and are free from bullying and harassment. They know that their children are cared for by staff who work hard to maintain very close relationships with the parents; as a result, any problems that relate to behaviour can be resolved quickly. 10. All staff have extremely high expectations of the children’s behaviour and a consistent approach is adopted in all areas of the school. Staff treat each other and the children with understanding and respect so that the children develop a clear understanding of what is right and wrong and the reasons for simple rules, such as keeping the eating areas clean and tidy, and wider ones, including treating others with respect. As a result, the children’s personal

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Commentary

Sir James Knott Nursery School 10 qualities develop very well indeed and they are rewarded by being given choices in their lessons and in the planning of their own school week. 11. The children are guided very well to make choices and participate in their own learning. At the beginning of the day, parent and child complete a simple planning sheet that allows the child the choice of a dozen activities, be it the ever popular painting, working on computers, books and writing or activities involving water or sand. During small group sessions staff actively encourage the children to make choices, these range from the choice of a song to what to include in a song or whether to continue with the activity or not. The children are used to sharing and they are given the choice of what instrument they wish to use during a music lesson. By being given these choices, children therefore have ‘ownership’ and shared

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Commentary

responsibility for what they do and so participate enthusiastically. 12. Staff build excellent relationships with the children, who enjoy coming to school to meet their friends and engage in activities which the staff have made exciting and fun. The staff present themselves as very good role models. Their sensitive and compassionate teaching encourages children to take on responsibilities around the school, be it helping the teacher tidy up or serving themselves at lunch time, and so they gain in confidence and self-esteem. The staff create classrooms that are calm and happy, where the children are encouraged to talk about their feelings and where they learn the difference between right and wrong and to respect the feelings of others.

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Commentary

13. Staff understand the needs of each child and, because they pay them care and attention, the children are responsive and attentive. Children enjoy the many activities and visits that are organised for them and which encourage and foster their social development. The praise, encouragement and challenge that the children receive from the staff means that the children develop good learning habits and work with concentration. The ambitious visits that the school organises give the children first-hand opportunities to explore their environment and wonder, for example, at sea creatures, make sand sculptures, see and touch farm animals or visit large ships and a nearby lighthouse. They also participate in African music and dance, celebrate Chinese New Year and enjoy ‘sharing week’ and visits from artists.

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Attendance

Children come happily to school, they arrive with good punctually for their age and their attendance is good. There have been no exclusions.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The quality of education provided is very good. The opportunities for learning are stimulating and exciting and the enrichment of the curriculum is excellent. Teaching and learning are very good and the school provides an excellent level of care for the emotional and physical needs of its children.

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Teaching and learning

Very good teaching and learning aid the children’s very good achievement. Procedures for assessment are good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• All staff promote excellent relationships with the children and their quality underpins children’s learning. • Children are encouraged to be reflective learners and this aids their confidence and developing independence. • The staff’s very good knowledge of the children they teach is fundamental to meeting the needs of those who have special educational needs. • All staff are expert at asking questions to promote children’s thinking. Sir James Knott Nursery School 11

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 10 lessons

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Commentary

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory 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.

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Commentary

14. Sir James Knott nursery school is a school where learning is fun. All staff work very hard to ensure that the environment in which children work and play is interesting and promotes curiosity. Excellent relationships exist between children and between all adults who work with them. The quality of these relationships has a significant impact on the very good learning that takes place throughout the time that children are in school. Parents are very positive about the quality of their children’s teaching and learning and about the many wide and varied learning experiences that are planned for them to aid their achievement.

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Commentary

15. A significant strength of teaching is in relation to the development of children’s personal, social and emotional skills. All staff are committed to a reflective approach to learning as promoted by the ‘Reggio Emilia’ preschools of Northern Italy. As a result, the development of children’s independence, their ability to choose and to take responsibility for their own learning are key to their learning and achievement. For example, at the beginning of the school day, parents and children plan together what activities will be explored that session and at the end, children have the chance to talk about what they have done with their key worker. Because of the staff’s expertise and their very positive use of praise and encouragement, children achieve very high standards of personal development and this in turn aids their achievement across all the areas of learning.

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Commentary

16. Teaching for pupils with special educational needs is very well focused. Most support is provided within normal activities, either in a group or for an individual pupil. Children are very well and patiently supported by staff and gain in self-esteem and confidence. This is because staff know the children extremely well and so individuals receive the required support to achieve very well. An example of this was seen where a teacher worked with an individual child to aid his learning and achievement. Her very effective questioning and explanation ensured that the child experienced success as he arranged photographs on a planning board and chose an activity for himself. The teacher consistently encouraged his independence and ensured the child’s continued success by insisting in a very positive way that he complete his task. As a result of such very well-focused and encouraging support, children with special

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Commentary

educational needs learn very well and make very good progress.

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Commentary

17. Assessment of children’s learning is good. Children’s progress across all the areas of learning is recorded by written observations of what the children can do, and staff use these observations and anecdotal records to plan the next stages in children’s learning. However, the school has rightly identified the need to create firmer links between assessment records and planning for children’s needs. With the exception of those children who have individual education plans, targets expressed as ‘aims’, however, are informal, and activities for more able children are not systematically planned although very good questioning aids the achievement of all children. All staff are expert at asking questions to promote children’s thinking, however, and this very good level of questioning makes a significant contribution to teachers’ ongoing assessment.

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The curriculum

The quality of the curriculum is very good. There are many excellent opportunities provided for children that enrich their learning experiences. Accommodation and resources are very good. Sir James Knott Nursery School 12

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The curriculum enables children to develop their curiosity, imagination and early learning skills. • Provision for personal, social and health education and knowledge and understanding of the world is excellent. • Community activities are strongly linked with the work of the school. • Activities are planned so that the children can make choices, which help them to become independent learners and work sensibly with others. • Provision for outdoor activities and visits is very good. • Significant improvements have been made to the building since the last inspection.

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Commentary

18. The school’s curriculum is very good and meets children’s needs very well. The stimulating and varied experiences provided are accessible to all children, so that they benefit from the very appropriate and well balanced curriculum that is in place. The rich variety of experiences provided are extended to develop the children’s own ideas as well as their early learning skills. Strong emphasis on personal, social and language development ensures that the basic skills needed for children to become independent and good learners are established early. Staff work very hard to provide breadth and depth to the curriculum.

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Commentary

19. The curriculum is enriched with excellent opportunities for learning. No opportunity is missed to make learning ‘come alive’. The children benefit greatly from the first-hand experiences gained from regular visits to farms, the countryside and the coast. Working artists, musicians and other visitors to school bring additional talents and engage children positively. The strong and valued links with the local community add a further dimension to children’s learning. This high quality enrichment contributes significantly to the excellent provision for children to develop their knowledge and understanding of the work around them.

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Commentary

20. There is much emphasis given to creative expression. Staff make very good use of their knowledge of ‘High Scope’ practice, which is focussed on children developing their skills through very well-planned imaginative role play and creative art activities. For example, ‘the farm shop’ and ‘the pond’ role play areas enabled children to practise counting and language skills, as well as social skills such as taking turns, sharing and negotiating. There are very good links across the areas of learning with many opportunities for children to improve their early counting, literacy, speaking and listening skills.

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Commentary

21. Accommodation and resources are very good overall and are used with imagination to enhance children’s learning. Significant improvements have been made to the building since the last inspection. The new ‘Green Room’ provides additional space for dance, music and other creative activities. In addition, the well-planned outdoor play areas, a sensory path way and a garden area make a significant contribution to the very good learning environment. Levels of staffing are good; they are very well qualified and staff are deployed very effectively to the benefit of all the children. The school also benefits from the expertise and support provided by staff external to the school, and this additional help makes an invaluable contribution to the very good provision for children who have special educational needs.

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Care, guidance and support

The school’s systems and procedures to ensure the care, welfare and health and safety of the children are excellent. The support and guidance the children receive are very good and the account taken of their views, is excellent.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Parents and children have excellent relationships with staff and receive very good support. Sir James Knott Nursery School 13 • Staff listen to children and the children are fully involved in their own development. • The consideration given to the health and safety of the children is very good.

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Commentary

22. The staff are very skilled at listening, observing and recording what children can do and identifying where they need further support. There are weekly team meetings to discuss the children’s progress and key workers are given a pivotal roll in observing the child, recording results and identifying needs. The school has very close links with the different agencies that support individual children, for example, speech and language therapists and the educational psychologist, who are able to visit the school on a regular basis to provide advice, guidance and support. Parents are closely informed of their child’s development and are able to attend the school where they receive helpful and realistic guidance and support from staff and other professionals.

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Commentary

23. First aid procedures work well. Because some children receive ‘wrap around care’ in another part of the nursery centre, any normal bumps and scrapes are recorded on a simple card system that follows the child from one area to another. This is to ensure that parents are fully informed of what has happened and sign to that effect. Two staff recently re-took a four-day first aid course and other staff have also been trained to a lesser degree. Fire equipment and drills are regularly checked and the maintenance of the site receives appropriate urgent priority if a health and safety issue is identified. The school’s child protection policies are part of the ethos of the school with all staff following required procedures.

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Commentary

24. The very extensive level of refurbishment of the school and grounds since the last inspection has included the addition of the ‘Green room’, renovated children’s bathrooms, creation of a dining area, new soft surfacing in the garden with new climbing frame and much more. All this has made the school a more pleasant and safer place for the children. Because of dissatisfaction with the previous procedures, the school now administers and controls its own catering for the children. Food and menus are carefully chosen and freshly cooked for the children who also have chilled water readily available.

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

There are very good links with parents, the community and with other schools and colleges

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The ethos of the school encourages close links with parents. • Parents are particularly pleased with the comprehensive knowledge that staff have of their children that is expressed in the annual reports. • The school has an ambitious programme of visits for the children that link to the local community. • Links to local schools and colleges provide benefit to the children.

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Commentary

25. The overwhelming majority of parents hold the school in very high regard and know that they can approach staff at any time to raise concerns. They really appreciate what the school offers their children and they are confident that they are happy in the school. Any doubts or worries parents might have are set aside in a climate of trust that is built up from the first contacts. Parents of children with special educational needs are particularly appreciative of the care their child receives and the feedback they themselves receive. Parents are informed of activities by letters and notes. To ensure that parents receive them, there is a very useful ‘post room’ facility in the children’s cloakroom. Parents appreciate the school’s actions and the staff’s demonstration of thought and kindness, which is best exemplified by a parents’ comment “They are the kind of people you would like to look after your children”.

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Commentary

Sir James Knott Nursery School 14 26. Parents are impressed by the comprehensive knowledge the staff have of their children as individuals and describe the reports that they receive as meaningful and accurate. First experiences of school for parents and children are well planned so that the children settle in well and soon find friends. Parents are encouraged to fully engage with the ethos of the school so that they tend to linger in the classrooms to complete their child’s planning sheet and talk to the staff and other parents about any problems that they might be experiencing. Parents come into the classrooms to both collect and deliver their child so that the links to the staff are continually reinforced.

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Commentary

27. Links to the local community are well established and make an effective contribution to the curriculum and expand the children’s knowledge. The school perceives the local environment as a valuable resource that can be used to aid the children’s learning and raise their awareness of the outside world. There are many visits that are organised, for example, to the nearby lighthouse and to one of the large ferries that ply between Tynemouth and the continent. These visits all provide interesting and relevant activities to enable children to observe, discover and relate to their own community and the natural environment. The children also deliver food to elderly neighbours at Harvest Festival and participate in Christmas events that strengthen the local community links in which the school thrives.

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Commentary

28. Beacon school status has allowed the school to develop links to other early years’ organisations to the benefit of the school and the children. Students from North Tyneside College are often placed in the nursery and the headteacher contributes to training within the local education authority. Teachers from reception classes at local primary attend parents’ evenings so that parents are able to choose the primary school best able to benefit their child.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management of the school is very good overall. The head teacher’s leadership and that of key staff is very good. There has been significant change in governance since the previous inspection and governance is good. The school deals well with identified aids and barriers to achievement.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Although governors are relatively new to their roles they have developed a good understanding of the strengths of the school. • Staff and governors work as a close-knit team and share a very clear vision for the school. • Monitoring and evaluation of the quality of education are largely informal and do not consistently aid self-evaluation as well as they might. • Financial management and the school’s approach to best value are very good.

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Commentary

29. Governors are very proud of their school. They visit it on a regular basis to keep abreast of what is going on and to maintain those very important links with the children and staff. They recognise the importance of their new roles and they are actively pursuing a planned programme of training to enable them to fulfil their duties more effectively as critical friends to the school. They have established committees to oversee the work of the school and to ensure that statutory duties and policies are fully in place. A strength of the governing body’s work is their understanding and implementation of best value; in this way they have sought to provide the best services in terms of catering and grounds maintenance. Their diligence and close working relationship with the headteacher have secured new arrangements that are very effective and from which the children gain significant benefit.

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Commentary

30. The headteacher in her leadership, supported by all staff, very successfully ensures that the school aims are implemented. The school’s commitment to developing children’s learning Sir James Knott Nursery School 15 through play and exploration promotes children’s very good achievement. The very good teaching and excellent relationships that underpin the school’s work are the result of everyone’s clear and focussed sense of purpose. There is no deputy headteacher or clerk, but the headteacher is very ably supported by the deputy manager of the nursery centre in the day-to-day work of the school. All the staff are knowledgeable and committed professionals and together they form a highly effective team.

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Commentary

31. Management of the nursery is very good overall and is enhanced by very good procedures for financial management and the school’s very good approaches to providing best value. The training needs of staff are identified and linked to targets for improvement that lead in turn to very effective professional development. ‘Performance management’ systems help to provide a method of monitoring and evaluating the quality of teaching and learning. The regular monitoring and evaluation of the work of the school and data, however, are largely informal and so do not aid self-evaluation as well as they might. For example, the school does not measure specifically children’s progress against benchmarks of their achievement or against ‘aims’ or targets for their development. Nonetheless, the school works hard to combat barriers to learning as identified with those children who have special educational needs and

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Commentary

works very well with external agencies to ensure that aids to learning are implemented and effective. Such provision is very much appreciated by parents.

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Financial information

Financial information for the year April 2004 to March 2005

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Financial information

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 271761 Balance from previous year 9374 Total expenditure 260840 Balance carried forward to the next 10921 Expenditure per pupil 2308

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Financial information

32. The school manages its finances very well. Day-to-day administration is managed very efficiently by the headteacher and deputy manager. The headteacher works closely with the local authority in respect to the management of funding arrangements and funds are very carefully accounted for and linked effectively with planned priorities for improvements. Very good and appropriate use is made of different funding and the headteacher has demonstrated significant skills in her bids, for example, to secure on site premises for a new nursery centre. This in turn has involved the employment of additional staff to provide ‘wrap around care’ for children in school time and during holidays. The headteacher’s approach to new initiatives is significant to the school’s success and the parents very much appreciate the hard work and end results that have been secured by the school. In relation to the effectiveness of overall

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Financial information

provision and children’s very good achievement, the school continues to provide very good value for money.

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AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Sir James Knott Nursery School 16 33. Provision in the Foundation Stage is very good. Children settle very quickly into school life when they start in nursery and parents are pleased with the effective induction that their children receive. There is a clear focus on establishing routines and children are made to feel safe, secure and confident. In this environment, where teaching is very good, the curriculum is enriched with an excellent range of learning opportunities and the care of children is excellent, children achieve very well.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in personal, social and emotional development is excellent.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children’s personal development is well above what might be expected for their age. • Adults establish clear routines that help children to take responsibility for themselves. • Relationships established are excellent and children develop high levels of respect for each other. • A strong emphasis is placed on active learning, health and exercise and this helps children to become confident and self-assured learners.

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Commentary

34. Children’s personal development is outstanding. The well-ordered and structured day helps children to manage new situations and experiences in a positive way. Established and familiar routines help children anticipate the pattern of the day, so that they move around activities enthusiastically and anticipate what they might do next. They talk about their plans with the adult who brings them to nursery, and with nursery staff, in a remarkably mature way. Parents say that their children feel safe and are happy to come to school. Children work and play together very well showing consideration for others and a willingness to take turns. Examples of this were seen during ‘snack time’, when children demonstrated their respect and consideration for each other as they chatted together, shared fruit and drank their milk. Another example was during ‘tidy up time’ as the children worked together to make sure that

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Commentary

everything was returned to the correct place. They knew where everything should be; helping each other as they go about this activity is a well established routine. Children benefit from opportunities to take responsibility for themselves, and are encouraged to recognise what is right and wrong. Most children do, and behaviour is very good overall.

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Commentary

35. The very well planned and resourced activities help children to understand that people can have different views, cultures and beliefs, and that everyone needs to be treated with respect. A group of children explored some of these ideas with the teacher as they talked about the story of the ‘Ugly Duckling’ and how the ugly duckling must have felt when he was treated unkindly. Relationships between adults and children, and amongst the children themselves, are excellent and this forms the basis of children’s very good progress in this area of learning.

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Commentary

36. The strong emphasis placed on active learning, health and exercise, ensures that children’s physical development is given a high priority. Very good use is made of outdoor learning, music and dance to help children become self-assured and confident. Children show respect for each other’s space, and many of them negotiate with others as they play. Very good teaching means that children develop the personal and self-help skills they need to deal with new situations. The excellent support given to children ensures that children learn to prioritise and organise their activities for themselves.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Provision in communication, language and literacy is very good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children are confident speakers, and they listen well. Sir James Knott Nursery School 17 • The development of children’s speaking and listening skills are given a high priority by staff. • Teachers and support staff use every opportunity to develop and extend children’s early reading and writing skills.

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Commentary

37. The majority of children achieve very well. They enjoy listening to stories and readily share books with adults and each other. The adults provide very good role models as speakers and listeners and show children that they value their contributions to discussions. Children are on course to exceed the goals they are expected to reach in speaking, listening, reading and writing by the end of the foundation stage.

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Commentary

38. Teaching is very good overall. The staff plan a very good range of learning activities for the children, introducing new ideas, as well as providing opportunities for practising and consolidating skills they have learned. Speaking and listening activities are given high regard. During circle time and small group time, most children listen attentively and are keen to answer questions and offer their opinions. An example of this was when children were discussing the story of The Ugly Duckling and considering how the ugly ducking may have been feeling. Most children articulated their opinions very well, some using words such as ‘otherwise’ and ‘perhaps’ to emphasise their opinion. Another example was when a group of children were working with the teacher, cutting out tails to stick on their pigs as part of their work about ‘the farm’. The teacher engaged the children in discussion about pigs, helping

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Commentary

them to extend their knowledge and vocabulary, exploring words such as curly, spotty and pattern. Teachers and support staff engage actively with the children as they go about their work. They guide and support them in order to increase their confidence in using language in different ways.

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Commentary

39. Opportunities to establish and improve children’s early reading skills are planned through stories, and through linked activities across all areas of the nursery. Role-play areas such as ‘the farm shop’ and ‘the lake’ have notices and signs for children to read as they engage together in play. Real experiences, such as a visit to the Boating Lake, help to support learning. The children confidently recorded their visit with pictures and marks to represent words. They gave these marks meanings, for example one child said, “I drew a beak” and “this says”, pointing to the marks, “that it had orange feathers”. Story time is used very well to introduce children to reading books and to develop early reading skills when staff use props to help children recall the story and to increase their knowledge about, for example, swans. The children particularly enjoyed seeing the Danish version of ‘The ugly Duckling’, and the teacher

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explained that Hans Christian Anderson, who wrote the story, was from Denmark, and that this was the story written in his language.

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Commentary

40. Children engage in many purposeful activities to develop their skills in writing and mark making. They confidently use pens, pencils, felt tips and paints to explore and develop good basic early writing skills. They are keen to ‘write stories’ and ‘make books’ and complete their planning sheets, confidently making marks to which they give meaning. Some children are forming letters and can write their first name on their writing and drawings, whilst others use their name labels to identify their work. Children are encouraged to recognise their written name and know the initial sound. As part of the school’s focus on raising achievement in boys’ writing, the school has enlisted the help of dads to come into school and show that writing is important for everyone. One dad worked with a group of boys, discussing favourite foods and then writing shopping lists with ‘dad’ modelling the writing. Writing is actively

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Commentary

encouraged through an appropriate range of activities and adults give good support as they help children to improve their skills.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in mathematical development is very good. Sir James Knott Nursery School 18

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Activities are exciting and stimulating with just the right balance of adult led and child initiated work. • Mathematical development is promoted very well across all areas of the curriculum. • Practical activities are planned to promote children’s interest and their understanding.

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Commentary

41. Children achieve very well in their mathematical development as a result of very good teaching overall. Activities are exciting and stimulating with just the right balance of adult led and child initiated work. One of the key reasons for their success is because staff are very effective at asking just the right questions to ensure children’s understanding. For example, in a whole class ‘circle time’, children were challenged to see if their friend had picked up the right number of animals to put in the field. One child instructed the teacher to ‘take one away’ as there were five turkeys and five was ‘too many’. Children’s use of mathematical language develops very well and is aided by the staff’s effective use of positional language, for example, as children look carefully at the ‘top’ and bottom’ of the field where the animals are placed. Children learn the days of the week as a different farmer on each day selects animals to go

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Commentary

into the field and carefully they count altogether up to 12.

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Commentary

42. No opportunity is missed for children to develop their counting skills. For example, as children were sharing the story ‘Nine Ducks Nine’ a member of staff consistently encouraged children to count on carefully every time a child and their duck had to sit down as the story progressed. Mathematics in the outdoor environment is an area that staff have focussed on to develop children’s skills. For example, children have the opportunity to play with skittles, to recognise numbers and begin the early skills of tallying with the aid of an adult. There are opportunities to explore weight through the use of pulleys and to use shaped mats where they consider shape and space. When waiting for their turn to use the interactive smart board, children know that they have to wait for the sand in the egg timer to fall and so begin to understand about time. In this way, children’s mathematical development is very well provided for across

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Commentary

43. The practical experiences provided to promote children’s mathematical development sustain children’s interest and concentration. For example, children have the opportunity to explore real materials to find out whether they are light or heavy, for example in their baking when they balanced their flour carefully with the weight of an egg. They use construction toys to explore and understand height and balance. Sand and water are used very well to enable children to understand the concept of full and empty. As a result of the many opportunities available to them, learning is fun and this helps to ensure children’s very good achievement. As a result, the majority of children are in line to exceed the early learning goal for their mathematical development by the end of their year in reception.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Provision in knowledge and understanding of the world is excellent.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The planned curriculum for knowledge and understanding of the world is enhanced by many excellent opportunities for enrichment. Sir James Knott Nursery School 19 • Children achieve very well because of very good teaching and very well planned interesting activities. • Activities are carefully linked to make learning meaningful.

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Commentary

44. Children achieve very well in their knowledge and understanding of the world; they make very good progress and achieve levels that are above expectations. This is because of the very good opportunities for learning that are organised by the nursery staff so that children can explore and investigate the world about them.

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Commentary

45. The excellent enrichment of the curriculum makes a significant contribution to provision for children’s developing knowledge and understanding of the world. The children have visited places such as St Mary’s Lighthouse at Whitley Bay, Hall Hill Farm in Lanchester, Holy Saviour’s Church and the local beach to name but a few. Visitors to school equally have contributed significantly to the children’s learning. ‘Museum and Action’ have worked with the nursery children to explore topics on, for example, the international ferries that pass the school on a daily basis. Artists have worked with children in school and they made a jungle for a toy monkey to live in and the park warden has worked with the children and they made bird feeders. Children also worked with staff from Segedunam Roman Museum focussing on how to make a Roman Villa; this activity was then followed up in school when children learnt about

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Commentary

‘Marcus’, the builder and soldier, and his family. Such opportunities for learning are excellent and aid children’s development considerably.

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Commentary

46. Children have the chance to use all their senses in everyday activities because of the array of experiences that are provided for them. A ‘bubble tube’ is available for them to look at in the new ‘Green room’. Without being told children instinctively put on a pair of goggles, knowing how important it is to shield their eyes when they are working at the work-bench. They learn how to bake and enjoy sampling the results, such as chocolate cake, and for many, a new taste of bread and butter pudding. Healthy snacks give children the chance to enjoy fruit, for example, which is provided by parents and for some the texture of kiwi fruit presented a new experience! Other opportunities for investigation are provided through the outdoor sensory pathway and the school garden where children plant bulbs and grow vegetables. Children use the computer and interactive whiteboard confidently. Staff intervene at the appropriate times

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to aid their learning and development so that children meet success and are not thwarted by the technology available.

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Commentary

47. Children talk about themselves and most can offer comments relating to their own experiences, for example, “I collected feathers when I went to the lake with my Gran”. On taking a mirror out from the story sack, one child commented that, “the mirror shows the reflection like the water”. They begin to understand the meaning of past and present events by celebrating birthdays in the role-play area and having the opportunity to learn about their friends’ baby brothers or sisters when parents bring them into school. Children gain an awareness of other cultures too by celebrating festivals such as the Chinese New Year.

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Commentary

48. As a result of these many wonderful opportunities, children have a firm foundation on which to build the later subjects of science, design and technology, ICT, geography and history when they leave their reception year. At that point in time, many children are likely to have exceeded the goals expected of them.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in physical development is very good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Outdoor provision contributes very well to children’s physical development. Sir James Knott Nursery School 20 • The very good opportunities available to children both indoors and out makes learning fun and so aids children’s very good achievement.

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Commentary

49. Provision in the outdoor area is of a very high quality and is set against a beautiful back drop looking out onto the sea and the river mouth. The very many activities available include large climbing apparatus, opportunities to play skittles, to balance on large tyres, to paint and much more. The school’s wheeled toys enable children to develop their skills of riding; they keep their balance very well and demonstrate good skills of co-ordination for children of this age. Children confidently pedal bikes along the pathways, accurately steering and negotiating corners; one child commented that he was ‘puffed out’ after pedalling round and round the garden area. Children throw bean bags, aiming them with increasing accuracy whilst others enjoy the simple pleasure of rolling down the grassy bank! Teaching is very good. Staff encourage and support children to increase their independence and so children’s confidence

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Commentary

grows. Children run, climb, pedal, laugh and talk to each other and staff observe individual children at all times and record the skills that they see the children developing. Very good teaching and learning contribute effectively to children’s very good achievement.

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Commentary

50. Provision to develop children’s physical skills are plentiful both indoors and out. Children enjoy the many different activities that are available for them and the fun that they have whilst learning is a key factor in their very good achievement. Children’s fine motor and manipulative skills are developed very well through access to opportunities to build with different materials. For example, they learn how to cut out and glue, they make models, they carefully hammer nails into pieces of wood, they use scissors, pencils, paintbrushes and small construction equipment. Water play enables children to co-ordinate pouring skills whilst investigating the concept of floating and sinking and in the sandpit children work with dry and wet sand. Children leave the nursery having experienced many very good opportunities and achieve very well; as a result, many are on course to exceed the goals expected of them by the end of

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Provision in creative development is very good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Very good opportunities are provided for children to enjoy musical activities. • The excellent enrichment of the curriculum provides wonderful opportunities through art and dance for children’s creativity to be developed. • Children’s achievements are celebrated well through displays of their work.

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Commentary

51. Children’s very good achievement in their creative development is enhanced by the planned opportunities for them to sing and make music; these are activities that children particularly enjoy. In small groups, their needs are met very well. Children are constantly encouraged to develop their independence, make choices and offer opinions. For example, in a very good lesson, a member of staff let the children choose the song to sing and having chosen ‘Old Macdonald’, they chose the animals in the song. They selected the percussion instruments that they played and followed instructions to stop and start, making both loud and quiet music. Constant praise was a feature of the very good teaching observed; ”I couldn’t have done it without you,” said the nursery nurse who led the session. All children enjoy the opportunity to sing and play instruments. Children’s enjoyment aids their very good achievement.

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Commentary

52. Very good opportunities are available for children to develop dance. During the inspection, children interpreted the story of the ‘Ugly Duckling’ to music. They moved to reflect the mood of the music when, for example, the duckling was sad and when spring time came and they Sir James Knott Nursery School 21 ‘spread their wings’. The excellent enrichment of the curriculum is evident in developing children’s creativity. For example, in the African Arts’ Project, children made masks and props for the African folk tale ‘Thud’. They explored musical instruments, such as the ‘djembe drums’, ‘zebra phone’ and ‘rainmaker’ and they made a crocodile and snake dance. As part of their contribution to the ‘Mardis Gras event’ at the Langdale Centre, children performed their dance of ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ before other schools. Opportunities such as these include the chance to paint, dye and use glitter to make costumes and models.

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Commentary

53. Children explore different media and develop a wide range of creative skills and their achievements are valued and celebrated through effective displays around the school. For example, children select from a range of materials to make collage pictures confidently; they have made mini beasts with tissue and pipe cleaners. They enjoy junk modelling, printing with wood and everyday objects and they paint with confidence and enjoyment and mix colours to create the desired effect. Children’s very good achievement means that many are on course to exceed the goals expected of them by the end of the Foundation Stage. Sir James Knott Nursery School 22

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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

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 2 Pupils’ achievement 2

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities (ethos) 1 Attendance 3 Attitudes 1 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 1 Accommodation and resources 2 Pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety 1 Support, advice and guidance for pupils 2 How well the school seeks and acts on pupils’ views 1 The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents 2 The quality of the school’s links with the community 2 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 headteacher 2 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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