Bordesley Green East Nursery School

Inspection Report Bordesley Green East Nursery School

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103120 Unique Reference Number Birmingham LEA 276848 Inspection number 25 May 2006 to 25 May 2006 Inspection dates Bogusia Matusiak-varley AI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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358 Bordesley Green East School address Nursery Type of school East Stuart Road Maintained School category Birmingham, West Midlands B33 8QB 3 to 4 Age range of pupils

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0121 7832138 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0121 7852703 Fax number 52 Number on roll Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Ann Baynes Headteacher 13 March 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 276848 25 May 2006 - 3 to 4 25 May 2006 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report 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.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

The Nursery is situated in Bordesley Green in Birmingham. It caters for 52 full-time children. An above average percentage of children are eligible for free school meals and over one third have English as a second language. Attainment on entry is well below average. Since the previous inspection, the staff have worked under a number of acting headteachers. As yet, the Nursery does not have a permanently appointed headteacher.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Bordesley Green East Nursery School, 25 May 2006 to 25 May 2006

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Grade: 3

The Nursery provides a satisfactory quality of education and gives satisfactory value for money. This is also its own view of its effectiveness. Children are making satisfactory progress in all areas of learning but the majority will not attain the standards expected for their age by the time they leave. Their achievement is satisfactory overall but the rates of progress the higher attaining children make are inconsistent because at times they are under-challenged. This is because staff do not always make full use of assessment information, and curriculum planning is not tight enough in identifying the learning purpose of planned activities. Teaching and learning are satisfactory. Teachers know the children well and ensure that they experience success when learning. Children have satisfactory attitudes and behaviour and are becoming confident learners because of the good relationships that they have with staff. Attendance is satisfactory. The satisfactory curriculum covers all

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Grade: 3

areas of learning and is enriched by a good range of visits and visitors. Children are suitably cared for, guided and supported but some necessary documentation relating to risk assessments is not always adequately completed. Leadership and management are satisfactory, despite the many changes in leadership. Governors know the Nursery’s strengths and its areas for development. Teachers’ performance management objectives are not specific enough in identifying how standards will be raised. As a result, the governors cannot fully evaluate the cost-effectiveness of their spending decisions. Satisfactory improvement has been made since the last inspection and the Nursery has the capacity to improve.

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What the school should do to improve further

•Raise achievement by ensuring that children, particularly the higher attainers, progress more consistently in all areas of learning. •Improve planning by clearly identifying what all groups, especially higher attainers, will learn when undertaking various activities •Ensure that activities are planned around information gained from assessments of what children know, understand and can do. •Improve provision for the care, guidance and support for children by ensuring that risk assessments contain all the necessary information. •Ensure that teachers’ performance management objectives are specific and measurable so that the governors can evaluate the cost-effectiveness of their spending decisions.

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Grade: 3

Achievement and standards are satisfactory. Children enter the Nursery with levels well below those expected for their age, especially in communication, language and literacy and mathematical development. They leave the Nursery with levels below those expected of four year olds nationally and their rates of progress are satisfactory overall in all areas of learning. 2 Inspection Report: Bordesley Green East Nursery School, 25 May 2006 to 25 May 2006 All groups of children make satisfactory progress, including those with learning difficulties and disabilities, and those with English as an additional language. However, the rates of progress of those children capable of higher attainment are inconsistent. This is because staff are at the early stages of using information from their observations of these children to plan the next steps for learning. As a result, these children consolidate what they have already learnt but are not sufficiently pushed on to acquire

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Grade: 3

new learning. Children make rapid progress in personal, social and emotional development and develop their skills of independence well.

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Grade: 3

Children’s personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, and their well-being are satisfactory. Children behave satisfactorily, know the difference between right and wrong, and have satisfactory attitudes to learning. They have high self-esteem because of the high levels of support they receive from adults. Attendance is satisfactory. Lunchtimes are very sociable occasions. Children use their knives and forks carefully and are encouraged to share and take turns. Children respond well to the Nursery’s efforts to encourage healthy lifestyles by trying new vegetables at lunchtimes, and different types of fruit at snack times. They exercise energetically outdoors on the good range of climbing equipment. Children show a developing interest in their own and other cultures. They know that there are many different cultures in their immediate locality and further afield. For

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Grade: 3

example, they appreciated that the musicians, visiting at the time of the inspection and who originally come from Chile, had to travel a long way with their instruments! They are particularly caring towards plants and animals and they respect their well planted outdoor environment. They make a positive contribution to the community, for example, by having good relationships with the local community police officer.

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Grade: 3

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. The good features of teaching are the staff’s knowledge of the children’s emotional needs, the high quality relationships and the encouragement given to children to succeed. Children feel confident and enjoy learning. The teachers’ effective use of praise to raise the children’s self-esteem and encourage further effort has a positive effect on learning. The children are quick to point out when they need help, and they are keen try out new things, such as taking photographs of the environment using a digital camera. The weaknesses in the teaching stem from the teachers’ planning, which does not clearly state what it is that different groups of children should learn. Although the planning lists the activities to be undertaken, these are not rigorously based upon 3 Inspection Report: Bordesley Green East Nursery School, 25 May 2006 to 25 May 2006 assessment information related to the children’s prior attainment. As a result, higher

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Grade: 3

attaining children in particular are not always sufficiently challenged. Children with learning difficulties and disabilities, and those with English as a second language, learn satisfactorily and staff are very quick to pick up any barriers to learning that these children might exhibit, offering sound support to overcome them. The good range of high quality resources, such as the well furnished outdoor play huts, contributes positively to children’s language development. The staff group children who require additional help, and support them to good effect with well targeted intervention.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory overall, and is enriched with a good range of visits and visitors. Good attention is paid to developing children’s basic skills in literacy and numeracy, together with a high emphasis on developing their speaking and listening skills. A strength of the curriculum is the good range of resources used to enable children to learn, especially the use of the outdoors as a classroom. Parents are encouraged to bring in their pets and the children shop regularly for their fruit in local shops, which facilitates their language development. Strong emphasis is given to personal, social and emotional development, and the curriculum promotes the children’s good understanding of healthy lifestyles and of how to stay safe.

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Grade: 3

Care, guidance and support are satisfactory. Health and safety matters are managed satisfactorily by staff and governors but risk assessments are insufficiently detailed. However staff are aware of perceived hazards. Robust child protection procedures are in place and all staff have received recent and relevant training. Children with learning difficulties and disabilities and those who are at the early stages of acquiring English receive satisfactory support. Outside agencies offer first class support to meet children’s individual needs. The Nursery works well with parents in enabling them to support learning at home. Systems for monitoring the progress children make are satisfactory and have improved since the previous inspection. Staff know the children well but, as yet, are not sufficiently familiar with using assessment information to plan work and set manageable targets for children, especially higher attainers. Daily review sessions and detailed

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Grade: 3

observations of children, well supported by photographic evidence, provide an accurate account of the activities undertaken by the children. Parents are particularly pleased with this aspect of the Nursery’s provision. 4 Inspection Report: Bordesley Green East Nursery School, 25 May 2006 to 25 May 2006

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory, providing a clear educational direction for the Nursery. In spite of the many changes in leadership and management, a sense of stability prevails but there is still some way to go to ensure that children are making progress at a fast enough rate. Staff work as a united team and much progress has been made in embracing the philosophy of effective early years practice. However, there remain some shortcomings in relation to curriculum planning and in challenging the children who are capable of higher attainment through rigorous use of assessment. The acting headteacher has monitored teaching and learning well and, as a result, has produced a comprehensive action plan. However, the staff’s performance management targets for raising children’s progress are too vague and, as a result, cannot be measured effectively. School self-evaluation is accurate. Skilful teaching assistants, a highly

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Grade: 3

motivated administrator and conscientious supervisory staff support the acting headteacher’s and governing body’s efforts with loyal determination. They encourage children to enjoy the activities that are on offer and ensure that parents are kept well informed of all the Nursery’s activities. The governing body fulfils its statutory requirements and is involved in all aspects of nursery life. As yet, it does not have sufficiently rigorous systems either to challenge staff about standards attained by children or to evaluate the impact of spending decisions on children’s standards. 5 Inspection Report: Bordesley Green East Nursery School, 25 May 2006 to 25 May 2006 .

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Bordesley Green East Nursery School, 25 May 2006 to 25 May 2006

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Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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learners?

NA 3 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 3 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 3 How well do learners achieve? NA 4 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 3 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 3 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 3 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 3 The behaviour of learners NA 3 The attendance of learners NA 3 How well learners enjoy their education NA 3 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 3 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 3 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 3 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 3 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 3 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 3 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 3 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 3 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for being so friendly when we came to inspect your Nursery. You clearly have a wonderful time with your teachers and friends. We were particularly pleased with the way that you produced bar charts of your favourite animals and how you planted the many lovely plants that you grow. You play nicely together and you have so many lovely toys, especially when you play outside. We are very pleased that so many visitors come to see you and that you go on various trips around your neighbourhood. We have asked your headteacher and staff to make your Nursery even better by: •making clear what you need to learn when you undertake your tasks •giving more attention to what you have previously learnt and challenging those of you who find learning easy •improving the amount of detail in the school’s health and safety documents when you go out on trips •making sure that your governors know exactly how the money they spend helps you

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

improve your work •making sure that you all achieve as much as you can We wish you all the very best in the future.

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