Goodway Nursery School

Inspection Report Goodway Nursery School

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103128 Unique Reference Number Birmingham LEA 276850 Inspection number 27 June 2006 to 27 June 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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5 Goodway Road School address Nursery Type of school Great Barr Maintained School category Birmingham, West Midlands B44 8RL 3 to 4 Age range of pupils

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0121 4643078 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0121 4642080 Fax number 69 Number on roll Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs M Larkham Headteacher 20 October 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 276850 27 June 2006 - 3 to 4 27 June 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 draws its children from a large catchment area some of which has high economic deprivation. The nursery caters for 68 children 40 of whom attend full-time and 28 part-time. A very small minority have English as an additional language and are supported by a teaching assistant paid for by specific funding. About one third of the children have learning difficulties and disabilities, but none have statements of special educational needs. Attainment on entry is well below that expected. The nursery is in receipt of many local and national awards, including Investors in People, Basic Skills Quality Mark, and the National Primary Centre Award. It is currently in the process of developing into a Children’s Centre.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Goodway Nursery School, 27 June 2006 to 27 June 2006

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Grade: 1

This outstanding nursery compares favourably with the best provided nationally for children in this age group and is providing outstanding value for money. The inspectors judge it higher than its own self-evaluation. Standards are above those expected for children of this age in all areas of learning. The children’s achievement, including those who have learning difficulties and disabilities, and English as an additional language, is outstanding. All children achieve very well from very low starting points, but a minority of higher-attaining children could be achieving even more by recording what they have learnt. An outstanding ethos of care, guidance and support is at the heart of the nursery and children flourish in the highly nurturing environment. The recent change to becoming a Children’s Centre has meant a lot of work for all staff. Children’s behaviour and attitudes to learning are outstanding. Attendance and punctuality are good. Children

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Grade: 1

love coming to the nursery because of the vibrant, rich and creative curriculum which gives them outstanding learning opportunities. Teaching and learning are outstanding because of the very good systems in place for performance management. The nursery’s leadership and management are outstanding. Governors are well informed and are productively involved in the nursery’s life. Staff work as a united team in addressing exactly the right priorities in moving the nursery forward. Parents are seen as true partners in their children’s learning and are delighted with the nursery’s provision. The nursery has made outstanding improvement since the last inspection and has the capacity to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Continue to raise standards in all areas of learning by ensuring that higher-attaining children are given more opportunities to record what they have learnt. • Maintain the outstanding provision whilst developing into a Children’s Centre.

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Grade: 1

Achievement is outstanding for all groups of children, including those with learning difficulties and disabilities, and English as an additional language. Those capable of higher attainment could be achieving more by recording what they have learnt, for example, through writing. Children do exceptionally well because their individual needs are well catered for. They are on course to attain and, in some cases, exceed the levels expected for their age by the time they transfer into the Reception Year. A particularly strong feature of children’s achievement is the way in which excellent opportunities are given for them to develop their thinking skills. This fuels their desire to want to find out more and has a very positive effect on their fast rates of progress. 2 Inspection Report: Goodway Nursery School, 27 June 2006 to 27 June 2006 Skills in all areas of learning develop extremely well because of very detailed assessment

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Grade: 1

of children’s progress and the things that might be holding them back, which are quickly rectified. Children make exceptionally good progress in using information and communication technology (ICT). Work with artists and musicians has ensured that children make outstanding progress in their creative skills.

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Grade: 1

Children’s personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is outstanding. Good progress has been made since the last inspection. Children have outstanding attitudes to learning and they behave very well. They are naturally curious and show high skills of reasoning. For example, when working with a visiting musician they wanted to know why guitar strings were long and why the chime bars made short sounds. Lunchtimes are very sociable occasions, with the children making very fast progress in learning how to use cutlery correctly. Excellent relationships are carefully nurtured by adults and children. Children feel safe and secure owing to well-thought-out routines and safety checks. Children have excellent knowledge of healthy eating, which is encouraged. They relish fruit and vegetables and parents are surprised at the wide range of vegetables that their children eat. Children make very good contributions to the nursery community

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Grade: 1

by working exceptionally well in teams, taking turns and sharing toys. They show very good skills of independence by collecting their own milk and tidying up after themselves. They successfully develop the skills necessary for their next steps of education by using computers, knowing their numbers to ten and having good knowledge of initial letter sounds.

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Grade: 1

The quality of teaching and learning is outstanding because of the headteacher’s excellent monitoring and evaluation of teaching, rigorous performance management, very good provision for the staff’s continuous professional development, and outstanding planning and assessment. All staff are true professionals and love their work. They meticulously evaluate what they do and continuously strive to improve on previous best performance. The headteacher and governing body have been highly successful in setting up a culture of accountability where all staff are responsible for children’s progress. Staff relentlessly plan creative and stimulating activities. For example, Jodie and Codie, the two ‘bears,’ have been to the police station where they have tried to help the police solve the crime of the missing tiara and mobile phone. An interactive book which includes short movie clips, has been produced by the

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Grade: 1

3 Inspection Report: Goodway Nursery School, 27 June 2006 to 27 June 2006 headteacher on their adventures and has helped staff to create a highly stimulating environment for learning. All staff are very vigilant about the children’s needs and consistently help them to achieve success by encouraging them to do their best. Outstanding records are kept of the children’s progress in Treasure Books, which are shared with parents. A shortcoming of teaching is that too few opportunities are provided for higher-attaining children to record what they have learnt.

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Grade: 1

The outstanding curriculum complies with statutory requirements, is meticulously planned, and meets the wide range of children’s needs and interest levels very well. There is an excellent balance between adult directed activities and those that children select for themselves. Exceptionally good use is made of the outdoor learning environment to promote language and physical development and very well-planned creative experiences undertaken by artists and musicians result in the children achieving highly. Excellent attention is given to developing early skills of literacy, numeracy and ICT. Role play is used very well to deepen children’s understanding of community services, such as those of paramedics and the police. An excellent range of visits and visitors enhances the curriculum, and parents are pleased with the wide variety of school trips. Very strong emphasis is given to personal, social and emotional development, so that children learn about the harmful effects of

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Grade: 1

unhealthy eating and lack of exercise. This enables the children to have an excellent understanding of healthy lifestyles and staying safe.

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Grade: 1

Care, guidance and support are outstanding and contribute to the outstanding rates of children’s progress. Excellent assessment procedures enable all staff to have a very thorough understanding of the areas the children need to develop further. Regular assessments are carried out and targeted support is given to the children who need it. One parent commented that ‘the nursery provides excellent individual education. Teachers help our children to be the best that they can be.’ Health and safety matters are managed rigorously by staff and governors. Robust child protection procedures are in place. Exceptional support for children with learning difficulties and disabilities, and English as an additional language, ensures that their specific needs are identified as they start school. Excellent links exist between Sure Start and other schools in the locality. Outside agencies offer first-class support to

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Grade: 1

meet the children’s individual needs. 4 Inspection Report: Goodway Nursery School, 27 June 2006 to 27 June 2006

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Grade: 1

The leadership and management are outstanding overall, and governance is good. The effective governing body fulfils its statutory duties. Governors understand the nursery’s priorities well and offer excellent challenge to ensure money is spent wisely. The headteacher is very knowledgeable and ensures that all staff are kept abreast of best Early Years practice, and that they are all well trained and supported very effectively. The monitoring of teaching and learning is outstanding because staff are given clear targets for improvement and are kept well informed as to how their teaching impacts on the children’s progress. The nursery’s many successes stem from the very strong leadership of the headteacher, who really does lead by example. Skilful teaching assistants, motivated administrators and conscientious lunchtime supervisors support the nursery’s efforts with loyal determination. Together, they encourage children to

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Grade: 1

really enjoy their learning and to be curious about the world around them. The school’s self-evaluation is mostly accurate but the leaders and managers do not evaluate the nursery’s outcomes and provision highly enough. The nursery acts on the opinions of the parents and does much to support them, especially through workshops and Children Achieving in Inclusion Networks. 5 Inspection Report: Goodway Nursery School, 27 June 2006 to 27 June 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: Goodway Nursery School, 27 June 2006 to 27 June 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 1 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 1 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 1 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 1 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 1 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 1 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 1 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 1 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 1 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 1 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 1 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 1 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 1 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 2 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

Dear Children What a lovely day we spent with you when we came to inspect your nursery! You are truly having a wonderful time and it was lovely seeing you enjoy yourself so much. We think that your nursery is fantastic and that your headteacher and staff are really helping you learn very well. We think that Jodie and Codie must be the world’s best travelled bears and we are glad that they were so helpful to the police and the ambulance service. We think that you have excellent attitudes to learning and your behaviour is marvellous. You work really hard and make outstanding progress. You learn lots about keeping healthy and looking after the planet, and your garden and outside play area are very well looked after. We think that the teaching you receive is excellent and the learning opportunities are very interesting, especially your trips to the farm. Your classrooms are full of your wonderful work and we especially liked your water colours.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

We have asked your headteacher and teachers to make sure that the nursery continues to do so well for you when it becomes a Children’s Centre in the very near future. We would also like your teachers to help those of you who find learning easy to write a little bit more about what you do. Carry on working hard and have a great time in the nursery. We wish you all the very best when you go to your new schools. Yours faithfully Ms B Matusiak-Varley Lead Inspector

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