Alexandra Nursery School

Inspection Report Alexandra Nursery School

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105142 Unique Reference Number Bolton LEA 277304 Inspection number 19 October 2005 to 20 October 2005 Inspection dates Mrs Anna Dawson CfBT Lead Inspector Reporting inspector

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

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Martha Street School address Nursery Type of school Daubhill Community School category Bolton, Lancashire BL3 4AH 3 to 5 Age range of pupils 01204 332678 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01204 332679 Fax number 120 Number on roll Mrs L Stokes Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs B Kenny Headteacher 29 February 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 277304 19 October 2005 - 3 to 5 20 October 2005 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 an additional inspector.

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Description of the school

The school includes different kinds of provision for children aged 6 months to 8 years. This inspection focuses on the provision for 3 to 5 year olds in the Nursery, funded by the local authority (LA). The other section of the school that is for children from 6 months to 3 years within the Children's Centre and the day-care provision for children is the focus of a separate inspection. The Nursery is situated in an area of economic and social deprivation. There are 124 children on roll. Most attend part time. Children who need full time day-care take up 10% of places. There is a high percentage of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. About one half of these, including two children with a statement of special educational needs, have moderate to severe physical and learning needs and communication and language difficulties. The needs of these children are provided for within the Nursery resource base.

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Description of the school

There are 75% of children, mainly from Asian heritages who speak Gujarati or Urdu as their home language. A very small number of children are from African heritages. Most children have little or no understanding of English on entry to the Nursery. The overall attainments of the majority of children on entry in their understanding and speaking skills in English, and personal and social skills are well below average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Alexandra Nursery School, 19 October 2005 to 20 October 2005

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Grade: 2

Alexandra Nursery is a good school with some outstanding features. The inspection judgements agree with the school's evaluation of its effectiveness. The Nursery is well managed. The leadership of the headteacher is outstanding. Her aims of promoting the well-being of all children and planning a stimulating learning environment to meet their needs are evident in practice. The quality of teaching and learning is generally good. The children make good progress overall in their learning. In their personal, social and emotional development they make very good progress. Children learning English as an additional language learn to speak English quickly because of the exceptional bilingual teaching. However, not all staff are as successful in using language that children understand or in sufficiently reinforcing the learning objectives of activities. Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress

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Grade: 2

towards the targets that are set for them and are especially well provided for. The curriculum is extremely well thought out and the care of pupils is outstanding. The parents are appreciative of the education their children receive. The school is well thought of in the community and is oversubscribed. There has been good improvement since the last inspection and there is good capacity for further improvement. The school provides good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Continue to monitor the quality of teaching and learning and develop consistency in provision.

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Grade: 2

Children make good progress in learning overall. Most children enter the Nursery with little or no understanding of English and social skills that are well below those normally expected for their age. In their personal, social and emotional development the children make very good progress because the staff place priority on ensuring children's well-being. As a result of outstanding bilingual teaching, the children quickly learn to speak and understand English and make very good progress in their communication and language skills. In their mathematical development, knowledge and understanding of the world, and creative and physical development, children make good progress. By the time the children leave the Nursery, a minority are working at the standards expected of children of this age. The majority are working towards the expected standards and a very small minority exceed them. Those with learning difficulties

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Grade: 2

and/or disabilities, make good, and some make very good progress, towards their targets. This is because of the support they receive from staff and outside agencies. The individual learning plans and detailed assessments kept by the staff for each child are used well to match the activities to the children's learning needs. Consequently, the Nursery provides a successful and inclusive learning environment for all children. 2 Inspection Report: Alexandra Nursery School, 19 October 2005 to 20 October 2005

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Grade: 1

The children's well-being is at the heart of the Nursery provision. Their personal development is promoted extremely well. When asked, the children say they like school and like playing with their friends. The small group discussions at circle times provide a useful platform for children to share their feelings. The majority gain a good understanding of the difference between right and wrong. Children are learning well to talk and be respectful to adults and each other. For example, one child spontaneously gave up her chair so that a child with learning difficulties and/or disabilities could sit down, join the group and enjoy making cards and presents for Eid. Those children, who are learning to speak English, quickly begin to understand and speak the language because of the skilled bilingual support and the carefully structured programme that is followed. All children enjoy celebrating major festivals and the cultural heritage of

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Grade: 1

others. The staff work hard to ensure the Nursery is safe. Children are beginning to take responsibility for their own safety when for example, using the outdoor equipment and in their personal hygiene. Healthy eating is promoted very well; children eat vegetarian healthy food at lunchtime and have healthy snacks. Water is always made available. Children learn about the wider world, for example, from their planned visits to shops to buy items and the many visitors such as musicians, artists and an African drummer that come to work with them in school. Attendance is good for most children and is regularly checked. However, some children are absent for long periods because of the extended holidays taken during term time. This limits their progress.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is generally good and varies from outstanding to satisfactory. The teaching of personal and social skills is outstanding. This is enhanced by the high quality of relationships between the adults and the children. Children learn to manage their feelings and emotions very well because staff consistently model the expected behaviour. At the first sign of any upsetting behaviour, staff are quick to act to resolve any difficulties. The quality of bilingual teaching is extremely good. Skilled teaching in children's home languages of Gujarati and Urdu and increasingly in English enables children to quickly learn to understand and gain new vocabulary in English. One parent commented that her child in a few weeks had progressed from knowing only a few words in English to communicating in some phrases and sentences. Although most teaching is good, there are some missed opportunities to extend

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Grade: 2

children's learning when they don't understand the words the teacher is using. On these occasions the learning objectives are not sufficiently reinforced and this tends to limit the children's progress. Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress and sometimes very good progress. This is because they are well supported by the teachers and knowledgeable teaching assistants. All children have 3 Inspection Report: Alexandra Nursery School, 19 October 2005 to 20 October 2005 an individual learning plan. Consequently, staff know their needs very well and plan securely on what the children can do and what they need to learn next.

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Grade: 1

All children have access to an extremely well thought out range of exciting activities that allow them to follow their own interests indoors and outdoors. There is a great emphasis on children developing basic skills. The provision of circle times and the role-play areas such as the home area and the garage promote pupils' speaking and social skills very well. There is a good balance of activities between the activities taught by the staff and those that children choose themselves. The Nursery is very well resourced to reflect all cultural heritages and organised for children to investigate and satisfy their curiosity by finding out how things work. For example, one child spinning a coloured circle on a rod realised the end stop was there to prevent the circle falling off the rod. He quickly made the connection between how the axles and wheels worked on the big moving toys outside. The staff record children's choices of activities and

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Grade: 1

ensure that over time they experience the full range provided and build on their previous learning. The resource base has sensory and light tubes and is a quieter area where children can relax. This is particularly appropriate to the needs of the children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

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Grade: 1

The care, guidance and support given to children are outstanding. The induction period into the Nursery enables the staff to get to know the children and understand and record their individual needs. The staff care for all children equally well. The allocation of key adults to work with small groups of children each day strengthens the quality of relationships between the children their parents and the staff. The care shown towards each child so that they feel secure, loved and confident in learning is exemplary. The staff are particularly sensitive towards children who are vulnerable or who have specific learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The coordinator for learning difficulties and/or disabilities and the staff work extremely well with outside agencies and the children's parents to ensure that the children get the specific help and resources they need. There are good procedures for child protection and to promote children's safety.

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Grade: 1

Attendance is regularly checked and there are effective measures to follow-up absences and reduce lateness. Parents are kept very well informed about their children's progress. The reports detail children's well-being and say clearly what the child can do and what they are to learn next. The parents, without exception praise the good work of the staff. 4 Inspection Report: Alexandra Nursery School, 19 October 2005 to 20 October 2005

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Grade: 2

The quality of the leadership and management is good. The leadership of the headteacher is outstanding. Her vision to promote the children's well-being so that they then become fully involved in learning is shared by the staff. Together the staff and the headteacher have created a learning environment where children are happy and flourish. The school is fully inclusive and meets the needs of the children and their parents. Views are gathered systematically from the children, staff, parents and governors and taken into account. Parents comment positively on the approachability of the staff. The subject leaders carry out their responsibilities well because they receive good professional development. The provision for children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is exceptionally good. There are good systems in place to check on how well the school is doing and to identify where further improvements

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Grade: 2

can be made. The monitoring of teaching and learning by the headteacher has rightly identified the need for gaining greater consistency in teaching and learning. This is a forward-looking school that shares its vision and expertise with colleagues and outside agencies and regularly trains students. The governors are supportive. A small group of them are knowledgeable and work well to help the school move forward. Some parent governors are new in post and require some training and support. 5 Inspection Report: Alexandra Nursery School, 19 October 2005 to 20 October 2005 .

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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: Alexandra Nursery School, 19 October 2005 to 20 October 2005

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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 2 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 2 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 2 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 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 3 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 1 The behaviour of learners NA 3 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 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 2 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 2 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 2 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 talking to me about the interesting things you do in the Nursery. I enjoyed being in the Nursery and watching your activities. I particularly liked these things about your school: - seeing you all get on well with one another and enjoy finding things out - noticing that you are very kind and thoughtful and help your friends - you like the Nursery and your teachers work hard to give you a lot of enjoyable and interesting things to do - that your headteacher does an extremely good job - finding out that your teachers take great care of you. I have asked your teachers to make sure you all understand what the teacher is saying to you and that you learn well.

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