Hoyle Nursery School

105283 Unique Reference Number Bury LEA 277331 Inspection number 15 November 2005 to 16 November 2005 Inspection dates Mr Brian Padgett HMI Reporting inspector

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

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Chesham Fold Road School address Nursery Type of school Bury Community School category Lancashire BL9 6HR 3 to 5 Age range of pupils 0161 761 6822 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0161 763 5427 Fax number 90 Number on roll Mr Trevor Holt Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Val Kay Headteacher 20 March 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 277331 15 November 2005 - 3 to 5 16 November 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 one of Her Majesty's Inspectors.

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Description of the school

The centre provides for children from birth to five years in three stages: babies from 0 to 2 years, toddlers from 2 to 3 years, and 3 to 4 year olds in the Foundation Stage (Nursery) class. There are 44 children in the Foundation Stage class, two of whom are old enough to attend primary school. Only the provision for children in the Foundation Stage class was inspected. The provision for the younger children was inspected in January 2005 by Ofsted's Early Years Division. That inspection report is available from the school and on the Ofsted website, reference EY 281714. Five years ago, at the time of the last full inspection, this was a nursery school with a parents' unit. Since then the school has been rebuilt. It has broadened its remit and undergone several changes in status. It became Bury's first Children's Centre in April 2005, offering full-time care for children from 0 to 5 years, and acting as a focus for

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Description of the school

children's services in the community. The school has specialised in providing for young children with learning difficulties in speech and communication, and autism, for several years. This provision is now recognised formally by the local authority. Thirteen of the children have statements of special educational need in these categories, 11 of whom are in the Foundation Stage classroom. The centre serves a socially and economically disadvantaged community. Many of the children in the Foundation Stage class who stay for the morning session have a school meal free of charge. There are several children whose home language is not English, some of whom are refugees. Several children are from families registered with social services, including a few who are in the care of the local authority. The level of knowledge, skills and understanding of the children without statements is well below average when they enter the Foundation Stage class.

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Description of the school

The school has a new headteacher and head of centre. She took up her post in July 2005, in time for the start of the new school year.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Hoyle Nursery School, 15 November 2005 to 16 November 2005

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Grade: 3

The Foundation Stage class provides a sound education and satisfactory value for money. Standards are below average for children of this age, although they make at least satisfactory progress. The strengths and weaknesses identified by the inspection are the same as those identified by the new headteacher. The care and support for children is excellent and their personal development is good. Teaching and learning are satisfactory. The curriculum is satisfactory. The many children with severe communication difficulties and autism make good progress, but others make only satisfactory progress because they receive less attention than those with severe special needs. Not enough improvement has taken place since the last inspection. However, the new headteacher has made a very good start in improving teaching and learning, making most of support staff and setting up strong leadership and management for the future of the centre. There is much still to do; for example, in checking to make

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Grade: 3

sure improvements lead to increased achievement. However, the prospect for further improvement is good.

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What the school should do to improve further

The school should: • continue to improve teaching and learning by making learning areas more exciting for children, and by more effective assessment; • ensure children without statements of special need have equal opportunities to achieve fully; • place more emphasis on checking the effectiveness of the centre's work through the impact it has on children's achievements and development.

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Grade: 3

Children's achievement is satisfactory and they make sound progress in the Foundation Stage class. Children with statements achieve well. Their good progress is due to the level of attention and care they receive and to the expertise that staff have developed in providing for them. Standards overall are below average: most children acquire levels of knowledge and skill in literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) that are below those most children of this age have acquired. In some areas of learning, children make good progress. These are in their personal and social development, in their physical development and in aspects of creative development, such as in dance and singing. Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, including those with statements of special need, make good progress towards the targets in their individual education plans. Other children do not have individual targets

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Grade: 3

and in general, their achievement suffers from a lack of challenge in areas of learning such as in early reading, writing, and mathematics and in their developing knowledge and understanding of the world. 2 Inspection Report: Hoyle Nursery School, 15 November 2005 to 16 November 2005

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Grade: 2

Children's personal development is good. They enjoy their learning and become fully involved in the activities that are provided for them and those they choose for themselves. All children are happy and secure in the class due to the excellent care and the genuine welcome provided by the staff. Many children find making friends and mixing with others very difficult and they do remarkably well in these respects, something parents are very pleased about. Children's self esteem and confidence grow strongly, even though for some, this is measured in very small steps, such as holding eye contact for just a few seconds. Making choices to eat healthily and taking regular physical exercise are part of the daily routine for all children, ensured by carefully organised snack times and the development of a high quality outdoor learning area.

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory. The staff are invariably kind and patient with children. They manage behaviour positively and successfully, and permanent staff are particularly expert in managing the behaviour of children with communication difficulties and autism. The warmth of relationships between staff and children is a strong feature of the teaching, as is the full involvement of teaching assistants in the teaching and learning of all the children. However, the often pressing needs of the large proportion of children (a quarter of the class) with severe communication difficulties and autism make heavy demands on staff time, to the extent that sufficient attention to meet the needs of the other children cannot be guaranteed. Learning opportunities for personal and social development, physical development, ICT and for aspects of creative development are good, but those for early reading and

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Grade: 3

writing, mathematics, and knowledge and understanding of the world are no better than satisfactory. This is partly because areas such as the book corner, writing area, construction, mathematics, small world and role play areas are not sufficiently stimulating. During the inspection, few children chose to play in them. At present, the teaching in the Foundation Stage class is not sufficiently informed by good practice. The new headteacher has made it a priority to improve planning and assessment in the class, in line with the national guidance for the Foundation Stage. Better use of the finely graded steps in each area of learning, called the 'Stepping Stones', is being made to track the progress of each child and inform the next stages of teaching and learning. However, these developments are as yet at an early stage and are not fully embedded. 3 Inspection Report: Hoyle Nursery School, 15 November 2005 to 16 November 2005

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is suitably broad and appropriate to the age of the children. It is based firmly on the areas of learning for children of this age. Children are free to play and work in all the areas during the day, and the development of the outdoor area has made this a favourite for many children. High quality experiences are offered here, such as the 'construction gang' fixing the roof on the summer house, and the 'dinosaur world' play area, observed during the inspection. These experiences caught the imagination and interest of the children and promoted their learning. Throughout the curriculum, staff create opportunities to promote personal and social development very skilfully. The presence of so many children with particular and severe learning difficulties has influenced the way the curriculum has developed. Song and dance, for example, have been successfully developed, and staff make good use of general and

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Grade: 3

specific programmes to improve children's communication skills. Such children often stay for morning and afternoon sessions, and their learning is reinforced. However, opportunities to develop early reading, writing, mathematics, and to investigate and explore are less emphasised, and this disproportionately affects the learning prospects of the children who do not have such special learning needs.

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Grade: 2

The care and support for children are excellent. The commitment of staff to pupils is uncompromising. The headteacher and all staff ensure that children feel welcome, and that they are safe and secure. The school has the confidence and trust of the parents. It has very strong links with associated support agencies, such as health and speech therapy. All these features have a positive effect on creating an environment where children can do their best. However, the centre hopes to raise achievement on entry to the Foundation Stage class significantly in the coming years by developing parents' skills and opportunities, influencing children's development from a very early age, strengthening the links with support agencies even further, and in providing full day care for families in the community. The guidance provided for children is satisfactory. Staff provide good guidance for children in their personal development but, apart from children with individual

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Grade: 2

education plans, assessment does not identify sufficiently rigorously what it is that children need to do to make good progress in the basic skills of early reading, writing and numeracy.

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Grade: 3

Since the last inspection the school has continued to provide a valuable and in many ways unique community service for very vulnerable children and their parents. However, despite improvements in ICT and the maintenance of important strengths such as its 4 Inspection Report: Hoyle Nursery School, 15 November 2005 to 16 November 2005 care for children, the leadership and management have not made adequate improvement since then. The quality of provision in the Foundation Stage class has fallen behind what is accepted as good practice. The leadership and management have not shared the vision and direction of development with key stakeholders, such as many of the staff and the governing body, so they have not been properly informed and accountable and unaware of shortfalls in provision. The high proportion of children with severe learning difficulties and disabilities has been allowed to grow to the extent where meeting their

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Grade: 3

complex needs takes up so much of the staff's time and attention that the needs of the other children are not fully met. In a very short time, the new headteacher has recognised the shortfalls and rapidly improved the provision to the point at which it is satisfactory. This has been done by introducing sweeping changes. She has conducted a root and branch review of the way support staff are deployed and changed this to ensure all pupils have access to their time and expertise. Even so, the proportion of children with severe learning needs in relation to the numbers of staff is too high for them to give sufficient attention to the other children and ensure they make maximum progress. Planning and assessment in the Foundation Stage class is now based on nationally recommended guidance for children of this age. The management structure has been improved to fully reflect the work of a children's centre and responsibilities clarified. Also, she has shared her vision

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Grade: 3

for the future with all parties, including governors, so that all have a stake in its realisation. Teamwork and morale are good. There is a new sense of direction and involvement. The school has turned a corner. Few improvements are fully embedded as yet, but the capacity for improvement is good. 5 Inspection Report: Hoyle Nursery School, 15 November 2005 to 16 November 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: Hoyle Nursery School, 15 November 2005 to 16 November 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 3 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 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 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 2 The behaviour of learners NA 3 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 3 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 3 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 2 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 NA Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse NA 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 NA 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 your help when I inspected your nursery class. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there watching you learning and talking to you and your teachers. I would like to share with you what I thought about it all. There were a lot of good things. Everybody is made to feel welcome at Hoyle, as soon as you step in the door, someone greets you. Your teachers and helpers are kind and patient with you, and that helps you settle and relax so you can do your best. You are lucky to have so many people in N3 who know you very well and look after you so carefully. I thought you played well in the outdoor area, especially when some of you were fixing the roof of the shed. You join in with singing well. You are also beginning to choose healthy things to eat in snack time, which will make you strong. I have asked the school to try and make some of the areas in the class more exciting; I noticed you didn't play in some of them very much, like the home corner and construction. I've also

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

asked for every one of you to have targets for you to work towards, especially in your reading, writing and number work. Your teachers are very good at looking after those of you who find learning really difficult, so I've asked them to make sure that in future all of you get just the same amount of attention as those who find learning very hard. So good luck and keep enjoying your learning. I hope you enjoy Christmas and using those bells you were decorating so beautifully.

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