Freshfield Nursery School

Inspection Report Freshfield Nursery School

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106021 Unique Reference Number Stockport LEA 277470 Inspection number 21 June 2006 to 22 June 2006 Inspection dates Mr Mike Hewlett 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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42 Mauldeth Road School address Nursery Type of school Heaton Mersey Community School category Stockport, Cheshire SK4 3NB 3 to 5 Age range of pupils 0161 4426944 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0161 4327607 Fax number 77 Number on roll Cllr Les Jones Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Hilary Clare Headteacher 8 May 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 277470 21 June 2006 - 3 to 5 22 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 one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

Freshfield Nursery School provides part time nursery education for children between the ages of 3 and 4. It serves a mixed community in social and economic terms and the majority of children come from White British backgrounds. One in ten come from homes where English is not their first language. A slightly higher proportion, one in seven, has learning difficulties and/or disabilities. On entering nursery, most children have skills that are average or above. The school was granted Beacon status in 2001 and continues to offer support to early years practitioners both within the local authority and in neighbouring authorities.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Freshfield Nursery School, 21 June 2006 to 22 June 2006

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Grade: 1

This is an outstanding school that provides excellent value for money. Its self-evaluation is accurate except in a small number of areas where it has been too cautious. Children's personal development is outstanding. They feel safe and secure and enjoy coming to school. Exceptionally strong links with parents and outside agencies reinforce the very high level of care. Parents are delighted with the provision, 'I cannot praise this nursery highly enough', is a typical response. By the end of nursery, children reach standards that are well above average for their age and their progress is rapid. Achievement is outstanding for all the children, including those with many and varied extra needs. Key factors in its success are the rigorous systems to track children's achievements and an excellent curriculum which is interesting and exciting. The overall quality of teaching and learning is outstanding but this school does not rest on its laurels and

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Grade: 1

its self-evaluation recognises the right priorities for improvement. These include the need to formalize observations of teaching so that best practice can be shared and the quality of all the teaching can be raised to that of the very best. Leadership and management are outstanding. The headteacher and senior teacher lead by example and are constantly seeking to improve the provision for the children. They are exceptionally well supported by governors and other staff. The school has made excellent progress since the last inspection by building on what was very positive practice. Despite the high quality of what goes on, there is no complacency. As a result, there is an excellent capacity to improve still further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Formalize the observations of teaching and learning made by senior staff so that good practice is shared and the quality of all the teaching is raised to that of the very best.

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Grade: 1

Achievement and standards are outstanding in all of the six areas of learning. All groups of children make rapid progress, with particularly strong gains in literacy and social skills. They achieve so well because of the excellent teaching and exciting curriculum on offer. Children work very well together and benefit from sharing resources and ideas which help each other's understanding. In addition, they show excellent levels of independence in many of the activities as they take charge of their own learning. Children are on course to considerably exceed the early learning goals, (the standards they are expected to achieve at the end of the Foundation Stage). Strong leadership and management give high priority to making sure that individual children reach their challenging targets. Where the school identifies weaker areas, such as a reluctance of some boys to engage in reading and writing activities, immediate

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Grade: 1

action is taken with extra resources and time allocated to them. This works well because 2 Inspection Report: Freshfield Nursery School, 21 June 2006 to 22 June 2006 evidence shows boys now make good gains in their learning in these activities and are more interested. Children with extra needs make excellent progress. Their needs are spotted early and support is of high quality. Children who are new to learning English also make excellent progress because of very well focused support.

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Grade: 1

Children's personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is outstanding. 'My child can't wait to get to school and we have tears at weekends when he can't go,' said one parent. This is reflected in the children's good attendance and their excellent attitudes to learning. The school is an extremely orderly community where all are valued equally. Relationships are excellent and children respond very well to the school's highly supportive and effective ethos. Behaviour is exemplary. Children understand how to play safely and know the difference between right and wrong. In activities such as snack time they show clearly that they understand the link between cleanliness and health and safety. In addition, they make sensible choices about their food and drink and how it can affect them. 'This milk makes my teeth strong you know,' said one girl to her classmate. Children enjoy their lessons

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Grade: 1

and show amazement and delight when making discoveries. The school recognises the diverse nature of its community as it celebrates festivals such as Eid. Children learn from this diversity that all people are to be treated with respect. A crucial feature of children's personal development is the outstanding way that the school develops caring and supportive relationships with its parents. Children's excellent gains in basic academic skills provide them with a first-rate foundation for future learning.

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Grade: 1

Teaching and learning are outstanding, resulting in the excellent progress made by children from different groups. Teachers plan lessons thoroughly, are very well organised and keen to improve their practice. There is a buzz of excitement about the place and opportunities to develop literacy and social skills are rarely missed, regardless of the work being covered. For example, the outside shed, set up as 'Seaside Shop', provides staff with wonderful opportunities to engage children in conversation and extend their language skills. They fully exploit this resource. Children enjoy the experiences that are offered because activities are carefully matched to their individual needs. This is because record keeping and assessments of children's progress are detailed, accurate and easy to understand. Equally important, the information gathered is used very well to plan what comes next. Children are interested

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Grade: 1

and motivated by the high quality teaching, often working at a task much longer than 3 Inspection Report: Freshfield Nursery School, 21 June 2006 to 22 June 2006 might be expected with children of this age. 'I'm sorry I can't come to play with you now I need to finish my model,' said one girl to her friend who was keen to go outside. Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, as well as those who are new to learning English, are identified early, supported very well and make outstanding progress. Parents speak highly of staff and of the progress their children make.

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Grade: 1

An outstanding curriculum is provided that fully meets the national requirements for the Foundation Stage. It is very broad, well balanced and highly relevant for the specific needs of the children and their families. It is packed with a very wide range of activities that promote health, safety and enjoyment. Excellent use is made of the accommodation. Interest areas are set up in the classrooms, representing the different areas of learning. They are well organised, attractively presented and well equipped. As a result, they hold children's attention and keep them engaged. Exciting classrooms are complemented by the exceptional outdoor environment of the school. The grounds have been imaginatively developed and children know how to access them safely, using them to the full. The work of the school is also enriched by a wide range of visits, visitors and involvement with the local community. Parents are

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Grade: 1

very complimentary about the curriculum opportunities on offer. 'There is so much available to make the children's experience positive,' commented one parent.

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Grade: 1

The school provides excellent care for children and adults alike, making it a wonderful place for children to begin their education. Once again, parents are very positive in their evaluation of this aspect of school life. 'The pastoral care is outstanding,' said one, a sentiment echoed in many of their written responses. Excellent liaison with a wide range of service providers contributes to the outstanding care and support for all children and their families. The school is particularly successful at offering sensitive and highly effective support for those who require extra help. Health and safety is an important priority and procedures are very effective. Child protection arrangements are clear, widely understood and work well. Systems to track each child's progress are excellent with well established procedures that allow this information to be shared with parents.

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Grade: 1

The school judges leadership and management to be good but evidence gathered during the inspection confirms that they are outstanding. The school has successfully created a learning environment of the highest quality but is still seeking to improve. The headteacher and senior teacher display excellent leadership skills and they set the 4 Inspection Report: Freshfield Nursery School, 21 June 2006 to 22 June 2006 school challenging targets which are met. Nothing is allowed to get in the way of providing high quality education and care. All areas of leadership and management are regularly checked to ensure that they are working effectively. Inclusion and meeting individual needs are at the heart of the school's work and equality of opportunity is promoted rigorously. Parents are valued as partners and their views are sought and acted upon. The school makes excellent use of data to support any changes planned, and evaluation of its own performance

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Grade: 1

is searching and honest. For example, changes were made to the reading and writing areas when it was noted that fewer boys chose these activities. Similarly, the need to formalize the recording of teaching observations made by senior staff has been identified as a priority so that good practice can be shared and the quality of teaching improved still further. Governors make an excellent contribution to the success of the school and are actively involved in making decisions. Financial management is prudent and spending carefully thought out. There is much expertise that the school can call upon and this has been very obvious in the excellent links with outside agencies. 5 Inspection Report: Freshfield Nursery School, 21 June 2006 to 22 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: Freshfield Nursery School, 21 June 2006 to 22 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 1 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 1 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

I have asked Mrs Clare to read this letter out to you so that you can find out what I thought about your nursery when I visited recently. Thank you very much for making me so welcome. I really enjoyed talking to you and finding out about what you enjoyed doing. What I really liked about your school - It is a happy place where everybody gets a chance to show how well they can do things. - You are very kind and polite to each other wherever you are in the nursery. - You enjoy learning about new things and your teachers give you lots of exciting and interesting things to do. - You are trusted to make your own mind up about what you choose to do. - You look after your school very well and it is a lovely place to be. - Your headteacher and teachers run the school very well. They listen to what you have to say and work hard to make things better for you. - Your parents and carers think that you go to a very good school and I agree with them.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

What I have asked your school to do now - I was so impressed with what I saw that I have decided that there are no big things that have to be changed. - I have asked your teachers to make sure all the teaching is as good as the very best that I saw.

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