Speedwell Nursery School

Inspection Report Speedwell Nursery School

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108900 Unique Reference Number Bristol, City of LEA 278073 Inspection number 2 May 2006 to 2 May 2006 Inspection dates Christine Huard AI Reporting inspector

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

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Speedwell Road School address Nursery Type of school Speedwell Maintained School category Bristol BS5 7SY 3 to 4 Age range of pupils 0117 9030329 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0117 9030321 Fax number 81 Number on roll Rev David James Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Gillian Lowe Headteacher 6 November 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 278073 2 May 2006 - 3 to 4 2 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 amongst mainly rented accommodation to the east of Bristol. Of the 84 children who attend, 13 come from homes where English is not the main language. Eight children have learning difficulties or disabilities of which two have statements of special educational need. Most of these children have hearing impairment or speech and communication difficulties. Overall, children’s attainment when they enter the school is below that normally found.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Speedwell Nursery School, 2 May 2006 to 2 May 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with some outstanding features. It provides good value for money. In making these judgements, the inspectors’ evaluation agrees with that of the school. The school has the strong support of parents and carers, who say that it is friendly and welcoming and their children make good progress. Children enter the nursery with skills below those expected. They make good progress and leave having reached broadly average standards for children of their age. Children greatly enjoy school, behave well and are very well cared for in a safe and secure environment. Teaching is good. The activities provided are interesting and exciting and, as a result, children learn effectively. Visits and visitors ensure that the children’s knowledge and understanding of the world around them are developed well. Adults carefully assess children to track their progress, but occasionally assessments do not show what support or challenge is

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Grade: 2

required in order for children to move forward. Leadership and management are good. The headteacher has a clear vision for the school and she is well supported by an acting deputy and knowledgeable governors. However, the management structure is not yet complete. The headteacher’s workload is too great as she deals with financial as well as school management tasks. The school has made good progress since the last inspection, has successfully addressed the issues raised and is very well placed to make further improvements.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure that all assessments are precise in identifying how children need to be supported or challenged. • Take urgent steps to decide on the management structure of the school and appoint staff accordingly.

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Grade: 2

Children make good progress because the school is careful to ensure that provision is made to build their knowledge, understanding and skills across all areas of the curriculum. By the time they leave, most children have reached the standards expected. Children’s communication skills develop well. They are encouraged to think creatively and respond positively and ingeniously to stories such as ‘Handa’s Surprise.’ They express themselves well when imagining what the village that Handa was visiting might have been like. Children experiment and develop their mark-making skills as they write ‘long’ stories or work in the ‘office.’ Mathematics skills are developed as children identify familiar shapes around them and competently count how many flowers they have printed or painted. Knowledge and understanding of the world develop well as children learn information and communication (ICT) skills or track the progress of the

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Grade: 2

tadpoles in the school pond. Children’s physical skills develop well as they explore the outdoor apparatus. Their hand-eye co-ordination improves as they play with remotely controlled cars and use scissors, pens and pencils. Creativity is at the heart of the school’s curriculum and this encourages children to use their imagination in creating 2 Inspection Report: Speedwell Nursery School, 2 May 2006 to 2 May 2006 stories, improvising dances, as well as learning different painting and printing techniques. Children with learning difficulties and disabilities make good progress because additional support is provided where required to enable them to meet the targets in their individual education plans.

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Grade: 1

Children’s personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is outstanding. The school enables them to make excellent progress in developing their social skills and other personal qualities. They mix well together, share happily and take turns. The children love learning and this is evident in their enthusiasm and consistently good behaviour. They are encouraged to think for themselves. From the moment they arrive in school each day, children make decisions about the activities they are to be involved in. They show a mature independence and move smoothly from one activity to the next. They remain busy and actively involved throughout the time they spend at school. Attendance is good. Through well-planned activities, children learn effectively about healthy lifestyles and safe practices. For example, they thought carefully and constructively about all the risks that had to be considered before starting

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Grade: 1

a charcoal-making activity. The strong sense of community in the school owes much to the excellent relationships that children have with all the adults that work with them. Children begin to learn about their place in the wider community, through working with artists as well as other visitors and contributing to environmental activities. Children’s work in basic social, literacy, numeracy and ICT skills provides a very good foundation for later life.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good overall and, as a result, children make good progress in all areas of the curriculum. Teachers are clear about what children are going to learn. Planning for all groups of children is mostly well matched to their needs. A particular strength is teachers’ outstanding questioning skills. They direct well-targeted questions to children to elicit thoughtful answers. Teachers have high expectations and encourage children to show initiative and independence in their learning. Children are encouraged to think creatively and express their ideas coherently and they are given time to do so. Children with English as an additional language receive good, targeted support to develop their vocabulary. Children learn effectively because they enjoy the activities provided and, as a result, their attitudes to learning are good. Support staff make a valuable contribution to children’s learning. Most staff make detailed and evaluative

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Grade: 2

observations of what children are doing and achieving on a dayto- day basis. However, some assessments by a few staff are too general and describe the children’s level of enjoyment rather than pinpointing how well they understand what they are doing. 3 Inspection Report: Speedwell Nursery School, 2 May 2006 to 2 May 2006 This means that occasionally teachers do not know what needs to be done in order to move children on.

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Grade: 2

The school offers a good curriculum. It covers all the recommended areas and is matched well to the children’s needs. There is a good balance between adultdirected activities and those which children select for themselves. The curriculum is carefully planned and good attention is given to the development of early reading, writing and mathematics skills. Outstanding features of the curriculum are the planning for children’s personal development and the emphasis on developing their creativity across all areas. The needs of children with learning difficulties and disabilities are met well. There is a new and detailed programme of personal, social and health education, through which the children learn to lead healthy lives and to stay safe. However, the school has not yet fully completed their action plan with regards to drugs awareness. Curriculum provision is enhanced well by a good range of visits and visitors to the

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Grade: 2

school, including an artist in residence who regularly works with the children. In addition, the school has established excellent links with local primary and secondary schools in order to further extend curricular opportunities.

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Grade: 1

The support, care, guidance and promotion of the children’s health and safety are outstanding features of the school. All aspects of care for the children are exemplary. Apart from the rigour of all procedures, including those for child protection, this high level of care is the result of the total commitment of all members of staff. The school monitors and tracks children’s progress in all areas of learning and personal development very well. One reason for the outstanding progress that children make in their personal development is that they know they are listened to and that their views are valued by everyone. Children who have learning difficulties or disabilities receive excellent support. Through exemplary planning and thorough monitoring of progress, these children are able to meet their challenging targets. Children, parents and outside agencies work very well together with the school.

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Grade: 2

The school is well led and managed. The headteacher provides very clear direction and there is a commitment to ongoing improvement shared by all members of the school community. As a result, an environment has been created where all children enjoy coming to school and show real enthusiasm for learning. The whole staff team shows a very good understanding of the needs of young children. Staff with management responsibilities monitor the effectiveness of their areas well and create good action plans for future development. Governors are knowledgeable, enthusiastic and fully 4 Inspection Report: Speedwell Nursery School, 2 May 2006 to 2 May 2006 involved in strategic planning. However, they have not yet made final decisions as to the management structure of the school following the appointment of the headteacher. This means she is carrying a heavy load of administrative work and, as a result, has less time to monitor what is happening in the classrooms and around the school. The

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Grade: 2

school knows how well it is doing. It uses its own assessment data well to check its own performance. For example, mathematics was identified as a concern and the success of actions taken is evident in the enthusiasm of, and the progress made by, children. Rigorous monitoring by senior staff of planning, lessons and children’s responses are used to check on the quality of teaching and learning in order to ensure that children make good progress. Parents have complete confidence in the school – “it provides a safe and caring environment for my child to learn and grow” reflects many similar comments. The school listens carefully to the views of parents and children and takes action to respond to their concerns where appropriate. 5 Inspection Report: Speedwell Nursery School, 2 May 2006 to 2 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: Speedwell Nursery School, 2 May 2006 to 2 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 1 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 1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 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 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 1 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 2 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 2 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 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, Thank you for making us so welcome and being so friendly when we visited you. We really enjoyed talking to you. We could see that you really enjoy school and do lots of really interesting and exciting activities. You are really good at listening to stories and enjoy talking about the pictures and people in them. Your paintings are exciting and you have great fun with the play dough. We thought you were lucky to be able to watch what was happening in the school pond so closely. You behave very well and we thought you were very sensible when deciding which activities you were going to do. You take turns and share with others very well. The adults make sure you have lots of exciting activities that are just right for you. They take very good care of you. We have asked them to make sure that they always write down what you need to do next to help you learn. All your teachers work very well together to make sure

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

that you have all the experiences you need. Your headteacher has a bit too much to do at the moment and we have asked your governors to make sure she has some more help. Thank you again for making us feel so welcome. Yours sincerely, Christine Huard Lead Inspector

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