St Pauls Nursery School & Children's Centre

Inspection Report St James and St Agnes Nursery School

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108901 Unique Reference Number Bristol, City of LEA 278074 Inspection number 9 May 2006 to 9 May 2006 Inspection dates Hazel Callaghan AI Reporting inspector

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

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Halston Drive School address Nursery Type of school Bristol Maintained School category BS2 9JE 3 to 4 Age range of pupils 0117 9030337 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0117 3772361 Fax number 59 Number on roll Mr Steve Hartnell Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Ms Lucy Driver Headteacher 29 November 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 278074 9 May 2006 - 3 to 4 9 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

St James and St Agnes is an average-sized nursery. The vast majority of children are from Somali, Pakistani or Afro-Caribbean backgrounds. Over half of the children are in the early stages of speaking English as an additional language. The school is set in a very deprived area of Bristol and a large proportion of families are refugees or asylum seekers. A small number of children have been identified as having learning difficulties or disabilities. Attainment when children start in the nursery is well below that expected for their age.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: St James and St Agnes Nursery School, 9 May 2006 to 9 May 2006

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Grade: 2

St James and Agnes Nursery is an effective school that provides a very good standard of education. It is well on its way to becoming an outstanding school. Children of all abilities and ethnic groups achieve well because of good teaching and effective support. Leadership and management are good overall and the leadership provided by the headteacher is excellent. She provides a strong sense of purpose and her enthusiasm motivates all around her. Staff feel they are part of a successful team that puts great emphasis on valuing all children and their parents. This united approach is responsible for the exceptional quality of care and support given to all children and the introduction of many effective strategies that promote children’s good learning. Evaluation of the school’s performance is accurate and the result of effective monitoring systems. The tracking of children’s work and progress are good but a new system for recording this

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Grade: 2

data has been introduced to work alongside that being used in the infant schools. Staff showed high levels of expertise in their use of the old system, but as yet they are not as secure in using the new one. There have been many changes in the governing body and many governors are not yet fully aware of, or involved enough in, strategic planning. The school has made good progress since the previous inspection and has the secure capacity to improve further. It provides good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Complete and implement fully the new assessment system that will enable children’s progress to be tracked throughout the Foundation Stage. • Develop governors’ knowledge and skills so that the governing body has a clear view of strategic planning and is fully involved in that process.

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Grade: 2

Children achieve well in all areas of learning. In the aspect of personal, emotional and social development children make very good progress and this prepares them well for other learning. When children start in the Nursery, many have had little experience outside their own families and they find adjusting to a large number of other children and many new adults very difficult. Over half of the children do not speak English at home and have no knowledge of English when they start school. Experience of numbers and mathematical calculations is also very new and many have had very little experience of using pens, pencils, paint or scissors. Teachers take tremendous time and employ great sensitivity in helping children adjust and develop new skills and knowledge. By the time children transfer to the primary school, standards in personal and social development, knowledge and understanding of the world, creative development and

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Grade: 2

physical development are similar to those expected for children of this age. Although good progress has been made in developing children’s language skills and vocabulary, standards in communication, language and literacy remain below those expected. Good 2 Inspection Report: St James and St Agnes Nursery School, 9 May 2006 to 9 May 2006 progress is made in many aspects of mathematics, but children’s ability to make simple calculations is also below the standards expected. This is recognised by the school and additional support is being given. All staff set challenging targets which children meet successfully. Children in the early stages of learning English achieve well. Opportunities to work in very small groups with adults who speak their own language enable children to explore new ideas and vocabulary with confidence. Similarly, the needs of children with learning difficulties or disabilities are quickly identified and good levels of support enable them

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Grade: 2

Children’s personal development and well-being are good. Within a very supportive environment, children develop good levels of self-esteem and belief in their own abilities and so they enjoy learning. Children’s attitudes to their tasks are very good and they tackle their activities with interest. Children like school and attend regularly. One parent wrote that her child would like to come to school at weekends. Children’s social and moral development is good and most behave well. They show care and consideration for each other and usually share toys and resources happily. They understand how to be fair and what is not fair. Children’s spiritual and cultural development is good for children of such a young age. They are beginning to recognise what is special about themselves. They are developing a good understanding of their own culture and that of other children in the nursery. The many different festivals

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Grade: 2

celebrated in school are much enjoyed. Children contribute effectively to making the school a better place. They enjoy doing simple jobs and make simple decisions about how to improve their ways of working. They take turns and help to clear away toys and equipment at the end of a session. Relative to their age, children are developing a good understanding of how to keep safe and to be healthy. They are developing an important range of skills, such as cooperation and perseverance, and an enjoyment of learning that will help them in their future education and the world of work.

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Grade: 2

Good teaching throughout the nursery has a very positive impact on the children’s development as learners. Adult-led activities are well planned and effectively matched to children’s needs, so extending their understanding and skills. Children were fascinated, for example, by tadpoles, and their knowledge developed rapidly as they observed them carefully and discussed them with an adult. Children’s interests and activities are well promoted within the attractive and stimulating environment. Good levels of support consolidate children’s learning and, often, good use of questioning promotes new ideas. Because all staff have high expectations, children try hard and 3 Inspection Report: St James and St Agnes Nursery School, 9 May 2006 to 9 May 2006 behave well. Bi-lingual staff effectively promote children’s understanding of English, using a successful balance of home language and English to develop children’s

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Grade: 2

understanding and vocabulary. Children’s efforts are praised and targets for what they are to learn next are discussed so they understand how to get ‘even better’. Effective systems have been developed to assess children’s progress so that achievement is monitored, but the school is in the process of adapting its recording system so that progress can be tracked more easily throughout the Foundation Stage. This is still to be completed and teachers are developing their use of the new structure, which focuses more closely on children’s progress to the Early Learning Goals.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is well balanced and focused on stimulating children’s interest and enjoyment in learning so they do well. Provision for their personal, emotional and social education is very good and children’s confidence and self-esteem are actively encouraged. Teachers have devised highly effective strategies to develop children’s concentration, perseverance and collaborative skills. This is fundamental to the progress they make as they ‘learn how to learn’. There are very good opportunities to apply and develop their knowledge and skills through exploration and practical tasks in many areas. Two role-play areas set out as part of a house are effective in supporting children’s language development. Opportunities to extend their experiences through a variety of role-play settings, however, were not in use. A good range of visits out of the nursery are made and this significantly extends children’s experiences. Similarly,

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Grade: 2

specialist support is employed to promote children’s learning in many areas, for example, in ICT, art and dance. The school celebrates the wide range of cultures and religions represented by the children’s families, thus promoting racial harmony and children’s awareness. The importance of healthy lifestyles and how to keep safe are promoted well.

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Grade: 1

The curriculum is well balanced and focused on stimulating children’s interest and enjoyment in learning so they do well. Provision for their personal, emotional and social education is very good and children’s confidence and self-esteem are actively encouraged. Teachers have devised highly effective strategies to develop children’s concentration, perseverance and collaborative skills. This is fundamental to the progress they make as they ‘learn how to learn’. There are very good opportunities to apply and develop their knowledge and skills through exploration and practical tasks in many areas. Two role-play areas set out as part of a house are effective in supporting children’s language development. Opportunities to extend their experiences through a variety of role-play settings, however, were not in use. A good range of visits out of the nursery are made and this significantly extends children’s experiences. Similarly,

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Grade: 1

specialist support is employed to promote children’s learning in many areas, for example, in ICT, art and dance. The school celebrates the wide range of cultures and religions 4 Inspection Report: St James and St Agnes Nursery School, 9 May 2006 to 9 May 2006 represented by the children’s families, thus promoting racial harmony and children’s awareness. The importance of healthy lifestyles and how to keep safe are promoted well.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good overall. The leadership of the headteacher is outstanding. She provides a clear sense of direction and enthusiasm that motivates all around her. Teamwork is promoted strongly and all staff feel they are a valued member of a successful team. This united approach is responsible for the exceptional quality of care and support given to all children and the introduction of many effective strategies to stimulate children’s good learning and outstanding equality of opportunity. The headteacher monitors the school’s performance rigorously and evaluations of the school’s effectiveness are accurate. All staff are well involved and self-critical. There is, therefore, a culture of self-evaluation that ensures continued improvement. The school is very well organised and leadership of all areas of the curriculum is effective. Although the system to record information about children’s progress is in transition,

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Grade: 2

staff still have a secure hold on children’s progress and needs. Governors are supportive of the school, but there have been changes on the governing body and some governors are new and inexperienced. Statutory requirements have been maintained but new governors are not sufficiently aware of strategic planning. Under the leadership of the new chair, however, the governing body has the capacity to improve. The school’s links with parents from all ethnic groups and with the local community are successful. The school’s inclusive ethos is outstanding because staff take extraordinary care in ensuring that all children and their families are treated equally. Parents are well informed and staff have a good understanding and appreciation of their life and cultures. This is of great benefit to children’s learning. 5 Inspection Report: St James and St Agnes Nursery School, 9 May 2006 to 9 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: St James and St Agnes Nursery School, 9 May 2006 to 9 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 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 2 The behaviour of learners NA 3 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 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 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 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

I am writing to say thank you for making us feel welcome in your school and for helping us with our questions. We really enjoyed chatting to you and found everything you said very interesting. I thought you would like to know what we found out about your school. What we liked about the school: • It is a good school where you are happy and enjoy your activities because the staff help you and make your work interesting. • Your excellent headteacher wants to do all she can to make the school even better. • You get on well with each other and with the adults in the school and most of you behave sensibly and are kind to each other. • We think you try hard to do well in your work. • You understand how important it is to keep safe and to eat things that are good for you. • You are given lots of jobs to do and you do them well. • All the grown ups look after you very well and help you feel safe. • The school works very hard at helping your families

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

understand what you are doing. What we have asked the school to do: • We have asked your teachers to make sure that their new way of checking how well you are doing works as well as possible. • We have asked the governors, who help your school, to find out more about it so it can get even better in the future. Thank you again for being so friendly to us. Hazel Callaghan Lead inspector

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