Cherry Trees Nursery School

Inspection Report Cherry Trees Nursery School

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109413 Unique Reference Number BEDFORDSHIRE LEA LEA 278191 Inspection number 12 January 2006 to 13 January 2006 Inspection dates Dr. Anna Coyle LI Reporting inspector

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

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Hawkins Road School address Nursery Type of school MK42 9LS Maintained School category 3 to 5 Age range of pupils 01234354788 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01234354788 Fax number 127 Number on roll Mrs.Yvonne Phillips Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs. E Whalley Headteacher Not applicable Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 278191 12 January 2006 - 3 to 5 13 January 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

Cherry Trees Nursery School shares its site with the Children's Centre and provides integrated care and education for children from birth to five years. The local Sure Start programme also operates from the building, offering a wide range of services to parents and carers. On entry to the nursery, many children are still at a very early stage of language development. A significant proportion are from Asian backgrounds and they receive specialist support for learning English as an additional language. The main languages spoken at home are Bengali, Punjabi and Urdu. Less than half the children are from White British backgrounds. The proportion of children with learning difficulties and disabilities is similar to other schools. Their needs include social, emotional and behavioural needs, and speech and communication difficulties.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Cherry Trees Nursery School, 12 January 2006 to 13 January 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school that provides an effective education and integrated care for children under five. The inspection findings agree with the school's view of itself as being good. Children in the Foundation Stage make good progress so that by the time they reach the end of their time in the nursery, they achieve well in relation to their capabilities, though standards are still below those expected nationally. This is because attainment on entry is very low, especially in communication, language and literacy, mathematical development and personal, social and emotional development, and the majority of children are at a very early stage of learning English as an additional language. Children enjoy school because the adults caring for them provide plenty of practical activities to encourage learning, and they prepare them sensitively for full time education. The care, guidance and support of children are good, especially for

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Grade: 2

the most vulnerable children and those who are new to the English language. Parents are delighted with the care provided by the school and are keen for their children to attend. The headteacher provides good leadership and has made sure that the school has improved well since its last inspection. She is supported ably by the deputy headteacher, who works closely with her, to integrate the nursery provision and the recently developed services provided in the Children's Centre and the Sure Start programme. The systems for evaluating the work of the school are well established, but the senior staff and governors still have more to do to broaden their roles and some of the resources for learning are in need of replacement. The school gives good value for money and is well placed to make further improvements.

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What the school should do to improve further

Focus on: - extending the roles of the curriculum leaders and governors to share the leadership and management of the school and help raise standards - improving and updating the resources for learning, especially for the outdoor area.

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Grade: 2

Children enter the school with very low attainment on entry because their knowledge and skills are much more limited than those of most three-year-olds. They make good progress and achieve well during their time in the nursery but do not reach the expected standards by the time they transfer to local feeder schools at the age of five because they have much to learn. The school has accurately identified the need to continue to increase achievement in children's early reading and writing skills, mathematical and emotional development. Children maintain the good progress they make when they are three and extend their learning effectively into new areas when they become four year olds. Children with learning difficulties and disabilities do well because they are guided very carefully by their key-workers and other adults, whilst those who learn English as an additional language make good progress due to the specialist bilingual

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Grade: 2

support provided for them. The most capable and oldest four-year-olds make good 2 Inspection Report: Cherry Trees Nursery School, 12 January 2006 to 13 January 2006 progress. They respond well to the challenges set by adults and try hard to reach the targets identified for them.

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Grade: 2

Personal development and well-being are good. Attendance is satisfactory and children have good attitudes to learning. They behave well, showing interest and enjoyment in everything they do, and are pleased when they succeed. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is good because the school helps them to understand right from wrong and appreciate cultures other than their own through celebrations such as the Afro-Caribbean Carnival and the Muslim festival of Eid-ul-Fitr. There are good opportunities for children to develop into responsible young people. They understand that healthy food is good for them and they particularly enjoy making porridge and rolling out dough. They eat healthy snacks such as apples and bananas, and learn how to keep safe when using hammers and nails in the outdoor play area. The school's strong and specific focus on developing children's well-being and involvement in activities has a significant impact on learning because children are

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Grade: 2

becoming confident, well-motivated learners. They are developing key skills and a good sense of community by helping to raise funds for charities with their parents and teachers.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching is good. All adults work together as a good team to guide and support the children. They capture children's imaginations when helping them to peg gloves on a washing line and make porridge for 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears'. Children respond well to teachers' skilful questioning and are keen to learn. They have good relationships with the staff and one another because all adults make sure that they are treated kindly and included in all of the activities. The key-workers, nursery nurses and support assistants make good use of the arrangements for checking on children's learning and they use the information well to help them guide their planning. As a result, activities are closely matched to children's needs and this leads to good progress.

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Grade: 2

The school provides a good range of activities to help children learn. It makes good provision for children with language needs and those who have learning difficulties and disabilities. Children who are more capable are encouraged to participate in a wide range of challenging activities. The particularly strong emphasis on developing children's social and emotional skills through the extensive use of the new 'Kaleidoscope' room 3 Inspection Report: Cherry Trees Nursery School, 12 January 2006 to 13 January 2006 has a positive effect on their well-being and involvement. Good opportunities for indoor and outdoor play help children to maintain keen interest and develop their self-confidence. However, the outdoor area is in need of development and many of the toys and resources are old and worn.

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Grade: 2

The school is a happy, welcoming place. All staff know the children and their families well and work hard to provide a good level of care. Parents are very pleased with the nursery provision and express positive views. Child protection arrangements are firmly established and all adults work successfully with the learning mentor and outside agencies to ensure that children receive the support that they need. Those who require additional help with language skills are given specialist bilingual support to help them and this works well because children are beginning to associate sounds with letters and objects around them. Children are encouraged to settle in quickly when they first join and older children are sensitively prepared for their move up to the next school.

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Grade: 2

The headteacher provides good leadership. She manages the school efficiently and is well supported by the able deputy and all members of staff. Her high level of commitment to integrating the nursery with the provision in the Children's Centre and the Sure Start programme encourages a good ethos for learning. The school regularly consults the governors and parents to seek their views. Its self-evaluation procedures are effective and the governing body has improved since the last inspection, having successfully dealt with the issues identified in 2000. The school development plan accurately recognises further areas to develop and makes good reference to specific priorities, such as raising achievement and developing the outdoor play space. The strong teamwork amongst staff and the effective leadership of the headteacher puts the school in a good position to go on improving, though the governors and curriculum

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Grade: 2

leaders have not yet established their roles fully to help lead and manage their aspects of the nursery provision. 4 Inspection Report: Cherry Trees Nursery School, 12 January 2006 to 13 January 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. 5 Inspection Report: Cherry Trees Nursery School, 12 January 2006 to 13 January 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 4 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 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 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 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 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 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 really enjoyed being in your school recently. Thank you for making me so welcome and for talking to me. Here are some of the things I found out I think that you go to a good school where the teachers, nursery nurses and support assistants are kind and friendly. They make sure that activities are exciting so that you can enjoy learning and make good progress. They take good care of you and encourage you to become confident. The headteacher works hard so that you can learn in a happy, welcoming place. She is supported well by the deputy headteacher. I have asked the teachers and governors to do a bit more to help the headteacher and to buy some new toys and equipment for you to use indoors and outdoors. I hope that you enjoy your time in the nursery and do well in your next school.

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