Lea Nursery School

109763 Unique Reference Number Slough LEA LEA 278262 Inspection number 8 February 2006 to 9 February 2006 Inspection dates Paul Missin AI Reporting inspector

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

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Wexham Road School address Nursery Type of school Slough Maintained School category SL2 5JW 3 to 5 Age range of pupils 01753 536492 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01753 821798 Fax number 120 Number on roll Mr Wal Chahal Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Kusum Trikha Headteacher 16 October 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 278262 8 February 2006 - 3 to 5 9 February 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 an Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

Lea Nursery School, situated near the centre of Slough is housed in buildings dating from the 1930s. Its site is shared with the Infant and Junior schools. The school takes new entrants each term. When children enter the school most are working at levels that are below those expected for their age. There are significantly more boys than girls. Almost all the children are from non-white British ethnic groups, and most have their family heritage in Pakistan. The proportion of children at an early stage of learning English is very high.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Lea Nursery School, 8 February 2006 to 9 February 2006

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Grade: 1

This is an outstanding school where consistently good teaching and excellent assessment procedures enable children to achieve very well. Good teaching and effective support is particularly successful in promoting children's English language acquisition and encouraging their personal and social development. When they enter the school, children have low and sometimes very low skills in English. They make good progress in their confidence and in their ability to use English, both to communicate and as a tool for learning. However, by the end of the school year, standards in writing and calculation are still below those expected for their age. Standards are average in other areas of learning. As a result of the excellent provision for personal development and the first class care and support, children feel safe and secure and enjoy their learning. They gain a very good appreciation of healthy lifestyle issues.The headteacher's

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Grade: 1

outstanding leadership ensures that the focus of the school is centred on promoting the highest standards in all aspects of its work. This is a vision that she successfully shares with all the other adults in the school community and is appreciated by parents. The school has an accurate view of its strengths and weaknesses although it judged itself to be good rather than outstanding. Self-evaluation procedures are effective. This is reflected in the shared drive to raise standards in reading and writing and aspects of counting in mathematics. Governors now have a good view of the school's work but their procedures to assess its effectiveness are not sufficiently robust. The school's overall effectiveness has been sustained since the last inspection and it has a very good capacity to secure further improvements.

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What the school should do to improve further

* Further raise the standards children achieve in writing and calculations. * Improve the effectiveness of the governing body.

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Grade: 2

When they start school, children are reaching standards that are well below those expected for their age in all aspects of their language work and a few are at the very early stage of learning English. Many have poorly developed personal and social skills. Standards in all other areas of learning are below average. Most children make good progress in their learning and the few with very low levels of English when they start make very good progress. Overall, achievement is good. As a result of effective teaching and a well-planned and relevant curriculum the very high proportion of children who have English as an additional language (EAL) make very good progress in their ability to understand and use English. This enables them to quickly gain access to the other areas of the curriculum. Children also make very good progress in their personal, social and emotional development. The school places a high value on promoting children's

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Grade: 2

personal skills and by the time they leave they have developed attitudes, relationships and self-confidence that are often above those expected for their age. Children with 2 Inspection Report: Lea Nursery School, 8 February 2006 to 9 February 2006 learning difficulties and disabilities (LDD) make good progress towards meeting their own learning targets.By the end of the year, children reach standards that are expected for their age in all areas of learning except for writing and the calculation aspect of number. In these aspects, although progress is good, standards are still below average. There is no significant difference between the attainment of boys and girls.

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Grade: 1

Children's attitudes are very good and their behaviour is outstanding. They work enthusiastically and demonstrate very impressive levels of concentration and determination to succeed. They tackle activities confidently and take on new work willingly. They make very good progress in developing important personal skills. They are responsive in class and play with others constructively. Relationships are excellent. Children enjoy lessons and playtimes, are keen to come to school and attendance is good. They develop very effectively the skills that will help them in their future education and lives. Children have an excellent appreciation about what it means to be healthy. The school's work towards meeting the Healthy Schools Gold Award is an example of how seriously this issue is taken. Children understand about healthy eating as they share fruit and eat lunch together. They know why it is important for them to

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Grade: 1

have vigorous exercise at playtimes and as they use the outdoor equipment and also times of relaxation. Children gain a good understanding of right and wrong and the need for rules in the class and in the school. They are beginning to appreciate important features of their own and others' cultures. Children make effective contributions to the school community in the way they take care of resources and as they take responsibility to tidy up the classroom.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good with some very good features. This enables children to make good progress. All the staff work effectively together and share a consistent, caring but challenging approach to their work. Planning is clear and detailed and staff are well organised. The teaching of children with EAL is particularly effective. These children are provided with simple learning targets for the development of their language skills. Teachers know the children's needs very well, and the way in which several support staff communicate with less confident children in their mother tongue reassures them and helps them to learn. All adults use praise effectively to motivate and encourage children. Their contributions are valued and their work is displayed attractively. Assessment procedures are excellent. The thorough assessment of children's attainment when they enter the school and when they leave gives a clear

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Grade: 2

view of their achievement in each area of learning. Very comprehensive records are also maintained of the day-to-day progress that children are making. Assessment and recording are a high priority during all classroom activities. Data are used to set learning 3 Inspection Report: Lea Nursery School, 8 February 2006 to 9 February 2006 targets for children but their use to set targets to develop calculation skills are not yet developed.

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Grade: 2

The school provides a good curriculum, which meets the needs of all the children well. The curriculum ensures coverage of all the areas of learning and provides a good balance of relevant and challenging activities. Opportunity to promote children's personal, social and emotional development is cleverly integrated into the wider curriculum. There is an emphasis on the acquisition of basic communication and mathematical skills but other areas are addressed well too. The quality of the art work on display around the school is an indication of the breadth of children's achievement. Activities provided are interesting and challenging and encourage children to find out for themselves. The curriculum provided for children with EAL is carefully planned to develop the necessary language skills to enable them to take part in all other class activities. The needs of children with learning difficulties and disabilities (LDD) are

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Grade: 2

met well. Curriculum provision is enhanced well by a good range of visits and visitors to the school.

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Grade: 1

This is a caring school where the safety and well-being of all the children is a high priority. The commitment to the high level of care is shared by all the adults in the school community. The very effective assessment systems enable individual needs to be identified early and appropriate support is provided. There is very good liaison with parents. Visits to the homes of new entrants helps to identify children's needs as early as possible, or families that might require special support. The 'poppy class', a mother and toddler group that meets in the school, and the new lunchtime club are both examples of the school's commitment to supporting parents and their children. Induction processes are managed very effectively and, as a result, children feel safe and secure. They are quickly introduced to routines and expectations. Parents have great confidence in the school and are appreciative of the recent development targets

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Grade: 1

set for children.Child Protection and health and safety issues are managed very effectively. All staff are very well trained to identify any elements of risk in the school building and among the children. Thorough assessments are carried out to identify possible risks when children are taken offsite. Very effective use is made of outside agencies when appropriate.

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Grade: 2

The headteacher's leadership of the school is outstanding. She has a clear vision for the school and its role in this multi-ethnic community and she sustains a drive to achieve the highest possible standards in all areas of the school's work. This vision is 4 Inspection Report: Lea Nursery School, 8 February 2006 to 9 February 2006 shared very effectively with staff, parents and governors and helps to secure a high level of shared commitment to the life of the school. Management systems are very effective. The management of provision for children with EAL is excellent. The headteacher's open leadership style and her high expectations have successfully channelled the expertise and commitment of the whole staff team to the school's ethos and vision. School evaluation procedures are good. The analysis of the comprehensive assessment data shows clear evidence of children's progress and is used to ensure that the standards children achieve are as high as possible. All the staff

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Grade: 2

are involved in judging how well they are doing. Although governors have worked hard to address the weakness identified at the last inspection, they do not have sufficiently clear procedures to judge the school's effectiveness. Since it was last inspected there have been significant improvements in the leadership and management of the school. They are now good overall. The school is very well placed to improve further. 5 Inspection Report: Lea Nursery School, 8 February 2006 to 9 February 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: Lea Nursery School, 8 February 2006 to 9 February 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 2 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 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 1 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 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

Thank you for being so friendly when I visited your school. I enjoyed joining you for some of your lessons and seeing how many of you were getting more confident with English. I liked the way in which your teachers arranged some very interesting activities for you to follow. I particularly noticed how some of you really enjoyed having your hands in wet sand and letting the paint dribble through your fingers. I think your school is a very good school. This is what most of your parents thought too. You are well looked after and you really had fun in the activities that I watched. Your teachers are good at helping you to understand what you have to do and you all try hard and want to do your best. Your classrooms have lots of toys and games and things for you to do. I liked the new climbing equipment you were using during outdoor play.Your headteacher and other staff work hard to ensure that you are safe and that you are given work that suits you. Those of you

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

who have different needs are looked after very well. You all enjoy a lot of visitors and visits to other places. Your teachers and the school governors have worked hard to improve the school since the last inspection, and the headteacher knows how to make it better. Your school governors know you and your school well but they need to keep a closer check on the progress that the whole school is making to make sure that you are doing the best that you can. You need to carry on working hard to get even better at writing and maths. I wish you well for the rest of the year and at your next school.

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