Camborne Nursery School

Inspection Report Camborne Nursery School

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111789 Unique Reference Number Cornwall LEA 278779 Inspection number 23 May 2006 to 24 May 2006 Inspection dates Mo Roberts HMI Reporting inspector

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

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The Glebe School address Nursery Type of school Camborne Maintained School category Cornwall TR14 7DT 3 to 5 Age range of pupils 01209 713607 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01209 713607 Fax number 56 Number on roll Mrs Anthea Hedge Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Janet Snook Headteacher 15 March 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 278779 23 May 2006 - 3 to 5 24 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 children’s centre inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors and an Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

Camborne Nursery School is an Early Excellence Centre and became a Children’s Centre in January 2006. It is close to the centre of Camborne. Unemployment is high in the immediate area, but children travel in from a wide area to attend which supports a good social mix. Children start in the term after their third birthday and almost all attend a morning or afternoon session, each lasting two and a half hours. A significant number of the children have learning difficulties and disabilities, including hearing impairment, or require additional support with their speech and language. Most children stay for one year before joining a Reception class in another school. Families are able to purchase additional hours before and after school as well as at lunch time. Holiday services are available as the setting opens 50 weeks of the year. A variety of programmes is offered on the site to support families. Cornwall’s Audiology Service

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Camborne Nursery School, 23 May 2006 to 24 May 2006

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Grade: 2

The inspection evidence confirms the school’s own view that it is effective. Staff offer children with learning difficulties and disabilities outstanding support, especially those with hearing impairment, so that they make exceptionally good progress. Children have an exciting and lively time due to the good teaching and the wide variety of activities on offer. Behaviour is good because children are kept busy and interested. The outdoor area adds an extra dimension to children’s learning. Recently, for example, children made and ate a salad from things they had grown. Children achieve well as they reach the standards expected for their age by the time they leave. Parents are rightly confident in the quality of the school and report that children are always keen to attend. The school offers good value for money because specialist teaching skills are used effectively to support all children. The school has funds available waiting to

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Grade: 2

support a wide range of projects. Progress on these has been delayed because of a lack of clarity over the budget available for the Children’s Centre. The school has a good capacity to improve further. The detail in the assessment records made when a child enters the school is not currently consistent, although it is under review. This makes evaluating accurately the rate of progress of various groups within the nursery, such as boys or girls, difficult. The school is led and managed well. The staff understand the strengths and weaknesses of the provision, but they lack some detailed data to sharpen their self-evaluation. The extended services help families with child care. They also create a happy atmosphere where adults and children can develop their enthusiasm for learning.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure greater consistency in the level of detail recorded when children enter the school to support the monitoring of their progress. • Use all available funds promptly to support children’s learning, once the children’s centre budget is confirmed.

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Grade: 2

Children’s achievement is good. This confirms the school’s own view. Many children start in the nursery with skills and experiences below the level expected for their age, especially in communication and language skills. By the end of the year, most have progressed to the level typically expected. Achievement in mathematics has improved this year as the programme has been developed. Children develop good social and personal skills. Their knowledge of the world around them is exceptionally good, as is their physical development. Those with learning difficulties and disabilities flourish as a result of the expertise, care and patience of the staff. All children are challenged effectively to help them achieve their best and they exploit the many opportunities to be creative. 2 Inspection Report: Camborne Nursery School, 23 May 2006 to 24 May 2006

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Grade: 2

Personal development and well-being are good. Parents report a high level of satisfaction with the care and stimulation offered by the nursery staff and inspection evidence supports this view. One wrote ‘My child has gained great confidence and is fully prepared to move on to primary school’. Parents are very pleased with the support given to those with learning difficulties and disabilities. Children’s spiritual development is enhanced by the garden; birds in the garden cause children to watch, listen and reflect. They were also amazed when their chrysalis turned into a beautiful butterfly. Behaviour is good and children are keen to help each other and the staff; however, a few are allowed to dominate some group discussions. Clear routines help them understand what is right and wrong. Attendance is good; children enjoy coming to school as it is an exciting place. Trips, such as that to the Eden Project,

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Grade: 2

widen their experience. They learn to respect each other and find out about people from many cultures because they have a link with a nursery that is ethnically diverse. There are excellent opportunities for parents to be involved in family learning which start in the mother, baby and toddler group held on the site. Staff also offer encouragement and support so parents can gain access to further training or employment. This contributes positively to children’s well-being. Parents are encouraged to provide healthy items in the lunch boxes and all children enjoy healthy snacks. The extensive opportunities for physical activity ensure children get plenty of exercise and fresh air.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. Children make good progress in their social skills and personal development because most staff set clear boundaries and have high expectations. Children are curious and explore the exciting activities on offer with enthusiasm. These activities effectively stimulate the development of children’s speech and vocabulary. Staff are good at listening and asking questions that develop language and learning. They support children to recall what they have done, often typing it on the computer so the child sees how the spoken word is turned into writing. The planned themes really capture children’s imagination. Activities are adapted thoughtfully to each child’s need, including children with learning difficulties and disabilities. Individual ‘home to school’ books are sometimes used to ensure continuity of approach for children with specific needs. The staff keep a detailed check on all children’s progress

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Grade: 2

and use the information well to plan the next steps forward. Children enjoy stories and staff find quiet moments to share books with individual children, as well as in group times. Adults are skilled in supporting play both indoors and outside so that children are encouraged to extend their own ideas and concentration effectively. Children’s physical skills are exceptionally good due to the wide range of resources 3 Inspection Report: Camborne Nursery School, 23 May 2006 to 24 May 2006 and the care and support they receive, for example, when using real hammers to nail pieces of wood.

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Grade: 2

The school has a good curriculum, planning is detailed and ensures a fun-filled curriculum each day. All children are included. Staff value children’s responses and build on them so the curriculum is dynamic. Links with the community are good and visitors come to the school to support some of the themes. Topics take account of the seasons and include careful consideration of how the garden can be used to promote learning. However, the exciting redevelopment which has been planned is held up due to the uncertainty over the budget. A recent sponsored walk with mothers, babies and toddlers was much enjoyed. The sensory room and soft play equipment are well used to stimulate and engage the younger children in the community room. A wide range of planned extra provision includes before and after school sessions that parents find very helpful. The club held before school, for the children who have had breakfast, is

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Grade: 2

a popular new addition. It provides care for children who have had their breakfast so parents can take older children to school. It also enables parents to get to training or work on time. Children who attend have time to settle and relax so they start the nursery session ready to learn.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good. The school is a secure and safe place. Staff are well trained in child protection procedures. Risk assessments are carried out regularly. Children also learn to judge and minimise risks when, for example, they use the woodworking equipment or decide that they are ready to try climbing the monkey bars. The well planned group and individual work meets the needs of all, so they become happy, confident and independent in their learning. Although the detail in the first assessment varies, staff take considerable time to build on this. They review each child’s progress with them and discuss what they could try next. Parents are well informed about what children learn. Coffee mornings for sharing information are very popular. Good support is offered by the additional services so parents of younger children can gain access to any community service they need.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher has worked hard to foster a team approach to developing the provision. She, together with the newly appointed assistant head, monitors the work of the nursery and the quality of interaction between staff and children regularly. Self-evaluation has led staff to review the provision for mathematics effectively. The governors have a clear policy regarding their role in supporting and challenging the school. They take a very active interest in the school, 4 Inspection Report: Camborne Nursery School, 23 May 2006 to 24 May 2006 helping to evaluate the progress it is making. The day-to-day finances are managed well. The school development plan has clear priorities. However, as it is now a Children’s Centre, the improvements are dependent upon clarification of the centre’s exact budget. Appropriate adaptations have been made to accommodate the younger children now

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Grade: 2

being admitted. The school has effectively dealt with the issues from the last inspection. Parents, the wider community and other providers are being appropriately involved in the development of the centre. 5 Inspection Report: Camborne Nursery School, 23 May 2006 to 24 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: Camborne Nursery School, 23 May 2006 to 24 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 1 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 2 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 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 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 NA 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 letting us see all the exciting activities you do in your nursery. I especially enjoyed watching you hammering in nails outside on your woodwork bench. The salad you made from the things you grew looked very tasty. I am glad you are learning about healthy food. You go to a lovely school and all the staff care about you. They help you to learn lots and lots. You are kind to each other and you help your teachers at tidy up time. The garden is great fun and it was good to see you digging in the sand pit, climbing on the monkey bars and enjoying your new equipment. You are good at keeping fit. I have asked your headteacher to get the work started on your exciting new garden project as soon as she is sure the school has enough money. I think she also wants to buy some new computers and to make sure there are some more things for your mums and dads to do in the Sunshine room. I asked your teachers to make sure they all write enough about what you can do when you first

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

come to school. Then, they can look back and see how well boys and girls are getting on as the year goes by. I expect you would all like to look back at the things you have done as well. The photos in the folders showed me some of the good things you have done. Best wishes to you all. I am sorry I was not there to see when you set your butterflies free.

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