Etherley Lane Nursery School

Inspection Report Etherley Lane Nursery School

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113976 Unique Reference Number Durham LEA 279287 Inspection number 7 March 2006 to 8 March 2006 Inspection dates Mrs Gianna Ulyatt Reporting inspector

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

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Hazel Grove School address Nursery Type of school Bishop Auckland Maintained School category County Durham DL14 7RF 3 to 4 Age range of pupils 01388 604835 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01388 604835 Fax number 78 Number on roll Mrs Barbara Little Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Eileen Heatherington Headteacher 1 April 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279287 7 March 2006 - 3 to 4 8 March 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

Etherley Lane Nursery School serves a socially mixed area in Bishop Auckland, and provides morning or afternoon education for children aged three to four years. When children first start at the school, most have better skills, understanding and knowledge than typical three-year olds. The number of children from minority ethnic backgrounds is low, as is the percentage of children who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The nursery offers an extended service in the form of a daily lunch club.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Etherley Lane Nursery School, 7 March 2006 to 8 March 2006

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Grade: 3

The nursery gives a satisfactory education, although its own view is that it is good. Children enter the nursery with above average ability and make steady progress. Achievement is satisfactory in most areas of learning. In knowledge and understanding of the world, children achieve well, but in literacy they do not achieve as well as they could. The nursery provides well for children’s personal development. Teaching is sound with some good features. Planning in the short term is weak because learning objectives are unclear. Children’s progress is tracked well. However, this valuable information does not influence planning, so children are not always challenged enough. The outdoor curriculum makes good, balanced provision for all areas of learning. The indoor curriculum gives too much emphasis to some areas at the expense of others, for example, not enough time is given to developing literacy skills. This has a direct

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Grade: 3

impact on children’s achievement. Leadership and management are satisfactory and focused on improving provision. Links with parents and external agencies are good, as is the quality of care. The nursery analyses data but does not use the findings well enough to plan school improvement. Some issues from the last inspection have not been fully addressed, although the school has the capacity to improve and gives satisfactory value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Use assessment to inform planning so that short-term plans make the intended learning clear and challenging for all children • Improve curricular balance and teachers’ expectations to give more attention to developing children’s skills in reading and writing. • Improve the links between the analysis of assessment information and the School Improvement Plan to ensure that weaknesses in provision are identified and tackled.

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Grade: 3

Achievement is satisfactory, although the school judges it to be good. Attainment when children leave the nursery is above that typically expected, except in literacy where it is at the expected level. Assessments show that children start the nursery with skills above those typically seen. They make steady progress in their speaking and listening skills, but in literacy they do not achieve as well as they could. This is because expectations are not high enough and opportunities to develop early reading and writing skills are limited. The nursery gives satisfactory emphasis to mathematics and children progress steadily. In knowledge and understanding of the world children achieve well because they have plenty of opportunities to investigate, explore and find out about living things. Children play purposefully outside and improve in their gross physical skills. They enjoy painting and playing in role. Some relevant activities

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Grade: 3

in mathematics are provided for the more able children so they make steady progress. 2 Inspection Report: Etherley Lane Nursery School, 7 March 2006 to 8 March 2006 Good attention is given to children who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities, and school assessments show they make good progress.

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Grade: 2

The school rightly judges this aspect to be good. The nursery ensures that friendships develop because children spend time each day in their key groups. Children show confidence and happily engage visitors in conversation. They take pride in their work and discuss their models with enthusiasm. They play well together and show consideration for others, as when they collect wooden blocks for a friend’s model. The Getting Along Initiative helps those who have difficulty to develop positive relations with others and to understand feelings. Children enjoy playing in the ‘market garden’ and they listen carefully during story time. They take turns and share equipment. Behaviour is good and most children concentrate and work together well when activities interest and challenge them. They know when to wash their hands, and they help to prepare fresh-fruit snacks every day. They choose milk or water to drink. Children play

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Grade: 2

safely on the adventurous equipment outdoors, where they run and climb vigorously and freely. Children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. The school supports charities, celebrates special events and plans visits to places of interest in the locality. Attendance is good and parents say their children enjoy coming to the nursery.

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory, although the school judges them to be good. Adults give good time and attention to children, interact sensitively in their play and encourage their speaking and listening skills. Planning in the medium term is adequate, but short-term planning is weak and does not have enough detail to support teaching. Although adults know children well and take account of age and other differences, the objectives are not clear enough to move all children forward at a more rapid pace. Children enjoy the adult-focused activities, where the learning intention is clearer. Although children can choose from a range of activities which offer opportunities to develop independence, the learning intention is unclear. Behaviour is generally good because adults adopt a consistent approach and children know about the daily routines. Adults observe and assess children regularly, and record their progress satisfactorily.

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Grade: 3

However, this important information does not influence plans and therefore activities are often too easy. 3 Inspection Report: Etherley Lane Nursery School, 7 March 2006 to 8 March 2006

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory, though the school rates it as good. The indoor curriculum covers all six areas of learning but lacks balance. A particular emphasis on knowledge and understanding of the world, including computer technology, results in good overall progress in this area of learning. However, too little attention is given to activities that promote early literacy skills, and this hampers achievement in this key area. Regular routines ensure that children learn to work in groups, take turns and develop confidence. The school has developed good provision outdoors and, although written planning is limited, in practice adults make sure that activities cover all six areas of learning. The nursery’s curriculum operates in ‘workshop style’, but because the range is limited and some activities lack a clear focus, children are not sure what they are supposed to do and sometimes lose concentration. A lunchtime club and visits within

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Grade: 2

This aspect is good, although the school considers it outstanding. Adults are fully committed to promoting the health and safety of all children, and are vigilant when children play outdoors. Children are confident when asking for help or when explaining their feelings, because adults listen carefully and attend to their different needs. The lunchtime club offers a good opportunity for both morning and afternoon children to play and eat together. Child-protection systems are in place and all adults have undertaken training in this as well as in First Aid. The nursery’s good tracking systems identify children who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities or who have above average ability. However, this good information is not used well enough to ensure the right level of challenge or guidance for all children. Adults give praise for good work and children are delighted when they receive stickers as rewards.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory. The headteacher and senior staff are focused on improving provision for all children, and have begun to monitor teaching and learning. Recent initiatives involving the outdoor area, mathematics and technology skills have been carried out, but the management team has not checked to find out whether children achieve better as a result. The school is aware that it has to develop the management roles of key staff and has initiated staff development. The School Improvement Plan lacks clear reasons and detail. Systems for school self-evaluation and for the analysis of assessments are not rigorous enough to identify the weaknesses in planning and literacy. The role of the governors is developing well. They are knowledgeable and offer good support to the school. Links with parents are good. 4 Inspection Report: Etherley Lane Nursery School, 7 March 2006 to 8 March 2006

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Grade: 3

The school takes notice of their comments and has set up a lunch club in response to their requests. The good links with external agencies have resulted in good support for children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Financial systems for managing the delegated budget are satisfactory and the school has Local Authority support. Although the school has the capacity and commitment to improve, it has not yet fully resolved some issues from the last inspection. Resources are managed efficiently and the school provides satisfactory value for money. 5 Inspection Report: Etherley Lane Nursery School, 7 March 2006 to 8 March 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: Etherley Lane Nursery School, 7 March 2006 to 8 March 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 3 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 3 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 3 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 3 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 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 3 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 3 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 3 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 3 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 3 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

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 0207 421 6800 F 0207 421 6707 Ofsted helpline 08456 404045 Mrs Eileen Heatherington Etherley Lane Nursery School Hazel Grove Bishop Auckland County Durham DL14 7RF 8 March 2006 Dear Children I really enjoyed my visit to your nursery. It was lovely to talk with you about the things you were doing. You are very friendly, polite and clever children. I know you are well cared for in the nursery because you all get along well with the grown-ups. They help you when you are playing. You enjoy the stories they read to you and you sing along well to the music they play for you. It was nice to see how kind you are with your friends. Some of you were helping them to find blocks of wood or tracks of rail to finish their models. You have been learning new things in the nursery and some of you know all about daffodils. I know you are soon going to plant bulbs in your garden. I particularly enjoyed watching you

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

playing outside in the garden. It is good to see you running very fast and climbing carefully on the equipment. You all managed to stay dry under the umbrellas when it was raining. I have asked the adults in the nursery to think of some harder jobs for you to do. This is because I know some of you are ready to learn more about letters of the alphabet and words you use often. I have also asked the adults to make sure you know what you are going to learn when you play with activities they have set out for you. This will help you to do even better. I hope you will continue to try even harder and think more deeply when playing, and that you will listen even more carefully to adults and to each other. Please talk as much as possible to the adults so they find out how much you know and how quickly you are learning. With very best wishes Gianna Ulyatt (Lead inspector)

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