Tudhoe Moor Nursery School

Inspection Report Tudhoe Moor Nursery School

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113991 Unique Reference Number Durham LEA 279290 Inspection number 11 July 2006 to 12 July 2006 Inspection dates Mr Iain Rodger Reporting inspector

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

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Tudhoe Moor School address Nursery Type of school Spennymoor Maintained School category County Durham, DL16 6EX 3 to 4 Age range of pupils 01388 816112 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01388 819657 Fax number 56 Number on roll Mr Fred Walker Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Sandra Heslop Headteacher 1 November 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279290 11 July 2006 - 3 to 4 12 July 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

Tudhoe Moor Nursery serves a wide area, parts of which have high deprivation. All but a very few children are from a White British background and most attend part-time. No child is learning English as an additional language. Over a third of the children have learning difficulties and/or disabilities, including a small number of children who have formal statements of their needs. The school runs pre-nursery and parent and toddler groups. A ‘Sure Start’ programme and a Children’s Centre share the same building. The school also runs an outreach service for children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities in the locality. Much of the current school year has been disrupted by extensive building work.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Tudhoe Moor Nursery School, 11 July 2006 to 12 July 2006

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Grade: 1

The inspection confirms the views of the school, parents and children that Tudhoe Moor Nursery is an outstanding school. One parent commented that ‘my girls have been given an extremely positive start to their education’. The school has responded to local needs by starting a pre-nursery group, a playgroup and breakfast and lunch clubs on the school site. The recent extensive building work has not been allowed to interfere with the quality of the provision. The children enter with attainments that are generally below those usually found. The strong emphasis on developing social skills results in excellent personal development and outstanding behaviour. Teaching is exceptional and so children learn very well. The curriculum is outstanding and children make very good gains in all areas of learning, especially in mathematical, social and physical development. The children make rapid improvement in their speaking skills

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Grade: 1

and broaden their vocabulary. Their knowledge of the separate sounds in words and how these are represented by letters is average. Leadership and management are outstanding. The headteacher recognises the school’s many strengths but there is no complacency. Although no issues for improvement were raised at the last inspection, there has been a constant striving for improvement. The school has a strong capacity to improve further. It offers very good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Implement plans to help the children link sounds to letters.

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Grade: 1

Children enter the nursery with attainments that are below local averages overall and with particular weaknesses in language, mathematical and physical skills. The excellent curriculum and strong teaching enable children to make exceptional progress in most areas of learning, with particularly strong achievement in mathematical, social and physical development. The children also make excellent progress in the development of their speaking skills, including their vocabulary. For example, children used the words ‘fragile’ and ‘delicate’ to describe an egg. The children make average progress in their understanding of the sounds that letters make. All staff make excellent use of their knowledge of individual children to build on their previous learning. Careful monitoring ensures all children make as much progress as possible. Observations during the inspection and examination of the comprehensive records confirm the school’s view that, by the time children leave the nursery, the vast

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Grade: 1

majority are working at or above the typical level for their age in all areas of learning. This demonstrates excellent achievement for all children. Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities receive very good support and achieve very well. 2 Inspection Report: Tudhoe Moor Nursery School, 11 July 2006 to 12 July 2006

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Grade: 1

Personal development and well-being are outstanding. The children’s behaviour and attitudes to learning are exceptional. They thoroughly enjoy all the school has to offer and many parents talk of their children’s disappointment when they have to come away from the nursery. Attendance rates are good. The children respond very well to the high expectations of responsibility and independence through choosing their activities thoughtfully and tidying away when they have finished. Children are taught how to use equipment such as scissors safely. A healthy lifestyle is encouraged through regular exercise indoors and outside and drinking water is readily available. Healthy meals are available at lunchtime. There is a good involvement with the wider community through attending events such as the local gala. Children are very well prepared for the next stage of learning. Staff treat each other and the children with courtesy and respect. This provides a very good

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Grade: 1

example for children to follow and their moral and social development are excellent. They develop excellent skills of cooperation and know how to work together to solve a problem. Spiritual and cultural development is good.

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Grade: 1

Teaching is outstanding. The exceptional teamwork of the staff creates a happy, stimulating learning environment in which children thrive. A wide variety of purposeful and interesting activities encourages children to learn. All adults assess children’s learning throughout the day in the full range of activities. They discuss and review children’s progress frequently and use the information very well to match work to the needs of individuals. A strong feature is the way in which all adults are actively engaged in talking with children whatever the activity and this is the crucial factor in the very good progress they make in improving their speaking and social skills. The staff are also excellent at directing the children’s learning in a way which builds on and steers their interests. For example, an activity initiated by the children to join pipes together to bring water from a tap to the sandpit was skilfully used to promote language and

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Grade: 1

mathematical development. Staff have high expectations of the children; for example, in a physical education lesson, the terms ‘gluteus maximus’ and ‘metatarsus’ were used, with understanding by the children, to describe body shapes they had created. Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are fully included in all activities and, as a result, they learn very well. 3 Inspection Report: Tudhoe Moor Nursery School, 11 July 2006 to 12 July 2006

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Grade: 1

The curriculum is of very high quality. It is firmly based on a wide variety of experiences that shows a very good understanding of how young children learn. There is a good balance between independent and adult led activities. The good outdoor provision is very imaginatively planned to include all areas of learning. For example, children enjoy the imaginative play in a ‘pirate ship’. Technology is used very well, for example, to learn how to direct the movement of a programmable toy. The staff have developed a series of child-initiated topics which have taken advantage of the recent building work and other features of the local environment. These are clearly linked to the nationally agreed early learning goals. The curriculum is considerably enriched through a wide range of visits, such as to an aquarium, a bakers and the theatre, and by visitors. The school plans to run a range of workshops for parents so they can be more involved in their children’s learning.

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Grade: 1

Care, guidance and support are outstanding. Numerous parents took the trouble to write or explain how the school has made exceptional efforts to help their families. Parents are universal in their praise for the approachability and flexibility of the staff. Child protection procedures are in place and all measures are taken to safeguard children. All staff are actively involved in working with the children so they receive a good level of individual support where needed and their progress is monitored well. This high level of individual care means children feel secure and this helps them to learn. Extra support is provided for those who need it and the more able and talented children receive extra tuition in mathematics and language. Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are very well supported and their progress is carefully checked.

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Grade: 1

The school is led and managed extremely well. The mostly accurate self-evaluation is based on close monitoring of the school’s work and on the views of parents gained through questionnaires. It is used well to identify ways of improving the school further. The headteacher has high aspirations for the school and shares her ideas with colleagues so that she can determine the best ways to raise standards. She has been instrumental in the development of the nursery and has a clear vision for multi-agency, integrated and extended provision on the site. It is very much to the credit of the headteacher and her staff that the school was able to keep open and that achievement has remained high even when the full range of resources was not available due to the extensive building work. The views and expertise of all staff are valued. They feel an important part of the team and work hard to provide a stimulating environment. The assistant

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Grade: 1

4 Inspection Report: Tudhoe Moor Nursery School, 11 July 2006 to 12 July 2006 headteacher has recently taken on new leadership responsibilities and provides good support for the headteacher. Governors are very involved in the life of the school. They are proud of its achievements and work closely with the headteacher to find ways to improve the provision. The development of the school since the last inspection indicates a strong capacity to improve. The school gives very good value for money. 5 Inspection Report: Tudhoe Moor Nursery School, 11 July 2006 to 12 July 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: Tudhoe Moor Nursery School, 11 July 2006 to 12 July 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 1 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 1 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 1 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 1 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 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 1 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 1 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 1 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 1 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 1 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

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 0207 421 6800 F 0207 421 6707 Ofsted helpline 08456 404045 To the children of: Tudhoe Moor Nursery School Tudhoe Moor Spennymoor County Durham DL16 6EX 11 July 2006 Dear Children I really enjoyed visiting you in your nursery and talking to you about what you do there. I particularly liked watching you working and playing outside. You looked as though you were enjoying yourself very much. Sports day was a lot of fun. I think your nursery is excellent and you behave very well. I could tell that you enjoy all the exciting things that your teachers put out for you. Mrs Heslop and all the adults work very hard to help you to learn and they take very good care of you. Some of the words you use are very impressive and I have asked Mrs Heslop to keep on showing you how to know the sounds that letters make. Good luck for the future and have a nice summer. Yours sincerely Mr Rodger

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