Rockwood Nursery SchoolOfsted inspection, 5 May 2006

Inspection Report Rockwood Nursery School

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119065 Unique Reference Number Lancashire LEA 280455 Inspection number 4 May 2006 to 5 May 2006 Inspection dates Mr Chris Quigley Reporting inspector

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

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Kingsland Road School address Nursery Type of school Burnley Maintained School category Lancashire BB11 3PU 3 to 4 Age range of pupils 01282 426711 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01282 426711 Fax number 96 Number on roll Mrs Karen Smithstone Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Ruth Donnachie Headteacher 1 September 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280455 4 May 2006 - 3 to 4 5 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 inspection was carried out by one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

Rockwood is an average-sized nursery school with a roll of 96 children who attend part time. It serves a socially mixed area of Burnley, drawing children from areas of economic advantage and significant disadvantage. Attainment on entry is slightly below average in all areas of learning, especially in the area of personal development. The majority of children are from a white British background but seven children are from the Pakistani community. Three children have special educational needs.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Rockwood Nursery School, 4 May 2006 to 5 May 2006

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Grade: 2

Rockwood Nursery’s own evaluation is that it provides a good education and gives good value for money. The inspection confirmed this view and agreed that some aspects of the nursery’s work are outstanding. All staff work as a strong team and this is helping children to make outstanding progress in their personal development. In all other areas, children make good progress because of good teaching that meets the needs of all children. Staff know children very well and give outstanding care, guidance and support so that every child feels valued. Parents are delighted with the education provided and many took the time to tell the inspector how much they value and appreciate the good work of staff. Partnerships with other children’s services are very well developed. They particularly help children who have learning difficulties to achieve well. The curriculum is good and the imaginative use of the outdoor environment helps

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Grade: 2

children to enjoy their time at nursery very much. The school understands its own strengths and weaknesses well, and leaders have begun to improve the way they check how well children are achieving. All of the issues raised in the last inspection have been dealt with, and the staff and governors continue to move the nursery on from strength to strength. not applicable

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What the school should do to improve further

• Continue to improve the rigour and use of systems to track children’s achievements, so that their outstanding progress in personal development is matched in the other areas of learning.

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Grade: 2

Children make good progress in all areas of learning during their time at nursery. They start with a wide range of skills, but many children are below the expected level of development for their age. By the time they leave, most children are on course to reach the learning goals expected by the end of the foundation stage. This is because of good teaching, the imaginative use of the outdoor environment and the way that teachers meet the needs of each child. Children’s communication skills develop well because of good role-play opportunities in both the classroom and the outdoor environment. A good range of opportunities to talk particularly promotes good progress for children whose home language is not English. Children with special educational needs achieve well because of effective partnerships with parents and children’s services. As one parent commented, ‘My son has made huge progress…he now has

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Grade: 2

the best possible chance when he starts school’. 2 Inspection Report: Rockwood Nursery School, 4 May 2006 to 5 May 2006

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Grade: 1

Children’s progress in personal development is outstanding. They become confident, independent and caring, and reach a good level of development by the end of their time at nursery. Attendance is good. Children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding because the staff put children’s personal development at the heart of the work of the nursery. Good snacks and plenty of exercise help children to be healthy. Because of the excellent attention to manners and behaviour, children behave in a safe and courteous way. They hold the handrails whilst using the stairs and learn to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’. During an outdoor play session, one child accidentally bumped into another and promptly apologised. The imaginative use of teaching aids and a good curriculum lead to an impressive enthusiasm and enjoyment of learning. Children are very well equipped for school because of the good progress

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Grade: 2

The inspection confirms the nursery’s view that teaching and learning are good. Staff know the children very well and plan activities carefully to meet all individual needs. Children feel increasingly confident to have a go at new activities because staff develop excellent relationships with them. Parents are particularly pleased with the teaching. As one parent put it, ‘I am extremely pleased with the whole package. The children are obviously happy and enjoy learning in this environment’. Staff promote independence at every opportunity and this is helping children to develop high self-esteem. Teachers and support staff work together effectively and maintain a very positive atmosphere around the nursery. Each classroom, including the imaginative outdoor classroom, encourages role-play very well and so enables children to develop their communication skills. A good mix of teaching styles helps all children understand

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Grade: 2

what to do. The good deployment of support staff helps children with special educational needs to achieve well. The needs of those children who do not speak English at home are well met because the practical, ‘hands on’ approach to teaching breaks down language barriers. Although staff know that children are making good overall progress, the nursery’s own evaluation identifies the need to improve the systems used for checking that all children are doing as well as they can.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good because it meets the needs of all children well. The strong emphasis on children’s personal development leads to outstanding progress in this area of learning. Children make good progress in the basic skills and the book library promotes a love of reading. The ongoing reorganisation of information and 3 Inspection Report: Rockwood Nursery School, 4 May 2006 to 5 May 2006 communication technology (ICT) is helping children to achieve well in their knowledge and understanding of the world. Plenty of role-play and opportunities for imaginative activity mean that children’s creative development is good. Because of the imaginative use of the outdoor environment, children enjoy activities and progress well in their physical development. The nursery’s self-evaluation highlights good plans to enhance the outdoor area further.

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Grade: 1

The school gives children an outstanding level of care guidance and support. A foster carer who has had children in her care at the nursery for over 25 years commented, ‘Over that time I have always found the nursery to be very good and caring.’ Inspection confirms this very positive view, which is shared by all parents. The school’s arrangements for safeguarding and protecting children are very good. Parents are very pleased with the communication between nursery and home, and staff have excellent relationships with children. Staff know children well and are currently improving systems to track progress so that they can help children to reach standards that are as high as possible.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher has created a strong, caring team that has a good grasp of what is best for every child at the nursery. The central part of the nursery’s work is a strong emphasis on children’s personal, social and emotional development. Because of a consistent approach by all staff, children make outstanding progress in this area. Governors have improved their role since the last inspection. They now ask relevant questions of the nursery and this sharpens their understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. However, because systems for tracking children’s standards lack some rigour, governors and leaders at the nursery find it hard to quantify how much progress children make. The excellent partnerships between parents and the nursery are a key to why children achieve well. The nursery works hard for each child and has developed effective partnerships with other children’s services.

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Grade: 2

This especially helps children with special educational needs to achieve well. The nursery seeks the views of parents well and this helps it to gain an accurate view of its strengths and weaknesses. Parents are unanimous in their praise. One typical comment was, ‘I am absolutely, completely satisfied with the quality of care for children. Thank you.’ The nursery has a good reputation and has improved well since the last inspection. 4 Inspection Report: Rockwood Nursery School, 4 May 2006 to 5 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. 5 Inspection Report: Rockwood Nursery School, 4 May 2006 to 5 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 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 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 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 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 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 NA 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 The Children Rockwood Nursery School Kingsland Road Burnley Lancashire BB11 3PU 4 May 2006 Dear Children Thank you for your help when I came to inspect your nursery. I watched you working and playing and spoke to some of you. This is what I found. You all try very hard and behave sensibly. I liked the way you took care on the stairs and the way you always said ‘thank you’ at snack time. I saw you working very hard in the classrooms and thought you were enjoying nursery very much. Your teachers make your activities interesting and work hard to help you do well. Nursery works very well with your families so that they know how well you are doing. I have asked your teachers to carry on with their good work and to keep finding ways to help you do well. I hope you enjoy watching the caterpillars that arrived during the inspection as they turn into

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

butterflies. Best wishes Chris Quigley Lead Inspector

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