Ightenhill Nursery School

Inspection Report Ightenhill Nursery School

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119071 Unique Reference Number Lancashire LEA 280457 Inspection number 7 March 2006 to 8 March 2006 Inspection dates Mrs Penny Parrish Reporting inspector

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

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Lionel Street School address Nursery Type of school Burnley Maintained School category Lancashire BB12 6DY 3 to 4 Age range of pupils 01282 427154 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01282 427154 Fax number 65 Number on roll Ms Sarah Williams Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Miss Pauline Robinson Headteacher 1 May 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280457 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

The nursery is situated close to the centre of Burnley. The children attend part time. Numbers increase throughout the year because the school admits children in the term after their third birthday. Most children spend three terms in the nursery but some attend for up to five terms, before transferring to a range of primary schools in the September before their fifth birthday. A very small number of children are identified as having learning difficulties and/or disabilities but none has a statement of special educational need. All children have a white British background and none is learning English as an additional language. As they start school, the children’s attainments are typical of those of most three year olds. There is a private care facility on the same site.

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Key for inspection grades

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

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Grade: 2

Ightenhill Nursery is a good school, reflecting the school’s own judgements of its work. Children achieve well and most are well on their way to attaining the early learning goals set nationally for the end of the Foundation Stage (the end of the reception year in a primary school). Although few children have above average attainments on entry, and many score quite low in early assessments of their personal and social skills, the balance moves considerably over their time in nursery. On transfer to primary education, very few are below average in any of the areas of learning, and more are above average. Most children are above average for personal, social and emotional development, showing that the school turns a relative weakness into a strength. Parents commend the school’s work very highly. Since the last inspection, good standards have been maintained and strengthened. Good improvement has been made, for example, in the provision for opportunities for

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Grade: 2

learning about other cultures and for learning outdoors. The leadership and management of the school are good. The headteacher and good staff team establish a very calm and happy atmosphere for learning; the children’s behaviour is exemplary. Teaching is good. Staff are experienced, know the children and their learning needs well and enable all children, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, to make good progress. However, sometimes the learning objectives set are too general and lacking in detail. The curriculum is good, and children are in safe care. The headteacher, staff and governors keep a close eye on the quality of provision, the progress of the children and the views of the parents, showing a good capacity for further improvement. Expenditure is similar to many other nurseries and, taking the good provision and the children’s good progress into account, the school provides good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Strengthen the links between the assessment of children’s skills and the plans for teaching, to make sure that all children build step-by-step on previous learning.

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Grade: 2

All children achieve well, make good progress and most are well on their way to reaching the early learning goals set for the end of the reception year in all areas of learning. Goals set for personal and social development are likely to be exceeded. Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are carefully and patiently supported, make good progress and, sometimes, exceptionally good progress in their personal, social and emotional development. Boys generally achieve as well as girls. The skills of the older children, who have spent longer in the nursery, are clearly much better developed than those who have been recently admitted. The school’s ability to allow some children more than three terms in the nursery promotes progress, not only for those who attend 2 Inspection Report: Ightenhill Nursery School, 7 March 2006 to 8 March 2006 longer; the children admitted earlier provide good role models for those with later

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Grade: 2

birthdays. Parents are very impressed with the school’s successes and raised no negative points at all. Those who wrote to the inspector showed that they valued especially, and quite rightly, the school’s main strength: its good promotion of the children’s personal, social and emotional development, which provides a good foundation for progress in all other aspects of the curriculum.

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Grade: 2

Provision for the children’s personal development is a strong aspect of the school’s work and this strength has been maintained well since the last inspection. Nevertheless, the school reports that the personal, social and emotional development of most children has declined over the years and that it now gives particular priority to this aspect of its work. Children enjoy their time at school, attitudes to learning are good and their behaviour is exceptionally good. Children are polite and friendly together and with adults. The purposeful atmosphere within the nursery was apparent even during the days of very inclement weather during the inspection, when children were not able to use the outdoor facilities at all. Attendance is outstanding for the great majority of children and this adds significantly to the effectiveness of the school’s work. The school achieves a good balance, generally, between adult support and enabling children’s independence,

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Grade: 2

an aspect highlighted for improvement at the time of the last inspection. Children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good, with good improvements evident in their cultural development since the last inspection. Children are helped to work safely and to value a healthy lifestyle. The children’s good personal skills, together with very good attendance and very sound basic skills, contribute well to their future economic well-being.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching is good and, consequently, most children learn readily and make good progress. Staff share information on the children well and co-operate well as a teaching team, showing a good understanding of the needs of the age group and of national guidance. They provide effective and enthusiastic role models for activities such as writing and role-play in the ‘café’, and for speaking clearly and listening well. Staff are adept at achieving a good balance between supporting children’s learning and encouraging independence. Teaching is focused carefully on the ‘stepping stones’ to learning identified nationally. Sometimes, however, the learning objectives set are too general, lacking the detail needed to help the children excel. Useful records are 3 Inspection Report: Ightenhill Nursery School, 7 March 2006 to 8 March 2006 made of children’s progress but these are not always linked sufficiently well to plans

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Grade: 2

for teaching to enable the best possible progress. They do not help staff and voluntary helpers to identify, for example, the children who need most help in controlling the computer mouse, or more practice in learning the names of colours. Those identified with specific learning difficulties and/or disabilities have individual education plans that are known to all staff and help to focus teaching and learning well.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. It is broad and balanced and meets the needs of the children well. Lively and carefully planned activities encourage the curiosity and interest of the children. Printing using textured paint, for example, prompted the use of words such as crumbly, bumpy, lumpy and gritty. The staff’s good management of the children means that time is used well to maximise learning opportunities. Regular reviews of the provision by staff and governors lead to continuous improvement. A recent review of the curriculum for knowledge and understanding of the world, for example, has led to the purchase of an interactive electronic whiteboard. Although a spell of bad weather meant that the outdoor area was not observed in use, teachers’ past plans and a review of resources indicate that the very pleasant setting of the school is used well. The space available within the school building has significantly reduced since the last

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Grade: 2

inspection, especially for large scale creative work. Planned alterations to the building are likely to resolve this restriction.

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Grade: 2

The school takes good care of the children, promoting their health, safety and well-being at all times. Snacks provided are healthy and advice to parents on healthy eating is useful. Children’s learning is tracked well across the whole curriculum, although specific information on children’s needs is not always used when drawing up teaching plans. Guidance for good relationships, thoughtfulness and good behaviour is sensitively matched to children’s needs and its effectiveness is evident in the good progress children make. Good support is provided when necessary for those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The school works well with parents and other professionals in the community to help all children to make good progress. Frequent liaison with staff of the private care facility helps to ensure continuity and a good variety of activities for those who join this setting for the other half of the day.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The strong leadership of the headteacher has underpinned the good improvements made since the last inspection. A strong sense of purpose is established amongst staff and governors, based on a good understanding of the needs of the age group, good relationships and high expectations for the 4 Inspection Report: Ightenhill Nursery School, 7 March 2006 to 8 March 2006 children’s achievement. The school has a clear view of its strengths and areas for development and the improvement plan provides an effective guide for the allocation of resources. The governing body carries out its role diligently and statutory duties are met. Good account is taken of the views of parents, obtained through informal discussions and questionnaires. Governors represent the views of parents well, helping to promote good liaison. The school achieves its aims well and provides good value for money.

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Grade: 2

5 Inspection Report: Ightenhill 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: Ightenhill 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 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 2 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 1 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 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 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 NA 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 Ightenhill Nursery School Lionel Street Burnley Lancashire BB12 6DY 8 March 2006 Dear Children Thank you to you and your teachers for letting me visit your nursery to see what you do. I found out all these things: Ightenhill is a good nursery you enjoy coming to school and miss very few days the teachers and nursery nurses help you all to learn the right things you try really hard to do your best and you all behave very well you are especially good at being friendly, polite and playing well. It will help some of you to learn a little more quickly if: the teachers add just a little more detail to their plans to help them remember exactly where you need more help to do your best. Yours sincerely Mrs Penny Parrish School inspector

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