Brougham Street Nursery School

Inspection Report Brougham Street Nursery School

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121268 Unique Reference Number North Yorkshire LEA 280968 Inspection number 8 November 2005 to 8 November 2005 Inspection dates Mr Adrian Simm CfBT Lead Inspector Reporting inspector

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

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Brougham Street School address Nursery Type of school Skipton Community School category North Yorkshire BD23 2ES 3 to 5 Age range of pupils 01756 793441 Telephone number Girls Gender of pupils 01756 709986 Fax number 54 Number on roll Mrs Susan Harrison Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs S Newlands Headteacher 29 February 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280968 8 November 2005 - 3 to 5 8 November 2005 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 two additional inspectors.

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Description of the school

There are 54 children on roll aged 3 to 4 years. Nearly all attend part-time on a variety of patterns of provision. Most of the 22% of pupils identified as having learning difficulties and/or disabilities have speech or communication problems. Seven per cent of pupils do not have English as their first language and speak Panjabi. The school serves an area of mostly small privately owned and local authority housing, with pockets of social disadvantage. Up until 2004/2005, the overall attainments on entry of the large majority of children point to a low starting point for their age. Attainments have risen this year to roughly what would be expected. The school is subject to a local authority review of nursery provision because of falling rolls in the area and to local consideration of the introduction of a Children's Centre.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Brougham Street Nursery School, 8 November 2005 to 8 November 2005

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Grade: 1

The headteacher and governors judge the school to be good because they recognise there is always more that could be done. However, inspectors judge Brougham Nursery school to be outstanding. Promoting children's personal development and well-being and planning a stimulating learning environment are central to the school's drive of ensuring the best for all children. Children respond superbly well to this. An atmosphere of warmth, happiness and contentment pervades the school. Whilst children's personal, social and emotional development is particularly outstanding, they achieve very well from a low starting point in all other areas of learning. Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those who initially need extra support with English, because it is not their first language, make equally outstanding progress. High quality teaching and learning and lunchtime support means that every second of the day is used as a

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Grade: 1

learning experience, although the outdoor environment could be used to challenge children's creative thinking even more. Parents contribute significantly to developing pupils' healthy lifestyles by ensuring good quality packed lunches for those who stay. One parent reported, 'absolute confidence' in the school's care and support for his child whilst another noted that her child 'settled instantly, going to school each day wearing a big smile'. The headteacher is extremely successful in leading and managing a team that is 'crystal-clear' about how it wants the school to develop further. This is why it has moved on so successfully since the last inspection and why it has the capacity to move further. The school provides excellent value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

Within the context of an outstanding school, staff should ensure that activities provided outdoors challenge children's creative thinking more effectively.

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Grade: 1

Children make outstanding progress in learning overall. They excel in their personal, social and emotional development because staff place very high priority on ensuring children's well-being. Even at this young age, children persist in activities they have chosen, are highly motivated to learn, know when to talk and when to listen in discussions and get on very well socially. Since the last inspection, the difference in attainment between boys and girls has narrowed, although as expected, girls are doing slightly better than boys in reading, writing and handwriting at this very early stage. Children find their way around computer programs with ease so that, for instance, they choose independently whether to carry out simple number recognition and counting activities up to 5. By the time the children leave the school, parents agree that they have been prepared very well for the next stage in their education. The large

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Grade: 1

majority are working at the standards expected of children of this age with a minority exceeding them. Those whose first language is not English do equally as well as others. Those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make impressive progress because 2 Inspection Report: Brougham Street Nursery School, 8 November 2005 to 8 November 2005 their individual needs are supported exceptionally well by staff and outside agencies. The nursery provides a very successful and inclusive learning environment for all children.

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Grade: 1

Children's personal development and well-being are outstanding. From the moment children enter the nursery, their moral awareness and social skills develop rapidly. They learn very successfully to understand and respect each other's views and different cultures. Consequently, they develop a mature understanding of right and wrong, learn to play together harmoniously and behave impeccably. Children's first uncertain steps in school quickly become a very positive experience. Their achievements are swiftly recognised and rewarded, which greatly boosts their confidence and self-esteem. Children are enterprising because their curiosity is skilfully nurtured. For example, one child discovered that he could put the number cards back in the box by pouring them down a cardboard chute. His initiative was praised and the assistant asked, 'Can you find any other clever uses for the tube?' Children develop a heightened sense of responsibility and independence at a very

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Grade: 1

early age. They select activities themselves and tidy equipment away, with very little reminding. They are very aware of keeping safe and understand the value of exercise and healthy eating. Visiting senior citizens brightens everyone's day. Attendance is very good, largely because children love school as parents testify. These factors play a vital part in securing children's lifelong interest in learning and preparing them for the future.

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Grade: 1

The children's outstanding achievement is nurtured by high quality teaching and learning. The headteacher is an excellent role model for other staff. For instance, children became absorbed totally in a story telling session where they contributed ideas appropriately as the storyline progressed. Incidental learning is a feature of all sessions; on this occasion, it was to do with personal safety and dangers on the road. Because staff and children move flexibly from activity to activity, and room to room, all staff and children are at total ease in each other's company and with the challenges of all activities. The excellent routines in place for planning and checking for each child's success knits the process together seamlessly. Where additional specialisms are required such as for teaching children with speech and communication difficulties, the school sets out to ensure staff are trained. In particular, the teaching of personal and social skills is outstanding. This is enhanced

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Grade: 1

by the high quality of relationships between the adults and the children. Children learn to manage their feelings and emotions very well because staff consistently show them 3 Inspection Report: Brougham Street Nursery School, 8 November 2005 to 8 November 2005 how to do this very effectively. This prepares children incredibly well for their futures in other schools. The high level of children's confidence was commented on by a good number of parents.

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Grade: 1

All children have access to very well thought out and exciting activities. These allow them to follow their own interests indoors and outdoors, although activities to stretch children's creative use of outdoor equipment could be a shade stronger. There is a great emphasis on children developing basic skills, particularly in their relationships with others. All activities, including lunchtimes for those who stay, promote pupils' speaking and social skills very well. There is a good balance of activities between those taught by the staff and those children choose themselves. The school is well resourced to reflect all cultural heritages. Staff record children's choices of activities and ensure that over time they experience the full range provided and build impressively on their previous learning. This includes a good number of visitors to school and off-site visits bringing alive such roles and responsibilities as those of the police officer, the farmer,

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Grade: 1

the veterinary surgeon or dental hygienist.

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Grade: 1

The outstanding levels of care, guidance and support provided are significant factors in children's excellent progress and personal development. Their achievements are very carefully assessed and recorded. Exemplary links with parents ensure a constant flow of valuable information. Consequently much is known about children's personal and academic development. Those experiencing difficulties are identified very early. The highly effective support provided accelerates their learning. For example, in response to the high quality support provided, the barriers to learning experienced by children with limited spoken language are being removed successfully. Very comprehensive measures have been established to ensure children's personal safety and well-being. Vulnerable children are particularly well supported through links with the home and outside agencies. The local paediatric services are highly valued for the quality of advice provided about individual children and child protection

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Grade: 1

issues. A number of staff currently involved in childcare training are sharing their expertise to ensure that all children are kept safe.

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Grade: 1

Outstanding leadership and management are the driving force behind children's excellent progress and exemplary personal development. The headteacher leads by example, as an excellent teacher and a dedicated leader. Staff work tirelessly to include all children and make their learning experiences special. A culture of self-improvement has been established. Despite past successes there is no complacency. Staff constantly 4 Inspection Report: Brougham Street Nursery School, 8 November 2005 to 8 November 2005 seek and try out new strategies. This is why the school's view was that leadership and management, and other areas, were good rather than outstanding. In the school's view, there is always more to do. Crucially, changes and developments are carefully measured in terms of their impact on children's learning. For example, the literacy project, designed to improve children's weaknesses in spoken language, is proving highly successful. A major factor in the

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Grade: 1

school's success is the way staff work together evaluating the school's performance. As a result, priorities are clearly identified and agreed. Plans are then formulated and all energies are focused on making improvements. This has enabled the school to maintain the many strengths identified at the time of the last inspection and move forward even further. The governing body, formed in 2004, has played a valuable part in ensuring high-quality provision through a continuing period of uncertainty. The school maintains links with many external agencies. Falling pupil numbers and declining budgets has meant that some services have been reduced. Governors have overcome these difficulties by ensuring staff's skills are extended to provide the extra specialist childcare knowledge required. 5 Inspection Report: Brougham Street Nursery School, 8 November 2005 to 8 November 2005 .

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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: Brougham Street Nursery School, 8 November 2005 to 8 November 2005

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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 1 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 3 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 1 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 Yes 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 talking to me and showing me the interesting things you do at school. I enjoyed watching your activities. A big thank you to the group who let me play picture matching with them. The things I really liked about your school are: - how kind and thoughtful you are to each other - how grown-up you all are in the way you choose what to work on - your real enjoyment of activities and how hard you concentrate on your work - the wonderful way in which the adults in your school look after you and help you to learn. There are always exciting things to do - the way in which your headteacher and staff work very hard to give you the best they can. We have asked your teachers to plan your activities in the outside play area in a way that will challenge you to think a little bit more imaginatively about how to use your big toys and equipment.

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