Hednesford Nursery School

Inspection Report Hednesford Nursery School

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123962 Unique Reference Number Staffordshire LEA 281597 Inspection number 12 July 2006 to 12 July 2006 Inspection dates Paul Edwards AI Reporting inspector

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

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Eskrett Street School address Nursery Type of school Hednesford Maintained School category Cannock, Staffordshire WS12 5AR 3 to 4 Age range of pupils

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01543 512 225 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01543 5122 26 Fax number 71 Number on roll Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Miss Christine Wood Headteacher 10 July 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 281597 12 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Hednesford Nursery is a small school situated in the centre of the town. Children attend the Nursery either morning or afternoon. The majority of children are from White British backgrounds. When they start school, their attainment is broadly average, although their speech and language skills are comparatively weaker.

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Key for inspection grades

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

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Grade: 1

Hednesford Nursery is an extremely effective school that provides excellent value for money. The school has a very clear view of how well it is doing. Parents rightly think very highly of the school and are full of praise for all that it does for their children. Children thoroughly enjoy coming to school and the high quality of care provided ensures that they learn in a safe and supportive environment. In her successful endeavour to provide children with high quality provision, the headteacher’s very effective leadership results in a continual search for improvement. The school recognises that a more analytical approach to assessing some aspects of the children’s learning would make the very good procedures even better. Children enter the school with the skills that are expected for their age, although an increasing number have comparatively weaker skills in speech and language. Exceptional teaching and support ensure that

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Grade: 1

the children make very good progress and, by the end of the year, are exceeding the expected goals in all areas of learning. The school has made good improvement since the previous inspection and is well placed to improve further. The very effective teamwork and high levels of commitment by all staff are providing the children with a superb start to their education.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Continue to develop the processes for monitoring children’s progress.

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Grade: 1

The children’s overall attainment exceeds that expected for their age by the time they leave school. They achieve exceptionally well and they are very well prepared for their next school. Children with learning difficulties make very good progress because their needs are identified early and they are provided with a good level of effective support. The staff know the children very well and consequently plan activities that are matched to their level of maturity. When they enter the school, children’s skills are broadly average. They make rapid progress in their personal, social and emotional development. Their mathematical, physical and creative development is very good, as is their acquisition of knowledge and understanding of the world around them. Although children’s speech and language skills are weaker than in other areas when they arrive, the school’s clear focus on this aspect ensures they progress very well. By the time

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Grade: 1

they leave the Nursery, the children exceed the goals expected for their age in all areas of learning.

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Grade: 1

Children’s personal development and well-being are outstanding. Relationships between staff and children are extremely good and this helps them to settle well and feel safe 2 Inspection Report: Hednesford Nursery School, 12 July 2006 to 12 July 2006 and secure. Behaviour is excellent. The well-established routines mean that children know what is expected of them and so they contribute well to this supportive environment. Children eat healthily and take advantage of the many opportunities for physical exercise in the spacious grounds. Children thoroughly enjoy coming to school and this is reflected in their good attendance and punctuality. They participate with enthusiasm in all activities on offer to them and so make very good progress in their learning. As a result, children are very well prepared for transfer to infant school. They use scissors and other equipment safely, and understand the importance of taking

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Grade: 1

care when on roads outside the school. Children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is impressive. For example, children delighted in having the chance to walk barefoot outside, through the grass, wet sand and water, as part of their story on ‘the bear trail’ and used exciting language to describe what it felt like. Opportunities for children to celebrate major festivals, such as Diwali and the Chinese New Year, enhance children’s understanding of diversity well. Opportunities to perform for ‘elderly friends’ at other major festivals, such as Harvest and Christmas, help the children to make a very good contribution to the community.

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Grade: 1

Teaching and learning are excellent. Children are keen to do well because they are enthused by the wide range of activities on offer. Staff make very good use of assessments to plan activities that match children’s maturity and provide sufficient challenge for their varying abilities. Activities are well planned to promote independence and to encourage social skills through working in pairs and groups. There is a very good balance between teacher-led activities and free-choice activities and so children remain motivated and enjoy their learning. Assessments are in place for all areas of learning and are used very effectively to monitor progress. The school recognises that it needs to refine its analysis of children’s progress in the areas of learning other than literacy and numeracy. The very spacious and stimulating outdoor area is extremely well used as a learning resource. For example, the teachers’ imaginative use of the

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Grade: 1

grounds to develop story trails, where children act out stories, greatly encourages children’s use of speech and language. Staff are well aware of how such young children learn and use every opportunity to develop their basic skills. For example, staff are very precise in their pronunciations of letter sounds and so children make rapid progress in their speech. Children with learning difficulties are provided with very effective support, enabling them to make progress at the same rate as other children.

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Grade: 1

The curriculum is excellent. Staff plan a very detailed programme of activities that ensures all of the areas of learning are covered in depth. Planning also builds in time for the children to take part in energetic activities and for more reflective moments. 3 Inspection Report: Hednesford Nursery School, 12 July 2006 to 12 July 2006 The increasing number of children with weaker speaking and listening skills has been recognised and more activities are planned to give the children the opportunity to speak at length. Considerable thought goes into ensuring activities will enthuse the children and capture the attention of both boys and girls. For example, the simulated use of a ‘satellite navigation’ system particularly encouraged the boys’ knowledge and understanding of the world around them. A good range of visits, for example, outings to the local library, enriches the children’s learning. Learning is also brought to life by

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Grade: 1

a range of visitors, such as the local policeman. Support for the children’s awareness of a healthy lifestyle is very good and the children are becoming aware of what is ‘good for them.’

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Grade: 1

The care, guidance and support provided for children are outstanding. Staff are committed to ensuring children are very well looked after and are vigilant in supervising them. The very detailed assessment of academic and personal achievements and the individual attention provided means that staff know children very well. Arrangements to ensure children are protected and kept safe are good. However, risk assessments in preparation for short visits out of school are not always recorded. There are consistent procedures and expectations throughout the school and so children have a very clear understanding of how to behave and the routines to follow. The school works very well with other professionals and parents to promote healthy living. For example, healthy snacks are sent in by parents, and the dental nurse has visited the school to support a topic on dental hygiene.

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Grade: 1

The excellent leadership and management by the headteacher have helped to create an environment where children thrive and, in the words of one parent but echoed by others, ‘… blossom and given an excellent start to their schooling.’ The school’s very good self-evaluation has enabled it to identify improvements needed and to be responsive to the needs of children and parents. For example, ‘stay and play,’ which offers the opportunity for pre-Nursery children to spend a little time getting used to the school environment, is valued. The headteacher is a skilled teacher and a ‘hands-on’ practitioner; her high standards are adopted by other staff, and this means that the school is extremely well placed to improve still further. Very good systems have been established to monitor the children’s progress, although the school has rightly recognised it could be more thorough in its analysis of progress in areas of learning

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Grade: 1

other than literacy and numeracy. The school has reacted very well to the recognition that an increasing number of children enter the school with weaker speech and language difficulties, and changes to curricular planning and to teaching have ensured the needs of these children are very well met. Governors provide good support and are actively involved in all aspects of school life. 4 Inspection Report: Hednesford Nursery School, 12 July 2006 to 12 July 2006 Parents feel very welcome at the school and value the very regular information about how their children are progressing. They appreciate the regular opportunities to put forward their views and the way the school takes note of them. 5 Inspection Report: Hednesford Nursery School, 12 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: Hednesford Nursery School, 12 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 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 1 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 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 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 very much for talking to us and helping us to find out what makes your school such a special place to be. We are pleased you enjoy coming to Nursery and having fun with your friends. You behave really well and all the adults at school are very proud of how hard you work and the good work that you produce. You learn such a lot because the adults take such good care of you and give you such a lot of nice things to do. They understand what you can do and what you need to do to get better. We have asked them to makes some more notes of what you are doing to help you get even better. We are pleased that you and your parents think you go to such a lovely school because we agree. Thank you again for helping us with our work. We hope you continue to work hard and are just as happy at your new school.

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