Garretts Green Nursery School

Garretts Green Nursery School Inspection report

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103122 Unique Reference Number Birmingham Local Authority 286564 Inspection number 10 May 2007 Inspection date Usha Devi HMI Reporting inspector

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

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Nursery Type of school Community School category 3 °4 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 78 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Stephen Harris Chair Linda Jones Headteacher 8 May 2001 Date of previous school inspection 117 Garretts Green Lane School address Sheldon Birmingham B26 2JL

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0121 7432284 Telephone number 0121 7427547 Fax number

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3 °4 Age group 10 May 2007 Inspection date 286564 Inspection number .

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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 of Her Majesty’s Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Garretts Green Nursery School is situated in a residential area in East Birmingham. It has 'Stay and Play' facilities and a parent and toddlers group. Children start the school in the term after they reach three years of age. They attend full time or part time for either morning or afternoon sessions. The majority of children come from White British families with a small number from minority ethnic backgrounds. A small proportion of children are learning to speak English as an additional language. The number of children with learning difficulties is below average. The school has been awarded the Basic Skills Quality Mark.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Garretts Green Nursery School, 10 May 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with some outstanding features. Relationships between staff and children are excellent. One parent, summing up the views of many, wrote, 'There is a mutual respect between the children and teachers, which is very reassuring to me as a parent.' Children's personal development and well-being are outstanding. The staff are approachable and caring and, as a result, children feel safe and secure and they really enjoy their time at school. In this positive environment, children learn to cooperate, work independently, use their initiative and play together thoughtfully. These important skills prepare them well for their future education. The starting point of many children is below that which is expected for their age in all areas of learning. The weakest areas are personal, social and emotional development and mathematical development. When the children start school, attainment in these two areas is well below

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Grade: 2

expected levels. By the time the children leave the Nursery, they make at least good progress in most areas of learning and reach the standards normally expected for their age. They make outstanding progress in personal, social and emotional development. The school is aware that the progress children make in mathematical development is good, but not as fast as in other areas of learning. This is because opportunities are sometimes missed for children to practise their counting and other mathematical skills. As a result, children reach levels slightly below those expected for their age by the time they leave. The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children achieve particularly well when staff set high expectations and they are given the opportunity to learn using their senses. However, on occasions staff do not ask questions that challenge children's learning and thinking in discussions. Visits to places such as the farm, library and greengrocers enhance the good

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Grade: 2

curriculum. These visits provide children with interesting and varied learning experiences that broaden their horizons and promote good progress. The indoor and outdoor activities are well organised, stimulating and interesting. They encourage the children to investigate, explore and become independent. Parents appreciate the good care, guidance and support the children receive. As one parent said, 'The staff are all 100% dedicated to the welfare of the children and everyone has a smile to share.' Academic guidance is not as strong in mathematics as it is in communication, language and literacy. The school works well with other agencies and parents to help support individual children's learning and development. An example of good practice is the 'Fun to Learn' project where staff and parents work in partnership to help children learn. The school is part of a number of local networks. This is proving to be a good way of sharing effective practice.

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Grade: 2

The school has been through a turbulent period with two substantive and two acting headteachers since 2001. Despite this, it has made good progress and effectively addressed the issue raised in the last inspection. Standards in writing have improved because the school has increased the opportunities children have to practise their writing. Leadership and management are good. The headteacher is passionate about the school. She has high expectations and knows the school well. This is reflected in the school's accurate, albeit overly modest self-evaluation. Staff and governors support the headteacher well. The governors' successful management, for example, has enabled the plans to develop a Children's Centre by March 2008 to proceed well. The school's capacity to improve is good because the headteacher, 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Garretts Green Nursery School, 10 May 2007 staff and governors are committed to raising standards and know what they need to do to

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What the school should do to improve further

• Increase the rate of progress children make in mathematical development. • Build on existing good practice and ensure that all staff consistently challenge children to develop their thinking and learning in discussions.

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Grade: 2

During their time in the school, children make at least good progress in most areas of learning because of good teaching and the opportunity to learn through practical activities. The staff place a strong emphasis on personal, social and emotional development in all activities. Consequently, progress in this area of learning is outstanding. Although the recent focus on problem solving and learning about numbers through practical and first-hand experiences has increased the rate of progress made in mathematical development, the school is aware that further improvement is needed. Those with learning difficulties and the few learning English as an additional language make good progress because their needs are identified early and they receive additional and effective support from staff.

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Grade: 1

Children's personal development is outstanding. Children are extremely well behaved and keep themselves safe by following the nursery 'safety rules'. Children know that it is important be healthy. They drink water during the day and eat fruit during breaks. The children are keen to use the outdoor and soft play areas. These areas contain a range of exciting resources that encourage the children to take regular exercise and keep fit. Attendance has improved and is satisfactory. The school is working hard to discourage parents from taking holidays in term-time. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Children are developing a very good understanding of cultures other than their own. They make an effective contribution to the local community by participating in the local music and drama festival and fund raising events.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good overall. It is outstanding in the teaching of personal and social skills. Children learn the difference between right and wrong and treat each other with respect because staff have high expectations of them and are good role models. There is a good balance between child initiated and adult led work. Children make good progress when staff ask questions that challenge and extend the children's thinking. They also achieve well when they are given the opportunity to talk about their work with a partner. Teaching assistants provide good support and work in partnership with teachers to keep a careful check on children's achievement in all areas of learning. This information is used well to plan activities that meet the different learning needs of the children. Although teaching is good, there are occasions when staff do not extend children's mathematical development. For instance, opportunities

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Grade: 2

are missed to help children count, sort or match objects. 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Garretts Green Nursery School, 10 May 2007

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. All children have access to well planned interesting activities that enable them to follow their interests indoors and outdoors. Visits to local places, together with visitors and special events, such as art afternoons, enrich the curriculum and add to the children's enjoyment. There are good opportunities for children to develop information and communication technology skills across the curriculum, but fewer opportunities to practise mathematical skills. The small group provision for children with learning difficulties and the more able is helping these children to make good progress. The more able children, for instance, learn through topics that bring together different areas of learning at one time. This gives them the chance to use their imagination and develop their understanding of the wider world. A good example is their work on a birthday party for 'Ted'. The children wrote invitations, planned party games,

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Grade: 2

went shopping for presents, decorated the room and wrote 'thank you' letters.

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Grade: 2

The children receive an outstanding level of care and support. This helps them to feel safe and valued and results in exemplary behaviour. One child commented, 'The teachers are kind and help us.' Children receive good academic guidance from all adults. As a result, they achieve well and reach their targets, particularly in personal and social development and communication, language and literacy. Academic guidance in mathematics is less well developed. The small number of children with learning difficulties and those learning English as an additional language make good progress because they receive an appropriate level of support. All arrangements are in place for child protection and health and safety. Procedures for safeguarding children meet national requirements.

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Grade: 2

The quality of leadership and management is good. The headteacher is an inspirational leader. She is determined to further raise standards and improve rates of progress in all areas of learning. Staff and governors share this vision for success. Morale in the school is high and teamwork is a real strength. An outstanding feature of the school's work is the way in which performance is monitored. The headteacher keeps a close check and monitors rigorously. This is having a positive impact on raising achievement. The assistant headteacher regularly checks the progress that children make. The information provided about individuals and groups of children helps staff and governors to identify where more needs to be done. Regular reviews of provision are good and involve all staff, but they do not always make a clear link between the work of the school and its impact on the quality of learning. The governors have only held delegated powers

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Grade: 2

since 2004. They give good support and commitment to help the school move forward. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Garretts Green Nursery School, 10 May 2007 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Garretts Green Nursery School, 10 May 2007

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Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 3 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The behaviour of learners 3 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Garretts Green Nursery School, 10 May 2007

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Garretts Green Nursery School, 10 May 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

11 May 2007 Dear Children Inspection of Garretts Green Nursery School, Birmingham, B26 2JL Thank you for making me feel welcome and for talking to me about your work. I know your mums and dads think that your Nursery is a very friendly place and I agree with them. I liked these things about your Nursery: • All the grown-ups care about you very much and work hard to make your learning fun and interesting. • You are helpful, take turns and are kind to each other. • The adults who help you have lots of good ideas to make the Nursery even better. • You like using the outdoor area and enjoy visiting different places. I have asked Linda and all the adults who work with you to make sure you learn as well as you can. I have also asked them to give you more chances to practise your counting and other mathematical skills so that you do even better in mathematics. Thank you for such a lovely day! Yours sincerely Usha Devi Her Majesty's Inspector

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

10 of 10 Inspection Report: Garretts Green Nursery School, 10 May 2007

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