Central Community Nursery School

Inspection Report Central Community Nursery School

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112472 Unique Reference Number City of Derby Local Authority 289293 Inspection number 5 March 2007 Inspection date Alison Cogher 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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Nuns Street School address Nursery Type of school Derby Community School category DE1 3LR 3 °5 Age range of pupils 01332 342647 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01332 293483 Fax number 63 Number on roll (school) Mrs Janet Wren Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Kath Ward Headteacher 29 October 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 289293 5 March 2007 3 °5 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

This is a small nursery school situated close to the centre of Derby. The school serves a large area and children come from a wide range of social and economic backgrounds. Almost all children are from White British or another white background. The school has Enhanced Resource Status to support children with visual impairment. The school works very closely with a number of external agencies and the Family Care Centre next to the school to provide additional support for children and their families. The school has achieved Investors in People status and the Bronze Eco School award.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Central Community Nursery School, 5 March 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with some outstanding features. It provides good value for money and good improvement has been secured since the last inspection. The school's evaluation of its own effectiveness is generally accurate, although it is over-critical of the quality of care, guidance and support it provides. Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the school and value highly the social and academic opportunities it provides for their children. The school is well led and managed by the headteacher who is supported effectively by staff and governors. Teamwork is strong and policies and procedures are consistently implemented. Staff have a good understanding of how young children learn and are open to making changes to improve the quality of education the school provides. These features illustrate the school's good capacity to improve further. The views and ideas of parents, staff and governors are welcomed and make good contributions to

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Grade: 2

school improvement planning. Subject leaders are knowledgeable and their involvement in school improvement is good although the range of monitoring and evaluation procedures they use is narrow. Consequently, the evidence gathered is not always robust enough to evaluate as effectively as possible the impact of changes made on children's learning. Good teaching ensures that children experience a stimulating, well organised and structured learning environment that supports their personal development very well. Children make good or better progress in all areas of learning because teachers plan the curriculum well. Good use is made of assessment information to plan activities in which children of all abilities want to be involved. Children are motivated well by the opportunities they have to interact with adults and each other, and a good variety of resources. This approach is effective and children achieve well overall, with most

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Grade: 2

reaching standards at or above those expected for their age by the time they leave the school. Provision for children with learning difficulties and disabilities is excellent and enables them to access all activities and achieve extremely well. The care, guidance and support provided for children are excellent. The school's partnership with parents is very constructive and links with outside agencies are extremely supportive of children's learning. Adults act as very good role models and relationships are very positive. This ensures that children learn to work and play together harmoniously. They learn how to make choices, develop good levels of independence and know how to keep themselves safe. Children show high levels of enjoyment as they involve themselves fully in the wide range of stimulating activities provided both inside and outside. Opportunities to learn new skills or practise those already learned are varied, although too few are provided to enable children to use

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Grade: 2

numbers for calculation. Children enjoy being active and are enthusiastic about being at the nursery. They are well prepared for the next stage of their education. 2 Inspection Report: Central Community Nursery School, 5 March 2007

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What the school should do to improve further

• Provide more opportunities for children to use numbers for calculation in their play. • Extend the range of procedures used by subject leaders so that the impact of changes made to teaching on children's learning are monitored and evaluated with greater thoroughness.

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Grade: 2

Children start in the nursery with standards that are broadly typical for their age in all six areas of learning. Children's achievement is good. They make exceptionally good progress in their personal, social and emotional development because of the outstanding support they are given. They make good progress in all other areas of learning. This includes the area of mathematical development. However, children's calculation skills are not as well developed as their skills in number recognition, counting, and their knowledge of shapes. By the time they leave the nursery, most children reach standards that are generally at or beyond those expected for their age. Children with learning difficulties and disabilities make outstanding progress and achieve extremely well because of the high quality care and support they receive. For example, children with visual impairment develop the confidence and skills that enable

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Grade: 2

them to play on large climbing frames and to ride tricycles around obstacles.

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Grade: 1

Children's personal development is outstanding. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent overall. Resources, including the school's outdoor space, are used imaginatively to support children's learning. As one parent wrote, 'What an amazing, unique place I've found!' Staff are focused on supporting the development of each individual child. This ensures that children gain in confidence, behave extremely well and are very keen to learn. Attendance is good. Children want to come to school because they find it an interesting and stimulating place. Their curiosity is encouraged and, in this motivating sensory environment, all groups of children, including those with learning difficulties and disabilities, develop their imagination through play and discovery. Children make a good contribution to their own community by expressing their views, likes and dislikes. They work and play

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Grade: 1

together safely, have plenty of opportunity for exercise, and respond well to encouragement to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Most children show very good levels of concentration for their age in choosing activities and persevering with tasks. This, together with the good standards they reach, ensures they are well prepared for the next step in their education. 3 Inspection Report: Central Community Nursery School, 5 March 2007

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Grade: 2

Teachers, teaching assistants and nursery nurses work very well as a team and have a good understanding of how young children learn. They make good use of accurate assessment information to set targets and plan activities for the children that take account of their age, abilities and interests. Consequently, children enjoy their time at school and develop a real enthusiasm for learning. Planning is evaluated and modified in response to children's changing needs. This is generally effective, although children are less confident in the use of numbers for calculation as too few opportunities are provided for them to develop these skills through their play. Staff manage children well and act as very good role models. They make good use of questioning to challenge children to solve problems, and to extend their learning and use of language in each area of learning. Children are encouraged to make choices and to work together. This

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Grade: 2

together with the very positive relationships they have with adults and each other supports their personal development very well.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good overall and securely based on children learning through play. Children with learning difficulties and disabilities are able to access all activities provided because of the excellent support they receive. The stimulating and attractive environment, both inside and outside, is used well to enrich children's play and enhance their learning. Children find learning is fun because practical, hands-on activities not only engage them well, but also help them to become independent in their learning. Children's personal and social development is supported well as they are encouraged to make choices and work together. The use of information and communication technology has improved significantly since the last inspection, and now supports learning well. Good use is made of visits and visitors to extend and enrich children's learning.

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Grade: 1

The care, guidance and support provided for all children, including those with learning difficulties and disabilities, are excellent. Extremely productive working partnerships with parents and outside agencies ensure that children's individual needs are met. Parents are particularly pleased with the care and support their children receive. Procedures to safeguard children and to secure their health and safety are thorough and meticulously implemented by very well informed staff. Adults know the children very well and are highly committed to helping them learn. Assessment information is used very well to carefully track children's progress through their individual profiles. Staff use this information well to guide their planning so that children are helped to 4 Inspection Report: Central Community Nursery School, 5 March 2007 take the next steps in their learning. The consequence of this practice is that children

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Grade: 1

not only learn and achieve well but also develop extremely good personal skills and have lots of fun.

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Grade: 2

The headteacher provides strong leadership and she is ably supported by staff and governors. They share a clear vision for the future success of the school. Teamwork is productive and there is a strong commitment to provide the best possible learning environment for all children. Parental support for the school reflects their recognition that it is well run and managed for the benefit of their children. Very good relationships throughout the school ensure that all contribute to school improvement. Information is shared well between governors and staff, and areas for improvement are identified. Procedures to monitor and evaluate the quality of the school's work are good overall. Subject leaders are knowledgeable but use a narrow range of procedures to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of teaching in terms of how children's learning has improved. Consequently, they are not always clear whether or not the changes made

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Grade: 2

have been as successful as they intended. Leadership and management of the provision for children with learning difficulties and disabilities are excellent and are reflected in their outstanding achievement. 5 Inspection Report: Central Community Nursery School, 5 March 2007 .

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Grade: 2

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Central Community Nursery School, 5 March 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? 2 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 1 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The behaviour of learners 2 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 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?

1 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. 7 Inspection Report: Central Community Nursery School, 5 March 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? 8 Inspection Report: Central Community Nursery School, 5 March 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

5 March 2007 Dear Children Central Community Nursery School, Nuns Street, Derby, DE1 3LR Thank you very much for making Mr Miller and me feel so welcome when we visited your nursery. We really enjoyed watching you play and talking to you about your school. We think you behave extremely well and work very hard. You really enjoy playing together and being at nursery with your friends. We were really pleased that you enjoy school so much. Your parents think you go to a good school and we agree. There are lots of things at your school that are good and some things that are outstanding. All the grown ups at your school care about you very much and work extremely hard to make sure that you feel safe at school and can enjoy all the fun activities they plan for you. We have asked them to make sure that when they make changes things really do get better for you. We have also asked them to give you more chances when you are playing to learn what happens to

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

numbers when you add them together or take one away from another. We really enjoyed meeting you all and hope that you continue to enjoy your days at nursery. Alison Cogher Lead inspector 9 Inspection Report: Central Community Nursery School, 5 March 2007

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