Pinxton Nursery School

Inspection Report Pinxton Nursery School

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112483 Unique Reference Number DERBYSHIRE Local Authority 289295 Inspection number 29 °30 January 2007 Inspection dates 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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Kirkstead Road School address Nursery Type of school Pinxton, Pinxton Community School category Nottinghamshire NG16 6NA 3 °5 Age range of pupils 01773 863105 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01773 863105 Fax number 57 Number on roll (school) Mr N Taylor Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs S Sisson Headteacher 29 October 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 289295 29 °30 January 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 an Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

This is an average sized nursery school. Children come from a wide range of social and economic backgrounds. For the school population as a whole these backgrounds are below average. All but a very few children are of White British descent. The school has Enhanced Resource Status to support children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The school works very closely with a number of external agencies to support children and the community by providing for example, adult education and family learning programmes. The school achieved the Basic Skills Quality Mark in 2005.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Pinxton Nursery School, 29 °30 January 2007

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Grade: 1

Pinxton Nursery is an outstandingly good school that has the overwhelming confidence, appreciation and support of its parents. Children who attend show high levels of enjoyment and enthusiasm and their diverse needs are met because they receive exceptionally good care and support, teaching is outstanding and the curriculum is exciting. This high quality provision is secured because of significant strengths in leadership and management and very strong teamwork. These features ensure that the school provides exceptionally good value for money. Under the excellent leadership of the headteacher the school has made very good progress since the last inspection. Using a wide range of procedures to gather information, the school accurately judges the quality of its work. Assessment data is analysed thoroughly to identify areas of weakness and staff work quickly to bring about improvement. Staff are very willing to learn from each other to improve the

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Grade: 1

quality of their own work and the learning opportunities they provide for children. Their teamwork and commitment to providing the very best for all children is extremely strong. These features illustrate clearly the school's extremely good capacity for continued improvement. Most children start school with standards that are generally below those expected for their age. They attend the school for a maximum of five terms. By the time they move on to their next school almost all children achieve the standard expected for their age and some achieve standards above those expected. Given the short time children are at the school this represents very rapid progress for children of all abilities. The Nursery provides children with an excellent start and nurtures within them an enthusiasm for learning. Detailed assessments are made of children's progress in each of the six areas of learning which form the basis of the curriculum for the Foundation

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Grade: 1

Stage. This information is used to set targets for children. Teachers and nursery nurses work exceptionally well together to plan activities that take children's learning forwards quickly. Children's progress towards achieving their targets is monitored closely and any difficulties they experience in their learning are addressed quickly. Consequently children make outstanding progress and quickly associate learning with succeeding and having fun. The vibrant curriculum is full of exciting opportunities for learning inside the nursery building and outside. Although the outdoor space is used very well overall to support children's learning, the natural planted area is not fully exploited and so some learning opportunities are missed. Relationships within the school are extremely good and all adults provide children with high quality role models. The high standard of respect and co-operation between staff

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Grade: 1

ensures children learn to work together and treat each other with care and consideration. Procedures to ensure children's safety and well being are robust and rigorously implemented. Children's awareness of how to stay fit, healthy and safe is highly developed for their age and they contribute particularly well to the school and the wider community. 2 Inspection Report: Pinxton Nursery School, 29 °30 January 2007

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What the school should do to improve further

• Extend the range of activities planned for outside so children have more opportunities to learn through interacting with the natural environment.

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Grade: 1

There is a wide range of ability and standards evident in each group of children that is admitted. However, generally children start with standards that are below those expected for their age in all six areas of learning. Children of all abilities and backgrounds make exceptionally good progress and achieve extremely well in all areas of learning. Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those with specific special educational needs achieve equally well because they are supported extremely well. Almost all children are working at or beyond the levels expected for their age in all areas of learning by the time they move from the nursery to the next stage of their education.

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Grade: 1

Children's personal development is of the highest order. They show a high level of enthusiasm and enjoyment when working and playing together. They quickly learn to treat each other with care and respect. They are polite and behave especially well. Adults provide exceptionally good role models and manage children sensitively but firmly. Consequently the nursery is a calm, harmonious happy place where children concentrate well, work hard and have lots of fun at the same time. For their age children demonstrate a very good awareness of how to stay fit and healthy. They thoroughly enjoy being active and eating healthy food, and they understand how to keep themselves safe. Children trust adults and seek their support when they need it. Children contribute to their school community by expressing their likes and dislikes, and to the wider community through for example, musical performances and fundraising. As their confidence and ability to work co-operatively develops and their

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Grade: 1

literacy and numeracy skills improve they are very well prepared for the next stage in their education. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good overall. They develop extremely good social skills and have a very well developed sense of right and wrong. The activities they experience ensure they develop a good understanding of other cultures and increasingly appreciate the wonders of the natural and man made world. 3 Inspection Report: Pinxton Nursery School, 29 °30 January 2007

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Grade: 1

Children learn exceptionally well because teachers and nursery nurses have an extremely good understanding of how young children learn. They are meticulous in their planning of activities that capture children's imagination and they provide the support and encouragement children need to succeed. Very good use is made of assessment information to set challenging targets for children and to guide the planning of individual and group activities. These activities ensure children build successfully on what they already know so they are able to achieve their targets. As a result children thoroughly enjoy their time at school and become very confident learners who are willing to experiment and rise to any challenge they are set. This outstanding teaching enables children to learn extremely well as they develop high levels of independence and the ability to concentrate and stay on task for extended periods of time.

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Grade: 1

The outstanding curriculum is vibrant and exciting. The extensive range of activities provided during each session take account of what children already know but also challenge them to learn new knowledge and skills. Activities are very well matched to children's age and interests so support and extend children's learning very well. Children are encouraged to investigate and explore their world and to make choices and decisions. This approach makes a significant contribution to children's personal development and well being and their enjoyment of learning. The outdoor space is very well used to provide additional often large scale physical learning experiences such as access to a climbing frame and using bats and balls. Within this space a natural tree, shrub and grass covered area offers very valuable extra learning opportunities, particularly for those children who learn most effectively by being very active. For

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Grade: 1

example children's ability to co-operate, make shared decisions and solve problems was supported exceptionally well as they worked together to build a home for a hedgehog and squirrel from natural objects such as leaves and sticks. Too few opportunities are provided for children to engage in this type of outdoor activity. Very good use is made of visits and visitors to enrich and extend children's learning.

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Grade: 1

The school's procedures for safeguarding children are very thorough and consistently implemented. Exceptionally productive working partnerships with outside agencies and parents ensure children are extremely well cared for and receive high quality support and guidance. Staff know every child very well and make excellent use of assessment information to provide a very accurate picture of the progress each makes. All staff are very quick to respond to this information to support children in all aspects 4 Inspection Report: Pinxton Nursery School, 29 °30 January 2007 of their development. Consequently children learn extremely well and develop the attitudes and social skills that will support their leading active, productive lives in the future. Staff are continually adjusting what is provided at the nursery so children have the best possible opportunity to have lots of fun whilst also achieving as well as they

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Grade: 1

The outstanding leadership of the headteacher is the driving force behind the school's many successes. Excellence is the goal for all aspects of the school's work and this expectation is supported in full by all staff and governors. Subject leaders are strong and an exceptional team spirit is at the core of all the school's work. School self-evaluation procedures are robust and any weaknesses that are identified are tackled quickly. The school's view of itself is accurate. Teaching is monitored rigorously and data is used very effectively to set challenging targets for children and for improvements in teaching and other aspects of the school's provision. The high level of parental support for the school reflects their recognition that the school is very well run and strives to provide the very best for their children. Governance is exceptional. Governors are very supportive of the school but they are also challenging and hold

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Grade: 1

the school to account. They play a strategic role in monitoring the school's work and planning future improvements. 5 Inspection Report: Pinxton Nursery School, 29 °30 January 2007 .

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Grade: 1

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Pinxton Nursery School, 29 °30 January 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? 1 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 1 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

1 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?

2 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 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?

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: Pinxton Nursery School, 29 °30 January 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: Pinxton Nursery School, 29 °30 January 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

30 January 2007 Dear Children Pinxton Nursery School, Kirkstead Road, Pinxton, Nottinghamshire, NG16 6NA Thank you so much for making me feel welcome when I visited your nursery. I really enjoyed watching you play and talking to you about what you enjoy most at school. I think you work very hard and are very polite and well behaved. You told me how much you enjoy being at nursery because there is lots to do and you have great fun. I am really pleased to hear that you enjoy school so much. You and your parents think you go to a very good school. I agree with you that your school is outstanding. Mrs Sisson is an excellent headteacher. She, and all the other grown ups at your school care about you a lot and work very hard to look after you and help you learn. They provide lots of really interesting things for you to do so you learn a lot and have lots of fun too. I have asked them to plan more activities for you to do in the outside area so that you can learn as much

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

outside as you do inside. I really enjoyed meeting you all. I hope you continue to enjoy every day at your nursery. Alison Cogher Lead Inspector 9 Inspection Report: Pinxton Nursery School, 29 °30 January 2007

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