Scartho Nursery School

Inspection Report Scartho Nursery School

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117700 Unique Reference Number North East Lincolnshire Local Authority 290903 Inspection number 12 December 2006 Inspection date Julie Winyard 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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Pinfold Lane School address Nursery Type of school Scartho, Grimsby Maintained School category North East Lincolnshire, DN33 2EW 3 °4 Age range of pupils

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01472 872129 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01472 872129 Fax number 93 Number on roll (school) Mrs Fran Fisher Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Denise Langridge Headteacher 1 March 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 290903 12 December 2006 3 °4 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

Scartho Nursery School is in a relatively advantaged area of Grimsby. There are slightly more girls than boys. A very few children speak English as an additional language and a similar proportion have learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Scartho Nursery School, 12 December 2006

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Grade: 1

This is an outstanding school where children achieve exceptionally well. This is better than the school’s own more modest evaluations. Children make outstanding progress from when they come into school to when they leave. Outstanding teaching from all staff, linked to an excellent curriculum and outstanding care and guidance, means children achieve exceptionally high standards. The school has established a wonderful, caring ethos within a challenging, yet nurturing, environment. This is recognised and greatly valued by parents. As one parent commented: ‘I could not wish for a better Nursery for him to attend for the enjoyment and progress he as shown.’ Children love coming to school. They enjoy their lessons a great deal and behaviour is excellent throughout the day because the children know exactly what is expected of them in the classroom and around the school. Excellent personal development enables children to grow in confidence as they progress

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Grade: 1

through the school. Children know how to stay safe and healthy. They make the most of a wide range of challenging physical activities in the outside and inside play areas. The development of all areas of learning is outstanding and provides excellent preparation for the next stage of education. A particular strength is the high level of independence and responsibility for their learning that the children develop. Learning opportunities are planned in meticulous detail and carefully evaluated to make sure all children achieve their best. The excellent level of adult support ensures that, as children are working on their chosen activity, appropriate interventions are made to deepen their thinking and move their learning forward. The review meeting at the end of each session does not always ensure that all children have an opportunity to share what they have achieved. The record of achievement folders provide parents

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Grade: 1

with a weekly picture of their child’s progress and teachers’ daily observations ensure children get the level of challenge they need. The curriculum goes well beyond what is usually seen, with many visitors and visits enriching the children’s daily experiences. Leadership is excellent. The headteacher, senior teacher and governors have a clear picture of what is happening because of the systems they have for monitoring this. The headteacher conducts frequent observations of teaching and learning but these are not always recorded formally. Action is being taken to provide governors with more knowledge about the areas identified in self-reviews. The excellent teamwork in the school is a strength and provides an impressive role model for the children. All staff are totally committed to providing the best learning opportunities possible for every child. The development at the school of a part Children’s Centre is a challenge that

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Grade: 1

the governors and staff are ready to meet. The continuing drive to maintain and develop further the high standards and improvements made since the previous inspection mean that the school has excellent capacity for further improvement. The school provides excellent value for money. 2 Inspection Report: Scartho Nursery School, 12 December 2006

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What the school should do to improve further

• Record more formally the regular observations of teaching and learning by the headteacher. • Use the review time at the end of sessions more effectively to ensure all children can share their achievements.

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Grade: 1

Attainment on entry is average and the children make outstanding progress during their time at the school and achieve exceptionally well. This includes those children with English as an additional language. As one parent said: My child’s English language, numeracy skills and social skills have greatly progressed.’ By the time they leave, most children achieve exceptionally high standards. Some children are beginning to read and can count reliably beyond 10. Children speak clearly and confidently about their experiences and their imaginative play. They can sequence their ideas very well: ‘We are going to Centre Parcs on our boat and we are gong to stay in a caravan. It will take about 10 minutes to get there.’ Children have a widening knowledge and understanding of the world and can explain what a lighthouse is and that Jupiter is a planet. The excellent teamwork in the school and the close working relationship with parents

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Grade: 1

ensures that learning is maximised. All children, including the most able and those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, achieve their best. In the words of one parent: ‘He has been incredibly well supported to ‘catch up’ and is fully integrated into school life. His independence skills have been developed to match his peers.’

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Grade: 1

The school’s excellent support for children’s personal development is reflected in the delightful and highly enthusiastic attitudes they have towards all aspects of school life. The system of pastoral groups is a strength and in the nurturing and supportive environment children become confident and very well prepared for the next stage of education. They love coming to school and their attendance is excellent. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is also excellent and promoted through all aspects of the work of this inclusive school. Children learn about nutrition and exercise from their earliest days in school and talk very confidently about what foods are good for you. Table manners are exemplary and children tuck into the attractively presented vegetables, soup and sandwiches with great enjoyment. There are many opportunities for physical activity during the school day. Children are encouraged to be respectful

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Grade: 1

of each other and to consider each other’s feelings. Behaviour is excellent. They are kind and thoughtful and, as a result, relationships are excellent. Children understand that they must not use ‘big voices’ in school and that only four children can work at an activity at a time. Safety is emphasised and children know ‘it’s not safe to carry 3 Inspection Report: Scartho Nursery School, 12 December 2006 scissors round with you’. Older children readily help younger children and all play together very well.

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Grade: 1

The school’s judgement of teaching and learning as good is too modest. Both are outstanding ensuring children of all abilities make excellent progress. Parents made statements such as: ‘Scartho Nursery has had a massive impact in my child’s excellent progress in both social and academic skills and knowledge due to their teaching techniques.’ The inspection confirms this. The calm atmosphere and very positive way all staff listen to the opinions and ideas of children result in exemplary behaviour and attitudes to learning. Every moment of the school day is used as a learning opportunity and staff are experts at spotting when their intervention will move learning forward. This ensures children are challenged to learn new things and have opportunities to consolidate what they have already learnt. Teachers and support staff work very effectively and closely together so that all adult interventions are planned to develop

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Grade: 1

the children’s knowledge, skills and understanding. Resources, including interactive whiteboards and computers, are used imaginatively. Teachers’ highly effective use of assessment ensures that activities are appropriate and meet every child’s learning needs. The record of assessment folders, which go home at the weekends, provide an excellent record of the progress made week-by-week. Staff also conduct careful observations of every child’s learning which inform the very good end of Nursery report which parents and the next school receive. The review meetings at the end of each session do not always ensure all children have an opportunity to share what they have achieved.

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Grade: 1

The curriculum is exceptionally good and children experience a broad range of interesting and creative activities. For example, in a mathematics activity where the teacher had prepared wrapped parcels for posting in a larger Christmas box, the children were totally absorbed with the problem of how to fit all the smaller boxes into the larger box. The number and quality of activities available for children to choose from during their ‘free-flow’ time are outstanding. The staff’s careful monitoring of the children and their well-planned interventions ensure that children with learning difficulties and those with English as an additional language achieve equally well. Detailed planning and assessments mean that staff are able to challenge children appropriately, so that all children achieve their best. The many visits and visitors mean that, in one parent’s words, ‘Scartho Nursery school contributes not only to its pupils

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Grade: 1

but to the local community and beyond. We feel this is a great enrichment for “life” skills and understanding of the world we live in.’ 4 Inspection Report: Scartho Nursery School, 12 December 2006

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Grade: 1

The quality of care is outstanding and pupils learn in a very safe, calm and friendly environment. Parents are particularly pleased with the caring ethos and make comments such as: ‘My child was made to feel important, listened to and cared for from the very beginning (even the home visit!)’. Within this very supportive climate, children feel extremely safe to try new things and enjoy the considerable challenges planned for them. All staff are exceptionally good at seeing what children are able to do and what they need to do next to improve their learning. The progress of each individual is monitored very carefully and action is taken to ensure that their excellent progress is maintained. Very good communication with parents and other agencies result in high quality programmes of support for children who find it hard to learn. Child protection procedures are good and recent legislation to ensure children are safeguarded is

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Grade: 1

The school continues to thrive and grow under the outstanding leadership of the headteacher, supported by a very strong and dedicated team of teachers, support staff, early years practitioners and governors. The staff team supports the headteacher to great effect. In one teacher’s words: ‘We want to be a “moving” school not a “cruising” school.’ The inspection finds that they have achieved this. The school’s evaluation of itself illustrates that it is aware of its strengths but has been too modest in its overall grading. However, through its good range of monitoring procedures, the school is effective and accurate in identifying its very good ethos, its strengths and areas for improvement. As a result school improvement planning is good and is effective in involving members of the school community. Management is very good and monitoring activities are thorough and lead to further improvements. The headteacher conducts frequent observations of teaching and learning but these are

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Grade: 1

not always recorded formally. Governors are highly effective in reviewing the school’s progress and in monitoring children’s achievements. Increasing use is made of external evaluations such as parent perception surveys and local authority advisers’ visits to validate the school’s own view of itself. 5 Inspection Report: Scartho Nursery School, 12 December 2006 .

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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: Scartho Nursery School, 12 December 2006

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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 2 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? 1 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 1 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: Scartho Nursery School, 12 December 2006

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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: Scartho Nursery School, 12 December 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Scartho Nursery School Pinfold Lane Scartho Grimsby North East Lincolnshire DN33 2EW 12 December 2006 Dear Children Thank you for the great welcome you gave me to your school. It was lovely to meet you and your teachers and I really enjoyed talking to you and joining in some of the activities you were working on. I have written a report for your teachers and parents. Here are some of the things I really liked about your school. You enjoy school a lot and have great fun learning. Mrs Langridge is an excellent headteacher. All the adults in your school work very hard to help you learn and enjoy school. You work very hard and get better at everything you do. You are very kind to each other and help each other when you can. You are very good and do what all adults ask you to do. You have wonderful table manners and you know lots about eating healthy food. Your parents think this is a very good school and I think it is excellent.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

All the adults who help you learn are going to give you more time to talk about what you have done during your free choice time. Thank you again for helping me. With best wishes Yours sincerely Julie Winyard Lead inspector 9 Inspection Report: Scartho Nursery School, 12 December 2006

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