Moorgate Nursery School

Moorgate Nursery School Inspection report

p.1

119080 Unique Reference Number Lancashire Local Authority 291308 Inspection number 9 °10 May 2007 Inspection dates Kathleen McArthur Reporting inspector

p.1

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

p.1

Nursery Type of school Maintained School category 3 °4 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 80 School

p.1

The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Mary Whitby Chair Ms Jan Holmes Headteacher 1 July 2001 Date of previous school inspection Moorgate School address Ormskirk Lancashire L39 4RY

p.1

01695 573470 Telephone number 01695 573470 Fax number

p.1

3 °4 Age group 9 °10 May 2007 Inspection dates 291308 Inspection number .

p.1

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one Additional Inspector.

p.3

Description of the school

The nursery school is situated in the centre of Ormskirk. Children attend part-time, either in the morning or in the afternoon. Most children come from the town, but some travel in from outlying villages. Almost all the children are of White British heritage; a very small number are in the early stages of learning to speak English. A lower than average proportion has learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The nursery offers a range of extended services to the local community, including day care and is in the process of being designated as a Children’s Centre.

p.3

Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Moorgate Nursery School, 9 °10 May 2007

p.3

Grade: 1

This outstanding nursery school provides very high quality education and care for every child and reaches out to the local community through a range of extended services. It gives excellent value for money. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the nursery; one comment summed up their views by saying, ‘110% satisfied: couldn’t ask for better, a top class nursery’. The outstanding leadership of the headteacher is at the heart of the nursery. Her clear vision and drive for continual improvement and the best possible education and care for all children is fully supported by high quality staff and governors. One of the many improvements since the previous inspection is the current development of the Children’s Centre which is increasing the support and services provided for parents and carers. The children arrive very happily each day, eager to see what exciting activities are waiting for them. Children and parents say that staff are friendly, helpful and approachable. The warm,

p.4

Grade: 1

welcoming environment ensures all children feel safe, secure and valued so they quickly become enthusiastic learners. Personal and social development is given the highest priority. Consequently, children make rapid gains in confidence and maturity, and show high levels of care and concern for others. The school works very hard to fully include all children in all activities. For example, children answer the register using sign language so that any child with language difficulties can participate fully. There is excellent support for children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and for those learning to speak English, and their parents are full of praise for the sensitivity with which they are helped and guided. Children are encouraged to make healthy choices; they enjoy fruit snacks and lots of physical activities outside in the fresh air. They use equipment carefully and safely, concentrate well and happily follow nursery

p.4

Grade: 1

routines, all of which prepares them very well for further learning. Outstanding teaching ensures children make very good progress in all areas of learning. Consequently, children’s achievement is outstanding and they reach standards above those normally seen at their age. Children really enjoy the practical first-hand learning activities and experiences provided by the excellent curriculum, and all the different visitors and visits that add extra interest and enrichment. Teaching staff are very good at building on children’s individual interests. They provide activities that are skilfully linked through themes and topics to make their learning really meaningful. Arrangements for care, guidance and support are excellent. Progress is recorded very thoroughly so teachers know exactly how to challenge and help each child make the next steps in learning. Very good links with local schools ensure children move confidently to the next stage of their education.

p.4

Grade: 1

The nursery modestly evaluated its overall effectiveness as good: inspection evidence shows it is outstanding. Evaluations are accurate and help to identify the right areas to develop to make the provision even better. All issues from the previous inspection have been rigorously overcome. Outstanding leadership at all levels, strong teamwork and exciting developments give the nursery excellent capacity for further improvement.

p.4

What the school should do to improve further

• There are no significant areas for improvement. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Moorgate Nursery School, 9 °10 May 2007

p.4

Grade: 1

Children enter the nursery with attainment typical for their age. Personal, social and language skills are a little weaker than skills in other areas of learning. Both girls and boys make excellent progress because they are taught so well. All staff place a very strong emphasis on developing personal and social skills as a basis for learning, so children progress most rapidly here and become eager, active learners. Progress is very carefully monitored to ensure every child is challenged and provided with exciting activities best suited to their individual needs. By the time they leave, nearly all children are above the expected standards in all six areas of learning, and some do even better. They are confident speakers, use a wide vocabulary and many recognise letter sounds that begin or end words. Most counted up to 19 accurately to see how many children were present, and many knew what one more or one less would be. Children with

p.5

Grade: 1

learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those learning to speak English receive high quality support and individual attention so they achieve as well as the other children

p.5

Grade: 1

The nursery rightly prioritises this aspect as the foundation for learning. Consequently, children’s personal and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are excellent. Children find their learning exciting and become really engrossed in the varied, practical investigational activities. For example, two children were thrilled to discover tiny leaves growing from tree roots. Behaviour is excellent. The children are friendly, polite and caring towards each other, reflecting the way they are respected and valued by all staff. Relationships are very strong and the children mix happily together and quickly learn to share and take turns. Children have many opportunities to take responsibility so they become increasingly independent and mature. They complete ‘planning boards’ to select their daily activities. They tidy up swiftly and carefully, aware that they must take good care to use equipment safely. They experienced a different

p.5

Grade: 1

culture when making dragons to celebrate the Chinese New Year, and fundraising activities on Red Nose day made them aware of the importance of helping others. Children are beginning to appreciate the importance of caring for their health. They enjoy healthy snacks and love trying all the challenging physical activities in the outdoor areas. They clearly feel safe in the nursery and arrive happily, eager to choose an activity. Attendance is good. All children are extremely well prepared for the next steps in their education.

p.5

Grade: 1

The quality of learning is greatly enhanced by the skilled way staff build on children’s ideas and interests to provide stimulating activities in all areas of learning. Time is used very effectively; each session includes a carefully planned blend of adult directed and child directed learning. This ensures children are always busy, fully engrossed and actively learning so they make excellent progress. Another very strong feature is the use of assessment information to plan the next steps for each individual child. Very good relationships between adults and children enable children to flourish and succeed. Each day, children are expected to select their activities and complete a ‘planning board’, which also gives them early reading experiences. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Moorgate Nursery School, 9 °10 May 2007 Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those learning English are fully

p.5

Grade: 1

supported by well-deployed and knowledgeable practitioners so they progress in line with their classmates.

p.6

Grade: 1

The outstanding curriculum is very well planned and organised. It is firmly based on current guidance for children in the early years of education and it fully meets the individual learning needs of every child. Children have many first hand experiences and learning is enriched with many visitors and visits. Staff very skilfully build on each child’s natural curiosity so they learn in the way that suits them best. One parent was very pleased to say, ‘My child finds the subjects chosen and methods of teaching through active play exciting and stimulating.’ A particular strength is the constant use of the attractive outdoor areas to enhance activities provided indoors. For example, some boys enjoy reading more when their books are linked to building activities outside. Topics and themes are carefully linked across all areas of learning; after the fire service paid a visit to the nursery, children made models and painted pictures of fire engines,

p.6

Grade: 1

and wrote and posted thank you letters to the firemen. Outstanding promotion of personal skills means children make rapid progress in their personal, social and emotional development which gives them a very strong platform for all learning.

p.6

Grade: 1

Care, guidance and support are outstanding. Safeguarding procedures and arrangements for child protection and health and safety are fully in place and meet all current requirements. Parents are extremely satisfied with the very high quality of care their children receive. Those whose children have additional learning needs are particularly pleased with the support given to their children, and grateful for the sensitive help and advice they themselves receive. Very good relationships between home and nursery begin with home visits. These are part of the very good induction process that helps children to feel secure and eager to start nursery. The warm welcome from staff when parents and children arrive each day gives them an informal opportunity to exchange information or concerns. Very good links with all external support agencies provide additional support for children and their families. The nursery further extends

p.6

Grade: 1

provision through a range of extended services for parents and the local community, enhanced by the new Children’s Centre. Excellent tracking and monitoring systems give a very clear picture of children’s progress. Assessment information is used very well to plan the next challenges in each child’s learning. It is very carefully analysed to direct additional help and extra support where needed. This was particularly effective when information showed that progress in mathematics was not quite as good as in other areas; swift actions successfully boosted progress.

p.6

Grade: 1

The outstanding leadership of the headteacher has been recognised by the local authority and is seen in the very clear focus on improvement. Her vision to develop the work of the nursery and provide the very best for each child is fully shared by the strongly committed and dedicated 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Moorgate Nursery School, 9 °10 May 2007 staff and governors. One particularly strong feature is the commitment to increase the extended services for parents and the community through the current development of the Children’s Centre. Children’s excellent progress is testimony to the highly successful impact of the leadership. The nursery has the overwhelming support of all parents and builds well on this to benefit all children. Strong emphasis on inclusion successfully ensures all children participate fully in every activity. All resources, particularly finances, are very carefully and shrewdly managed, ensuring the

p.6

Grade: 1

nursery provides excellent value for money. Excellent, active governance provides knowledgeable yet challenging support. The issues from the previous inspection have been thoroughly overcome. Leaders monitor teaching and provision closely. They evaluate the effect of the school’s work on outcomes for children and identify accurately what needs to be improved. Very high quality leadership and the strong commitment of the staff team give the nursery excellent capacity for further improvement. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Moorgate Nursery School, 9 °10 May 2007 .

p.7

Grade: 1

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Moorgate Nursery School, 9 °10 May 2007

p.8

Inspection judgements

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

p.9

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

p.9

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

p.9

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 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

p.9

and interests of learners?

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

p.9

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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Moorgate Nursery School, 9 °10 May 2007

p.9

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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Moorgate Nursery School, 9 °10 May 2007

p.10

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

14 May 2007 Dear Children Inspection of Moorgate Nursery School, Lancashire, L39 4RY Do you remember that I visited your nursery last week? I met lots of very friendly boys and girls. I could tell that you really enjoy coming to nursery each day. Your parents are very pleased that you are so happy. Lots of you were having fun running about outside in the wind, pretending you were flying! Then I saw some of you playing the Train Game while others were busy counting all the cars, bikes and vans that went past. Inside, some children were painting colours on their hands and making lovely prints. Your nursery is a really good school, and has a very good headteacher, staff and governors. They work really, really hard to make sure you are very well looked after so you feel safe at the nursery. You all make really good progress because you work hard and learn a lot of exciting new things at nursery. You do much better than many children of your age: well done!

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Your parents can be really proud of how well you behave. You are sensible and you always try to help other people. One very kind boy fetched a drink of water for me at snack time, and I was pleased to see everyone enjoying some fruit and a drink. I am sure you will always enjoy being at the nursery. Please work hard and take very good care of yourselves all the time. Best wishes Mrs Kathleen McArthur Lead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Moorgate Nursery School, 9 °10 May 2007

p.11