Camrose Early Years Centre for Children & Families

Inspection Report The Camrose Centre Surestart for Children and Families

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131151 Unique Reference Number Northamptonshire Local Authority 293713 Inspection number 16 January 2007 Inspection date Barbara Crane 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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Streathfield Road School address Nursery Type of school Northampton Community School category NN5 7DE 1 °5 Age range of pupils 01604 585219 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01604 758662 Fax number 109 Number on roll (school) Susan Berrein Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Anette Beattie Headteacher 18 February 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 293713 16 January 2007 1 °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 one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

The Camrose Centre was designated a Children's Centre in late 2004. The Centre provides a wide range of integrated services and day care facilities for families and children, as well as Nursery provision for children aged 3 and 4 years. It serves an area in which many families face challenging circumstances. Children's attainment when they start in the Nursery is well below average. About a third of the Nursery children have learning difficulties or disabilities. A similar proportion of children come from minority ethnic families, mainly Bangladeshi, and most of these children are learning English as an additional language. The head of the Centre is currently on secondment. Her deputy has stepped into the role as acting head of the Centre. The head of children's learning has stepped into the role as acting head of school.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: The Camrose Centre Surestart for Children and Families, 16 January 2007

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Grade: 1

The Camrose Centre provides an outstanding start to children's education. It is a vibrant environment for learning where the staff put children's needs first and so children are happy and thrive. The staff work very well as a team to give children what they need, at just the point at which they need it. Consequently, children make very rapid progress. The outstanding level of care, guidance and support provided by the staff means that children thrive and their personal development and well-being are outstanding. Excellent use is made of the Centre's extended services to secure children's well-being. Children's achievement is outstanding and so most reach the goals set for their age by the time they leave the Centre. This high level of achievement results from excellent teaching that provides the right level of support for individual children, based on accurate assessment of the child's needs. Children with learning difficulties or

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Grade: 1

disabilities do very well because of precise teaching. Children from Bangladeshi families benefit from teaching in their mother-tongue, and those who speak other languages are well supported. The outstanding curriculum is planned to capture children's interest and curiosity. There is plenty to do and explore and the excellent relationships between children mean that they work and play together cheerfully. Every work area is filled with children's own work and photographs of them doing it, and so the environment is personal to them and reflects their achievement. Opportunities are missed to include print and pictures to support children's learning of key vocabulary connected to topics or areas of learning. Children's enthusiasms are recognised and nurtured by the staff. Topics are often captured through children's talk or events in their families. Staff encourage children to take the lead in deciding how they will carry out their ideas and

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Grade: 1

to share these with others. This develops children's confidence and self-esteem very well. Children are free to choose from a range of resources to express their ideas and this fosters their independence and creativity. The leadership and management of the Centre are outstanding. The acting head of the school has been able to carry on seamlessly in supporting the Centre's success because of the good quality systems that underpin its daily work. The staff and board of governors share a common vision of getting the best for children and work well together to reach their aim. The views of parents and carers are frequently sought and taken seriously. There is outstanding capacity to improve, demonstrated in the way in which initiatives, such as adapting planning to follow children's own preferences and style of learning, have had a positive impact on children's achievement.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure that pictures and words are displayed to enhance children's progress in extending their skills in language and literacy. 2 Inspection Report: The Camrose Centre Surestart for Children and Families, 16 January 2007

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Grade: 1

From a much lower than average starting point, children from all backgrounds and abilities make excellent progress. Most children reach the learning goals for their age in all areas by the time they leave and so are very well prepared for the next stage in their education. The staff's assessment of children shows almost equally outstanding achievement in all of the areas of learning. There is particularly rapid progress in children's personal, social and emotional development because teaching promotes children's ability to take responsibility, solve problems for themselves and negotiate with each other. Children's progress is at a good level in communication, language and literacy, but does not quite match that in other areas. Children lack some opportunities to learn from pictures with associated words that are linked to activities to boost their language for speaking and thinking. Children relish using the excellent

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Grade: 1

facilities outdoors and know that having fun in the fresh air and being active are good for their health. They have a very good sense of space and move freely and confidently.

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Grade: 1

Children are eager to start on activities as soon as they enter the building. They blossom with confidence because the staff value them as individuals and listen to their ideas. Children develop a very positive disposition to learning because the staff make it so enjoyable for them. This sets them up well for the future. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. They are friendly towards each other and mix well together, regardless of ethnicity, age or gender. Children enjoy setting challenges for themselves and groups of friends because they do not fear failure. They organise their own activities and invite others to join in. They are helpful to each other and fast and efficient at tidying up at the end of sessions. Children eat and drink healthily when they prepare their own snacks in the Nursery kitchen. Behaviour is excellent and children know how to keep themselves safe by keeping to the rules, such

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Grade: 1

as respecting other children's space when playing outdoors. They understand that exercise is good for them and relish being active.

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Grade: 1

Teaching makes learning exciting and so children enjoy coming to the Nursery. The adults plan stimulating activities, with clear routines and plenty of sensitive encouragement for everyone to join in. This was well demonstrated in a recent practical session. Even those who were a little reluctant at first were fully involved by the end of the session, because the method of teaching made the whole process an adventure. Children's excellent response to adults' high expectations of behaviour and manners 3 Inspection Report: The Camrose Centre Surestart for Children and Families, 16 January 2007 adds to the pleasant atmosphere. The children are treated with respect and return this in kind to the adults. Children quickly learn that working with others makes life easier and more enjoyable. Adults praise them for trying hard when they meet problems and so children learn to persevere. Precise teaching that meets the needs of all groups of

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Grade: 1

children is firmly based on assessments of what they can already do and what small steps need to be taken next. Frequent reviews of children's progress mean that any difficulties are quickly identified and suitable intervention is speedily put in place. This is very effective for children with learning difficulties or disabilities.

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Grade: 1

The curriculum is rich and varied, with plenty of opportunities for children to choose activities for themselves. The staff work together to plan activities that follow on from the children's interests from the previous week. They ensure that children get a good balance of experiences that are as practically based as possible. Consequently, children learn very well through doing. The look and feel of the environment is given great consideration so that children learn from it incidentally, as well as through planned activities. The key vocabulary for different activities is identified in planning for each session and very well reinforced through teaching. This vocabulary is not always displayed through words and pictures so that children are prompted to use it when working independently. Excellent resources for the curriculum are used very well to support children's achievement. The outdoor area, for example, has high quality

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Grade: 1

large-scale equipment that children use imaginatively to play out scenes in the enormous sandpit or explore space on the fixed apparatus. The curriculum includes plenty of opportunities for children to learn about how to keep safe and healthy, such as the safe handling of food and tools.

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Grade: 1

The excellent level of care provided greatly adds to the way in which children settle comfortably into the Nursery. The staff know the children and their families well, and parents and carers make good use of drop-in facilities to share any concerns. Good procedures for safeguarding children are kept under review. Thorough assessment procedures enable all staff to have a clear understanding of the areas in which children need to develop further. Targeted support is given to the children who need it. The Centre's provision of extended services means that there is swift and easy referral to agencies, such as speech therapy, family support and health services. This benefits both children's learning and well-being.

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Grade: 1

Everyone in the Centre is pulling in the same direction because they all have the same aim: to include every child as fully as possible and give them a good start. The leadership 4 Inspection Report: The Camrose Centre Surestart for Children and Families, 16 January 2007 team set the tone in creating a climate in which staff and the board of governors feel that they are making a valuable contribution to the team. Accurate self-evaluation is based on the careful analysis of data about children's progress, as well as from the checks that are made on teaching and learning. Consequently, the leaders and managers know what is working well. They act briskly to improve any area of provision that needs boosting and then check to see if things have improved. Staff training is tied in neatly with the Centre's priorities. The board of governors is very active in seeking parents' and carers' views and these are taken into account when planning for the future.

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Grade: 1

First-aid sessions, for example, as well as a wide range of other family learning sessions have been provided and well attended. 5 Inspection Report: The Camrose Centre Surestart for Children and Families, 16 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: The Camrose Centre Surestart for Children and Families, 16 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? 3 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 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: The Camrose Centre Surestart for Children and Families, 16 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: The Camrose Centre Surestart for Children and Families, 16 January 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

I liked coming to your Nursery because you were all very kind and helped me with my work. Your Nursery is a very good place for you and I am glad that you enjoy it so much. I am writing you a letter to tell you what I found out when I spent the day with you. • You make lots of friends and enjoy being together. Your behaviour is brilliant. Well done! • You are learning everything you need to know for when you start school because the teaching is so good. • All of the grown-ups are very kind and give you help if you need it. They take very good care of you and teach you how to be healthy, fit and safe. • There are so many exciting things for you to do. I can understand why you can't wait to get started when you come in! • Everyone wants the best for you and the people in charge work hard to make the Nursery run so well. I saw some lovely photographs around the Nursery that showed you working and playing

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

together. I have asked the grown-ups to put pictures and words up for you, next to the activity areas, so that you can learn to say new words. Thank you for giving me such a warm welcome when I came to see you. Keep on enjoying your time at Nursery. 9 Inspection Report: The Camrose Centre Surestart for Children and Families, 16 January 2007

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