Taywood Nursery School

133372 Unique Reference Number Lancashire Local Authority 294083 Inspection number 14 September 2006 Inspection date Penny Parrish Reporting inspector

p.1

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

p.1

Accrington Road School address Nursery Type of school Burnley, Lancashire Maintained School category BB11 5AE 3 °4 Age range of pupils 01282 425601 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01282 425 601 Fax number 64 Number on roll (school) Mrs Wendy Graham Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Christine Lawless Headteacher Not previously inspected Date of previous school inspection

p.1

Inspection number Inspection date Age group 294083 14 September 2006 3 °4 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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 an Additional Inspector.

p.3

Description of the school

Taywood Nursery established extended services in 2002 and, in addition to nursery education for three to five year olds, it provides full day care for babies and children aged from three months to five years. This inspection refers only to the nursery section of the school, funded by the local authority. The quality of the extended services provision is the subject of a separate report. Children are admitted to the nursery in the term after their third birthday, and stay for between three and five terms. Most attend part time, for morning or afternoon sessions, though some are cared for within the extended services for the remainder of the day. As they start nursery, the children’s attainments vary considerably and are overall well below what is typical for most three-year-olds. The proportion of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is broadly average but includes a higher than average number of children with statements of special educational need. Almost

p.3

Description of the school

all children have a White British heritage. None are at the early stages of learning English as an additional language. In the September before their fifth birthday, the children transfer to the Reception Year in local primary schools.

p.3

Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Taywood Nursery, 14 September 2006

p.3

Grade: 2

Taywood Nursery is a good school that provides good value for money. Parents hold the nursery in high regard; they rightly believe that their children thoroughly enjoy learning and that good teaching ensures good achievement and progress for all. The school promotes the children’s health and safety well and helps them to develop the skills they need to join in and contribute well to the nursery and the wider community. Staff take good care to introduce the children gradually to their first days in the nursery, with its well-established routines and high expectations. Consequently, learning gets off to a good start. Those who transfer from the day-care section of the school or who have attended the playgroup available on the premises settle particularly quickly. Teaching is good and the school’s records show that children achieve well overall, and very well in their personal, social and emotional development. Staff are

p.4

Grade: 2

adept at helping the children to feel confident and self-assured. In their personal, social and emotional development, most children manage to attain the stage expected on transfer to Reception in the primary school, despite their lower than average starting point. In the other areas of learning, attainment improves well but is below average overall. The children who attend for four or five terms rather than three, do best and generally reach the nationally expected standard for transfer to Reception. The teachers keep very careful records of children’s successes but some opportunities are missed to transfer information from assessments to teaching plans in order to cater for the specific needs of individuals or small groups of children. Those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities achieve well because their needs are identified early and they are given the extra help that they need. The school works in close and very effective

p.4

Grade: 2

partnership with other professionals, such as Sure Start, social services, local colleges and its own day-care staff to promote the achievement and well-being of the children and their families. Leadership and management are good. The good provision noted in the last inspection has been maintained and built on very well through the establishment of the extended care facilities. The headteacher, staff and governors form an effective and ambitious team and show a good capacity for continuous improvement.

p.4

What the school should do to improve further

• Improve teaching and learning by linking assessments more clearly to teaching plans to promote the specific needs of individuals and small groups of children.

p.4

Grade: 2

All children achieve well, including all groups, such as boys and girls, the small number with English as an additional language and those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. In most areas of learning, (communication, language and literacy, mathematical development, knowledge and understanding of the world, physical and 2 Inspection Report: Taywood Nursery, 14 September 2006 creative development) children make good progress but most do not quite make up the ground necessary to reach nationally expected levels on transfer to Reception at the local primary school. The exception is in personal, social and emotional development, where progress is exceptionally good and attainment is at the expected level when they transfer to Reception. The school has noted that girls tend to reach higher levels of attainment than boys in literacy and boys tend to exceed girls in mathematical development. This is being

p.4

Grade: 2

tackled successfully through changes to the curriculum and the focus of teaching. Boys, especially, have improved their language skills over the past year.

p.5

Grade: 1

Personal development and well-being is exceptionally good. The school’s records show that most children get off to a very good start and achieve rapid progress especially in their early terms in the nursery. The outstanding personal development owes a lot to the excellent relationships evident in the nursery. Staff have a good understanding of the children’s needs and are adept at developing their confidence and independence quickly. Those children who have been in school one or two terms stand out as confident, self-assured and friendly children. A good range of lively activities combined with enthusiastic and caring adults leads to exceptional enjoyment for children, excellent behaviour and well focused concentration. Attendance is good, often through encouragement by staff and arrangements that facilitate good attendance. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Stories are used well to help children

p.5

Grade: 1

to understand cultural events and celebrations, cultural differences and values such as kindness and respect for others. Safety and thoughtful behaviour are instilled from the start and children soon learn to use tools safely, such as drawing implements, the knives and forks in lunch club or the screwdrivers made available to mend broken telephones. The children are aware of the benefits of healthy eating. Fruit and milk are available as snacks and the school’s cook makes sure a healthy diet of homemade food is available for those who join the daily lunch club. Children contribute well to the nursery through well established responsibilities such as tidying up and being considerate to others. Support for the local community includes the regular recycling of materials collected in the nursery.

p.5

Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. Staff have a good understanding of the needs of young children and work well as a team to help them learn. A strength is the sensitive interaction between staff and children that promotes personal development so well. The balance between independent and guided learning is successfully gauged to the 3 Inspection Report: Taywood Nursery, 14 September 2006 benefit of the children. Activities are of appropriate length, with teaching intervention showing a good sense of timing and good improvement since the last inspection. Resources, such as the story sacks full of items that match the pictures in books and well chosen computer programmes, mean that children easily become engaged in learning. The staff team dovetail their work well to the benefit of the children, and much of the tailoring of teaching to meet children’s specific needs is achieved informally through good communication and daily reviews of the teaching and learning. Planning

p.5

Grade: 2

does not always include information gained from assessments in order to focus clearly on the specific needs of individuals or small groups of children. Although all children make good progress and achieve well, there are some instances where children’s learning might have been accelerated even further through specifically focused activities, such as for those who have developed a talent for numeracy, or perhaps are rather slow in learning to write their names.

p.6

Grade: 2

The curriculum is good and meets the national guidance for the Foundation Stage well. Lively and interesting activities, generally matched well to children’s needs, help them to concentrate increasingly well and to enjoy learning exceptionally well. Careful planning and liaison with the school’s day-care staff ensure that children in school full time, in whatever setting, are provided with a good variety of activities. When possible parents support activities such as woodwork, extending the curriculum well. A specialist teacher leads music each week. The school recognises the potential for improving the outdoor area and plans and fundraising activities are in hand. Nonetheless, the facilities available are used well to promote all areas of learning. Visits to places of interest locally extend the children’s enjoyment and their understanding of the world. Visitors invited into the nursery, such as the local dental service, help children to understand

p.6

Grade: 2

The care, guidance and support provided for children are good. The school takes their safety and well-being very seriously. Good induction systems and daily routines help the children to feel confident and self-assured. The school works extremely well with parents and with other professionals in the community to make sure that all children make good progress. The facilities made available within the school’s extended services provide good support for children and their families. The progress of individual children is tracked well. Extra support is generally provided well where necessary, but opportunities to plan for the specific learning needs of individuals or small groups are sometimes missed. Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are helped to achieve well through useful individual education plans, supplemented well by day-to-day discussions between staff. Vulnerable children are identified early and

p.6

Grade: 2

appropriate action is taken. Targets for learning are set and shared with parents at 4 Inspection Report: Taywood Nursery, 14 September 2006 about half-yearly intervals, providing effective though sometimes quite general guidance.

p.6

Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. A strong sense of purpose is established within the good staff team, based on good relationships, high expectations for the children’s achievement and a focus on continuous improvement. Led by the headteacher and supported well by the good observations of staff, the school has a clear view of its strengths and areas for development. This is reflected in an accurate self-evaluation. The school’s good understanding of the needs of young children is recognised by the local authority and staff from the local school are welcomed to observe the teaching styles used. The right priorities are set for improvement and effectively linked to the teachers’ performance management system to enable success. The headteacher and staff are rightly in the process of reviewing assessment systems in order to help them to gain a more accurate and detailed overview of the school’s work and outcomes for

p.7

Grade: 2

children. The school’s commitment to a strong and well supported workforce has led to a successful review of its Investors in People in 2005. The local authority’s kitemark award for excellence in the early years is a productive focus for improvement. The governing body carries out its role with diligence and ensures all statutory duties are met. It has provided good support for the recent extension of the services offered by the school and liaises well, through the headteacher, with the management committee of the school’s extra provision. The budget made available is allocated wisely and the headteacher and governors are adept at accessing further funding to meet their needs in extending the school’s provision. The school provides good value for money. 5 Inspection Report: Taywood Nursery, 14 September 2006 .

p.7

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: Taywood Nursery, 14 September 2006

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? 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

p.9

Achievement and standards

2 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 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

p.9

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 2 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

p.9

and interests of learners?

2 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. 7 Inspection Report: Taywood Nursery, 14 September 2006

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? 8 Inspection Report: Taywood Nursery, 14 September 2006

p.10

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

The Children Taywood Nursery School Accrington Road Burnley Lancashire BB11 5AE 14 September 2006 Dear Children A big thank you to you and your teachers for letting me visit your nursery to see how you play and learn. I found out all these important things: • Taywood is a good nursery and so you thoroughly enjoy coming to school • the teachers and nursery nurses are very skilled and help you to learn the right things quickly • you are especially good at learning to be friends and to help one another • you know how to stay safe and healthy. One thing will help you to learn just a little more: • the teachers are going to try even harder to help you a little more by deciding who needs to have a special activity by themselves or in a small group sometimes You can help by continuing to be so nice and doing your very best for the teachers. Thank you for being so friendly and making my visit so special. I hope you enjoy your days in

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

the nursery more and more. With best wishes Mrs Penny Parrish Lead Inspector 9 Inspection Report: Taywood Nursery, 14 September 2006

p.11