Kintore Way Nursery School

Kintore Way Children's Centre Inspection report

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100767 Unique Reference Number Southwark Local Authority 307473 Inspection number 13 May 2008 Inspection date Sue Vale 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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Nursery Type of school Community School category 0 °5 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 151 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs A Stanton Chair Ms R Sherwood (Acting) Headteacher 28 September 2004 Date of previous school inspection Grange Road School address London SE1 3BW 020 7525 1196 Telephone number 020 7231 3953 Fax number

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0-5 Age group 13 May 2008 Inspection date 307473 Inspection number .

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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. The inspector evaluated the overall effectiveness of the Nursery and investigated the following issues: how well children progress and the standards they reach, the accuracy of leaders' self-evaluation of the school, pupils' personal development and the care, guidance and support for pupils. She gathered evidence from records of pupils' attainment, samples of pupils' work, observations of activities in and around the Nursery, meetings with staff, governors, and children and an analysis of more than 80 responses to the parents' questionnaire. Other aspects of the school's work were not investigated in detail, but the inspector found no evidence to suggest that the school's own assessments, as given in its self-evaluation, were not justified, and these have been included where appropriate in this report.

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Description of the school

Kintore Way Nursery School draws its children from a wide range of backgrounds, and has children attending aged 0-5. For the purposes of this inspection the education of the children aged 3-5 was looked at. It was officially opened as a children's centre 10 months ago. More than half the children are learning English as an additional language, and there are 20 different languages spoken. Around a third of the children are identified as having learning difficulties and disabilities that include emotional and behavioural problems and weaknesses in language and communication skills. Over half the children are entitled to free school meals.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 9 Inspection Report: Kintore Way Children's Centre, 13 May 2008

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Grade: 2

During their time in the Nursery at Kintore Way Children's Centre, children receive a good start to their education. As one mother commented, 'I strongly believe that Kintore Way is doing a good job. I feel that my child is making good progress.' Parents and carers are genuinely happy with what the Nursery offers. Most of the children begin Nursery with skills and abilities that are well below those expected for children of their age, particularly in communication language and literacy and in their personal, social and emotional development. Good teaching and a good insight into individuals' interests and abilities enables the children to gain in confidence and helps them to make good progress and to achieve well. By the time they leave Nursery, children have made good progress in developing spoken English, (including those who are new to learning English) and in their personal, social and emotional

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Grade: 2

development, even though standards are still below those expected for their age. Good teaching, well-planned practical activities, and an exciting and stimulating learning environment allow children to develop their own interests and abilities independently. This was seen when a group of children showed an interest in 'super heroes' and staff encouraged role-play and hence the development of spoken language from the children's own interests. A number of parents commented on the good progress their children make, as one mother said, whose son is new to learning English, 'I feel that my son has learned so much since he joined Kintore Way...which makes me very happy.' Collaboration and cooperation between learners is actively encouraged by adults at the centre in order to help raise children's self-esteem and confidence. The way adults deal with some difficult behaviour is good and teaches children from an early age how to deal with their

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Grade: 2

emotions and feelings. This provides them with a strong foundation for the next stage of their education. As a result, children achieve and progress well towards the goals expected of them. The curriculum is broad and well planned with practical and engaging activities that allow children to learn through play. The free flow of movement between the inside and outside areas means that children widen their learning experiences and grow in confidence. Children really appreciate and enjoy their time in the garden. It was a delight to see the concentration and enjoyment experienced by a group of children playing with the drainpipe and water, and seeing how the water travelled and moved along the pipe. Children's personal development and well-being are good. They are very happy and keen to be at Nursery, although attendance amongst a small number of families does not always reflect this. Children learn how to work and play together well, this is a challenge for some children

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Grade: 2

who have emotional and behaviour difficulties, but staff support and help them well. Children learn the differences between right and wrong and understand the expectations to behave well. Children understand about a healthy lifestyle and have many opportunities for physical development. As one child explained at lunchtime, 'you have to eat carrots they're good for you.' Healthy snacks and milk are available for the children throughout the day. The care of the children is good, and their academic guidance is very good. Regular observations by staff of what children know, understand, and can do are used well to feed into the planning of what the children need to do next. There is a good mix in the planning of what staff have identified is the next step to improve the children's learning and the children's own individual interests. Individual portfolios which celebrate children's achievements, are highly prized by

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Grade: 2

4 of 9 Inspection Report: Kintore Way Children's Centre, 13 May 2008 the children and are regularly shared with parents who also appreciate being able to see what their children have achieved and learnt in Nursery. Good use is made of external agencies, but the Nursery has rightly identified that as the children's centre develops still further there is a need to encourage even more support and community use by children and their families. Leadership and management are good overall. There is good teamwork between the substantive headteacher (who has been absent for a term) and the acting headteacher. They collaborate well and along with the keen and supportive governing body have a clear vision for the development of the Nursery within the children's centre. The governing body although relatively new have fully identified and established their role in the development of the centre. Their knowledge and understanding of the centre's needs are good and they successfully act as a

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Grade: 2

critical friend. The Nursery's view of itself is accurate and good progress has been made since the last inspection. The school's successful record of improvement shows that its capacity to improve further is good.

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Grade: 2

As a nursery school, the Foundation Stage is completely covered in the Overall Effectiveness section.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Increase the involvement of children's families, the community and other agencies to support the development of the children's centre. ■ Encourage more regular attendance from some families. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Kintore Way Children's Centre, 13 May 2008 .

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What the school should do to improve further

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 of 9 Inspection Report: Kintore Way Children's Centre, 13 May 2008

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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? Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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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

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 How well learners enjoy their education 3 The attendance of learners 2 The behaviour of learners 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

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and interests of learners?

2 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 of 9 Inspection Report: Kintore Way Children's Centre, 13 May 2008

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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 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 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 of 9 Inspection Report: Kintore Way Children's Centre, 13 May 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

21 May 2008 Dear Children Inspection of Kintore Way Children's Centre,London,SE1 3BW It was lovely to meet you when I came to visit your Nursery. I enjoyed sharing lunch with you and talking to the children. I hope that you are still looking after the snails and feeding them healthy fruit. Your Nursery is a good school. There are many things that you do well.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You are very happy and like coming to your Nursery.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ There are many interesting things for you to try to have a go at.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You really enjoy playing outside, and are fortunate to have such a lot of lovely things to play with in the garden. ■ Your teachers plan interesting activities to help you learn.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You have good teachers who look after you well.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your parents and carers are very pleased with the Nursery.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

There are still some things that could be even better at your Nursery. Some of you do not come to Nursery often enough. I hope that you will explain to your families how much you enjoy Nursery and try to go every day. The Nursery as you know is part of the Children's Centre, and the headteacher and the governing body have rightly identified that they would like to have even more things to help and support you and your families. I have agreed that this is a good step in the development of the Children's Centre. Yours sincerely Sue Vale Lead Inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Kintore Way Children's Centre, 13 May 2008

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