Rebecca Cheetham Nursery and Children's Centre

Rebecca Cheetham Nursery Education Centre Inspection report

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102702 Unique Reference Number Newham Local Authority 308091 Inspection number 27 °28 November 2007 Inspection dates 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 Maintained School category 3 °5 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 84 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Kelly Webb-Martin Chair Mrs Megan Farrow Headteacher 8 July 2002 Date of previous school inspection Marcus Street School address Stratford London E15 3JT 020 8534 3136 Telephone number 020 8555 3219 Fax number

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3-5 Age group 27 °28 November 2007 Inspection dates 308091 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.

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Description of the school

The Nursery and Children's centre is situated in an area which serves a range of diverse communities, some of which are in areas of social disadvantage. About one third of the children are eligible for free school meals. There are increasing numbers of children joining the school who are learning English as an additional language and, at around 40 per cent; this is well above the national average. The Centre offers a range of services for children aged between 18 months and 4 years. For the purpose of this inspection the education and well being of children aged 3 to 4 were looked at.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Rebecca Cheetham Nursery Education Centre, 27 °28 November 2007

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Grade: 2

Rebecca Cheetham Nursery and Children's Centre is a good school and children receive a good start to their education. In a review of parental questionnaires, one parent commented, 'There is not one thing I can think of that I am not happy with.' Most of the children begin Nursery with skills particularly in communication language and literacy and in personal and social development below what is expected for children of this age. Good teaching and a real interest in individuals enables the children to quickly gain in confidence and helps them to swiftly settle in. Many parents commented on how rapidly their children learn to know and understand the Nursery routines. By the time they leave, children are working at expected levels for their age in personal social and emotional development, physical and creative development, mathematical development and in knowledge and understanding of the world. They have made good progress in other areas of learning and in particular in their spoken

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Grade: 2

language. This is because teaching is good and adults act as very good role models and are adept at encouraging children to speak and express their feelings and emotions. The curriculum is broad and well planned with practical and engaging activities that allow children to develop their own interests and abilities. This provides them with a strong foundation for the next stage of their education. As a result, children achieve and progress well towards the early learning goals of the curriculum for children in the Foundation Stage. One area of the curriculum, which has been identified for further development, is that of information, and communication technology (ICT). Whilst children do have regular access to computers and are happy to use them, the Nursery has identified that more can be achieved in this area of learning. Children's personal development and well-being are good. Children are very happy and keen

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Grade: 2

to discover more about the world around them. An inclusive ethos encourages and supports the children's individual cultures so that their interests and backgrounds are valued and respected. Children quickly become independent and confident learners and they work and play together well. Many children show mature attitudes for their age. Their behaviour is good, on the rare occasions when children's behaviour is more challenging staff are patient and explain the consequences of their actions to the children. The care of the children is good. Academic guidance is satisfactory. Whilst a number of good observations are taken showing what the children know and can do these are not utilised well enough to plan the next step of children's learning. Leadership and management are good. 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

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Grade: 2

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

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Make better use of the assessment of children so that these observations fully inform the next step in children's learning. ■ Develop and improve the way children use information communication and technology. 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Rebecca Cheetham Nursery Education Centre, 27 °28 November 2007

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Grade: 2

Children, including the increasing numbers learning English as an additional language, achieve well. The large majority of children start Nursery with skills and knowledge that are below those expected for their age, especially in personal, social and emotional development and in their communication language and literacy. Adults are very aware of this and plan a good range of activities, which encourage children to settle quickly and make a good start to school life. Consequently, children make good progress, particularly in developing speaking and listening skills and they achieve standards appropriate for their age by the time they leave. This is because of good quality teaching, and adult interaction, which encourages children to make their own choices, along with an interesting practical curriculum.

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Grade: 2

Children's personal development and well- being are good. This is helped by the close partnership with parents that the Nursery has. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is also good. Children are very happy and keen to discover more about the world around them. This is helped by the interesting learning environment, both indoors and outside, that motivates and stimulates their curiosity. Children are eager to come to school. They show a real interest in trying out new things; many are keen to share what they are discovering with others. Children quickly become independent and confident learners and they work and play together well. They show mature attitudes for their age in choosing activities and trying out new experiences. This prepares them well for the next stages of their education. Children make a positive contribution to the Nursery community. They work safely, and are encouraged to adopt a

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Grade: 2

healthy life style, encouraged by the delicious home cooked healthy meals cooked on the premises for the children.

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Grade: 2

Children make good progress in their learning and achieve well because of the effective way in which teachers interact with children. This is because sessions and activities are well planned, and adults are skilled in talking to the children and are good role models, especially in the way they use correct forms of spoken English. Teaching is good because adults encourage children to think for themselves and to make decisions. For example, children are encouraged to give their own views and opinions, about what they find out when they are planting bulbs or digging for worms. This approach shows them that they are valued and really supports their personal and emotional development, whilst encouraging the development of their speaking and listening skills. Children enjoy learning because teachers encourage them to make their own choices.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. Good knowledge of how young children learn ensures that staff plan and prepare activities, which really motivate children to want to learn. Basic skills are taught well through encouragement and interesting, practical 'hands-on' activities. There is satisfactory 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Rebecca Cheetham Nursery Education Centre, 27 °28 November 2007 use of ICT although on occasions children are left to their own devices too long and are not always clear about how to access the programmes on the computer screens. When adults support children on the computers, they make good progress. The Nursery has identified this as an area of learning which they hope to develop still further. There is good provision for children with learning difficulties and disabilities and for those who are new to learning English.

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Grade: 2

The care and support provided for pupils is good. Children receive a positive start to their school life because the staff have a high commitment to meeting the personal and welfare needs of children. As one parent commented, 'the education centre has enabled my son to develop holistically.' Child protection procedures are in place and are understood and followed by staff. Risk assessments for school visits and procedures for monitoring the health and safety of the children are in place. Parents are particularly pleased with the support, which they receive. One mother commented, 'the staff are well trained to meet the needs of children.' The staff provide satisfactory academic guidance for the children. After a child has been at the Nursery for 15 sessions, their individual strengths and areas for development are observed and assessed. However, adults do not always make sufficient use of the information gathered to

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Grade: 2

move children's learning forward. A deeper analysis of the information gathered is not being undertaken rigorously enough to ensure that the staff have a clear overview of which particular individuals or groups would benefit from extra support.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. There is a strong sense of teamwork and the support for children and their families are definitely at the centre of all that the Nursery does. The highly experienced headteacher has clearly recognised the strengths and areas for development and has a clear vision for the development of the Centre as a whole; she is supportive of her newly appointed senior management team. This vision to support all families who attend the centre in as many ways as possible is a real strength. Good procedures for the day-to-day management ensure that things run smoothly. The majority of the governing body are new to their roles. At the time of the inspection, the chair of governors had been in place for six days. She is very enthusiastic about how the governors can be supportive and she is very clear in her understanding of the strengths and areas for development for the nursery. However, yet, the

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Grade: 2

governing body as a whole have not all received their initial training and are not fully aware of their new roles and responsibilities to ensure they act as a critical friend. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Rebecca Cheetham Nursery Education Centre, 27 °28 November 2007 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Rebecca Cheetham Nursery Education Centre, 27 °28 November 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? 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 1 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. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Rebecca Cheetham Nursery Education Centre, 27 °28 November 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 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? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Rebecca Cheetham Nursery Education Centre, 27 °28 November 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

7 December 2007 Dear Children Inspection of Rebecca Cheetham Nursery Education Centre,London,E15 3JT It was lovely to meet you when I came to visit your Nursery. I enjoyed playing in the shop with you and in the playhouse outside. I hope that Percy does not get too cold in the winter. Rebecca Cheetham Nursery is a good school.There are lots of things which 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

■ Some of you are very grown up and show real independence for children your age.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ There are lots of nice things for you to try and have a go at.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You have good teachers who look after you and care for you very well.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ The Nursery is very good at involving all your Mums and Dads and your families in what you are learning and doing at Nursery. In order to make the Nursery even better, I have asked your headteacher to look at the way you use computers to help you do even better. I have also asked the teachers to keep making better checks to help you move on even more in your learning. Best wishes Sue Vale Lead Inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Rebecca Cheetham Nursery Education Centre, 27 °28 November 2007

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