Brockwell Nursery and Infant School

Brockwell Nursery and Infant School Inspection report

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112673 Unique Reference Number DERBYSHIRE LA Local Authority 310977 Inspection number 19 September 2007 Inspection date Ian Nelson 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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Infant Type of school Community School category 3 °7 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 197 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Bob Pont Chair Mrs Andrea Robinson Headteacher 13 June 2005 Date of previous school inspection Purbeck Avenue School address Loundsley Green Chesterfield Derbyshire S40 4NP 01246 232 034 Telephone number 01246 232 034 Fax number

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3-7 Age group 19 September 2007 Inspection date 310977 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 school and investigated the following issues: the impact of the school's strategies for improving writing, particularly of the more able, what the school has done to help boys to attain standards as high as those of girls and whether the quality of provision in the Foundation Stage is good or outstanding. He gathered evidence from the school's self-evaluation form, lesson observations, discussions with staff, governors and children, by looking at children's work and information the school keeps on how well children are doing with their learning, analysing parents' questionnaire responses, and the school improvement plan. Other aspects of the school's work were not investigated in detail but the inspector found no evidence to suggest the school's own assessments as given in its self-evaluation form were not justified, and these have been included where appropriate in

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Description of the school

Brockwell is an average sized infant and nursery school that serves a residential area local to it with some children coming from further afield. The numbers of children eligible for a free school meal are below average. Most children are from White British backgrounds with a very small number from other White or mixed heritage backgrounds. Almost all children have English as their home language and none is at an early stage of learning English. The number of children identified by the school as needing extra help with their learning is below average. When children join the nursery they have a wide range of skills and knowledge close to those expected of their age although this fluctuates from year to year. Not all the children who enter the Reception class have been through the school's nursery and there is a wide spread of ability at this stage especially in their social and emotional development. The school has recently achieved

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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: Brockwell Nursery and Infant School, 19 September 2007

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Grade: 1

The parents of the children who attend this school hold it in very high esteem. All bar one of the 106 inspection questionnaires returned were wholly positive about the school and 58 included extensive written comments singing the school's praises. Typical of many of the comments was one from a parent who said, 'We have always found Brockwell Nursery and Infant School an excellent school with very dedicated staff who always have the children's best interests at heart'. This sums up this exceptional school. 'The school provides a safe and stimulating environment in which children thrive', wrote another parent echoing the accurate views of several others. Many commented on the willingness of staff to listen to any concerns and to keep them informed on how well their child is doing at school. The staff's dedication to knowing each child and to helping them to do the best they can is at the heart of the school's success. From the time children enter the excellent nursery

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Grade: 1

to the day they transfer to the junior school the head and staff work tirelessly to ensure that all grow in confidence, and develop the social and academic skills they need to be successful in later life. As a result of excellent teaching, children make outstanding gains in their learning so that when they leave at Year 2 standards are consistently well above average and sometimes exceptionally high. Despite these very good results, the staff have not been complacent. The excellent systems they have to check how well children are doing have shown that girls do better than boys and that, although standards in writing are above average, fewer children gain the higher Level 3 in the national tests at Year 2 than in reading and mathematics. The school's response has been to seek advice, have teachers attend in-service training courses and try alternative ways to motivate children to want to learn. Having put strategies in place to tackle these issues the

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Grade: 1

school has evidence that they appear to be having a positive impact on accelerating progress in writing and among the boys, although it is early days yet. Underpinning these good results in reading, writing and mathematics is the school's dedication to helping children grow emotionally and socially. This starts very early in the nursery and was amply demonstrated in a Reception class when a child informed the inspector that,'I am the teacher of this group' as he held up cards with coloured shapes for the others to match on their own cards. He was confident enough to inform the inspector that,'if you sit there you have to play the game' and to correct him when he went wrong. This early emphasis on personal responsibility lays the foundations for the children to take on roles as 'playground buddies' and members of the Badger Club (the school council) when they get older, roles that they take very seriously. They are also encouraged to think about others beyond the school through their

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Grade: 1

links with the residents of a care home for the elderly to whom they write letters. Children share their parents' enthusiasm for the school. They say that they greatly enjoy lessons and the many extra activities the school provides, such as Tai Chi and gardening. They like growing their own vegetables which they ask the school cook to include in their cooked lunches, demonstrating their growing understanding of, and commitment to, healthy lifestyles. The school's success is the product of a dedicated headteacher who has set very high standards based on a clear vision for her school that is shared by staff, governors and parents. As one parent wrote,'The school is very well led by Mrs Robinson; her guidance and experience are invaluable'. Teachers in charge of subjects provide excellent leadership, knowing how well children are doing, analysing test results and checking the quality of lessons on a regular basis

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Grade: 1

4 of 9 Inspection Report: Brockwell Nursery and Infant School, 19 September 2007 to maintain the high quality of teaching and learning. The governors are highly supportive and knowledgeable but also confident enough to ask the staff about test results, why they are the way they are and what they are doing to tweak those which do not match the best. This highly effective leadership has enabled the school to maintain excellent achievement and well above average standards over several years, and gives it excellent capacity to improve even further.

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Grade: 1

Children get off to an outstanding start in the nursery. Parents speak very highly of the excellent arrangements for introducing their children to nursery and say how well they settle. This was evidenced during the inspection in the very early days of the term when the nursery was a calm but very purposeful hive of activity with children sensibly choosing tasks, including when to take their snack, or working alongside the adults on activities to develop their skills. This high quality provision continues into Reception classes where the emphasis on personal, social and emotional development ensures that children work and play together in great harmony. As a result of this excellent provision nearly all children reach the expected goals by the start of Year 1 with around a third exceeding them.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Check regularly that the initiatives to accelerate boys' progress and children's achievement in writing are raising standards in these areas further. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Brockwell Nursery and Infant School, 19 September 2007 .

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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: Brockwell Nursery and Infant School, 19 September 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? 1 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 1 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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Achievement and standards

1 How well do learners achieve? 2 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 extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 1 The behaviour of learners 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 of 9 Inspection Report: Brockwell Nursery and Infant School, 19 September 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 1 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 1 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: Brockwell Nursery and Infant School, 19 September 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

20 September 2007 Dear Children Inspection of Brockwell Nursery and Infant School, Chesterfield, S40 4NP Thank you for making me feel so welcome when I came to visit your school recently. I enjoyed talking with you and watching you learn and play. This letter is to tell you what I think of your school. You have an excellent school. Mrs Robinson and all the staff go out of their way to look after you and help you to learn. You told me that you enjoy school. You like your lessons and I saw many of you working hard in class. You also enjoy activities like the gardening club and are very proud of the vegetables you grow. The teachers give you interesting things to do. This helps you to make excellent progress in your learning. Although you do very well in the tests you take at Year 2 the girls do a bit better than boys. Some of you do better in reading and mathematics than you do in writing. The teachers are trying out new ideas to help you to do

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

better in your writing. They are also helping boys to catch up with the girls. I have asked them to check how well these ideas are working so that you can all do even better in the future. I enjoyed coming to see you and if you carry on working as hard as you are doing, I am sure you will do well throughout school. Yours truly Ian Nelson Lead inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Brockwell Nursery and Infant School, 19 September 2007

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