Hoyle Nursery School

105283 Unique Reference Number Bury Local Authority 324195 Inspection number 25–26 March 2009 Inspection dates Colin Smith Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The registered childcare, managed by the governing body, was inspected under section 49 of the Childcare Act 2006.

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Nursery Type of school Maintained School category 3–5 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 50 School (total) 42 Childcare provision for children aged 0 to 3 years The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Debi Walker Chair Mrs VA Kay Headteacher 15 November 2005 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Chesham Fold Road School address Bury Lancashire BL9 6HR 0161 7616822 Telephone number 0161 763 5427 Fax number

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3–5 Age group 25–26 March 2009 Inspection dates 324195 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. 2 of 11 Inspection Report: Hoyle Nursery School, 25–26 March 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

Hoyle Nursery is broadly average in size and caters for children aged three to five years. It serves a largely disadvantaged community. The proportion of children eligible for free school meals is above average and a third of the children require additional language, learning or emotional support. The Nursery has five funded places for children with severe learning or language difficulties. Most of the children are of White British heritage. A small number are from minority ethnic backgrounds: largely African, Asian or mixed heritage. A very small number speak English as an additional language. The Nursery is also registered to provide full day care for up to 23 children aged zero to three years, of who 9 may be under two years of age at any one time. It is open on weekdays from 07.45 to 18.00 all year round, except for one week during the Christmas holidays. The headteacher and teaching staff all have degree status and all of the 20 day care staff hold Early

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Description of the school

Years national vocational qualifications to Level 3 or above. This provision is registered on the Early Years Register and forms part of this inspection. The school provides extended daycare facilities for children aged 3 to 4 years, before and after school hours and as a top up to the Nursery Education entitlement. The Nursery and day care provision is part of a Children's Centre, which provides a wide range of family health and welfare services for the local community.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Hoyle Nursery School, 25–26 March 2009

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Grade: 2

Hoyle is a good Nursery with outstanding features. The headteacher has made an excellent contribution in moving the Nursery forward since its previous inspection. The rapidly expanding provision in the Nursery and Children's Centre bears all the hallmarks of the headteacher's high standards and sensitive guidance. This is why the good overall effectiveness of day care provision matches that of the main Nursery. Very effective systems have been implemented to track and to improve children's learning and development. Exemplary links have been established with parents and health professionals. These are crucial in promoting children's well-being, which is outstanding. Children's safeguarding is assured, their needs are particularly well understood and the atmosphere in the Nursery is warm, happy and buzzing with excitement. Not surprisingly, children's personal development is outstanding. Their behaviour, enjoyment, relationships and

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Grade: 2

wonder in learning are excellent, particularly in view of the initial difficulties faced by many of the children. Parents are unanimously appreciative of what the Nursery provides and report that they 'could not have picked a better Nursery for their children'. Children achieve well, including those aged three and under. Despite their low starting points, children make good progress in all areas of learning. Most children are now reaching the skills expected for their age before moving to Reception class and their level of personal development is considerably higher. Although children achieve well in literacy and numeracy overall, their understanding of letters and sounds and their ability to calculate are not as secure as other aspects of learning. Attainment in these areas is improving but there is still more to do. Children who require additional learning support, including those with complex needs, make excellent

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Grade: 2

progress because of the patience, sensitivity and skills shown by staff. Good teaching and organisation help children to develop and learn successfully. The rich learning experiences provided capture children's interests and encourage independence. All children are able to succeed because their progress is carefully assessed and the information is used to tailor activities to match their different learning needs. Children participate enthusiastically in activities led by adults and develop new skills such as counting, matching and recognising numbers and letters. Children love the structured outside play, where their imagination blossoms and they develop good physical coordination. Adults supervise children closely and intervene purposefully to check their learning. However, opportunities are sometimes missed to develop children's reasoning skills and to improve their capacity to explain their ideas.

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Grade: 2

The quality of leadership and management is good. The headteacher provides clear direction and strong support for staff. This ensures the smooth and safe day-to day operation of the Nursery. Valuable training opportunities are provided for staff to improve their knowledge and skills. The headteacher, senior staff and governors check the work of the Nursery relentlessly to identify any areas requiring improvement. This is largely why self-evaluation is accurate, although modest. Senior staff are always looking to raise the quality of provision further and this is what gives the Nursery its good capacity further improvement.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve children's calculation skills and understanding of letter and sounds.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure that all adults use questioning effectively to develop children's reasoning skills and their capacity to explain their ideas. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Hoyle Nursery School, 25–26 March 2009

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Grade: 2

Children's knowledge and skills are often well below those typical for their age when they first enter Nursery. Half the children join before the age of three, benefit from the good provision and achieve well, which raises their attainment. Taking account of new children and those who started earlier, children's overall attainment on starting the main Nursery is below that expected for their age. Their level of personal development is typical, whereas their literacy and numeracy skills are still below those expected for their age. In the main Nursery, children make good progress in all areas of learning. By the end of the year their level of personal development is above that expected and their attainment in most aspects of literacy and numeracy is in line with that expected for their age. They develop secure listening and clear speech, recognise numbers and learn to count, but find more difficulty in mastering early reading and calculation

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Grade: 2

skills and explaining their ideas. Children's creativity, physical skills and knowledge and understanding of the world develop at a good rate and are typical for their age by the end of Nursery. Standards are improving year-on-year and boys are now making similar progress to girls because of the steps taken to meet their needs and interests. Children with learning or language difficulties make exceptionally good progress. By the end of Nursery even children with complex needs are able to communicate and learn independently.

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Grade: 1

Children aged three and under are happy, trusting and eager to learn. Their personal development 'comes on in leaps and bounds', according to parents. This continues in the main Nursery where relationships are first class. Children's first tentative learning steps are enthusiastically praised, which boosts their self-esteem. A myriad of engaging activities fuels their enthusiasm for learning. These factors are the bedrock of their outstanding spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Children's wonder in learning is evident as they create vivid pictures on large computer screens. They follow the 10 golden rules steadfastly and show rare sensitivity toward others, for example, in helping younger children to take care during their outdoor climbing expeditions. Children respect cultural differences, particularly when tasting foods and dressing in multicultural costumes. Beaming smiles, pride in achievement

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Grade: 1

and good attendance reflects their intense enjoyment of Nursery. Behaviour is often exemplary. The few children with complex needs are extremely well managed to ensure that they learn to socialise. Children develop a strong sense of belonging, are confident in expressing their feelings and show a strong sense of responsibility, for example, in helping to tidy up and registering their own arrival. They develop a good awareness of how to stay healthy through diet and exercise and have a good grasp of how to keep safe, for example, when crossing roads. Children develop into independent learners and are able to work together harmoniously. They achieve well in literacy and numeracy and are confident in using computers. These factors prepare them well for the next stage of their education. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Hoyle Nursery School, 25–26 March 2009

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Grade: 2

Good provision for children aged three and under lays a secure foundation for later learning. They have come to expect learning to be fun and are never disappointed. In the main Nursery, and elsewhere, much energy is devoted to planning a vast range of stimulating learning experiences. These are often organised within a theme, such as 'dinosaurs,' which sparks children's imagination. A good balance of activities, led by adults and selected by children, ensures that their curiosity is nurtured and their diverse learning needs are fully met. Children often become engrossed, for example, in making clay pots or dens for dinosaurs. As they investigate, explore and learn adults make careful observations to assess children's learning. The contents of children's records reveals that adults have a good grasp of the principles of early years education, particularly the way the next learning steps are identified and used to

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Grade: 2

prepare personalised learning plans for every child. Teachers and key workers ensure that children achieve their targets, which makes for successful learning. Teachers use questioning particularly well to probe children's understanding and improve their spoken language. However, not all members of staff are able to operate at this high level. There are occasions when questioning is too limited, for example, when a 'yes or no' answer is all that is required. When this happens, children's skills of reasoning and explaining are not developed sufficiently.

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Grade: 1

A guiding principle of the Nursery is that children, particularly the most vulnerable ones, cannot learn unless they feel secure and valued. To this end, everything possible is done to create a welcoming atmosphere in which children and their parents are supported. Adults constantly ask themselves, 'What can I do for children and their parents?' Induction and transfer procedures are excellent. Home visits and children's visits to different settings are highly effective in preparing for the next stage. Exemplary links between Nursery staff, parents, Children's Centre staff and health professionals ensure that the collective wisdom of the team is brought to bear on any arising concerns. As a result children are safeguarded, extremely well supported and any barriers to learning are significantly reduced. Safeguarding meets current government requirements. Welfare requirements are fully met and supported by extensive risk assessments

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Grade: 1

to ensure that children are safe indoors, outside and on educational visits. Hygiene and cleanliness are paramount, particularly with regard to nappy changing and food preparation, to prevent any spread of infection. Promoting the welfare of children aged three and under is of an equally high standard. The working day is sensitively adjusted to cater for children's individual needs such as resting, toileting, eating and taking exercise in the fresh air. Staff are acutely alert to any signs that a child may not be developing or learning as expected. This triggers a full investigation. Early detection is at the root of the Nursery's success in raising the achievement and level of personal development of all children, particularly the most needy. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Hoyle Nursery School, 25–26 March 2009

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Grade: 2

The headteacher's high expectations and capacity to motivate others are evident in all parts of the Nursery. Staff, governors and parents are united in their commitment to provide the very best. As the Children's Centre has grown and Nursery provision extended, management demands have significantly increased. The headteacher has been very successful in establishing leadership roles and partnerships to ensure that all services are well coordinated. As a result, the needs of children and their parents are promptly and effectively met. The checking of the work of the Nursery is rigorous. Adults are observed when working with children. Assessments and children's records of achievement are carefully analysed. Although the information is not as crisply incorporated into the school improvement plan as it could be, the findings are discussed in depth during weekly review and planning meetings. This approach has raised the quality of

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Grade: 2

teaching and learning, identified which children require additional support and has led to setting challenging targets to ensure that standards continue to rise. Equality is strongly promoted. Activities chosen by children are carefully checked to ensure full access. Resources, such as books, materials and pictures, are screened to avoid any stereotyping. The Nursery makes a good contribution to community cohesion. The Children's Centre, with its numerous outreach services, already has good community links. A clearly written policy is guiding the Nursery towards more global considerations, for example, through links with Fair Trade. Since the previous inspection, governors have worked extremely successfully to hold the Nursery to account. They observe children learning and check records, which enable them to raise questions, challenge decisions and provide good support. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Hoyle Nursery School, 25–26 March 2009

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Hoyle Nursery School, 25–26 March 2009

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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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EYFS?

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 capacity to make any necessary improvements

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do children in the EYFS 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/or disabilities make progress

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children?

1 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 1 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 1 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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The quality of provision

2 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 1 How effectively is the welfare of the children in the EYFS promoted? 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Hoyle Nursery School, 25–26 March 2009

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Leadership and management

2 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed? 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 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 2 How well does the school contribute to community cohesion? 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Hoyle Nursery School, 25–26 March 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Do you remember when I inspected your Nursery? I learnt so much and had such a good time. Thank you for helping me. The first thing I noticed was how well you are looked after. Grown-ups watch over you and keep you safe. If you do not feel well or hurt yourselves, they take care of you and make you feel better. They want you to run, climb, dance and play together because it is good exercise. They tell you about eating fruit and vegetables because they are good for you. This is why you know all about keeping healthy and safe. You do your best to follow the 10 golden rules and the way you behave, play together and help each other is excellent. Your teachers and helpers work very hard to make each day exciting. They plan lots of interesting things for you to try. I could see how happy you were painting, playing games, reading books, listening to music and playing outside. I loved those special books with photographs of you

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

learning. Your parents like them too. This is how your teachers make sure that you are learning new skills. Your headteacher runs the Nursery very well. She checks everything that happens to make sue that you learn as much as you can. I know that your Nursery is a good one and I want to help to make it even better.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ I have asked your teachers and helpers to help you to understand more about letters and how to add and take away numbers. ■ I have also asked them to spend a little more time asking questions and helping you to explain your ideas. These things will help you to be good at reading and mathematics when you are older. 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Hoyle Nursery School, 25–26 March 2009

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