Newburn Manor Nursery School

Newburn Manor Nursery School Inspection report

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108430 Unique Reference Number Newcastle upon Tyne Local Authority 324767 Inspection number 10–11 December 2008 Inspection dates Graeme Clarke 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 3–4 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 78 School (total) The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Joe Laws Chair Mrs Celia Skilbeck Headteacher 1 March 2006 Date of previous school inspection Townfield Gardens School address Newburn Newcastle upon Tyne Tyne and Wear NE15 8PY 0191 277 4180 Telephone number 0191 277 4182 Fax number

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3–4 Age group 10–11 December 2008 Inspection dates 324767 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 10 Inspection Report: Newburn Manor Nursery School, 10–11 December 2008

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by an Additional Inspector

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Description of the school

This nursery school serves a locality west of Newcastle where socio-economic characteristics are average. It makes full-time provision for the first year of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). All children move into Reception classes in primary schools for their final year in the EYFS. An average proportion of children receive free school meals. Almost all the children are from a White British heritage. None of the others require support to learn English as an additional language. A very low proportion of children have learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

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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: Newburn Manor Nursery School, 10–11 December 2008

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Grade: 1

This is a delightful school which provides outstanding education for children. The headteacher gives very clear educational direction to the school’s work and in turn all staff successfully promote the philosophy that every child does matter. Excellent provision is a blend of outstanding teaching, a very rich curriculum and exceptional pastoral care. Children achieve highly and develop exceptionally well. The school forges very effective partnerships, especially with parents, to support children’s development and well-being. This very inclusive school makes an outstanding contribution to community cohesion. Parents have full confidence in the school. One sums up their views, ‘My child looks forward to attending nursery every day. He has been supported and encouraged in developing friendships and settling into this new environment. He has gained confidence in numeracy and recognition of letter sounds. As a

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Grade: 1

parent I feel well informed and involved in all aspects of his nursery activities. The staff are approachable and caring.’ Most children begin Nursery with skills and abilities that are below and, for some, well below those typical for their age. They settle quickly to routines and make excellent progress in most areas of learning. Crucially these include their personal and social development, their communication and language development and their mathematical development. When they leave, after one year, they reach levels that are above those expected for their age. Last year children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities did much better than expected. When taking all their starting points into account children achieve outstandingly well. Children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. They look at natural things with awe and amazement. They soon learn to share and compromise in their interactions

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Grade: 1

with one another. They develop confidence, are polite and behave exceptionally well. Staff very effectively help children to act safely and very sensibly in and out-of-doors. Children are bright-eyed and enthusiastic to become involved which reflects how thoroughly they enjoy school. As a result of sensitive contact with parents, attendance is greatly improved since the previous inspection and is very high. Children benefit greatly from the contribution of visitors and visits to widen their knowledge of the locality and of how other people live. Leadership, management and governance are highly effective in promoting children’s development and achievement. They obtain excellent value for money. Senior leaders and governors have a clear knowledge of the school from systematically gaining a first-hand view of its work and participation in a recent initiative to assess children’s progress in all areas of

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Grade: 1

learning. However, their view of the school is somewhat modest because they have yet to make full use of the new information when planning improvements and evaluating the work of the school. The school’s record of excellent achievement since the previous inspection and its determination to sustain its success indicates an outstanding capacity for further improvement.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Extend the use of information about children’s accomplishments and progress to support the school’s improvement planning and self-evaluation. 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Newburn Manor Nursery School, 10–11 December 2008

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Grade: 1

From the outset a very close partnership with parents enables staff to ensure children get off to a really good start. A new, more detailed approach to measuring children’s progress that began last year shows that overall they achieve outstandingly well. At the time of the previous inspection children made excellent progress and this has continued each year since then; they continue to reach levels that are above those expected for their age by the time they leave. Last year children made particularly strong progress in their personal and social, communication and language, mathematical and creative development. Their progress in gaining knowledge and understanding of the world and in physical development was good. Boys and girls did equally well. Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities made outstanding progress, and this year those with specific difficulties are, as a result of carefully managed support, clearly

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Grade: 1

helped to make excellent progress in their development.

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Grade: 1

All aspects of children’s personal development and well-being are excellent. Children take part wholeheartedly in physical activities. They enjoy healthy food, for example, enthusiastically identifying the ingredients of their daily fruit juice. Children act safely and know how to keep themselves safe. Their obvious enthusiasm and the speed with which they settle to activities from the moment they come into the school shows the great extent to which they enjoy it. Children work very well together and their exemplary behaviour inside and outside is a clear reflection of the school’s success in developing their social skills. Many are keen to contribute to school life, such as helping develop the school garden and taking obvious care when tidying away. Their Christmas production of ‘The Sleepy Shepherd’ at the community centre was a shining example of cooperative work and contribution to the life of the community. Their

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Grade: 1

partnership with a school in Turin, reflected in an International School Award, and visits to heritage centres in the city helps widen their cultural development. These aspects represent an outstanding contribution to community cohesion. Children’s very well developed social, language and mathematical skills prepare them extremely well for the next stage in their education.

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Grade: 1

Excellent teaching, a very wide and rich range of opportunities and exceptionally effective liaison with parents contribute to children’s outstanding learning and development. The very close partnership with parents from the outset enables the school to help children get off to a really good start. Parents are fulsome in their praise for the way teachers share planning with them and their children each morning. The Parents’ Partnership Group, guidance booklets and an exemplary initiative involving parents in children’s mathematical development help extend learning at home. Children benefit hugely from very many interesting and exciting activities inside and outside which support all the obligatory areas of learning. Visits and the contribution of visitors all enliven children’s experience. Focused phonics teaching makes a key contribution to children’s 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Newburn Manor Nursery School, 10–11 December 2008

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Grade: 1

writing and reading development. Skilled story telling greatly interests children and they listen avidly and develop communication skills. Work with computers and programmable robots challenges their thinking. Alongside such activities children have many opportunities to develop independence, apply and extend their learning, and show responsibility in activities they initiate. Children play productively. Adults only intervene, just enough, to encourage children to explore ideas and demonstrate their understanding. For example, children had great fun raising and lowering loads using a makeshift windlass on a climbing tower whilst learning about weight. They developed their mathematical, investigative and social skills extensively during enthusiastic, cooperative play. Children with specific learning difficulties and/or disabilities are quickly identified. Skilful support helps them learn and achieve outstandingly well.

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Grade: 1

Pastoral care is excellent. The school is a caring, welcoming place where parents and children find adults to be very approachable. In turn the school very successfully ensures pupils feel safe, secure and happy. Staff have a thorough knowledge of the children they support. The school is richly deserving of its Investing in Children award. Child protection and health and safety are paramount. Staff training is regularly reviewed and up-to-date. The school’s involvement of children in checking that outside gates are closed and the premises free of litter and tidy is an exemplary approach in helping them develop responsibility for their actions. Policies and practice for safeguarding children’s welfare meet statutory requirements.

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Grade: 1

Leadership, management and governance are outstanding. The headteacher and staff with leadership responsibilities work together as a very coherent and exceptionally effective team. Staff are well informed about the children and all work consistently to help each child develop and learn as well as they can. Thorough analysis of children’s attainments on entry quickly led the school to target their mathematical development again this year. Self-evaluation of the school by senior leaders is mostly accurate though at times modest. Although they have a good understanding of what needs to be done to improve further, some elements of their action planning lack sufficient clarity with regard to anticipated impact. The school knows that its next step is to make full use of the information now available to hone improvement planning and evaluate their work more precisely. Governors are diligent in ensuring the school is well led and run. Through visits and reports

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Grade: 1

they have a very clear perception of the cost effectiveness of its work and ensure that is provides excellent value for money. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Newburn Manor Nursery School, 10–11 December 2008 .

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Grade: 1

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Newburn Manor Nursery School, 10–11 December 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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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? 1 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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Achievement and standards

1 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 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 1 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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The quality of provision

1 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? 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Newburn Manor Nursery School, 10–11 December 2008

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Leadership and management

1 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 1 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 1 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 1 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? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Newburn Manor Nursery School, 10–11 December 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

12 December 2008 Dear Children Inspection of Newburn Manor Nursery School, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE15 8PY I really enjoyed my inspection of your school. Thank you for helping me when I came into your classrooms and outdoors to see you at work. You were very polite and really helpful. I did enjoy talking to you. I really liked to see how keen you were to come into school and how much you enjoy choosing activities with the adults who bring you. Your school is very warm and welcoming and is very well organised. I’m pleased that you are safe and happy because all the adults in the school look after you very well. I really like the way you play and work well together both inside and out-of-doors. You take turns, share the toys and equipment and tidy up very quickly afterwards. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing you take part in all the activities and having fun. Some of the things you do are very impressive – I really

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

liked ‘The Sleepy Shepherd’ play you were in at the Community Centre. I know your headteacher and all the staff are very proud of you. When you go about your work and when you play all the adults in your school write about how well you are doing. I have asked the school to use the notes they make to help you even more. You will all leave at the end of this year to join a new school. You have very many opportunities at Newburn Manor to learn about life and these should help you in the future. I hope that you all do really well. Yours sincerely Graeme Clarke Lead inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Newburn Manor Nursery School, 10–11 December 2008

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