Hednesford Nursery School

Hednesford Nursery School Inspection report

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123962 Unique Reference Number Staffordshire Local Authority 328023 Inspection number 7 July 2009 Inspection date Jacqueline Wordsworth HMI 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 3–5 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 16 School (total) The governing body Appropriate authority G White Chair Christine Wood Headteacher 12 July 2006 Date of previous school inspection Eskrett Street School address Hednesford Cannock WS12 1AR 01543 512 225 Telephone number 01543 512 226 Fax number

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3–5 Age group 7 July 2009 Inspection date 328023 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 9 Inspection Report: Hednesford Nursery School, 7 July 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty's Inspectors and one additional inspector. The overall effectiveness of the school and the following issues were investigated: academic achievement; teaching and learning; the quality of care, guidance and support; and leadership and management. Evidence was gathered from assessment data; the school's records and documents; parents' responses to the inspection questionnaire; observation of the school at work; and discussions with staff and children. 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

Hednesford Nursery is a very small school situated in the centre of the town. Children attend the Nursery either morning or afternoon for a period of one academic year. The majority of children are from White British backgrounds. When they start school, their attainment is broadly average. At the time of the inspection, there were no children on roll with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. A children's centre is on site and is run and managed by the school, following a play and stay model.

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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: Hednesford Nursery School, 7 July 2009

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Grade: 1

The school and children's centre gives the children an excellent start to their education. Children are very well cared for and thrive in this safe, secure environment because they are comfortable and ready to learn. The many and varied planned activities ensure that children make the best possible progress in all areas of learning. Children gain wide experience in all areas of learning because they are taught exceptionally well, therefore, when they leave the nursery, most meet the expectations for their age and a growing number exceed these targets. Children enter the school at around the age of three with skills and knowledge that, although wide ranging, are broadly in line with the expectations for their age. All children achieve highly and boys and girls make equal progress. As they grow in confidence, most develop an excellent range of skills that contribute to their future well-being. Children are encouraged to be as

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Grade: 1

independent as possible. They know how to take turns when sharing resources such as the computer, and they handle books and equipment with great care and respect. Children show immense interest and generally concentrate for increasing amounts of time when working in a group with an adult or when working at a task on their own. Academic guidance is very good. The children are praised for their achievements, both academic and social. As a result, children develop excellent habits, which help them to become very effective learners. Staff have high expectations of all children and maintain thorough records of their progress. However, this is not the case with the teaching of letters and sounds (phonics). Although the school teaches initial sounds it does not do so systematically, the school rightly agrees that it needs to take on board a more systematic approach to the teaching of phonics and then record children's progress in more detail.

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Grade: 1

A key strength is the highly effective planning of an activity-based curriculum. The effectiveness of the curriculum is greatly enhanced by the excellent provision for outdoor education that very effectively supports children's physical development. This very well maintained area is much loved by the children. Planning covers all the appropriate areas of learning for this age. There is generally a very good balance of teacher-directed and child-initiated activities. However, at times, some child-chosen activities are not structured or linked to the development of key skills or questions that require children to give an extended response, so opportunities to deepen their knowledge and understanding further are sometimes missed. Nonetheless, children learn in a stimulating and inclusive environment, which is excellently matched to their needs. The daily opportunities for painting and experimenting with the effects of paint and colour

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Grade: 1

support the children's creative development very well. Children also benefit from a well-conceived programme of visitors that deals specifically with developing their knowledge of how to stay safe. Leadership and management of the school are excellent. The headteacher and staff are a very committed team who work tirelessly to support the school community. The children's centre provides a range of additional services that are valued and used well by members of the local community. The key workers know the local families well, which parents appreciate. The school has excellent partnerships with parents. All are very supportive of the school and its work. Governors are loyal supporters who work hard for their school and fully realise the responsibility they have to take part in and monitor the work of the school. This, coupled with the improvements already made, ensures there is good capacity to continue to improve.

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Grade: 1

4 of 9 Inspection Report: Hednesford Nursery School, 7 July 2009 The school is a cohesive and harmonious community where the leaders promote equality and diversity. Leaders at all levels in the main school and in the children's centre promote community cohesion well. This stems from a recently implemented policy, very strong relationships between staff, children and parents, and a willingness to be outward-looking in a shared ethos of promoting a sense of belonging. Children's personal development is outstanding. The children enjoy enormously the frequent opportunities to extend their learning through the excellent facilities provided for outdoor education. Most have an excellent understanding of how to lead a healthy lifestyle through eating a well-balanced diet and exercising. The school plans very well for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and there are many occasions when this is evident in the school's

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Grade: 1

work. Children's behaviour is outstanding and they show great kindness to each other in all aspects of school life because expectations of their behaviour and attitudes to other children are so high. Consequently, children understand exceptionally well that they need to play sensibly to ensure they and their friends are safe. Many children enjoy taking on responsibilities in and around the school, which makes a valuable contribution to the school community. The school places great emphasis on the care it gives its children. Outstanding links are made with external agencies to support children, particularly with the newly opened children's centre. Procedures for child protection and safeguarding are secure and meet the current government requirements. Moreover, the school takes its duties in regard to health and safety very seriously. Although the school has very effective procedures for many aspects of health and safety, there

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Grade: 1

are still some important procedures that are not as robust. For example, the school is aware that the risk assessments for activities away from the school site, although carried out diligently, are not as detailed as they could be.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Introduce a programme to enable staff to teach phonics systematically across the school. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Hednesford Nursery School, 7 July 2009 .

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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: Hednesford Nursery School, 7 July 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

1 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? 1 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 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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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? 7 of 9 Inspection Report: Hednesford Nursery School, 7 July 2009

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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 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? 8 of 9 Inspection Report: Hednesford Nursery School, 7 July 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

8 July 2009 Dear Children Inspection of Hednesford Nursery School, Cannock, WS12 1AR Thank you for being so friendly when we visited your school. We enjoyed talking to you. We found that your school is an outstanding school and these are the main things that we thought you might like to know about.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You learn quickly because the adults give you many exciting things to do and teach you very well. ■ Adults really care for you and help you if you are worried or upset.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ They work very well with your parents and carers and this helps you to learn.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You really enjoy school and behave excellently.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You are very kind and helpful to each other and share your toys and books.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You are good at helping around the school and do what adults ask you to do.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You know very well how to stay safe and keep healthy.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

The school is working hard to make things even better for you. We have asked the school to do one thing.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Help you to learn even more by teaching you all your letter sounds each day.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

We hope that you will all continue to enjoy coming to school and try your hardest so that you are successful in the future. Thank you again. We wish you continuing success. Yours faithfully Jacqueline Wordsworth Her Majesty's inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Hednesford Nursery School, 7 July 2009

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