Ofsted Report
Article posted by School Administrator
We currently have 2 Ofsted Reports available.
1. Our Daycare Report
Inspection Report for Full Day Care 8th February 2007
In PDF format from the Ofsted site.
2. Our School Report [as detailed below]Also available as a PDF at Ofsted
St Edmund’s Nursery - School Inspection Report
Unique Reference Number: 107190
LEA: Bradford
Inspection number: 277729
Inspection dates: 7 November 2005 to 8 November 2005
Reporting inspector: Mrs Lesley Traves
This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.
Type of school: NurserySchool category: CommunityAge range of pupils: 3 to 5Gender of pupils: MixedNumber on roll: 55Appropriate authority: The governing bodyDate of previous inspection: 2 October 2000
School address:
Bingley Street
Brownroyd
Bradford, West Yorkshire
BD8 9AH
Telephone number: 01274 543282
Fax number: 01274 499440
Chair of governors: Mrs Sue Wishart
Headteacher: Ms Anne-Marie Merifield
IntroductionThe inspection was carried out by one additional inspector.Description of the schoolSt Edmund’s is a small, popular Nursery school, situated in an inner city area of Bradford. Some children attend full-time and some have part-time places. The intake reflects the ethnic, social, cultural and religious diversity within the city. Most children are of Asian heritage and speak English in addition to a home language. A small, but significant number are learning English as a new language. Communication and language skills are a weaker area for many. An average proportion of pupils have learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Some of these children have complex learning and physical needs, although none currently have statements. There have been several staffing changes over the last two years, including the appointment of a new headteacher in 2003 and a deputy headteacher in 2004. The school is due to become a Children’s Centre in September 2006, moving to a brand new building. It will take children from birth to five.Key for inspection grades
Grade 1 Outstanding
Grade 2 Good
Grade 3 Satisfactory
Grade 4 InadequateOverall effectiveness of the schoolThe inspection agrees with the school’s view that it is a good school with some outstanding features. All children achieve well and the majority reach the standards expected by the end of the Nursery in all areas of learning. This is because teaching is good. Those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those speaking or learning English as an additional language do well because of the high quality support they receive. Children are happy, secure and settled. Their behaviour is outstanding for their age; they get on very well with each other.
Children receive excellent care and support from staff. The school values each individual and celebrates children’s different faiths and cultures. It provides a rich range of learning experiences for them. Consequently, children get off to a flying start, both in their personal development and in their learning. Partnership with parents is outstanding. Consequently they value the school very highly and rightly feel that it ensures a firm foundation on which their children can build.
Leadership and management are good, overall. There are very secure procedures in place for checking on the school’s work and ensuring that developments are implemented. Whilst the headteacher and deputy headteacher provide outstanding leadership, and individual governors use their expertise well in support of the school, the governing body as a whole and staff have limited involvement in managing developments. The school has effectively tackled the issues from the last inspection and has moved rapidly forward with plans for the new Children’s Centre. The school provides good value for money and has outstanding capacity for further improvement.
Grade: 2
What the school should do to improve further
* Develop the roles of staff and governors in managing areas of responsibility and checking on the work of the school.
* Continue to implement the plans systematically for transition to the new Children’s Centre.
Achievement and standards
Children of all abilities achieve well. When they start the Nursery, their skills are largely below those expected for their age. A significant number have communication skills that are less well developed than other areas of learning. By the end of their time in Nursery, the majority meet the goals set for this age group in all areas of learning and some exceed these. Children make very good progress in their personal, social and emotional development because of the high priority placed on this area. Progress in physical development is satisfactory. The school has identified this as an area for improvement and has put strategies in place to address the issue. In all other areas, progress is good. It is accelerating rapidly in mathematical development because of the high quality teaching children receive from the deputy headteacher.
Children who are learning English as an additional language and those who speak a home language as well as English make good progress. This is because they are sensitively and effectively supported in their home language as well as English. Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities do particularly well. Their needs are identified early and they are set clear, achievable targets. The support they receive to help them achieve these is of high quality.
Grade: 2
Personal development and well-being
This area is outstanding. Children really love coming to Nursery and most throw themselves with gusto into the wide range of activities on offer. They are extremely happy and settled in the secure, warm environment created for them. Their behaviour and manners are excellent for such young children, as a result both of the high expectations staff have of them and the excellent examples set for them.
Children make great strides in their personal development. They quickly learn to look after their own needs and help others. At lunchtime, they help staff to set the tables and take great care in tidying away afterwards. There are many outstanding opportunities for pupils to learn about their own and others’ cultures. They approach such activities with great curiosity and enthusiasm. They thoroughly enjoyed the Eid party, which ended with a firework display, provoking great excitement.
Pupils respond very positively to the healthy living messages promoted by the school. They learn which foods are good for them and are helped to make sensible choices. They use equipment with exceptional regard for safety, given their age. Visits into the local area and visitors to school enable them to understand that they are part of a wider community and have experience of the world of work. Good attendance and punctuality encourage good routines from the earliest stages.
Grade: 1
Quality of provision
Teaching and learning
Teaching and learning are good. The relaxed, warm relationships staff create ensure that children are enthusiastic and willing learners. There is a strong emphasis on language development. Very good opportunities for personal and social development are carefully woven through all areas, which has a good impact on children’s learning. Activities are well planned, both indoors and outdoors and resources are used effectively to interest children and catch their imaginations. As a result, children are attentive and concentrate well. In the best lessons, every opportunity is seized upon to extend learning and challenge children to think hard and solve problems. Expert questioning encourages them to express their ideas verbally and refine them. Occasionally, in some sessions staff miss opportunities to encourage children to take their learning further, for example by asking questions such as, ‘What might happen if?’
Support staff have a strong impact on learning for all pupils, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those learning English as an additional language. Productive use is made of children’s home language, for example, to reinforce concepts and develop thinking skills. Good use is made of individual staff expertise to accelerate learning, as for example in mathematical development. Staff use focused observations of children’s progress particularly effectively to identify their strengths and plan their next steps in learning.
Grade: 2
Curriculum and other activities
The curriculum is of good quality and is developing well. It is planned effectively and meets the needs and interests of all pupils. It reflects the children’s different cultural heritages particularly well. There are exciting opportunities for practical, hands on activities both indoors and outdoors. A good balance is achieved between activities the children choose and explore for themselves and those more closely directed by staff. All children regardless of their needs are fully included in all that the school offers. The school has strengthened the provision for the more able pupils this term and this is working well, particularly in mathematical development.
Strengths lie in the links made between different areas, so that learning is seamless. Learning is also enriched very effectively through new programmes, such as the recently introduced movement scheme, which has an impact on both social and physical development. Role-play is used effectively to develop imagination and communication skills. The small space available for physical activities, both indoors and outdoors limits provision for physical development and, therefore, children’s progress. However, the school does the best it can to overcome this, through offering extra activities such as a football course specifically designed for this age group.
Grade: 2
Care, guidance and support
The school provides an outstanding level of care for its pupils. Staff know the children and their families exceptionally well. The ‘key worker’ system is instrumental in ensuring every child’s well-being through providing continuity of care and support for families. Parents speak highly of the system. Procedures for health and safety and child protection are very thorough and effective. Partnerships with parents and other agencies are exceptionally strong and impact very positively on children’s progress, particularly for those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. High quality information is provided for parents to help them support their children at home. The procedures for observing, assessing and tracking pupils’ progress are of outstanding quality and are the product of much hard work. The children’s individual record files paint a very clear picture of their achievements and their next learning steps. These are valued very highly by parents who are encouraged to add to them, for example by writing comments or adding photographs.
Grade: 1
Leadership and management
Leadership and management are good. The leadership of the headteacher and deputy headteacher is outstanding; together, they form a highly effective team and provide outstanding models of teaching for others to follow. They have a very clear idea of how they want the school to be and how best to meet the needs of the community they serve. For example, staff, parents and governors have been consulted about the development of the new Children’s Centre and have been involved in creating the future vision and aims. As a result they are brimming with excitement about the new venture. Morale is high and strong teamwork is evident as the school moves towards the transition. As a result, there is excellent capacity for further development.
The school has a very sharp view of what it does well and what needs to be improved based on good quality evidence. The inspection largely confirmed the school’s views and where there were differences, it was because managers had been a little too conservative in their judgements. The headteacher and deputy headteacher do most of the work of managing and checking on the different aspects of the school’s work. This now needs to be shared more widely with other members of staff and with the governing body, to ensure workload is more evenly spread, particularly as the school is likely to increase in size and scope. Governors are supportive and knowledgeable. They use their individual expertise to best effect and fulfil their responsibilities well. They have identified the need to be more closely involved in monitoring the work of the school as a priority.
Grade: 2
Annex A
Inspection judgements
Key to judgements:
grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate
School Overall: 16-19
Overall effectiveness
How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? 2
How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners’ well-being? 1
The quality and standards in foundation stage 2
The effectiveness of the school’s self-evaluation 2
The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes
Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection Yes
Achievement and standards
How well do learners achieve? 2
The standards1 reached by learners 3
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 2
1 Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.
Personal development and well-being
How good is the overall personal development and well-being of the learners? 1
The extent of learners’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1
The behaviour of learners 1
The attendance of learners 2
How well learners enjoy their education 1
The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1
The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2
The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community 2
How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being 2
The quality of provision
How effective are teaching and learning in meeting the full range of the learners’ needs? 2
How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 2
How well are learners cared for, guided and supported? 1
Leadership and management
How effective are leadership and management in raising achievement and supporting all learners? 2
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 performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review 2
How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can 1
How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money 2
The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities 2
The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected Yes
The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy
Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes
Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes
Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes
Learners are educated about sexual health Yes
The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe
Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes
Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes
Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes
Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them Yes
The extent to which learners make a positive contribution
Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes
Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes
Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community Yes
The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being
There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes
Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams Yes
Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA
Education for all learners aged 14-19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy NA
Annex B
Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection
Hello!
You may remember that I visited your school recently to find out about all the exciting things you do. Thank you very much for letting me join in with your activities. I really enjoyed talking to you and watching you while you were working and playing. I especially loved the Eid party and the fireworks!
The things I think are really good about your school are:
- the way you all get on with each other really well and share
- the way you do your very best to help your teachers
- you are very good at all times
- the lovely activities the teachers plan for you and the way you really enjoy them
- the way in which all the people in school take care of you and help you learn.
I have asked your teachers to keep on working hard so that when you move to the new Children’s Centre, the activities for you will be even better in the lovely new building.
Thank you very much for helping me. I hope that you will carry on enjoying school and doing so well.
© Crown copyright 2005
Website: www.ofsted.gov.ukThis 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.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.Any complaints about the inspection or the report should be made following the procedures set out in the guidance ‘Complaints about school inspections’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.