Outstanding Early Years Inspection Report!
Outstanding Early Years Inspection Report!
17th June, 2008
On Monday 9 June the Early Years Department - comprising Nursery, Transition and Reception - were inspected by an OFSTED inspection team, receiving in every area the unconditional grade 'outstanding'.
A formal report of the inspection will be provided within approximately a month. In the interim here are the notes compiled at the end of the day by the Head of Bevendean from the Lead Inspector Ms Farandon's feedback.
- The inspection team was very impressed by the children’s self-confidence and self reliance, they demonstrated all day that they could confidently choose activities and carry these out with enthusiasm and interest.
- There was lots of praise for positive behaviours and children responded appropriately to these comments.
- The children are well-disciplined, they stand in lines awaiting instructions very well and take directions positively. They are also very independent.
- The children showed excellent team working practices in the class rooms, working together very well and are very good at sharing resources
- School community rules are clear and the children demonstrate knowledge of them in their daily activities
- There was some very good teaching and learning in all rooms
Communication, Language and Literacy
This is an area of excellence, the Jolly Phonics is working really well and children demonstrate unprompted their knowledge of phonics and how to use them to both decode and encode words. They were particularly impressed by children finding letters hidden in sand and/or water trays, exclaiming excitedly “I found a “w” for water!. Very young children were seen writing their own names freely and willingly and in many cases showing that they know that writing has a purpose. Overall writing skills were deemed excellent. Mark making materials were abundant in all rooms and not only in designated writing areas and children were seen frequently using these in their role play.
Books
Books available were considered excellent in range, quality and condition – the last in particular was remarked upon as a sign that children are being taught to love books and respect them. Children listened to stories with enthusiasm and interest and also related stories to their tasks, a child in one Transition class took time to voluntarily explain to the inspector that she was making a fish with pretty scales just like Rainbow Fish in the story they had heard earlier.
Knowledge and Understanding of the World
The seaside was considered an excellent topic including all areas of learning, encouraging a good variety of vocabulary. The trips off site are all very relevant to the children’s learning as are the on-site visits from various sources.
ICT
Excellent use in all classrooms and in the suite. Story tapes were available in all rooms for children’s access.
Mathematical Development
Lots of opportunities were observed for children to develop maths skills and use them in their role play. Tasks set in the sand/water play areas were all very relevant and challenging. The quality of teaching in this areas is considered excellent, with very good cross-curricular aspects in all classrooms, including in the swimming pool where the children were encouraged to count the floating ducks in a ring. There were numbers included in sand and water trays and some fun games with butterflies to encourage maths language.
Creative Development
Much of this going on in all rooms, with a huge variety of materials available for children make choices. Lots of imaginary play going on and the children able to choose dressing up items of many sorts to help their imaginative play. The “ice cream parlour” in the Garden Room is a particular hit and the children gave very interesting accounts of the different ice creams and lollies they had to sell. This and the other role play areas were considered to be very well resourced.
Physical Development
The children can choose from many trikes and bikes and scooters in the playground –all of which were in excellent condition. The Pirate Ship affords not only excellent climbing provision but also lots of imaginary scope. They had balls of all sorts available and lots of other opportunities for sports type play. The children eagerly explained to one inspector what they had been doing in a dance lesson and why they were all “sweaty”
Grades
Overall grade outstanding
Quality of Teaching outstanding
Leadership and Management outstanding
Personal, Social and Emotional Development outstanding
Communication, Language and Literacy outstanding
Mathematical Development outstanding
Knowledge and Understanding of the World outstanding
Physical Development outstanding
Creative Development outstanding
The children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered appropriately.
All the areas above were graded “very good” in the last Inspection in 2005.
The Lead Inspector was anxious to inform me that in her six years as an OFSTED Inspector ours was only the fourth “outstanding” across the board that she had given.
Congratulations to the Early Years team!
Sally-Anne Shelton, Headmistress