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| Bowbrook House School | |||||
| Peopleton, Pershore, Worcestershire WR10 2EE Tel: 01905 841242 Fax: 01905-840716 | |||||
| News | Activities | Sports | Old School | Parents | Parents' Committee |
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| Unique Reference Number: | EY243391 |
| Inspection date: | 03 June 2008 |
| Inspector: | Rachel Wyatt |
| Setting Address: | Peopleton, Nr Pershore, Worcestershire, WR10 2EE |
| Telephone Number: | 01905841242 |
| E-mail: | |
| Registered Person: | Chris Allen |
| Type of inspection: | Nursery Education |
The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality of childcare and, if applicable, of nursery education. The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998.
This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004; the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding; and, where nursery education is provided, the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage.
The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration or 1 April 2004 whichever is the later.
For more information about early years inspections, please see the booklet Are you ready for your inspection? which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk
On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:
The quality and standards of the nursery education are outstanding.
Bowbrook House School is a co-educational independent day school for children aged from three to 16 years. The school was founded in 1954 and operates from a large Georgian House within 14 acres of grounds in the village of Peopleton near Pershore in Worcestershire. The school's nursery and reception unit is located in a recently refurbished self-contained classroom with adjacent outdoor play areas. Children also have opportunities for Forest School and to use other parts of the school's extensive grounds. The infant department's school day is from 08:30 until 15.30. The school provides some before and after school care depending on the age of the pupils.
There are currently 181 children on roll within the whole school with 15 children in nursery and reception and of these eight children receive funding for early education. Children attend from a wide catchment area, including surrounding villages. Support is available for children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and for children who speak English as an additional language.
There are five staff working with the nursery and reception children. Two are qualified early years teachers and two members of staff have teaching assistant qualifications. Children are also taught by specialist teachers for dance, physical education, gymnastics and music and movement. The school has the support of the local authority and is a member of the Independent Schools Association.
The provision is outstanding. The quality of teaching and learning is outstanding. Children are happy purposeful learners. During lessons and activities they take a lively interest in everything and are keen to contribute. It is clear children and staff have very good relationships. Children really respect and trust the adults who are supportive and reassuring. Their consistent behaviour management and clear explanations ensure children feel secure and know what is expected of them. Appropriate support is given to children who find concentrating, joining in or understanding difficult. Children feel confident and want to do well as they are given ample opportunities to practise and build on new skills and staff consistently acknowledge their efforts. For example, all children thoroughly enjoy a physical education lesson where they eagerly follow the teacher’s practical tips on how they can improve their running speed. They then enthusiastically make their first attempts at the long jump, observing each other’s technique and urging each other on, encouraged by the staff’s positive words of praise.
Children appreciate that their interests are acknowledged and their choices are encouraged. Circle time discussions provide children with rewarding opportunities to recall important events in their lives and to express their ideas. Children eagerly share their ‘news’ and are increasingly confident at recording this both verbally, in writing and through their expressive drawings. A strong focus on child-initiated activities and promoting children’s independence means that they manage self-care routines with increasing confidence and develop their own ideas during play. For example, whilst ordering a selection of items according to size, some children decide to take three small sailing boats to the water tray to check if they float. During an activity to make an animal puzzle, each child labels and then cuts out their own very individual puzzle. At the end of the activity each child is encouraged to show their example to their peers and describe what they have done.
Children thrive and learn quickly due to the staff’s very sound knowledge of the Foundation Stage and how children learn. All staff in nursery and reception are inventive, creative teachers and very enabling and supportive. Children's learning and development progresses very well because staff plan and organise practical stimulating activities and resources which make experiences and concepts meaningful and easy for children to grasp. Children readily respond to the staff’s high expectations and often challenging tasks because they are secure in the excellent support and guidance given to them and the relaxed atmosphere created by the adults. For example, children skilfully count, recognise numbers and swiftly solve increasingly complex calculations because staff make problem solving fun. Practical scenarios and interesting maths resources help children to be particularly adept at working out increasingly complex addition.
Children’s excellent progress is supported by the setting’s very effective assessment procedures. Children's starting points are clearly identified through staff’s initial assessments which include seeking parents’ views. Thereafter, robust monitoring of each child’s learning and development ensures their individual abilities are clearly understood. Staff competently plan and organise activities and resources and their support to cater for each child’s needs. As a result less able children feel confident and develop steadily at their pace, whilst more able children thrive as staff consolidate and extend their skills and understanding, whilst always taking account of their level of maturity.
Comprehensive schemes of work, well-thought-out plans and exemplary team work ensure children have a rewarding curriculum that covers all aspects of Foundation Stage areas of learning and includes topics which are relevant and interesting. Children are currently captivated by the lifecycles of frogs. They observe tadpoles and snails before taking them to the school pond. During follow up activities children show an excellent understanding of different aspects of pond life. They use pictures of tadpoles and frogs to help them colour in their lifecycle pictures. They create a delightful pond scene populated by realistic play dough tadpoles and snails, talking to their friends about how they have made the different shapes and features. Children paint colourful pictures of ponds and their inhabitants. A joyous rendition of a story about pond life, involves all the children and adults using a selection of toys to depict the different creatures in the story whilst everyone enthusiastically joins in the refrain and actions.
The provision is outstanding. Every child is helped to achieve their full potential because robust assessment and planning, and the staff’s sound knowledge of each child, ensure their learning and development needs are clearly understood and met very well. Any concerns about a child’s progress are quickly identified and appropriate strategies for support are promptly implemented. As a result the provision for children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and for children who speak English as an additional language is exemplary.
Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. They have a strong sense of belonging and positive self-esteem because their efforts are acknowledged and their work and contributions are consistently appreciated. For example, children regularly share their news and discuss and look at each other’s work. They have very positive attitudes towards each other, being kind and welcoming, helping new children to settle and assisting with a range of tasks. They have enjoyed finding out how to care for pets, including visiting a vet’s practice to prepare them for looking after their pet rabbit and guinea pig. Other activities such as the school’s focus on bullying, their involvement in running a Fairtrade stall, and raising money for different charities, enable young children to explore a range of social and moral issues. Looking at different aspects of festivals and using meaningful resources, especially books, fosters children’s awareness of, and positive attitudes towards, a range of beliefs and customs and other aspects of diversity. Children are developing strong local community links as a result of visits, the input of visitors and from taking part in shared activities with other young children from nearby pre-schools.
Children are very well behaved. They respond to the adults’ high expectations because their good behaviour is encouraged and acknowledged. Staff always ensure children know what is happening next and how to behave in different situations. Children have very good relationships. They clearly understand about working and playing together, listening to each other and being kind and helpful.
Partnership with parents and carers is outstanding. Children’s learning and development is enhanced by their parents’ input. From the outset parents are given relevant helpful information about the aims and ethos of their children’s early education, including details of forthcoming topics. Parents’ and carers’ views about their child’s skills and abilities are valued and help staff to plan for the next steps in their child’s learning. Parents are well informed about how their child is progressing, with opportunities to review their achievements and to agree informal targets. Parents also receive written reports on their children’s progress. Children very much benefit from their parents supporting their learning at home, for example, assisting with reception class children’s reading and spellings, and younger children’s appreciation of letters and sounds and enjoyment of books.
The organisation is outstanding. The leadership and management of funded children is outstanding. Children receive high quality nursery education. Their learning and development is fully supported by a well-organised, motivated and capable early years team who have a clear vision for ensuring children experience interesting, child-centred and challenging topics and activities which reflect their differing abilities and interests. Children are happy and involved because staff are enabling and encouraging and create a most welcoming atmosphere.
Children benefit because the school is committed to the ongoing development of their early education. Robust monitoring and evaluation procedures ensure that high standards of teaching and learning are maintained. The school’s early years development plan provides a clear achievable framework for the further enhancement of children’s early education. Managers and staff are receptive to new ideas. They consistently follow up initiatives as a result of going on visits and attending training and good practice sessions. For example, children’s learning and development is enriched by the many opportunities for rewarding outdoor learning and play, including the introduction of Forest School. Refurbishment and reorganisation of the nursery and reception classroom has created a very inviting learning environment, where children can be fully active learners as they freely express their ideas and explore a wide range of resources, materials and experiences.
At the last nursery education inspection the provider agreed to create more opportunities for children's free expression and exploration, and to improve their access to more challenging physical apparatus, including wheeled toys. All aspects of children's learning and development have been enhanced by improvements since the last inspection. Children happily explore sand, water and other aspects of sensory play which are available daily both indoors and outside. Children readily express themselves through worthwhile creative and imaginative play activities including art, craft, role play, music, movement and dance. They confidently manage adventure play equipment and a range of wheeled toys.
Not applicable
On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:
The quality and standards of the nursery education are outstanding.
No recommendations for improvement are made because the quality and standards of nursery education are outstanding.
Any complaints about the inspection or the report should be made following the procedures set out in the leaflet Complaints about Ofsted Early Years: concerns or complaints about Ofsted's role in regulating and inspecting childcare and early education (HMI ref no 2599) which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.