Hazeldene Nursery School
Newton Mearns East
East Renfrewshire Council

13 May 2009

This report tells you about the quality of education at the centre. We describe how children benefit from learning there. We explain how well they are doing and how good the centre is at helping them to learn. Then we look at the ways in which the centre does this. We describe how well the centre works with other groups in the community, including parents¹ and services which support children. We also comment on how well staff and children work together and how they go about improving the centre.

Our report describes the ‘ethos’ of the centre. By ‘ethos’ we mean the relationships in the centre, how well children are cared for and treated and how much is expected of them in all aspects of centre life. Finally, we comment on the centre’s aims. In particular, we focus on how well the aims help staff to deliver high-quality learning, and the impact of leadership on the centre’s success in achieving these aims.

If you would like to learn more about our inspection of the centre, please visit www.hmie.gov.uk. Where applicable, the website contains analyses of questionnaire returns and descriptions of good practice in the centre.

Contents

1. The centre
2. Particular strengths of the centre
3. Examples of good practice
4. How well do children learn and achieve?
5. How well do staff work with others to support children’s learning?
6. Are staff and children actively involved in improving their centre community?
7. Does the centre have high expectations of all children?
8. Does the centre have a clear sense of direction?
9. What happens next?

4. How well do children learn and achieve?

Learning and achievement

Children are highly motivated, enthusiastic and engaged fully in their learning. They feel secure, confidently make decisions and concentrate fully on their chosen activities. They are very well behaved, play cooperatively, form friendships and consider the feelings of others. Children have opportunities to initiate and take forward their own interests during play activities. Staff have recently changed approaches to outdoor play. Children now have more opportunities to make choices and develop their independence. Staff should consider ways to do these in other aspects of children’s playroom experiences. Staff are very caring and sensitive and engage with children very well to help them become more successful in their play. They value children’s views and opinions and respond to these when deciding on activities.

Children are gaining excellent levels of success in all aspects of their learning. They talk to adults confidently and are able to share ideas, thoughts and feelings with others during play. Children use a wide and varied vocabulary when describing events and recalling activities. They are very aware of print. They enjoy listening to stories and make very good use of non-fiction books when looking for information to further their interests. Children make marks confidently and try early writing during play. They make notes and write labels, and a few are able to write short sentences during story making. Children’s understanding of early numeracy is excellent. They are keen to count, sort and match objects. Most recognise and record numbers and a few are very good at talking about and using numbers beyond ten. Children use language to compare and measure during play activities. A few are able to gather information and interpret simple graphs. They use high-quality investigative skills when planning and building models. Children are very aware of environmental issues and talk confidently about recycling and how to reduce the use of energy in the nursery. They take their individual ‘eco monitoring’ duties seriously. They conscientiously ensure that lights are not used when it is sunny and water taps are turned off when not in use. All children express their ideas and develop their creativity when painting, using craft materials, making music and playing imaginatively, for example on the ‘pirate ship’ outdoors and in the ‘doctor’s surgery’. Their physical skills are developing appropriately and they are confident when using their bodies in physical play. Children independently make effective use of computers, interactive whiteboards, digital cameras, and programmable toys to enhance their play and learning experiences.

Children’s successes are celebrated and their work is displayed throughout the nursery. Staff record children’s progress in their learning and involve them in deciding what they will learn next.

Curriculum and meeting learning needs

The learning opportunities for all children are excellent. Staff plan a very well-balanced curriculum which is based on play, active learning and enjoyment. It builds on children’s interests, previous learning and offers challenge and progression. Excellent development work by staff in progressing Curriculum for Excellence has led to a greater depth of learning opportunities for children. High-quality activities are appropriate to the age and interests of children. A wide range of visitors to the nursery, such as the active sports coordinator and visiting authors, extend children’s play and learning. Early literacy and numeracy are well embedded in all aspects of the curriculum. Children have very good opportunities to develop global awareness with ‘Travelling Ted’. They are learning to show concern for others through raising funds for charities.

Meeting learning needs is excellent. Staff are focused on enabling children to be confident and successful in their learning. Consistent use of high-quality questioning by staff challenges and encourages children to think about their own learning. Staff know children and families well and are very sensitive to their individual circumstances. Children’s needs are very clearly identified at an early stage, often prior to starting nursery. Staff monitor children’s progress to ensure effective planning and challenges for the next steps in their learning. Each child and family has regular contact with a key member of staff to share information and celebrate achievements. Parents are very confident in the ability of staff to support their children’s learning. Appropriate procedures are in place to provide the necessary support for children who need additional help with their learning.

5. How well do staff work with others to support children’s learning?

Staff make parents very welcome and provide many opportunities for them to be involved in the life of the nursery. Children’s profiles are used to record and celebrate their successes. Parents have the opportunity to contribute to these and be involved in their children’s learning. Parents regularly visit the nursery to play and to share their own skills with the children. The well-established parents’ committee is effective in supporting and guiding the work of the nursery. Parents appreciate the quality input from staff and are very confident in their abilities to provide a caring, supportive learning environment. Staff work well with other professionals to assist children in their learning. Children who attend other establishments are very well supported by nursery staff. They regularly discuss and share information with key staff and parents to ensure continuity of care and progression in children’s learning. Arrangements for children starting nursery are very good and meet individuals’ needs. Children are very well prepared for the move to primary school through the highly-effective transition programme and the work of staff in the local schools cluster group.

6. Are staff and children actively involved in improving their centre community?

All staff are genuinely committed to improving the work of the nursery. The process of self-evaluation is rigorous and systematic. The views of parents, children and staff are gathered and acted on as part of this process. The strong and effective team accepts responsibility for developments and works hard to ensure these make real improvements to children’s experiences. The nursery improvement plan priorities are clearly having a positive impact on children’s learning and development. Staff regularly reflect on how they are working and share good practice with each other and colleagues from other establishments. Staff are well qualified and are keen to further develop their skills and knowledge to benefit the work of the nursery. They are very well supported in this by the headteacher and the education authority training programme.

7. Does the centre have high expectations of all children?

The nursery is very welcoming and staff and children are very proud of their many achievements, including their Eco-Schools Scotland Green Flag. Staff have high expectations of children’s learning and behaviour. All children are hardworking and persevere to complete tasks. They are treated fairly and with respect and are encouraged by staff to support and help each other. Children are very well behaved, have good manners and take very good care of the nursery toys and resources. Staff create a happy and relaxed learning environment and everyone is made to feel welcome and special. Their interactions with children are of a high quality and children feel valued and supported. A strong emphasis is placed on children’s care and well-being with all staff actively involved in achieving this. Appropriate policies and procedures are in place to keep children safe. Healthy lifestyles are actively promoted and the nursery has achieved an award for very good practice in health promotion.

8. Does the centre have a clear sense of direction?

The headteacher and all staff have a shared vision for the nursery. The headteacher is highly committed to the continuous improvement of the nursery. She provides inspirational, high-quality leadership. This results in highly-motivated and confident staff who promote success in children’s learning. There are clear channels of responsibility and communication within the staff team. The headteacher actively promotes distributed leadership, with staff members having a lead role in developing initiatives within the nursery and the cluster schools community. Staff are highly committed to these responsibilities and work hard to ensure their input has a positive impact on children’s learning.

9. What happens next?

As a result of the very good quality of education provided by the school, we will make no further visits following this inspection. The education authority will inform parents about the school’s progress as part of the authority’s arrangements for reporting to parents on the quality of its school.

At the last Care Commission inspection of the centre there were two recommendations made. These have since been addressed.

Quality indicators help centres, education authorities and inspectors to judge what is good and what needs to be improved in the work of a centre. You can find these quality indicators in the HMIE publication The Child at the Centre. Following the inspection of each centre, the Scottish Government gathers evaluations of three important quality indicators to keep track of how well all Scottish centres are doing.

Here are the evaluations for Hazeldene Nursery School.

We also evaluated the following aspects of the work of the centre.

Managing Inspector: Linda Philp
13 May 2009

To find out more about inspections or get an electronic copy of this report go to www.hmie.gov.uk. Please contact the Business Management and Communications Team (BMCT) if you wish to enquire about our arrangements for translated or other appropriate versions.

If you wish to comment about any of our inspections, contact us at HMIEenquiries@hmie.gsi.gov.uk or alternatively you should write in the first instance to BMCT, HM Inspectorate of Education, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston EH54 6GA.

Our complaints procedure is available from our website www.hmie.gov.uk or alternatively you can write to our Complaints Manager, at the address above or by telephoning 01506 600259 or the Complaints Coordinator, Headquarters, Care Commission, Compass House, Riverside Drive, Dundee DD1 4NY.

If you are not satisfied with the action we have taken at the end of our complaints procedure, you can raise your complaint with the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO). The SPSO is fully independent and has powers to investigate complaints about Government departments and agencies. You should write to SPSO, Freepost EH641, Edinburgh EH3 0BR. You can also telephone 0800 377 7330, fax 0800 377 7331 or e-mail: ask@spso.org.uk. More information about the Ombudsman’s office can be obtained from the website at www.spso.org.uk.

This report uses the following word scale to make clear judgements made by inspectors.

Crown Copyright 2009
HM Inspectorate of Education

Footnotes

1. Throughout this report, the term ‘parents’ should be taken to include foster carers and carers who are relatives or friends.