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Sheringham Nursery School self evaluation and
improvement plan 2012-2013
Local context
Sheringham Nursery School has 90fte places, with all children attending part-time (180 places in
total). The school opened in the 1970s. In 2010, the school was completely rebuilt with an integrated
Children’s Centre on site. The school and centre are both led and managed by the Headteacher.
The overwhelming majority of the children are from a wide range of minority ethnic backgrounds and
a very small minority have refugee or asylum seeker status. The vast majority speak English as an
additional language and most of these children are beginners in English when they join the nursery.
About 15% of the current intake has special educational needs and/or disabilities, mostly speech and
language difficulties or an autistic spectrum disorder.
The school is in the Manor Park/Little Ilford area of Newham. The largest ethnic groups are British Asian (in order, Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Indian), with many Black and Ethnic minority groups also represented and a small population of white British families. There is little social housing in the area; many families live in poor quality, overcrowded, privately rented flats. There is a high birth-rate and there is significant population mobility. The proportion of children subject to Interagency Child Protection Plans for more than two years is twice the national average.
Data states that approximately 36% of children under five are living in a household receiving benefits;
about 3.6% live in a household receiving Job Seekers’ Allowance. Our impression is that this
significantly understates the local situation. Overall, Newham has one of the highest rates of child
poverty in London and is one of the top ten most deprived boroughs nationally.
The school is part of the “Soft Federation” of schools in the Manor Park area.
Actions arising from Ofsted 2011:
Improve the quality of teaching and learning by ensuring that activities led by adults are structured to enable children to participate more actively and encourage them to talk about the work.
progress of different groups of children, and provide a sharply-focused analysis to inform school improvement planning.
Ensure that the governing body is more actively engaged in overseeing the work of the school
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1. The achievement of pupils at the school
Progress and attainment analysis, Sheringham Nursery School and Children’s Centre
For cohort leaving summer 2012
On entry Average 9.9: well below expected levels of
development
Significantly below 37%
Well below 44%
Below 19%
As expected 0%
Progress on exit Average 4.7(outstanding progress overall)
Slow progress 6%
Satisfactory 11%
Good 16%
Outstanding 67%
Attainment on
exit
Average 14.5
Significantly below 5%
3 children with SEN (2 boys, 1 girl)
No other patterns
Well below 11%
7 children (2 girls, 5 boys)
3 children with SEN
All EAL
2 Bangladeshi.
Below 63%
40 children (17 boys and 23 girls)
8 Bangladeshi
6 Pakistani
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5 Indian
5 Somali
4 Afghani
36 EAL
No other patterns
As expected 14%
9 children (4 girls, 5 boys)
4 with English as first language
2 White British
No other patterns
Above expected levels 6%
4 children (3 girls and 1 boy)
3 EAL
No other patterns
Achievement of
the ELGS
On track 60%
At Sheringham Primary School,
57.3% of children achieve a good
level of development (78 points in
the EYFSP AND 6+ in PSED and
CLL). This suggests that our data
is robust and accurate.
The average EYFSP score for
children registered to the
Children’s Centre was 84 this year
with 79% scoring 78 points or
higher.
Not on track 40%
Attainment
The average attainment on exit is 14.5 (between 30-50G and 30-50S)
The highest levels of attainment are: Personal, social and emotional development, and physical
development.
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Lowest areas of attainment
Language for communication and thinking 13.4
Linking sounds and letters 13.4
Calculating 13.4
Lowest areas of progress
3 steps of progress or more represents good progress.
Language for communication and thinking 2.9
Reading 3.1
Linking sounds and letters 3.3
Looking at the cohort which left the nursery school in July 2012, on-entry assessment shows that all
pupils started nursery at below the expected level of development (30-50 band in Development
Matters), with 37% significantly below and 44% well below. The large majority of children speak
English as an Additional Language, with most at very early stages of English on entry.
67% of children made outstanding progress. 16% of children made good progress, 11% satisfactory
and 6% slow progress (the majority of these children had complex special educational needs).
The Senior Leadership team looked at two groups of children from this cohort: the 20 children who
made the slowest progress, and the 20 children who made the fastest progress.
Key issues for children who made slower progress:
Issue Actions
Most had additional needs. Sharper tracking of the progress of children with
SEN against the IEP targets is in place.
Most were boys We have a specific project around boys
attainment (in early communication and writing)
and we will be closely monitoring boys’ progress
overall.
Some of the children experienced a number of There are no planned staffing changes, but if
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staffing transitions. staffing does change then specific steps will be
taken to secure a good transition between staff
for the most vulnerable children.
2 children had time away from nursery due to
extended family holidays.
Because nursery is non-statutory, our scope for
action is limited. We have put more emphasis on
the importance of not taking holidays in termtime
in the arrangements for new parents, and the
new holiday request form also emphasises this.
Key issues for children who made exceptional progress:
Many had engaged positively with the Children’s
Centre before starting nursery
CC now puts more emphasis on outreach and
engaging with the most vulnerable families.
Many had a positive Home Learning Environment
(HLE).
We have invested more in Toy Library and other
activities to support the HLE. We talk to parents
monthly about children’s development and
learning at home and offer ideas and support.
Many were older, nearly five on exit. This might be expected to affect attainment but
not necessarily progress. Other monitoring (e.g.
ECERS-R) suggests that the nursery is better
geared for older than for younger children and
therefore they have more opportunities to take up
and make stronger progress. This widens the
gap. Focussing on opportunities for younger
children will be central to the monitoring of
teaching and learning this year.
Attainment on leaving the school is satisfactory. 14% are at the expected level (40-60 band) with 6%
at above expected levels. 63% of children are in the band below the expected level, and a further
11% are well below and 5% significantly below (in this last group, all have complex special
educational needs).
However, because of their accelerated progress, the majority of children (60%) are on-track to
achieve the Early Learning Goals by the end of the Reception Year. Data tracking of children at the
end of the EYFS in summer 2012 shows that 57.5% of children at Sheringham Primary School
achieved a “good level of development” (78 points, with 6+ in PSED and CLL). The average EYFSP
score for children registered to Sheringham Nursery School and Children’s Centre was 84, with 79%
scoring 78 points or higher.
National outcomes for 2012: 64% of children achieved 78 points with 6+ in PSED and CLL (56% in
the 30% most deprived areas), and 81% achieved 78 points or more (73% in the 30% most deprived
areas).
Overall, progress of children who attend the nursery school is outstanding. By the end of the EYFS,
children at Sheringham Primary School are close to the national average for attainment of 78 points
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or more in the EYFSP. Given the low starting points of the children, this is a considerable
achievement.
Areas for improvement:
Introduce new tracker system from September 2012 to generate more comprehensive data.
More rigorous progress tracking by each class teacher, to identify those children at risk of
making poor progress half-termly, and ensure that an appropriate programme is in place.
Support children’s progress through the early stages of English, and in the new Prime Area of
Communication, through an Every Child a Talker (ECaT) programme.
2. The quality of teaching
The key targets from teachers’ performance management in order to improve teaching and learning
during 2011-12 are summarised below. Outcomes here relate to teaching and learning overall, rather
than the progress of individual teachers towards their targets. The previous headteacher and deputy
had a detailed understanding of strengths and weaknesses in teaching and learning.
Targets 2011-2012 Outcomes for the school
Support children’s confidence and language
skills, leading to better progress in PSED and
LCT.
Progress in PSED is outstanding.
Progress in LCT is just below good overall;
continued focus needed.
Ensure adult-led activities are appropriate,
particularly for younger children, leading to better
engagement.
The activities score in ECERS-R for the school is
3.4 – needs further development.
Monitoring in 2012 shows adult-led activities in
some areas are now good/outstanding: creative
development; scientific exploration.
Improve staff understanding and skill in relation to
children with SEN, leading to better progress as
monitored in IEPs.
Staff benefited from SENCO support; there is no
data on progress against IEP targets and this
remains a key area for development.
Develop scientific exploration and investigation,
through practical and play-based activities,
leading to children showing curiosity.
Observations show very effective provision in
place, exciting children’s interest and curiosity.
Lead the class team of staff so that there is
shared understanding about learning and
teaching
Not clear. Further focus on this: teachers
accessing INSET this year on leading change
and motivating colleagues.
Our monitoring data shows that: staff engage with children very well, joining in with their play and
extending their learning. The scale of the nursery school provision enables large-scale, challenging
learning opportunities to be offered daily, inside and out. Adult-led activities are less effective, with
children on occasions having to wait too long before they can make a contribution. Planning is not
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always geared to children’s progress or interests, though new approaches to early writing have been
successful in engaging lower achieving children and also stretching the more able.
The nursery school is an inclusive environment which supports a large number of children with SEN,
some with complex and challenging needs. Support for the children is good because of the high level
of practitioner skills in this area, but IEP planning and monitoring need development.
The overall programme and learning environment are good. Using the robust ECERS-R schedule,
interaction scored 4.3 and programme structure scored 5.8 (between “good” and “excellent”). Each
classteacher has an individualised action plan with ambitious targets to continue improvement as
scored by ECERS.
Teaching is good overall, with children making accelerated progress during their nursery year. This
accelerated progress continues into the reception year.
In the school year 2012-2013 we are:
Observing and evaluating the quality of teaching, using the new observation form and using
ECERS-R, linked to the revised Teachers’ Standards
Setting targets/action points, some of which will be individual to the teacher, some of which
will tie in with whole-school priorities for improvement.
Using a range of strategies and involving governors in processes to make a secure
judgement about whether, as a result, teaching improves in the school. The report to the
Governing Body each term will summarise: improvement, which initiatives are making a
difference, and which aspects remain priorities.
We are using the observation format, the Characteristics of Effective Learning and information
from the school’s Observation, Teaching and Learning (OTL) Project to generate dialogue
and awareness around what good and outstanding teaching and learning “look like”.
Two key issues identified in our previous Ofsted are:
Adult-led activities are less effective than child-initiated learning (children waiting too long, too
much adult input).
Questions are not always tailored to children’s needs/level of development
The actions taken following that Ofsted report have not yet impacted on these two issues, so there is
a renewed and stronger focus this year in the Improvement Plan.
Areas for improvement:
Developing teaching: see summary of teacher performance management and other
monitoring tools
Improve ECERS scores to 5+ in all areas.
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3. Behaviour and safety of pupils
Pupils’ behaviour is very good at Sheringham Nursery School, and children make outstanding
progress in their Personal, Social and Emotional Development as a result of the effective teaching,
care and support they receive. The nursery school is exceptionally safe and secure for pupils, many
of whom present as being vulnerable.
Monitoring shows that children settle quickly into the day, with the most vulnerable given excellent
support. Staff are very alert to children’s needs throughout the session. Sometimes, opportunities are
missed to give children the help they need to manage turn-taking and conflicts themselves. Children
are observed to be engrossed in many stimulating hand-on and play-based activities, which could be
developed further with improved accessibility of resources, and more support for children to
investigate observations and questions.
The very high standards evident in the previous Ofsted inspection are being maintained in this area,
with some significant further developments. Effective home-visiting and new settling-in arrangements
ensure that children get a very positive start in nursery, and are able to start developing a strong bond
with their key person. Closer joint working with the Children’s Centre and a wide range of other
agencies/initiatives including:
1:1 family support and early intervention team
Health services (healthy weight, healthy eating)
Behaviour support (Triple P parenting programme delivery)
Attendance is a challenge for nursery schools, because it is non-statutory and there is no support
from the Education Welfare Service as a result. The school follows up all absences efficiently and
allocates additional support to vulnerable families to help with routines and attendance. Our current
level of attendance is 92%, with a steady and sustained rise from 91.3% the term before.
Areas for improvement:
Continue to use a range of strategies to improve attendance.
Further development of children’s autonomy – social development, and as learners.
4. The quality of leadership in, and management of, the school
The current headteacher took up post in April 2012, and the current deputy in September 2012.
Before this, the school had a long-standing headteacher and deputy who worked together for over 20
years. During this time, the school had an exceptional track-record of continuing improvement, but in
the last year or so the pace dropped somewhat, with the school being graded “Good” by Ofsted in
2011 (following Outstanding on the previous two inspections). Actions to address the findings from the
2011 Ofsted were not systematically implemented and monitored, and the teachers’ performance
management cycle was not fully in place, although there was effective monitoring of the quality of
learning and teaching overall on a room by room basis. Overall, the impact of the rebuild, two years
off-site, the bankruptcy of one contractor and a premature return to an unfinished new-build, was
negative for the school’s development. Nevertheless, with continued strong day-to-day leadership and
an experienced staff team, the school continued to provide good nursery education, and this is
reflected in the outstanding progress of the children on roll.
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As a new senior leadership team, we have set about bringing in necessary changes, implementing
systems to monitor the quality of teaching and learning, track progress, and to promote staff
development. In line with the new EYFS, planning and assessment approaches focus sharply on
supporting children’s progress from their starting points, identifying those children at risk of poor
outcomes, and maximising staff time on the programme with the children. The complexity of the
assessment system has been scaled back, and there is sustained support for staff in observing,
assessing and planning for children’s progress.
The school is a member of the Manor Park Federation, and is leading on a Federation-wide project to
promote children’s early communication (ECaT). The school is also an active participant in the
Federation project to support attainment in writing, leading on the EYFS strand. Additionally, the
school is part of the Newham Nursery School project to promote effective practice in Letters and
Sounds. All three of these projects provide significant support and challenge, and are leading to
improvements in practice.
The school puts a very strong emphasis on safeguarding, and procedures are effectively co-ordinated
by the headteacher. For example, there was effective co-ordination of information from home visits
and Children’s Centre staff to identify and support vulnerable children. A clear system of recording
and acting on concerns is in place, which is used by all staff (there is no “threshold”, any concern can
be raised by anyone). Staff meeting time, Senior Leadership Team time and Supervision Time all
include dedicated elements for safeguarding. When cases are reviewed, there is always a strong
focus on action for the child, and outcomes for the child and family. A “learning culture” encourages
staff to speak freely about what has gone well, and also challenges, so that we learn from our
experiences. There has been staff shadowing of the social work team, and visits to a Children’s
Centre in Tower Hamlets to learn from their good practice.
Very effective joint-work with the Children’s Centre family support worker, the Early Intervention
Team, and Children’s Social Workers keep the most vulnerable children safe.
Parent satisfaction is very high (for further details – see the outcomes of the independently-managed
“Parent Voice” event held in Autumn 2012).
The school and Children’s Centre play a leading role in developing community cohesion. Sheringham
is a safe and secure place for different families and communities to share and use together. We
support families in accessing a full range of opportunities associated with being British citizens,
including:
High quality early education which is enabling children from all groups to make good or
outstanding progress, alongside a continuing commitment to do more for the most
disadvantaged;
Easy access to health services, parenting support, and adult learning;
Access to resources in the local area which families might otherwise not feel confident to use:
the cinema, swimming pool, parks and museums.
Children are regularly taken out on educational visits and offered a rich curriculum which develops
their awareness of the wider world. Examples include our work with Bow Arts, visits to the Discovery
Centre in Stratford and the V&A Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green. Children and their families
are supported in using public transport confidently, and by block-booking the local swimming pool and
cinema we encourage families to feel able to use and enjoy local amenities.
The school and Children’s Centre work very effectively with a range of agencies, including:
Health services
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The Early Intervention Team (EIT) and children’s social care
Job Centre Plus
Adult learning
All the local schools, through the Manor Park Federation
All the local early years settings, through the Manor Park Early Years Forum, which we set up
and lead on.
Tracking data shows very good outcomes for the majority of this work, and overall we have evidenced
that the more contact a child has with our Children’s Centre services, the better the outcomes at the
end of the EYFS. We are working hard to improve the outcomes for our adult learning services, an
area for improvement in our 2012 Children’s Centre Inspection.
Improving governance has been a major focus in the recent period. The school benefits from a highly
committed chair, whose child previously attended the nursery, and a highly committed vice-chair with
significant expertise in the early years. Since September, governors have received a more detailed
report from the headteacher, which has enabled them to take a clearer view about the quality of early
education and what needs improvement. Meetings have been quorate and the group has grown in
size. Governors have felt confident to ask direct questions and to challenge the performance of the
school. They have participated in monitoring the quality of education through a programme of learning
walks. There has been close monitoring of finances. Overall, governors provide significant support to
the work of the school.
Overall, we are taking a revised approach to school improvement, in the light of the new teacher
standards, Ofsted handbook and other changes. We are ambitious to bring about sustained
improvements in the quality of teaching, and promote still-better outcomes for the children on roll,
particularly focussed on narrowing the gap between the lowest 20% and the rest. The school is
increasingly supported, and challenged, by the governing body, and financial resources are managed
efficiently. With committed and improving governance and an experienced and effective senior
leadership team, the school is very well positioned for continued improvement.
Areas for improvement:
Further improvement of the quality of teaching and learning, focussed on narrowing the gap
between the 20% most disadvantaged and the rest
Develop leadership capacity in the staff team: increasing the effectiveness of co-ordination of
special educational needs, refocusing the role of the deputy headteacher on leading
teaching/learning, developing the strategic role of the Children’s Centre teacher.
Better engagement of parents – monitoring children’s progress, support development at home
Better involvement of governors in monitoring the school and feeding into self-evaluation
Community cohesion: following the revised guidance from the DFE, the school will act to continue to
improve community cohesion through teaching/learning experiences to support children’s spiritual,
moral, social and cultural development of pupils, supported through wider links with the community.
The school will use its more rigorous approach to assessment and progress monitoring in striving to
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promote equality and meet the needs of all pupils (boys, girls, different cohorts and children with
additional needs and disabilities).
Overall effectiveness
Achievement, teaching and leadership and management are all good, and there is strong ambition to
drive further improvement. The provision for children’s Personal, Social and Emotional Development,
and their behaviour, are outstanding. The school is very well-supported by parents, with a thriving
Children’s Centre offering a wide range of quality services. The considerable emphases on the
strategic development of the Centre, and close links with schools in the Federation, are planned to
bring about even further improvements in children’s health, wellbeing, and progress in the EYFS, with
the ambition of reaching and then exceeding national outcomes by the end of the stage over the next
three years.
Parents
Staff Children
Learning and
teaching
Post-evaluation action plan
This plan is about what we are doing to improve our school between September
2012 and July 2013. It has been written by the headteacher with the involvement of
staff and governors. Parents’ involvement has been through our “Parent Voice”
event. In the plan, we look at four interlinking aspects: parents, children, staff and
teaching and learning. In reality, all these are woven together, but we show them
separately to make the action plan easier to read and use.
Children The care, guidance and support
offered to children at Sheringham is
outstanding, and children’s progress
overall from their starting points is also
outstanding. But there is still a
significant gap between the lowest
20% of children and the rest, and we
want to do our very best for the most
vulnerable children in the school. We
want every child to “start school
healthy, happy, communicative,
sociable, curious, active, and ready
and equipped for the next phase of life
and learning.” (DFE, 2010)
Help every child to make good progress in a caring and supportive environment
Nursery school team to meet half-termly with Children's Centre team, to identify vulnerable children, and agree
actions to intervene early and keep children safe, healthy, and developing well.
SENCO to establish and regularly monitor the Provision Map and Individual Education Plans.
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Use of the ECaT monitoring tool to identify children at risk of making poor progress in communication.
Fast track families to centre-based services to support children's health and development.
Identify vulnerable children prior to nursery school admission through the pre-nursery group.
Improve transition - work with the childminder network, early years network, and school federation.
Improve attendance with closer monitoring and referral to family support where needed.
We will know when we are succeeding because:
Vulnerable children will be identified, kept safe and healthy, and make good progress.
Children's Centre services will be making a difference.
There will be a smaller gap between the the lowest 20% and the rest in 2013 compared to 2012.
Attendance of the most vulnerable children will improve.
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Parents
Staff Children
Learning and
teaching
Parents The EPPE Project found the single
factor which makes the biggest
difference to children’s learning in the
early years: the “home learning
environment”.
Because this is the single most
important factor, we are making
exceptional efforts in the year ahead
to improve parent involvement in
children’s learning.
Increase parent involvement in children's learning
Develop a brochure for parents which explains the school's approach to early education.
Home visit all new children to start the dialogue about the child's development, wellbeing and learning.
Develop "Learning Stories" to document children's learning in nursery and develop parent involvement.
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Share information about Core Books and Core Rhymes so that parents can enjoy them at home with their children.
Re-establish the cycle of parent workshops about children's development and learning.
Key people to discuss children's progress and any concerns monthly with parents (informal).
Key people to meet parents formally once per term for dialogue about the child's learning and wellbeing and to
share information about progress within the EYFS framework.
Independently managed "Parent Voice" events to run twice per year to obtain feedback and suggestions for
improvement.
We will know when we are succeeding because:
Parent Voice feedback shows that parents are more aware of their children's progress within the EYFS in
summer 2013 than they were in Autumn 2012.
Learning Stories and termly meetings show that parents and nursery staff are working together to support
children's learning
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Parents
Staff Children
Learning and
teaching
Learning and teaching Learning and teaching are good at
Sheringham Nursery School. We are
ambitious to improve, and we are
focussing on three key areas which
are backed up by research:
Learning through play is at the heart
of the new EYFS and is backed up by
many international research projects.
The Characteristics of Effective
Learning – a focus on how children
learn as well as what they learn.
Supporting children’s early
communication – because we know that children’s vocabulary at five is the strongest
predictor of their reading ability in primary school.
Improve learning and teaching, guided by the revised EYFS
Improve opportunities for child-initiated and adult-supported play, using ECERS to measure.
Improve the quality of observation for assessment; use assessment formatively to plan for children's progress.
Focus on the Characteristics of Effective Learning in planning, reviews, Special Books and Learning Stories.
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Improve teaching and learning in key areas of Communication (using ECaT to measure) and Literacy
(working with Federation Schools).
Promote dialogue about effective early learning through the Observation, Teaching and Learning Project.
Improve the effectiveness of teaching and learning for children with additional needs - the Provision Map.
Use a range of monitoring tools to establish the quality of learning and teaching: Learning Walks, Performance Management, Room Monitoring and ECERS-R & E.
We will know when we are succeeding because:
Children will be more involved in their play, which will show Characteristics of Effective Learning.
Children will make better progress: planning and teaching will link clearly to assessment and help children
to build their learning over time.
ECERS scores will improve from June 2012 to June 2013.
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Parents
Staff Children
Learning and
teaching
Staff The staff team as central to the
success of the Nursery School. We
have an experienced, stable and
capable staff team but we know we
need to improve support for staff,
especially in the area of safeguarding,
and performance management for
teachers. We need to develop robust
methods of self-evaluation and have a
clear vision of what good and
outstanding early education looks like
and feels like.
More support and guidance, together with more challenge.
Implement a Performance Management system for teachers with clear targets - quality of teaching,
professional development and outcomes for children.
Establish a supervision system for all staff in line with the requirements of the revised EYFS, to improve support
and improve the quality of safeguarding.
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Clarify the responsibility of class teachers to oversee all planning, assessment and progress-tracking for the
children in their classes.
Clarify the responsibility of class teachers for the quality of all learning and teaching in their classes.
Reduce paperwork in order to increase time for professional discussion and dialogue involving all staff.
Each staff team to have challenging targets for improvement to ECERS-R&E scores.
We will know when we are succeeding because:
There will be a culture of professional dialogue: learning from each other, and learning from best practice.
There will be greater shared understanding of how good our school is, and what need to do to improve.
All staff will know about the progress they are making in their team towards challenging targets to improve.
1. The achievement of pupils at the school
Objectives Activities Timetable Who Resources and costing Success criteria
a) Improve the
tracking of
pupil
progress
from
starting
points, in
order to
accelerate
further the
progress of
the lowest
20%
Develop new “starting
points” assessment
system.
Develop condensed
profiles for monitoring
progress across all areas
of the EYFS.
Teachers to evaluate
progress half-termly and
identify those children at
risk of making poor
progress, for targeted
support.
9-12.12
9-12.12
11.12
onwards
JG
JG
Teachers
Meeting time and
development time
Gap between lowest 20% and
the rest narrows, whilst
maintaining current level of
outstanding progress overall.
b) Better
tracking of
the progress
of children’s
Communicat
ion, to
support
further
progress
which will
underpin all
other
learning
Staff training – use of
the EcaT monitoring
tool.
Develop new record for
tracking progress in
English for children with
EAL.
Early identification and
intervention for children
with delayed Speech,
Language and
Communication
9.12 –
teachers
1.13 – all
staff
9.12
onwards
Teachers
All staff
ECaT training: £1500
Federation ECAT training:
£15,000 (funded by LA)
Staff have improved confidence
in supporting children’s
communication.
ECAT audit shows improvement
in quality of provision for
communication.
Data may show an
improvement in outcomes for
children (may be a short time-
lag before effect).
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c) Improve
outcomes
for the most
vulnerable
children in
nursery
Nursery team to spend
one meeting per half
term focussing on
vulnerable children, with
the CC team in
attendance. Actions and
support to be agreed
and implemented for
each child/family, in
order to improve the
health, wellbeing and
development of each
child.
Additional/extra
provision to be reviewed
half-termly with the
involvement of parents.
SENCO to track progress
through achievement of
targets and through
parent consultation.
9.12
onwards
9.12
onwards
All staff
LF
Meeting time
Meeting time
Higher levels of referral to
Children’s Centre services to
support the most vulnerable
children and families. Children’s
Centre data indicates positive
impact of services.
Parents say that they are more
confident about supporting the
learning, development and
health of children with special
needs.
Children with special needs
make good or better progress.
d) More parent
involvement
– tracking
progress,
supporting
develop-
ment
Build in time at the end
of each session for
parents to talk to key
people.
Key person and parent
to work together on
establishing the child’s
“starting points”.
9.12
onwards
All staff Time Evidence of regular dialogue,
recorded in children’s record
books.
Parent Voice survey finds
increased awareness of the
EYFS and early education and
indicators of improved Home
Learning Environments.
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Key people to offer
parents a monthly,
informal review meeting
to discuss the child’s
progress and any
concerns.
Continue to offer formal
meeting every term with
each parent; record
sharper targets and
include more discussion
about supporting
children’s development
at home.
Targets feed into planning, and
children make good or better
progress towards their targets.
e) Improve
transition
arrangemen
ts in order
to enhance
children’s
wellbeing,
health and
progress.
“Children
should start
school healthy,
happy,
communicative
, sociable,
curious,
active, and
Children’s Centre staff to
identify proactively
children coming up to
third birthday for
involvement in the Pre
Nursery group. Home
visits and starting point
assessments to be
completed, where
possible, the term before
transition. Focus on
characteristics of
effective learning and
Prime Areas of the EYFS.
Support children’s early
language and
9.12
onwards
BW
Time Children transfer from settings
and from Children’s Centre
services with “Starting Points”
assessment partly or fully
completed, so that assessment
is more accurate and nursery
staff can start to build on prior
learning and support identified
needs more quickly.
Evaluation from primary
schools shows an improvement
in transition arrangements in
areas of: highlighting needs;
passing on EYFS assessments.
Page 23
ready and
equipped for
the next phase
of life and
learning.” (DFE,
2010)
communication before
they start nursery,
through EcaT.
Work closely with
childminders and other
settings to ensure a
smooth transition,
including sharing of
records, focussing on
EcaT.
Through the Federation,
review and develop the
transition arrangements
into primary school.
JG
Page 24
2. The quality of teaching
Objectives Activities Timetable Who Resources and costing Success criteria
a) Support
teachers
and embed
the
ambition to
improve
the quality
of teaching
Establish PM cycle,
observation with new
proforma, learning walk.
Summarise findings to
inform school
improvement/staff
training.
Promote dialogue about
effective learning and
teaching through
Learning Walks and the
Observation Project.
Work closely with partner
schools in the Federation
to improve children’s
language and
communication (EcaT
Project) and children’s
early writing.
Work closely with the
other Newham Nursery
Schools to improve
children’s skills in linking
9.12
onwards
JG
JG and
LW
JG and
LW
JG
NB
Meeting time Children are more involved in
their play. They show more of
the characteristics of effective
learning. Outstanding progress
is maintained, and the gap
between the lowest 20% and
the rest is narrowed.
Assessment is used formatively
to plan adult-led activities, so
that the activities are well-
matched to the children’s level
of development and children
can make a contribution
throughout. Staff show
increased confidence in Phase
One of Letters and Sounds,
which is successfully embedded
across the curriculum.
Page 25
sounds and letters.
Share and celebrate
practice that leads to
exceptional learning
Develop guidance and
formats that support
teachers in planning for
children’s progress
across the nursery year.
1.13
onwards
9.12
LW
JG and
LW
b) Improve
the
formative
use of
assessment
, involving
parents
Involve all staff in the
Observation Project, to
develop skills in
observation, assessment
and pinpointing what is
needed next (provision
and/or teaching).
Develop the use of
Special Books to
encourage children to
become aware of their
learning style and
strengths.
Involve parents in
discussing Special Books
and observations,
thinking and working
together to support the
child’s learning.
9.12
onwards
1.13
onwards
9.12
onwards
JG with
all staff
LW
LW
Meeting time Observations are accurately
turned into assessments which
support planning for progress,
and which enable staff to have
a professional dialogue about
how children learn, and what
they are learning. Parents are
more fully involved in tracking
their children’s progress in the
EYFS and contribute more
information to school staff.
Page 26
Develop a “Learning
Stories” approach to
documenting children’s
learning, with the aim of
making it more visible to
parents.
9.12
onwards
LW
c) Improve
the quality
of teaching
and support
for children
with SEN
Audit the inclusivity of
the classrooms and
outdoors, and develop an
action plan to meet most
learning needs through a
high-quality,
differentiated
environment and
programme (“Provision
Map”)
SENCO to support all
team members in
understanding key
strategies to support
individual children.
SENCO to establish an
IEP cycle with regular
reviews, involving
parents, and including
support for the child at
home.
SENCO to monitor each
child on EYA+ at least
half-termly to make a
1.13
9.12
onwards
9.12
onwards
9.12
LF
LF
LF
LF
Meeting time
Costs of SENCO training
programme (met by DFE)
Children with SEN and
disabilities will make good or
better progress, or further
assessment of their difficulties
will support the development of
their ongoing programme.
Parents will say that they are
well informed and that they are
more confident in
understanding their child’s
needs.
Page 27
judgment about the
appropriateness and
impact of the support
being offered.
onwards
d) Improve
the overall
quality of
learning
and
teaching,
as
measured
by ECERS-
R.
Training day on the use
of the audits in
September 2012.
Each teacher to have an
action plan to bring
about improvement over
the school year ahead.
Formal monitoring audits
at key milestones to
evaluate progress being
made: 12 months.
9.12
9.12
2.13 and
6.13
JG
All
teachers
JG
£5000
£10,000
The quality of the nursery
school as measured by ECERS-
R/E will improve by a
statistically significant margin
between June 2012 and June
2013, with all areas being good
or better.
Page 28
3. Behaviour and safety of pupils
Objectives Activities Timetable Who Resources and costing Success criteria
a) Enhance
the social
and
emotional
developme
nt of the
most
vulnerable
children.
Identify early those
children who struggle
exceptionally to manage
impulses, cope with
change, or respond
appropriately to
boundaries.
Offer support through
joint key
person/Children’s Centre
interventions.
From
9.12
JG with
all staff
Meeting time. More children/families referred
to Triple P programme, with CC
evaluation showing positive
outcomes.
b) Improve
attendance
Half-termly monitoring of
children’s attendance
with follow-up for those
children attending 90%
or less.
Referrals for in-depth
family support, where
needed, to ensure
children come to nursery
regularly.
From
9.12
From
11.12
JG
JG
Meeting time and Family
Support deployment
Effective strategies and
interventions used to engage
with families whose children
have the lowest levels of
attendance.
Attendance improves from the
baseline of 91.3%
Page 29
4. The quality of leadership in, and management of, the school
Objectives Activities Timetable Who Resources and costing Success criteria
a) Develop
Performanc
e
Manageme
nt to have
a clear
focus on
improving
teaching
and
learning
GB to agree model policy
JG to summarise
observations/PM from
previous period
New cycle of
observation/target-
setting in place from
autumn 2012.
Summary of targets to
improve teaching to be
shared with GB before
end of year.
9.12
10.12
From
11.12
In place
by end of
2012
JG with GB
JG
JG
Time. All teachers have PM in place
with clear targets. Summary
shared with GB. PM plays a part
in maintaining the outstanding
progress made by children at
Sheringham and closing the gap
between the lowest 20% and
the rest.
b) Improve
the
effectivenes
s of the
Governing
Body
Headteacher report to
have a clearer focus on
pupil progress and
attainment, and quality
of teaching.
Governors to monitor the
key milestones in the
School Improvement
Plan at every meeting.
Governors to take part in
appropriate activities to
From 9.12
JG
JG with GB
JG with GB
Time. Governors play an active role in
monitoring the quality of
learning, teaching, care and all
other key aspects of the school.
They have a more accurate and
detailed view of the school’s
performance. Governors
continue to support the school,
but also challenge the school to
do better.
Page 30
support the school’s self-
evaluation, clearly linked
to milestones in the
Improvement Plan.
Chair and Vice Chair to
encourage all governors
both to support the
school, and challenge it
to do better.
Governing Body to
receive quarterly updates
on the budget and bi-
annual reports from the
school bursar, in order to
ensure that funding is
being used effectively.
HD and LM
JG with
school
bursar
service
c) Further
develop
parent
engage-
ment
Hold a bi-annual Parent
Voice event.
Feedback outcomes and
planned changes to
parent group.
Encourage parents to
access information about
the school on the new
website and link to
Ofsted’s Parent Voice
function.
From 9.12
11.12
By end of
2012
JG
JG
JG
£5000
Time
Wesbsite cost: £7000
Parent Voice, website,
publications and other means
lead to increased parent
engagement. The importance of
parent feedback is highlighted
and the school clearly
demonstrates its actions in
response to the views of
parents.
Page 31
d) Begin to
focus on
the longer-
term
project to
develop a
richer and
more
relevant
curriculum,
focussing
on the
Characteris
tics of
Effective
Learning.
Explore the further
development of play-
based learning, linking
with academic research
and leading-edge
practice from around the
UK and beyond.
Explore the further
development of richer
experiences outdoors,
e.g. Forest School or
approaches based on
this.
3.13
onwards
JG and LW
with key
staff
LW
Time
£2500/fees to IOE for
JG’s doctorate in
education.
Key staff are looking beyond
the immediate priorities of this
year’s improvement and
working with the SLT to develop
a longer-term vision of the
future of the school/Centre.
e) Begin to
focus on
the longer-
term
develop-
ment of the
school and
centre at
the heart of
a
community
of learners.
Children’s Centre
increasingly
characterised by a
“learning culture” – clear
routes for adult
progression in their
learning; systematic
approaches to supporting
and celebrating children’s
learning; display
celebrates learning.
9.12
onwards
JG with RE Time Evaluation and monitoring of
adult learning clearly shows
impact. The school/Centre
increasingly displays powerful
images of children as capable
and creative learners, and
parents engaging and
supporting early education.