Allens Croft Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Children are very happy at Allens Croft Nursery.

They are provided with an exceptional start to their education. The school is highly ambitious for children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This stems from an exciting curriculum that skilled staff immerse the children in, helping them to achieve extremely well.

Children behave exceptionally well. This is because the school has consistently high expectations of their behaviour. From the moment they join they learn the importance of taking turns and cooperating.

Staff capably guide children on how to manage their own feelings and behaviour.

The school promotes... high levels of independence. Children confidently make their own choices about the activities they would like to engage in.

Staff give children meaningful responsibilities, for example, older children helping younger children. The older children are known as the 'Nursery Experts'.

Staff get to know and understand each child.

They gently and patiently show children how to do things. They encourage them to persist, help them to think through problems and challenge them to do more. Staff make strong connections with parents and families.

They encourage and help parents to support their child at home. Parents value the school's work immensely.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school's curriculum is meticulously designed.

It sets out the key knowledge, skills and vocabulary the children need to learn from the moment they join the school. This enables staff to set highly purposeful learning activities. The needs, interests and development of children are built seamlessly into the curriculum.

A seasonal and cultural calendar runs alongside the curriculum, connecting children's learning to the world around them.

Children have extremely positive attitudes. They help each other and work together to solve a problem.

For example, a group of children built a giant beanstalk from recyclable materials. Supported by an adult, they developed vocabulary relating to height and safety. Other children were observed making a rocket ship.

They made use of a bench to support cutting tape and putting the shapes together before deciding how to join them. They learned the names of the parts of the rocket, such as nose, cone and boosters.

Children's early communication and language skills are given the highest priority.

Staff expertly listen to children as they talk and purposefully extend their vocabulary. Staff know that this repetition of key words supports children to learn and remember more. To support all children, they learn two signs a week to enable them to communicate their thoughts, feelings and ideas.

The school develops a love of reading across all age ranges. Children are immersed in stories, songs and rhymes. They share books with adults and use props and actions to retell stories.

Staff model reading books to the children. Even the youngest children independently choose to look at books, pointing excitedly to the pictures, eager for the adult to read to them. Leaders have carefully chosen the core books that children will access as part of the curriculum.

These include deliberate choices that reflect and celebrate the diverse nature of the setting and the wider community.

Practitioners raise children's understanding of the sounds that letters make through activities such as listening games. They support children to identify the initial sound of objects and to segment words.

As a result, children are ready to access phonics teaching in the primary settings.

The school has the same high expectations for children with SEND as they do for all others. Children with SEND are exceptionally well catered for, including those in the resource base.

Adults tailor activities and the learning environment so that children with SEND learn the same curriculum as their peers and achieve as well as they can.

Children behave very well indeed. Staff encourage them to be respectful and kind.

Children take notice when staff explain to them how to behave sensibly. They play cooperatively and show obvious care for each other.

An abundance of learning opportunities is on offer for the children.

Well-thought-out activities help them to learn about the world. Listening to current news helps the children learn about citizenship. Children take part in various events, both locally and nationally, such as a national gardening competition which helps them learn about growing food and the impact of climate on plants.

Governors are aware of their strategic role and their responsibilities. They offer challenge and support to leaders to maintain a high-quality curriculum. Staff at all levels feel highly supported.

Leaders ensure that staff receive regular, high-quality professional development to teach the ambitious curriculum. Parents are highly positive about the work of the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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