Boston Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Boston Nursery School continues to be a good school.

There is enough evidence of improved performance to suggest that the school could be judged outstanding if we were to carry out a graded (section 5) inspection now. The school's next inspection will be a graded inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

Children love coming to this vibrant nursery school.

They enter school with smiles on their faces and settle quickly. Children warmly greet each other and their key persons with their 'hello song'. Adults help children to be inquisitive, confident and resilient learners.

Staff go above and beyond to make children's learning meaningful. Children have plent...y of time to play and explore. They love spending time outside in the magical forest area and Jubilee Owl Garden.

Children are safe and happy as they excitedly explore the inspirational learning environments.

Whatever their starting points, children are exceptionally well supported in their learning. Staff are experts in understanding the needs of the children.

They have high expectations of children's learning and behaviour. The excellent start that children receive at Boston Nursery School ensures that all children thrive. Children are fully prepared for the next stages of their education.

Children's behaviour is exemplary. They listen well to adults and are kind and caring to each other. Adults are wonderful role models for children.

They show them how to be respectful and considerate.

Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school. They describe the school as 'an exceptional school where children flourish'.

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

Leaders and staff deliver an innovative and ambitious curriculum to all children. They are committed to ensuring that every child receives the very best foundation for their future education. In each area of learning, the curriculum is exceptionally well designed.

It gets to the heart of what young children need to know and in what order. Staff ensure that the curriculum enables all children to build firmly on what they already know and can do.

Adults support children effectively in order to develop their speaking and listening skills.

This includes children who speak English as an additional language. Adults encourage and challenge children to use sentences and new words when they are speaking. Children make excellent progress in their communication skills.

Staff seize every opportunity to skilfully use their interactions with children to develop their communication and language.

Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make super progress. Children's additional needs are identified quickly.

Children receive the right support to help them make progress. Activities are specially designed for children with SEND, such as the use of attention and engagement buckets. Children with SEND blossom and succeed alongside their peers.

Children love books, stories, songs and rhymes. Adults help children bring stories to life. For example, when listening to 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar', children enjoyed feeding a large model caterpillar, describing the fruit that it was eating.

Children love to join in with familiar stories.

Adults support children well to develop their knowledge of number and shape. Children develop their ability to count.

They confidently manipulate numbers up to 10. Adults make sure that they keep a close check on what children learn. They use this information to plan what they need to teach next.

The opportunities the children encounter add significantly to their personal development. They take part in an excellent range of activities. Children learn to look after and take care of themselves, for example by cleaning their teeth.

Children take part in yoga and can relax in the calm areas of the classrooms. Children meet visitors, such as firefighters and police officers. Children loved their teddy bear's picnic that they shared with a family member.

Staff make purposeful and caring connections with families. Parents and carers receive clear communications about their child's learning. They value this information, which helps them to build on their child's learning at home.

Leaders value their staff. They prioritise staff's ongoing training to enable them to become experts in how to deliver the curriculum. Staff are proud to work at the school.

They value the consideration that leaders give to their workload and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Leaders have established a shared and well-understood culture of safeguarding.

All staff have effective training to fulfil their responsibilities. Staff identify and share any safeguarding concerns straight away. Leaders maintain a robust oversight of safeguarding records.

They seek additional support from external agencies. This ensures that families get the support that they may need.

Leaders carry out all necessary safeguarding checks before staff are appointed to work at the school.

Children learn how to keep themselves safe. They are empowered to say 'stop' using a hand signal if they are uncomfortable with the actions of others.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in July 2013.