Cherry Trees Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school Cherry Trees Nursery provides an outstanding education in all aspects of learning for children at the school.

Leaders have created a culture of high expectations, with an insistence on the very best provision. Highly committed and knowledgeable governors support and challenge the leaders effectively. They rigorously check how well children achieve and are judicious, ensuring that leaders spend additional funding effectively to support children.

Leaders and staff are keen to share the school's values, ethos and expertise with others. All staff earnestly promote the importance of the youngest children in the local area having a good... start to their education. From their different starting points, all groups of children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and disadvantaged children, make strong progress.

The learning environment is very carefully planned, both inside and out. It enables children to explore, investigate and be curious. High-quality teaching and learning is typical at Cherry Trees.

Exemplary team work underpins staff's success in ensuring the best outcomes for children. Teaching is characterised by high-quality interactions between adults and children. Staff use their expertise and their teaching and learning time very well to move children's learning on.

Children's interests and individual needs are very skilfully planned for and met. The curriculum is filled with imaginative and exciting activities that engage the children. Relationships are very strong and exude warmth and respect.

Adults are exemplary role models to children. All staff carefully teach children routines and how to work harmoniously alongside each other. As a result, children's behaviour in school is excellent.

Partnerships with parents are positive and well developed. Parents say they would recommend Cherry Trees and report that staff 'go over and above' for their children. While leaders keep a close eye on children's progress and use this information fully to improve teaching and meet children's needs, the precision of the strategic oversight does not mirror the rigour of the classroom-based assessment.

While most-able children are challenged in their learning, on occasions they do not have the chance to achieve even better standards from their starting points.

Information about this school

Cherry Trees Nursery is an average-sized school and is one of two providers in the Bedford Nursery Schools Federation. Bedford Nursery Schools Federation is a hard federation.

The two nursery schools share one executive headteacher and one governing body. Both schools work together on the main legal polices and documentation. Cherry Trees Nursery School is a partner of the Peter Pan Teaching School Alliance.

As part of this partnership the Nursery provides support and training to early years settings and schools throughout Bedford Borough. The school provides provision for two-year-olds and rising three- to five-year-olds. Most children attend part-time.

A small number of children attend for extended hours, including attendance at the school-led breakfast club and 'tea club' provision. The proportion of children with SEND is higher than the national average. The proportion of children known to be eligible for early years pupil premium funding is lower than national average.

The school has a larger than average proportion of children who speak English as an additional language. The executive headteacher is a national leader of education. In addition, three staff members are specialist leaders of education.