Childrens House Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Children's House Nursery School continues to be an outstanding school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Children's faces light up as they come through the gates. The school is full of the sounds of children's wonder and delight.

Parents and carers describe the school as the heart of the community. Staff know the children and their families well. They know how to get the best from the children that they work with.

Leaders are highly ambitious for what all children can learn and do. All activities for children to do have a clear learning purpose. For example, all children learn to ride on balance bikes.

This aids their physical development. They also learn abo...ut bike maintenance and safety. They learn how to check tyre pressure and how to fit a helmet correctly.

Leaders want children to extend their learning outside school. They organise regular educational outings with children and their families to local parks and museums. Children go to the theatre and work with local artists.

They explore the natural world, learning about the ecosystems in the school garden.

Staff here foster a sense of curiosity in children and encourage them to question what they see. Staff use their interactions with children to support language and communication development.

Children in the additional provision learn and play together with their peers.

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

The curriculum is broad and covers all aspects of the early years statutory framework. Leaders have sequenced the curriculum to enable children to learn and then revisit key concepts throughout both the two-year-old provision and the provision for older children aged three years to five years.

This helps children to secure and embed their learning over time. For example, children learn to follow cooking recipes. In the two-year-old provision, they learn to choose ingredients, chop vegetables, and mix and shape dough.

Older children think about quantities of ingredients used in recipes, incorporating counting and learning about measurement.

The school is a calm environment. Children play together happily.

Children learn the routines of the school as soon as they join. Leaders ensure that the curriculum supports children to become confident and self-aware individuals. Staff reinforce daily routines, including handwashing, taking turns and tidying away equipment They support children to develop their attention levels and persist at activities.

Communication and language development is exceptionally strong. In the two-year-old provision, staff help children to learn early communication skills, including making eye-contact, listening to others and responding to questions. Staff encourage children to express their opinions and preferences.

They guide children expertly to communicate their feelings and ideas using full sentences. Older children are inquisitive learners. They suggest explanations for what they observe.

Staff introduce key vocabulary clearly and model its use for children.

Leaders ensure that children develop a love of books and stories. The school's staff are engaging storytellers who use props and voices to bring books to life.

They help children to think deeply about the emotions of the characters and to predict what might happen next. Staff deliver the school's pre-phonics programme when children are ready. They accurately model sounds and help children to learn simple alphabet sounds.

Activities are well-planned to develop children's fine motor skills in order to help them in the early stages of learning to write.

The provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is excellent. Leaders are highly aware of the progress children make.

Staff identify any children who are not making the progress that is expected. Leaders are tenacious in ensuring that children who may have SEND are identified and have their needs assessed. Children with speech and language needs take part in daily sessions with expert staff.

Staff use British Sign Language as part of their everyday conversations with children so that all children become confident communicators.

Staff are proud to work here. They take part in regular training to develop their teaching knowledge and skills.

Leaders and members of the governing body take staff workload into account when making decisions. Staff appreciate the efforts that leaders make to promote their well-being. Many parents volunteer at the school.

Some parents lead workshops for other families. This includes how to read to their children and how to bring stories to life at home.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Keeping children safe is at the forefront of all that leaders do. Leaders are acutely aware of the risks faced by the children they work with. They know families well and actively seek ways to support families in need.

Leaders ensure that all staff are alert to the signs that children might be at risk of harm. They work effectively with outside agencies to support vulnerable children and their families.

The curriculum helps children gain a sense of themselves in the world.

They are encouraged to express how they are feeling. They develop appropriate, trusting relationships with the adults who work with them.

Background

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

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 outstanding in October 2013.