Hindpool Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Children are happy at this friendly school. It is a welcoming place.

Children and staff have a strong sense of belonging. Staff forge positive relationships with children and know their families well. Children are content and relaxed.

They know that caring staff will look after them, including when they need comfort or reassurance.

Most children achieve well. This is because the school has high expectations for every child, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Typically, children move on to primary schools ready for the next stage of their learning.

Children behave sensibly. They thrive in a culture o...f well-established routines.

The school's values of kindness and sharing underpin the positive way in which the children relate to one another. They are polite and well mannered.

Children have the opportunity to try many new activities.

They benefit from a wide range of educational trips and events. For example, children relish visits to a pumpkin patch, a forest and the seaside, as well as taking part in a scarecrow festival and a community carnival. These rich opportunities help children to learn more about the world around them and to develop new interests.

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

Since the last inspection, the school has successfully overhauled the quality of education that children receive. It has raised the bar for children's achievement. The school has developed an ambitious curriculum for all areas of learning.

The curriculum is organised seamlessly to enable children to build secure knowledge and skills from the beginning of the provision for two-year-old children.

In the main, staff deliver the curriculum well. They are adept at choosing appropriate activities and resources that help children to learn effectively.

Nevertheless, during some activities, some staff are not clear about the important knowledge that children should learn. This means that some staff do not place enough emphasis on the knowledge that children need for future learning. At times, this hinders children in making connections with their prior learning and prevents them from learning as well as they could.

The additional needs of children with SEND, including speech, language and communication needs, are accurately identified. For instance, staff use the progress check at age two of children's development to identify any early concerns about individual children. This helps staff pinpoint where they need to adapt their delivery of the curriculum to help children overcome barriers to their learning.

Typically, staff address any gaps in knowledge and vocabulary that children have. However, in a small number of areas, staff are not as clear on what children do and do not know. This is because the school does not check on what key knowledge children have learned in these areas.

Children demonstrate sustained concentration and immerse themselves in play. They enjoy the responsibilities they have to care for and help each other. Older children are proud to act as 'tiny teacher' helpers.

This includes carrying out important jobs such as preparing snacks and helping new children learn the nursery rules.

Two-year-old children love to learn and take part in activities with confidence. They are ably supported by staff to understand the rules and routines of the nursery.

They understand the importance of looking after resources and enthusiastically help to tidy toys away.

The school supports children's wider development well. Children learn about diversity among people and families through stories and celebrations, such as for Diwali and Christmas.

Visitors, including from the emergency services, talk to the children about their roles and responsibilities. This helps children to understand that there are people in the community who can help them. These meaningful experiences prepare children for life in modern Britain.

Governors use their wide range of expertise effectively. They understand their statutory duties and fulfil their responsibilities well. Governors assure themselves about the quality of education that children receive by holding leaders to account.

The school is considerate of staff's workload and well-being. For example, it considers how best to implement new initiatives without overburdening staff.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a small number of activities, some staff are not clear about the important knowledge that they should teach children. In these activities, children do not learn as well as they could. The school should ensure that staff design and deliver learning activities which help children build on what they already know.

• At times, staff do not check on children's understanding of key knowledge in the curriculum. As a result, in a few areas of learning, some children are not as well prepared for the next stage of education as they could be. The school should ensure that staff are supported to identify and address any gaps in key knowledge that children may have.