Hollywood Park Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

There has been no change to this school's overall judgement of outstanding as a result of this ungraded (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a graded (section 5) inspection were carried out now. The school's next inspection will be a graded inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

Children start their school day with confidence and a smile because staff ensure that they enjoy attending and feel safe. Two-year-old children, for instance, feel at ease when staff warmly welcome and encourage them. For some children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), the activities on arrival include a... thrilling chance to stretch and glide on an indoor swing in a nest-shaped seat.

Children achieve well. Those children in the specially resourced provision for children with SEND (specially resourced provision) gain an exceptional start to their education. This is because leaders and staff at Hollywood Park have high expectations of all children.

Older children learn how to use equipment, such as real hammers, saws and hand drills, at a workbench guided safely by staff. Children know to wear safety goggles as they work.

Throughout the day, the school is calm and happy with children learning from caring and skilful staff.

Whether rain or sunshine, children benefit from well-organised opportunities to learn outdoors. At these times and others, children from the specially resourced provision learn well with the children from the other classrooms. Children at the school behave thoughtfully because staff teach them to respect themselves and others.

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

At the centre of daily life at this school, are the thoughtful actions of leaders and staff. They make certain that children feel that they belong and are included in the many learning activities on offer. The needs of all children, including those with SEND, are considered carefully in the school's decisions about staffing, resources and the curriculum.

This results in a school where each individual child, parent and carer and member of staff is regarded as important and unique.

In the main, the school has established a broad and ambitious curriculum that takes account of the knowledge and skills that it wants the children to learn. This means, for instance, that it has focused the curriculum effectively on communication and language.

Staff celebrate with children the joy of sharing books, stories, rhymes and learning new words. Children learn successfully across the curriculum and are well prepared for the next stages of their education. Nevertheless, in some areas of learning, the school has thought less clearly about the precise knowledge that children should learn.

This means that, on occasions, some children learn less new knowledge than they could.

The school has thought carefully about how staff will teach the curriculum to children. This means, for instance, that staff play alongside children to help them to know and remember more.

They support children skilfully to investigate and learn through repeated experiences and practice. The school removes any barriers to children's learning and supports them to overcome difficulties. Staff identify and respond to the needs of children, including children with SEND, promptly and accurately.

Staff use assessment strategies particularly well to spot gaps in children's knowledge. They refine their teaching of the curriculum to help children to become even more successful in their learning. Where needed, such as for some children in the specially resourced provision, staff understand that changes in children's facial expressions or the noises that children make can indicate their enjoyment in learning.

Staff act on these insights and as a result children learn well.

Mostly, staff use talk and a wide range of communication strategies to engage with children successfully. They support children skilfully to investigate and learn in the play areas that the school has established in classrooms and outdoors.

Staff use carefully chosen questions to support children's learning. They help children to think about important concepts and information. Staff know which new words to teach to the children through repeated experience and practice.

However, on occasions, some staff do not help the children to know when conversations are directed at them. At these times, staff's talk with children does not aid their learning well.

Staff teach children to understand and follow the school's rules.

This begins successfully in the classroom for two-year-old children. Staff sensitively support children who find managing their own behaviour and emotions difficult. This means that disruption to other children's learning is minimal.

The school places a successful emphasis on helping children to develop personally. For example, it teaches children to be kind, generous and polite. Children learn to respect the similarities and differences between themselves and others.

They also learn from staff about the importance of community festivals, such as Bonfire Night, Eid and Diwali.

The school engages well with parents and carers to support their children's learning at home. The school provides teachers and teaching assistants with time to complete necessary paperwork.

This enables staff to spend most of their time in the classrooms supporting children's learning and enjoying teaching them.

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 few areas of learning, the key knowledge that the school will teach to children is less well thought out.

This means that sometimes children do not learn all that they could. The school should make certain that the curriculum in each area of learning identifies the important knowledge that children will learn. ? Occasionally, the school does not ensure that staff help children to realise when comments made by staff are intended for them.

This means that valuable opportunities for back-and-forth talk are sometimes less well developed. The school should ensure that staff's talk with children is fully effective in supporting children's learning.

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 2014.