Osborne Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Osborne Nursery School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Children come to Osborne Nursery School each day knowing that staff will care for and look after them.

They learn and play in environments that are clean, inviting and well maintained. Children quickly become absorbed in different activities, which supports them in their learning.

Children are inquisitive learners.

They follow their curiosities in the topics being taught. For example, when learning about frogs, children were keen to learn more about how tadpoles grow and develop.

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEN...D), experience a wide range of activities.

They understand what is expected of them, both in following routines and in how they learn and play together. Most of the support adults provide helps children to achieve well.

Staff know each child's needs well and provide a high level of safety and care.

Children develop trusting relationships with staff. Through daily routines, children learn how to take turns and share equipment. Children are kind and use words successfully to explain their feelings.

Parents and carers speak very highly of their school. One comment, typical of many, is: 'The staff are very caring and nurturing. They take the time to learn about each child and are always there for support and advice.'



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

All children and families are welcomed to Osborne Nursery School. Staff and children listen carefully to each other. This means that staff know about each child's interests and adapt their teaching so that children are keen to learn more.

In turn, children acquire knowledge well. For example, in a mud-kitchen activity, a staff member observed what children wanted to explore and then developed a conversation. This helped the children to rehearse speech using appropriate words and phrasing.

Assessment is used well to plan next steps.

Staff teach children to become independent learners. At snack time, children choose their own healthy foods and then wash their own plates.

Staff make expectations clear, and children step up to these. Staff recognise if children find such expectations a little challenging. In response, they provide sensitive support, which helps children to participate successfully in their learning.

Learning and play are rarely disrupted. Children behave well, as they unite to play, learn and live together.

All children, including those with SEND, are well supported to be ready for the next stage of education.

Leaders work with staff to quickly spot when a child needs a little extra help. They put plans in place that enable children with SEND to be successful. The recently created sensory room, for example, enables children with SEND to learn in a different space, which is suitable to their needs.

Children enjoy a rich curriculum offer, which helps them to build a wide range of knowledge. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders reviewed the curriculum. They made sure that staff help children to build their communication and language skills across all activities.

In the forest school, for example, children willingly practise speaking and listening with friends and staff. Staff use their training effectively, so children benefit from frequently taught stories, songs and rhymes. This prepares them well for future work on reading.

Children learn about the diverse world in which we live. They develop their personal and social skills successfully. Children learn to cooperate with their peers and adults from different backgrounds and cultures.

The curriculum is planned so that children learn more about people from different backgrounds as they get older. This prepares children effectively for future learning.

Staff have thought carefully about children's learning and play in both the indoor and outdoor environments.

They have created outdoor spaces that encourage children to practise balancing and running and to develop spatial awareness. Sometimes, when children explore indoor and outdoor environments, staff do not take the time to revisit and develop what has been taught earlier within group sessions. This means that valuable earlier learning is not consolidated as well as it might be.

Staff keenly engage with leaders when looking at ways the school could be improved. Staff feel valued here. Leaders, including governors, make sure that they listen to staff.

This helps leaders to consider staff workload and well-being. Leaders support staff effectively.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff build strong, trusting relationships with parents. This helps staff to support families and their children, and it keeps them safe. Leaders quickly engage with external agencies to support those who need help.

Staff know how to report any concerns they might have. Leaders ensure that staff learn from their training by, for example, being even more vigilant about known safeguarding concerns in the local area.

The curriculum is carefully planned so that children learn to manage risks in a safe environment.

In the forest school, for example, children learn to handle equipment and work with fire safely.

Leaders check that newly appointed staff are suitable.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Staff do not consistently revisit and extend teaching points during independent learning and play time.

This means that children do not always get the most benefit from their learning and play during these times. Leaders should ensure that staff know how to support children's learning across the day.

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 September 2012.

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