Rubery Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Rubery Nursery School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

Rubery Nursery School has high expectations for all children. The school's vision, 'inspiring independence, confidence and curiosity' is evident in all that it does. Children access a range of exciting activities to spark their interest and curiosity.

For example, children observed the changes on the trees in autumn. They referred to earlier learning about conkers. They remembered that 'they grow on trees' and that the 'squirrels like to take them' if they are outside in the garden.

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Most children develop their knowledge and achieve well, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Children select equipment and engage in activities with enthusiasm.

They feel safe to take risks in their learning, such as jumping off a piece of equipment without help. This helps children to develop into confident, independent learners.

The school is a calm and welcoming place to learn in.

Children trust adults to help them with their learning and their care. Adults speak in soothing voices that reassure children. They use positive prompts such as 'good sitting, looking and listening' to support children's behaviour.

Children behave well. They know the rules and routines and follow them. They learn about sharing and respect.

Relationships between staff, children and their families are a real strength.

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

The school has a strong understanding of its strengths and what it needs to do to improve. It keeps a close eye on the impact of the curriculum on all children.

The school constantly look for ways to make improvements. For example, it has rewritten the curriculum. This new curriculum is currently being implemented.

It is ambitious and helps every child to build their learning. It is well designed, ordered and structured. Children are taught knowledge, skills and vocabulary in accordance with the early years foundation stage.

They work towards clearly defined milestones. However, staff are not fully skilled at delivering the school's new curriculum. As a result, there are instances where some children do not develop their knowledge and understanding as well as they could.

Developing children's communication is at the centre of the curriculum. Staff ensure that this forms part of all learning activities. They encourage children to talk about what they experience.

Staff know when to intervene and ask questions to deepen children's learning. Where needed, staff support children to communicate using signs and visual cues. Staff follow children's interests and model the language that they want children to use.

For example, when describing the pumpkins the children were able to use words such as smooth, spiky and squash.

Staff make effective use of assessment through all learning opportunities. They quickly address children's misconceptions.

Staff review each day together to ensure that they continually adapt and enhance play activities to extend children's learning and to match their needs. Children achieve well.

Children are excited and interested in listening to stories and rhymes.

They readily join in with rhymes such as 'The Wheels on the Bus' and 'Incy Wincy Spider.' Staff foster positive attitudes to reading. Children actively seek out adults to read stories to them during independent learning.

This prepares them well for the next stage of learning to read.

Children with SEND are well supported. Their needs are quickly identified.

They are fully included in all that the school has to offer. Staff expertly adapt activities and provide individual and group sessions to ensure that children's needs are being met. Individual learning support plans provide staff, parents and carers with clearly identified next steps and the actions to be taken to achieve them.

As a result, children with SEND achieve well.

Children enjoy attending school. The school works closely with parents to ensure punctuality and attendance are high priorities.

There are clear processes for families to report their children's absence. This helps children and their families to develop positive attendance habits for the next stage of learning.

The school offers a range of opportunities to support children's personal development, such as outdoor learning and gardening.

Children have opportunities to be responsible citizens. They are selected as eco warriors or to help develop a rights charter for all the children. Children learn about diversity, including through celebrating events such as Black History Month.

Children enjoy learning about key people, such as the man who invented traffic lights.

Staff feel well supported and fully involved in the school. They feel that their voice is listened to.

Leaders respond to feedback from staff to support them with their workload and well-being. For example, they ensure staff have time they need to plan for learning and update their observations of children. Governors understand their statutory duties.

They offer challenge and support to school leaders.

By the time children leave the school, most are well prepared for the next stage in their education.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Staff are still familiarising themselves with the new curriculum and are not fully skilled in delivering it. As a result, some children do not develop their knowledge and understanding as well as they could. The school should ensure staff have the support and training that they need to make sure the children are well prepared for primary school.

Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade.

This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 for overall effectiveness in December 2014.

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