Shenley Fields Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

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

What is it like to attend this school?

Children arrive at nursery each morning with beaming smiles on their faces. They look forward to learning new things and spending time with their friends. The well-trained staff create strong bonds with every child, helping them to feel safe.

Parents value the nursery's warm family atmosphere. They appreciate the open communication with staff about their children's development.

Staff take time to understand each child's individual needs.

They work closely with families to support every child. This includes... those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Children respond to clear routines that are in place and behave well.

Children enjoy a rich, ambitious curriculum that sparks curiosity and wonder. The children dive into fun activities every day, from freeing frozen penguins trapped in ice to making pretend mud cakes and cooking up tasty Gruffalo crumble. They learn how to be kind to each other, keep each other safe and work together as a team.

Children learn about staying healthy through daily teeth-brushing routines. They learn why eating good food and taking care of their bodies is important. The children show they understand and welcome everyone's differences, happily playing together and learning about each other's cultures.

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

The school have created a highly effective learning environment. Children get to explore and discover new things. They learn important skills through play.

Sometimes they choose their own activities. Other times, adults guide them in their learning tasks. As a result, by the time they leave for Reception Year, children are ready for their next steps in learning.

The staff make the nursery a friendly and welcoming place. Children are supported to learn how their behaviour affects others around them. They show remarkable independence, from putting on wet suits to helping each other during activities.

This supportive approach helps children develop positive relationships with each other.

The communication and language curriculum is particularly strong. Adults weave opportunities for language development throughout the day.

Adults choose exciting books like 'The Gruffalo' and 'The Hungry Caterpillar'. These stories spark children's imagination and help them learn new words. Teachers include mathematics in many different activities throughout the day.

Children learn about numbers while they play and explore. This helps them understand mathematics in a natural and fun way.

Adults support early reading skills through carefully sequenced activities.

Children enthusiastically take part in phonics games. For example, in a 'Silly Soup' game, children happily look for objects that begin with the same letter sound. Adults show children how to say unfamiliar words clearly.

They help children explore different letter sounds. This helps children develop a love of reading from an early age.

The school identifies the needs of pupils with SEND promptly.

Effective strategies help these children to learn the same curriculum as their peers.

Adults routinely check on children's development. They observe children during activities to understand their progress across the curriculum.

Adults use this information well to plan challenging next steps.

Staff support children's broader development through Unicef Rights Respecting work. Children learn to value and respect each other, building a caring community.

The children's steering group helps everyone stay safe. As part of their work, they composed a song to teach parents about parking safely outside the nursery.

The governing board provides strong oversight of the nursery.

Members understand their legal duties and meet regularly to check how well the nursery is doing. The governors carry out their responsibilities effectively to help the nursery run smoothly.

Staff appreciate how the school prioritise their well-being.

They have regular meetings to discuss their work and share ideas. Staff feel this helps create a positive working environment for everyone.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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 outstanding 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 school to be outstanding for overall effectiveness in November 2014.

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