The Sue Hedley Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Children flourish at this school. They bound into the nursery full of energy, happy and ready for the day ahead.

The school has high expectations for children's behaviour and learning.

It focuses on positive adult-child relationships, active learning and consistent daily routines. Staff understand the children's needs very well. They create a calm, playful environment that fosters trust and engagement.

As a result, children's behaviour is exemplary and they achieve very well.

Adults support children to develop their independence. They encourage children to try and put their coat or wellies on.

Adults intervene effectively when children find ...these tasks challenging. Children persevere and show pride when they master a skill.

Children take responsibility for their own belongings, keeping them safe on their peg.

They enjoy being the 'special helper', giving out the snacks and milk. This begins to provide children with leadership opportunities.

The nursery has an outstanding curriculum.

It ensures that children are well-prepared for the next stage in their learning. Children who attend the school's two special educational needs and /or disabilities (SEND) resourced provisions, make exceptional progress in their learning and development.

The school has a very well-considered programme of enrichment activities to widen children's experiences.

For example, children visit the library, farm and travel on the Metro railway service. This enhances the curriculum, bringing it to life for these young children.

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

Since the last inspection, the school has reviewed its curriculum.

It has carefully considered what it expects children to know and remember from the ages of two to five-year-old. The school incorporates children's interests into their learning. For example, if a child shows an interest in trains, adults skilfully use this resource to teach them about other subjects, such as mathematics.

This leads to deeper levels of thinking, learning and involvement from the children.

The school's daily routines support children's communication and language development. The morning 'welcome time' starts the day with language at the forefront.

Adults use rhymes and songs to settle children in their key worker groups. The quality of the interactions between adults and children are excellent. In small groups, children draw on their prior knowledge to access new learning.

Adults meticulously ensure that the two-year old children access different activities to the older children. For example, when using playdough, the youngest children use their hands to shape the dough, while older children use knives safely. This develops children's fine motor skills in an age-appropriate way.

The school involves the children in 'planning' their day. Adults support children to select where they want to start to play. This means children are practising their communication and decision-making skills.

The school checks what children know and remember. Adults reflect on what children have learned securely and what their next steps are. Any gaps in children's knowledge are swiftly identified and successfully addressed by the key workers.

This enables children to continue to make rapid progress through the curriculum.

The school has effective processes in place to identify if children have SEND. Many children have communication needs.

The school uses approaches that value all methods of communication, such as pictures, symbols, photographs or signs. Adults use short, basic, repetitive phrases. This supports children with SEND who need this help to understand simple instructions and participate in the activities alongside their peers.

Children enjoy learning outdoors in the school's woodland area. For example, children begin to develop their knowledge of the world by building nests. Adults exploit this, making links to mathematics, habitats, birds and their young, materials and weather.

Children engage in sustained, concentrated play for considerable periods of time, showing commitment to their learning. They are thoroughly immersed in their play.

The nursery has a whole school age-appropriate approach to teaching children about healthy relationships that includes aspects of different family types, friendships and the wider community.

The staff have strong subject knowledge. The school provides many professional development opportunities that supports them to work effectively. Staff are proud to work at the nursery.

The school's leaders have high expectations and ambition for the children. Everyone shares the school's vision. This brings overwhelming consistency to the school's practices.

The governors know the school well and provide the right challenge and support. They have a clear understanding of the school's curricular aims.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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