Thomas Wall 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. Inspectors are recommending the next inspection to be a graded inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

The school is a happy place.

Parents appreciate the devoted staff and welcoming atmosphere. They particularly like the regular communication with class teachers so that they know how well their child is doing. Leaders take great care to ensure children settle quickly and enjoy a positive start ...to their education.

Through following the school rules, such as being safe and kind, children learn to take care of each other and the school environment. When any concerns do occur, staff deal with these swiftly and effectively. Parents said that their children feel safe at school.

Leaders, including governors, are determined that children will achieve well. They provide children with a wide range of indoor and outdoor resources. As a result, children leave with a broad range of experiences that they can build on in their next school.

For example, as part of their topic on growing, children watched caterpillars turn into butterflies.

Children benefit from an exciting and ambitious curriculum. Leaders enrich children's learning through a well-chosen range of outings and visitors.

Children really enjoyed their trips to farms and zoos. They were wowed by the birds of prey that came into school.

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

Leaders have designed a curriculum that allows children to develop the skills they need to learn successfully.

Staff choose activities and resources that support this. For example, carefully chosen climbing equipment allows children to become more dextrous and agile as the year progresses.There is a strong focus on developing children's speaking skills.

Staff take regular opportunities to talk to children and to encourage them to talk to each other. Books are at the heart of the curriculum. Leaders ensure that children hear stories throughout the day.

Children are also supported to make up their own stories. They know that stories have characters and settings. Children got very excited resolving problems that characters in stories encountered.

Staff know children well and provide effective and timely support to any in danger of falling behind. For example, they create additional opportunities to read with those children.

Staff focus on developing children's vocabulary.

This enables children to deepen their learning. For example, in personal, social and emotional learning, children confidently talked about their feelings. They explained how to calm down if they get upset.

However, in some areas of learning, leaders have not identified what they want children to learn with enough precision. This means that children do not remember important knowledge and skills in as much depth.

A particular strength of the school is the provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Children with SEND, including those with complex needs, benefit from a highly effective curriculum that meets their needs exceptionally well. Leaders support staff's expertise to enable them to adapt teaching effectively. For example, staff deliver short, bespoke sessions that focus on developing children's key skills, such as recognising numbers.

These sessions also help develop children's concentration and independence. In this way, children with SEND achieve well.

Children participate well with the activities and resources available throughout the day.

Their good behaviour supports their learning. Children with SEND are given effective support to develop appropriate social skills, such as interacting well with their peers. However, there are occasions during teaching sessions when routines to support children's concentration during learning are less effective.

This leads to some children losing focus, for example chatting to their friends.

There is a strong emphasis on children's broader development. Staff celebrate a range of festivals with children and visit local places of interest such as the church and the library.

The whole community takes part in events that value its diversity, such as the international evening and carnival.

Staff are very positive about working at this school. They said that leaders take their workload into account when making key decisions.

Staff praised the training they undertake to improve their practice.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Safeguarding processes, such as those for vetting staff and visitors and for recording concerns, are robust.

Staff know children and families well and use this knowledge to identify any concerns quickly. Leaders have built an atmosphere of trust. Children willingly talk to staff about any worries, which staff follow up diligently.

Leaders have ensured that the curriculum creates opportunities to introduce children to keeping safe. For example, children wear goggles when using certain tools and learn to manage and regulate their feelings.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some areas of learning, leaders have not identified with enough precision what children need to learn or be able to do.

In these instances, children do not remember key learning and are not sufficiently prepared for the Reception Year. The school needs to ensure that they have identified with more precision what important knowledge they want children to remember. ? Sometimes, staff do not ensure that children follow routines consistently.

This means that children miss out on their learning on these occasions. The school must ensure that all staff can identify and address children's off-task behaviour securely so that children focus and listen during learning activities consistently well.

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 May 2013.

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