Turncroft Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Turncroft Nursery School continues to be an outstanding school.

What is it like to attend this school?

This nursery school is a super place for children to learn. Staff expect a lot from the children and give them all the help that they need to succeed. Children learn much new knowledge.

For instance, they learn to talk about different story books, sing many nursery rhymes and use numbers accurately in their learning activities.

At the start of the school day, children settle quickly and happily. The nursery is calm but full of talk.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are included fully in learning activities. Children become deeply... involved in their play with friends and staff. They explore with confidence and enthusiasm indoors and outdoors.

As one parent said, 'The staff get the children thinking.'

Staff share books with children often. Books are everywhere.

Children proudly and confidently showed me the many books, puppets and resources that staff set out for them to use. Children relish writing stories and making their own books.

Staff set up clear routines for the school day.

Children know that staff expect them to behave. They show much self-control. The times when a child may be unkind to another are rare and resolved properly by staff.

Staff make extra sure that children are safe.

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

All staff skilfully help children to increase the number of words that they know. They understand the importance of this knowledge for children's lives.

Staff teach unfamiliar words extremely well through their carefully planned use of stories. They help children to become familiar with the language of story books. They teach more unusual words, such as 'trapdoor', that they find in books.

Staff develop each child's ability to speak and communicate through logical and well-ordered activities. All children learn to speak and to use signs and symbols to communicate. This helps children, including those with SEND, to express their needs and ideas very well.

Staff help children to know and remember many nursery rhymes. They make this teaching exciting. For example, when the teacher deliberately confused the words of a rhyme, children eagerly and accurately corrected her.

Staff teach children to recognise the sounds that letters represent, for instance in their names. In reading, communication and mathematics, children achieve highly. Primary schools tell the nursery school that children join them ready for Reception class.

Leaders and staff know what they want children to learn. They make sure that mathematics is a priority at the school. They teach children to become confident in using numbers and counting.

Children become independent, able mathematicians. They are enthusiastic about knowing more. They enjoy solving problems, such as in a treasure hunt to find the number labels on spaceships set out in the room.

Leaders ensure that children with SEND have the same high-quality learning as other children. They use experts from outside the school to give extra help to these children. They make certain that parents and carers are fully involved in decisions about their children.

There is no low-level interruption to learning at the school. Children persevere and try hard in their learning activities. Children who spoke with inspectors represented themselves and their school wonderfully.

Leaders make sure that staff give first-rate support for children's broader development. Staff help children to know about the different faith and beliefs of local people. They teach children about the town where they live.

Children visit a farm to learn about rural life.

Leaders give great emphasis to developing the well-being of their staff. Staff told us that they love their jobs at the school.

Their enthusiasm for nursery education was clear throughout the inspection. Teachers and nursery nurses said that leaders ensure that staff workload is manageable.

Staff are experts in teaching young children and often share their impressive work with other schools and nurseries.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders and governors make certain that staff know their responsibilities for safeguarding children. Leaders and staff are vigilant, and they listen to children.

They ensure that children stay safe at the school. They watch children's behaviour carefully. Staff look for signs of when children are upset about any aspect of their lives.

Staff spot any low-level concerns and act quickly to gain a correct picture about children's safety and feelings. Leaders make proper links with other agencies to protect children from harm.

Background

When we have judged a maintained nursery 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 a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding in November 2014.