Wallace Road Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Wallace Road Nursery is a special place. Staff value every child and know them really well. Most children are eager to explore the setting as soon as they arrive.

They understand the routines well. Children who find it harder to settle get the right help and support to build their confidence so that they can join in the fun.

Leaders are ambitious for children.

They want children to be curious, self-motivated and 'open windows on the world'. Children make choices about where to play and what to do as independent learners. They become engrossed in what they are doing.

They welcome their friends to enjoyable activities. Occasionally, children fall out. ...Staff intervene skilfully.

They help children learn how to make the situation better.

Children talk to adults readily when they are worried about anything. Staff take children's worries and concerns seriously.

Children feel secure with their trusted adults. Parents and carers feel that their children are safe and cared for well. They say that children get off to a great start.

Comments such as, 'I honestly couldn't imagine sending my child anywhere else,' are typical.

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

All staff prioritise children's personal development. They spot children's interests.

They teach children how to explain what they would like to do. Children learn to recognise their own wants and needs. Staff model how to build friendships.

They show children how to invite others to join their play. Children begin to understand how others feel and they adapt their play appropriately.

Leaders make sure that developing children's language underpins the curriculum.

Staff help children to speak in longer sentences. Staff help children who are at an early stage of learning English. They encourage children to use words to describe what they see and what they are doing.

Occasionally, staff do not spot when children have not understood words or concepts well enough.

Children are highly engaged in their learning. This includes children who are disadvantaged and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Children persevere when things go wrong. For example, when beads fall off a thread, they know that they can be threaded on again. They sustain their focus for long periods of time.

Sometimes, staff use these moments to build children's vocabulary. For example, they explain that elastic in a bracelet is stretchy. However, some opportunities to help children to learn new words are missed.

Leaders have made sure that there are plenty of opportunities for children to be active. Children learn to take risks using the equipment, for example safely riding a tricycle down a slope. Staff notice where children are trying to challenge themselves.

For example, they help children to adjust their position to go down a slide successfully. Staff encourage children to develop their confidence. For example, they ride a scooter in tandem until the child wants to do this by themselves.

Children learn how to take care of themselves. They choose different types of fruit and vegetables during snack time. They pour their own drinking water.

They enjoy sharing special times together, such as birthdays. However, children do not yet get enough chances to broaden their knowledge about different cultures in modern Britain.

Parents praise the school's effective communication.

Typically, one parent stated: 'I am always kept in the know about my child's development and how the staff will support her in developing further.' Leaders help parents to understand the importance of bringing their child to every nursery session. They help parents to understand the importance of school and get it right from the start.

Leaders and governors check on staff's well-being. They supported staff during the more challenging times of the pandemic. Staff feel well supported, and morale is high.

They share leaders' vision of putting children at the heart of everything that they do.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders make sure that staff know the signs that they should look for that could indicate that a child may be at risk.

Staff get regular updates. They know how to report concerns. Records are well kept and leaders check them carefully.

Leaders make sure that families get the right help when needed. Leaders work well with different external agencies. They are unafraid to make repeated calls to gain advice and support when needed.

They pass information to the next school to make sure that children continue to get the welfare support that they need.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Curriculum thinking in a few areas of learning is not yet as sharp as it could be, for example in understanding the world. Leaders have not always identified opportunities for children to deepen their learning.

Leaders should make sure that the curriculum in these areas of learning is refined further so that children gain the knowledge that they need to be fully prepared for the next stage of their learning. ? Opportunities to extend children's learning through staff interactions are not always exploited as well as they might be. Staff do not identify consistently well what children could learn next.

Sometimes, children's misconceptions are not addressed. Leaders should ensure that all staff clearly understand how children's knowledge builds in all areas of learning. They should make sure that interactions consistently develop children's knowledge, skills and vocabulary.

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