Windsor Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school is at the heart of the community.

Adults know children and their families well. Everyone works together to ensure that children thrive.

Children love coming to school.

This is because learning is fun. Children relish being in the outdoors. They put on waterproof clothes and wellingtons so that they can go out in all weathers.

They explore the extensive outdoor space with glee.

The Nursery is a haven of calm. Adults have extremely high expectations of children's behaviour.

They sensitively support all children to rise to these expectations. Children's behaviour is exemplary. Right from the start, children learn to share an...d take turns.

Children of different ages mix well together. They make firm friendships.

Children feel safe and know that adults will look after them.

They start by having a strong bond with their key person. Quickly, children form positive relationships with other adults. Children grow into confident and independent learners.

Leaders, staff and governors want every child to achieve their best. They prioritise children's social, emotional and physical development. Children do very well in these areas.

However, some children are ready to do more in the other areas of learning, for example, literacy and mathematics.

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

Adults have a strong understanding of how children learn and develop. They play and work alongside children.

Adults watch what children do and intervene to move their learning forward. Children enjoy playing and exploring. They choose the way they do things.

This provides a strong foundation for future learning.

In areas such as personal, social and emotional development, adults know what children should be able to do at each age and stage. As a result, children's learning in these areas zips along.

For example, in the 'Terrific for twos' provision, adults skilfully help children to join in with others' play. In the provision for three- and four-year-olds, children work together towards a shared goal. During the inspection, two children built a train track together.

When one child put the final piece in place, the other child smiled and exclaimed, 'You did it!'

Outdoors, there are ample opportunities for children to develop their physical skills. Adults give careful thought to the resources they use to challenge children of different ages and abilities. For example, there are boxes at different heights to help children to balance on the fence.

Adults develop children's communication and language skills effectively. They encourage children to talk about what they are doing. Adults listen carefully to what children have to say.

They give them time to think and work out the words they want to use.

The curriculum is personalised to every child. Children follow their interests.

They choose what they do and select their own resources. As a result, children are highly engaged. They concentrate for long periods of time.

When adults are working with children, they notice what children can do and what they need to do next. The flip side of this is that when children are working independently, they do not always move on to something new when they are ready.

Adults read daily to children.

Younger children join in when adults read to them. Older children can talk about their favourite stories. They can recite phrases from some of these, for example, 'We're going on a bear hunt.'

Adults introduce letter sounds to three- and four-year-olds. However, they do not do enough to build on children's knowledge of letter sounds when they are reading and writing. This is because adults do not have a comprehensive enough understanding of children's next steps in some areas of learning.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive highly effective support. Adults have a strong understanding of the difficulties these children face. They tailor activities to match each child's needs.

Adults include children with SEND in the full life of the school. These children achieve well.

Children learn to care for themselves and others.

They enjoy looking after Poppy and Pumpkin, the school's guinea pigs. They benefit from taking part in forest school, where they learn to consider risks in a safe environment. Children take delight in observing changes in the outdoor environment.

They learn about the different faiths and cultures of families that attend the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The school works well with external agencies to meet the needs of all children, particularly the most vulnerable.

Adults understand the specific needs of two-year-old children. They know how to care for them.

Adults know children well.

They start building a picture of each child from the very first time they meet them in their home. This means that adults are alert to the slightest changes in a child's appearance, behaviour or mood. All adults follow the school's procedure for reporting concerns.

When children are absent from school, leaders check where they are to ensure that they are safe.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Adults have a strong grasp of children's next steps in the prime areas of learning. Their understanding of what three- and four-year-olds know and can do in the specific areas of learning is less sharp.

As a result, the curriculum in these areas is not planned and sequenced as well as it could be. Leaders should ensure that adults use assessment information to plan activities that build on what children already know and can do in the specific areas of learning. .

The way in which the curriculum is organised means that some children do not move on in their learning when they are ready. This is particularly the case for the most able children in areas such as literacy and mathematics. Adults should ensure that activities and resources are sufficiently demanding for the most able children so that they achieve the best possible outcomes.