Bognor Regis Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Short inspection of Bognor Regis Nursery School

Following my visit to the school on 20 November 2018, I write on behalf of Her Majesty‟s Chief Inspector of Education, Children‟s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings.

The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be outstanding in April 2015. This school continues to be outstanding. The leadership team has maintained the outstanding quality of education in the school since the last inspection.

Since taking over as headteacher in September 2018 you have built upon the strengths of previous leadership. You recognise that even though your school is outstanding it can still improve. You have ambitious pl...ans for the future which are fully supported by your staff.

Dedicated key workers have an excellent understanding about how children learn. They are passionate about providing new and exciting learning experiences for children. Each morning, children come into the school eager to explore all the activities.

Your school has a strong focus on nature. Children are often immersed in play with natural objects such as leaves, seeds and fir cones. This helps to develop their powers of observation.

There are excellent outdoor learning opportunities in your school grounds. During the inspection, children were fascinated in watching water fall through pipes. They were keen to see if other objects also „fell down‟.

Experiences such as this help children to develop excellent thinking skills. It helps them begin to understand scientific principles, such as gravity. At the last inspection, an area to improve was the partnership with parents and carers.

You have successfully addressed this area. Parents are delighted with the school. They find the information and support provided by staff to be very useful.

They consider that partnership working between home and school is strong. All who responded to the Ofsted survey, Parent View, would recommend the school to another parent. When asked at the school gates, parents say, „It‟s just an amazing school.

‟ A typical comment was: „My daughter has continued to progress and grow to her best ability with the help from everyone here, especially her key worker, with whom she has developed a special relationship. My daughter classes her teachers as “family”; she feels valued and well taken care of every day.‟ The previous inspection identified the need to develop more links with other early years practitioners.

Your school now has strong links with a range of early years providers through its membership of the Early Years Excellence in Sussex group of Maintained Nursery Schools. Your school is outward looking. Staff are keen to share best practice, for example by supporting students from Chichester University on work placements.

You have already worked with Sheffield University on a project about early literacy skills. The project had a significant impact on raising children‟s reading skills. Your school now aims to build more links with research institutions so that children can continue to make excellent progress.

Safeguarding is effective. You take the care and safety of children very seriously. All who responded to Ofsted‟s survey confirm that their children feel safe at this school.

They say that staff always make time to listen to their children‟s views and worries. The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Staff have received useful training.

Clear procedures are in place to ensure that those who have medical needs are well supported. Staff have a heightened awareness of the potential risks that children could be vulnerable to, such as neglect. Your staff work well with a range of other professionals in order to meet the needs of all the children.

You and your team strive to minimise potential risks that children may face. In activities such as cooking and painting, staff help children to learn how to act safely. As a result, children become increasingly independent as they progress through the school.

Inspection findings  We agreed to consider the impact of leadership and management on the school since the previous inspection. We found that leadership is committed to making sure that, „children have the very best experiences we can provide‟. Staff have an excellent understanding of their roles and responsibilities.

Governors are highly supportive of the school. They have an accurate view of the school‟s strengths and the areas that you wish to develop further. All governors are passionate about ensuring that children receive the best possible education.

 We agreed to check how children are progressing at your school. Learning journals show that children make strong progress in all areas of learning. This is because they have activities that engage and motivate them to learn and discover.

Children make outstanding progress in their personal and social development. For example, they understand the need to clean their teeth after eating. Many bring a toothbrush to school so they can clean their teeth after breakfast.

Children know how to make positive choices. They know it is better to take turns playing with a toy than snatching it from another.  Children make excellent progress in developing their communication skills.

They often communicate confidently with their key worker. The school is very inclusive. Children who have speech and language needs flourish in the specialist provision.

They make excellent progress in all areas of learning due to the high standard of care and support provided by staff.  Children develop an enthusiasm for books due to the successful strategies you have introduced. They enjoy listening to and developing their own stories.

For example, during the inspection a child‟s story about trees and cars was acted out by children on a stage, much to the delight of all.  The two-year-olds also make excellent progress. This is due to the care and support offered by your staff, who are very sensitive to their needs.

The provision has been very well designed to develop children‟s creativity and imagination. Activities provided are fascinating to children. For example, they were enthralled when they found that no matter how hard they stirred, they could not mix oil and water.

 We agreed to check how well the curriculum helps children to develop their understanding of the world. We found that you provide a rich and varied range of activities and experiences, such as the beach school, which are powerful motivators in helping children develop an enthusiasm for learning. The children enjoy watching how the sea and weather change in the different seasons.

You make good use of the locality. Children often visit the adjacent care home, where they enjoy singing with the residents. Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that they:  further develop outstanding practice through extending their collaborations with research institutions.

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children‟s services for West Sussex. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website. Yours sincerely Liz Bowes Ofsted Inspector Information about the inspection During this inspection, meetings were held with you and other senior leaders.

I also had a discussion with governors, including the chair of governors. A telephone conversation was held with the local authority adviser. Informal discussions were held with parents and children at the start of the school day.

The 14 responses to the Ofsted online survey, Parent View, and a number of free-text responses were considered. Views expressed by 13 staff who had responded to the staff survey were also considered. Together, you and I visited classes and looked at children‟s learning journals.

A range of school documentation was checked including: leaders‟

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