Hindpool Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Children enjoy coming to nursery. They and their parents and carers are sure of a warm welcome from their key workers. Children know where to find all of the toys and equipment that they like to play with.

They especially enjoy their daily music and movement sessions. Some children said that this is their favourite part of the day.

Leaders expect children to succeed.

They provide children with activities that appeal to their interests. However, in many areas of learning, leaders have not organised the curriculum well. This hampers children's learning in these areas.

Children behave well in nursery. The simple rules and routines are easy for them to f...ollow. For example, children know that they must put on an apron before they use glue to make a collage.

They know when it is time to stop playing and to tidy up. Adults do not tolerate any bullying behaviour. They quickly step in to help children to resolve any difficulties.

Children develop confidence and independence. They learn how to put on their coats and their wellington boots. They make choices about what to eat at the snack table.

Children learn to share toys and resources. They show kindness and concern towards each other. Children know that they can turn to adults in nursery if they need comfort or reassurance.

This helps to make them feel safe and happy.

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

Leaders have provided a curriculum that covers the areas of learning in the Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage. However, in most areas of learning, the curriculum is not organised clearly enough to ensure that children learn well.

Leaders have identified what children need to be able to do in each area of learning by the time that they leave the nursery. However, in almost all of these areas, leaders have not provided staff with enough information about the most important knowledge that children need to learn, or the order in which this should be taught. This makes it difficult for staff to make sure that children are learning everything that they need to know.

Leaders have ensured that staff with responsibility for early reading and mathematics have had suitable training to help them in their roles. As a result, they are able to provide useful guidance and support to help their colleagues deliver these aspects of learning. However, other staff have had fewer opportunities to develop their subject expertise.

This limits their ability to support colleagues to teach the curriculum.

Leaders have made the curriculum for early reading a priority. Staff use their expertise well to provide activities that help children to recognise sounds in the environment and in familiar words, such as their names.

This prepares children well for their future learning about phonics.

Adults know how to make stories exciting. Children become familiar with a wide range of books.

They love to hear these stories again and again. Children take these books home to share with their parents and carers. All children develop a real love of reading, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Leaders and staff work together to identify children who need extra help with their learning. Where children might have SEND, leaders work well with parents and with a range of professionals to make sure that these children receive the timely support that they need. Children with SEND achieve similarly to other children in the nursery.

Staff make sure that they speak to children clearly, using language that they understand. Those staff who work with two-year-olds allow extra time for children to express their own thoughts and ideas. Adults introduce older children to a wide range of new words.

For example, children listening to the story 'The Gigantic Turnip' talked about other words that mean big. These activities help to develop children's communication and language skills.

Children learn to manage their own behaviour in ways that are appropriate for their age.

They learn to take turns and to listen when someone else has something to say. Adults support them to use words to resolve disagreements.

Adults understand how children develop.

They use this knowledge to provide activities that are appropriate to children's stages of development. These activities help children to develop important learning characteristics, such as concentration, perseverance and curiosity.

Children learn about different family units and the differences between cultures and faiths through stories and through celebrations, such as Diwali.

They begin to learn about values such as democracy when they vote for which song or rhyme they would like to recite. These experiences support children's wider development and help them to learn about the world around them.

Governors and leaders are considerate of staff's workload and well-being when they make decisions about the school.

However, governors do not currently have a clear enough understanding of leaders' work to improve the curriculum. This prevents them from holding leaders to account for improvements at the nursery.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders provide staff with regular safeguarding training. Staff are well informed about signs of abuse and neglect. This helps them to recognise when children may be at risk from harm.

There are clear procedures for staff to report any concerns that they may have about a child's welfare. Staff know how to follow these procedures. Leaders work well with a range of safeguarding professionals, such as family support teams, social workers and the police.

This helps leaders to secure help for children and families who need it.

Leaders have put in place steps to keep children safe when using the internet. They share useful safeguarding information with parents to support children when they use technology at home.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In most areas of learning, leaders have not identified the most important knowledge that they want children to learn, or the order in which they need to learn it. This makes it difficult for staff to ensure that children are learning everything that they need to know to be ready for primary school. Leaders must ensure that they identify the most important learning for children, and the sequence in which it should be taught, so that adults can make sure that children can build up this knowledge securely.

• Some of the staff who lead areas of learning have had little training to help them carry out their roles. This has limited the extent to which they can support and advise their colleagues in relation to their areas of learning. Leaders must ensure that staff who lead particular areas of learning have opportunities to develop their own knowledge further, so that they are well equipped to support staff in their delivery of the curriculum.

• Governors do not have a clear enough picture of leaders' work to develop and improve the curriculum. This limits their ability to hold leaders to account fully for this work. Governors must ensure that they have the knowledge and expertise to support and challenge leaders about the quality of education at the nursery.