Tunstall Nursery School

Tunstall Nursery School Tunstall Road, Croydon, CR0 6TY

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is an outstanding school

 This school has improved greatly since the previous inspection. The highly experienced Executive Headteacher and her senior leaders are ambitious and energetic in securing improvements.  Leaders have implemented highly effective ways of recording the progress made by children, individually and in groups. This enables leaders to provide extra support for those who need it. As a result, all groups make outstanding progress in their learning.  Leaders use additional government funding to promote the highest quality of learning among disadvantaged children. As a result, they often achieve better than other children.  Leaders manage the quality of teaching exceptionally well. They provide highly effective support to all the adults, and check that their advice is followed up. This vigilance ensures that children learn as rapidly as they can.  Governors make an extremely strong contribution to school improvement. They are successful in

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This is an outstanding school

challenging the school to improve rapidly.  Teaching is consistently very strong. All the adults use questioning extremely effectively. They ask stimulating questions, and take the time to listen to the children’s responses.  Adults provide children with a range of exciting activities that stimulate high-quality, all-round learning.  Adults accurately assess how well children are learning and plan extremely effectively for activities to develop children’s skills.  Children are happy and secure. Adults are very caring. The school keeps the children safe and encourages them to keep themselves safe.  Behaviour is exemplary. Children are ready to share the equipment and to take turns in using it.  Children from all backgrounds and heritages get on extremely well. Children are caring towards others.  The school promotes children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development extremely well. Many of the activities provide a sense of wonder

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This is an outstanding school

and awe and excitement in learning.  The school instils in children a strong sense of values, so that they know wrong from right. The school helps them to celebrate different ways of living and worshipping.  Provision for two-year-olds is exemplary. These children have the best of both worlds, a secure, protected environment when they need it, and the chance to explore further afield in the company of three- and four-year-olds.  The provision for two-year-olds also offers a safe haven for older children who need additional security and nurturing for a while.  By the time they leave Tunstall, children are ready to continue their learning in their next school, equipped with excellent skills and habits of learning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Work closely with parents and carers to help them explore ways of helping their children continue their learning at home.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

 The partnership with Park Hill Infant School is extremely beneficial to Tunstall. The Executive Headteacher and senior leaders know what an outstanding school is like. Their understanding of the nursery school is clear-sighted and realistic. As a result of their ambition and energy, the school has improved rapidly.  Leaders have devised new ways of checking how well children are learning to ensure that all make the strongest progress they can. This ensures that all groups of children, such as those with a range of additional needs, receive highly effective support and make rapid progress.  Leaders and governors use the additional funding for disadvantaged children wisely. As a result, these children achieve at least as well, and often better, than other children.  Leaders manage the quality of teaching exceptionally well. In their observations, they commend good practice, while also providing helpful advice on how staff can improve. Leaders keep a careful watch to

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

ensure that their excellent advice is followed up. Staff show in their entirely positive responses to the online questionnaire on their views that they value the support and opportunities for further training offered to them. A typical comment was, ‘All staff are very committed and take every opportunity to develop and learn new skills’.  Leaders make sure that the range of activities provided for the children has a sharp focus on developing their social, language and number skills. In this way, children learn excellent habits of learning, and are confident and resilient when they move on to the next stage of learning.  The activities provided for children promote their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development extremely well. For example, children are regularly given wonderful opportunities to develop outdoor skills in a woodland setting. A typical comment from a parent was, ‘My child loves Forest School, and she is now

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

more aware of nature and the environment’.  The school ensures that children absorb strong values that prepare them well for growing up in modern Britain. As a result, they are respectful and get along extremely well with one another. Children are taught about other cultures and ways of worshipping. For example, children recently celebrated Chinese New Year by cooking noodles and making paper lanterns and dragons.  Parents strongly support the school, and several told the inspector it was part of their family. A few parents, however, commented that they felt the need for more support from the school in guiding them to help their children learn at home. The inspector explored this with the school, and leaders agree that this aspect of parental engagement is not yet as well developed as they would like.  The governance of the school  Governors make a highly effective contribution to maintaining the school’s improvement. This is

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

because governors take a strong interest in the work of the school and share the leaders’ commitment to its sustained improvement.  Governors are ready to hold the school to account. They visit the school, informally and in formal visits, to explore areas such as safeguarding and the progress of children who speak English as an additional language. These visits help governors to find out for themselves how well children are learning. In this way, governors assure themselves that the quality of teaching is high.  Governors know through the full and highly informative headteacher’s reports that children are making excellent progress. Governors are also proactive in seeking out information for themselves. For example, they requested information on children’s attendance to assure themselves that children enjoy coming to school.  Governors ensure that the additional government funding is used highly effectively to ensure the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

strong progress made by disadvantaged children.  Governors carry out extremely effectively their statutory duty to keep children safe. They are well trained in safeguarding procedures and visit the site regularly to ensure that it is safe.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The site is secure. The backgrounds of those who work with children are checked carefully. Visitors are required to surrender their mobile phones while they have access to the nursery.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

 Questioning is a particularly strong aspect of the teaching. Adults extend children’s thinking skills by asking them questions that will develop their ideas. For example, in one ‘building’ activity, a child stacked soft bricks in the sandpit, but then realised the tower was about to topple. The adult asked how the tower could be made to stand, and this prompted a number of ideas, including ‘make it little’. The adults take the time to listen patiently to the children’s responses, and this gives the children time to develop their ideas and to shape their sentences.  Activities provide many opportunities for children to develop excellent numeracy skills. Many resources give children the chance to count or identify shapes, or to say whether there are more or fewer toy animals in a farm. Literacy skills are promoted strongly. Children are surrounded by plenty of books and quiet reading corners, indoors and outside, where adults and children can often be seen curled up with a book.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

 Adults prepare activities for the children that promote learning in an exciting way, with many opportunities for children to experience wonder and awe. For example, children loved hunting for plastic spiders in an enclosed space, using torches. This gave them the excitement of discovery and adventure in a safe environment.  Drama is used to great effect. For example, an activity where children enacted the story of ‘the three little pigs’ caused great excitement, and encouraged the children to think about which choices they would make. There were very few takers for the house of straw or the house of sticks.  The most-able children make rapid progress because they receive focused support and challenge in group sessions. In one such session, for example, children recapped their prior learning of a challenging book, Guess Where I Live. The children showed that they remembered the book well. They were then

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

encouraged to extend their skills by drawing question marks in the air with their forefingers.  Assessment is a strength. Adults assess children’s progress extremely well, and record their findings accurately, so the children’s progress can be clearly plotted. At the end of each session, the adults plan extremely well for the next day’s activities. They take as their starting points the children’s interest in the activities, and then plan how to extend their learning. For example, a popular obstacle course was made even more challenging the next day by incorporating further obstacles.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote children’s personal development and welfare is outstanding. Children’s care and welfare are second to none. Children are secure, and this enables them to learn with confidence and not to be afraid of anything.  Adults know all the children and their needs. They deal sensitively with any child needing a hug or a moment of quiet, and soon draw the child into engaging in the activities.  The school helps children to keep themselves safe. For example, children are encouraged to climb low trees safely, and this gives them confidence as well as promoting physical skills. Carefully watched by the adults, children used real cutlery to cut up fruit for kebabs. These skills make them less likely to hurt themselves as they become more adventurous.  Those who stay for lunch eat their packed lunches in the company of caring adults, who encourage them to eat sociably and with good manners.

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Personal development and welfare

 Parents of children with a range of additional needs spoke particularly warmly of the support the school gives the children and the whole family. A typical comment from the parent of one child with special educational needs was, ‘My child has blossomed into a lovely confident child who has made so much progress it is unbelievable’.  Children are safe at the school. The site is secure. Careful precautions are taken before children undertake any activity or trip outside the school. Adults make sure that children can only access educational programs when using computers. There is no bullying. Playground incidents are few and far between, involving the bumps and bruises that are inevitable among children of this age.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of children is outstanding. Children are kind towards one another. When one child was momentarily sad, another noticed and stroked her arm. Children are ready to share the equipment. They are prepared to take turns on the popular resources, using sand-timers as an aid to respecting the rights of others.  Children from all cultures and heritages learn and play peaceably together. Children aged between two and four get along well together. The more cautious or sensitive children are happy to play in the secure environment of the classroom for two-year-olds, and the more confident two-year-olds are ready for some energetic play with the three- and four-year-olds.  The indoor and outdoor play areas are inviting, and the children respect the play equipment. There are plenty of opportunities for messy play, such as the mud kitchen, which children need in order to explore all aspects of learning. They play with focus and concentration.

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Behaviour

 Children and their parents and carers show their love of the school by the children’s attendance, which is on a rising trend, thanks to such worthwhile initiatives as certificates and medals for the best attenders.

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Outcomes for pupils are outstanding

 Children make extremely rapid progress in learning social, language and number skills. This is because activities are challenging and cover a wide range of skills. Trays filled with a mixture of cornflour and water, for example, stimulate language. A two-year-old was surprised that the mixture was, as she put it, ‘so smooth’. Children ‘write’ their names on a flip-chart before cutting up fruit. Simple activities, such as making ‘cakes’ out of Play-Doh, are used to help numeracy by counting the birthday candles the children push into the ‘cakes’.  Two-year-olds make very rapid progress in their learning because they are successfully nurtured in their own room. They are also given the opportunity to mix with the three- and four-year-olds when they are confident enough to challenge themselves. This flexibility enables the two-year-olds to move confidently into the nursery proper when the time is right for them to move up.

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Outcomes for pupils are outstanding

 Children with special educational needs or disability are given outstanding support. For example, an adult patiently helped a child copy a row of numbers on a blackboard. The adult encouraged the child to persevere with the task, and this gave the child a sense of achievement.  The most-able children have every opportunity to extend their talents. For example, in one group session for the most-able children, a bilingual child chose to count to 10 in his first language. The adult then encouraged the other children to count either in English or in their first language too. In this way, the adult made the most of an unexpected event to capitalise on the children’s interests.  Children who speak English as an additional language make very rapid progress because adults are highly responsive to their needs. Adults use picture cards or signs to help them learn. As children become more fluent, adults encourage them to join in chanting rhymes or catchphrases to strengthen their command of

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Outcomes for pupils are outstanding

English, such as ‘I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house down’.  Disadvantaged children are known to the adults, and are given high-quality support from them. This enables them not just to hold their own with other children, but, more often than not, to make stronger progress.  Children in Nursery are prepared extremely well for the Reception Year, with strong skills in all the areas of learning they will be continuing after they leave Tunstall.

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School details

Unique reference number 101705 Local authority Croydon Inspection number 10002008

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Nursery School category Community Age range of pupils 2–5 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 137 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Elizabeth Mazzola Executive Headteacher Jane Charman Telephone number 020 8654 0371 Website www.webfronter.com/croydon/tunstall Email address admin@tunstall.croydon.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 6 November 2013

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Information about this school

 This school is an average-sized nursery school. Since September 2014, it has been in a formal partnership with Park Hill, a nearby infant school. The two schools are led by an Executive Headteacher. There are two deputy headteachers in charge of the nursery school, who divide the week between them; one serves as assistant headteacher of Park Hill. Each school retains its own governing body.  The children’s centre on site is subject to separate inspection.  The provision for two-year-olds is partly integrated with provision for three- and four-year-olds and both were inspected at the same time.  Most children come from a wide range of ethnic heritages. The proportion of children who speak English as an additional language is higher than average.  Fewer children than average are entitled to support from the early years premium. The early years premium is additional government funding for children eligible for free school meals or those looked

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Information about this school

after by the local authority.  The proportion of children with special educational needs or disability is a little higher than average.  Most children attend part time in either the morning or afternoon sessions. A few stay for lunch.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector looked at the children’s learning in the indoor and outdoor play areas, mostly accompanied by senior leaders. The inspector observed the children eating lunch, tidying up and taking part in group sessions. She attended a staff planning meeting.  The inspector held meetings with the Executive Headteacher and both deputy headteachers. She met three representatives from the local authority. She also met the Chair of the Governing Body. The Chair, together with one other governor, attended the final inspection meeting.  The inspector took account of responses to an online questionnaire from 17 members of staff.  The inspector took account of 19 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey. She spoke to a number of parents and carers. She also took account of the school’s own survey of parents’ and carers’ views.  The inspector looked at a range of documents. These included the school’s own views of how well it is

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Information about this inspection

doing and the minutes of meetings of the governing body.  The inspector looked at information on the children’s attainment and progress, and examined records relating to behaviour and safety.

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Inspection team

Natalia Power, Lead inspector Ofsted Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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Inspection team

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted.

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Inspection team

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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