Wentworth Nursery School and Children's Centre

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Mr Ben Hasan Headteacher Wentworth Nursery School and Children’s Centre Cassland Road Hackney London E9 5BY

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Short inspection of Wentworth Nursery School and Children’s Centre

Following my visit to the school on 7 November 2017, 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 January 2013.

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Short inspection of Wentworth Nursery School and Children’s Centre

This school continues to be outstanding.

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Short inspection of Wentworth Nursery School and Children’s Centre

The leadership team has maintained the outstanding quality of education in the school since the last inspection. This is mostly because of your determination and relentless pursuit of excellence since arriving at the school two and half years ago. Your clarity of vision about how children learn best has driven further development of skills and has led to accelerated outcomes for children. Together with your team, you have developed a curriculum that fosters independence, high aspirations and challenge. Although the school has had significant leadership changes since the previous inspection, your actions have consolidated progress in all areas of the nursery.

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Short inspection of Wentworth Nursery School and Children’s Centre

You have developed a progress-tracking system that complements your curriculum, and this has resulted in rapid progress from their starting points for children, including those with special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities. You actively monitor and evaluate actions taken for improvement to maximise outcomes. Your partnership with the children’s centre and other schools has further strengthened the impact of your work on the local community.

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Short inspection of Wentworth Nursery School and Children’s Centre

Governors know the school well; they are ambitious for the children and are aware of the strengths of the school and areas for improvement. They have developed an effective strategic plan of action that monitors progress rates and challenges school leaders.

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Short inspection of Wentworth Nursery School and Children’s Centre

Parents are very proud of the nursery; all of the views collected, both at the gates and online, support the leadership of the school. They used words such as ‘great’, ‘welcoming’ and ‘friendly’ to describe the school. Parents said that their children are safe, learn well and acquire skills quickly. One parent said, ‘We are lucky to have the school at our doorstep.’

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Short inspection of Wentworth Nursery School and Children’s Centre

The school’s safeguarding procedures are effective. The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and records are detailed and of high quality. Governors routinely check that procedures and practices are effective in securing children’s safety. Evidence gathered, such as safeguarding training logs, daily risk assessment registers and the safer recruitment training log and attendance registers, reinforces the message.

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Short inspection of Wentworth Nursery School and Children’s Centre

Governors are fully involved in the oversight of safeguarding across the school. Staff have benefited from appropriate training and understand what to do if a safeguarding concern arises. The single central record of pre-employment checks is up to date and meets requirements. It demonstrates the school’s systematic approach to keeping records. The school has a culture of care, as seen in the way that adults work with and interact with children. You have effective systems in place to improve children’s attendance and reduce persistent absence. To reduce any gaps further, the school is focused on improving the attendance of children under three years old.

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Inspection findings

 My first key line of enquiry focused on the impact of leaders’ actions in continuing to provide high-quality education for all children at the school. I found that you and your senior leaders have maintained the outstanding quality of teaching and learning because you are committed to the children and the community. Your vision for the school is articulated through grounded pedagogical approaches. As a result, children are motivated, inspired and challenged to try to think through ideas, problem-solve and use high-quality language to express themselves in most activities.  Adults at the nursery are great role models for the children; they demonstrate clearly what they expect children to achieve. As a result, a high proportion of children make accelerated progress from their starting points. Children approach obstructions and problems with confidence, and develop strategies to resolve any difficulties both individually and collaboratively. Children join the nursery with a

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Inspection findings

wide range of starting points. They are given opportunities to build on their skills and knowledge and work speedily towards meeting and exceeding age-related standards. The language-rich environment enables children to communicate with confidence. They are curious about the world around them, they tackle problems and they are always happy to ‘have a go’.  Governors have complete confidence in the leadership of the school. They are rigorous in their evaluation and monitoring of the impact of teaching on outcomes.  My second key line of enquiry focused on the impact of leaders’ actions in providing good to outstanding outcomes in the new provision for two-year-old children. I found that leaders’ actions have resulted in robust risk assessment for all school trips. Adults support children to develop curiosity quickly and to explore the outdoor areas of the nursery. The children show sustained interest in

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Inspection findings

activities, and they are curious and resilient. Planned visits in the locality enable opportunities to consolidate learning and gain concrete experiences.  Staff across the setting, including those looking after the two-year-old children, use a range of communication strategies, including sign language and visual and pictorial cues. This has led to greater and accelerated understanding of ideas and concepts for all children, especially those who have SEN and/or disabilities and autistic spectrum disorder.  Leaders are aware that the new provision for two-year-olds needs further development to be securely outstanding. They have plans to continue to improve the quality of teaching and to accelerate the rate of progress by sharing good practice from the provision for three- to four-year-olds.  My final key line of enquiry focused on the impact of teaching on the quality of outcomes for three-year-old children. I found that teaching is structured to

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Inspection findings

enable accelerated development of speaking, listening, communication and language skills. A high proportion of children make accelerated progress from different starting points. Many are working at or beyond the 30–50-month age band.  The school curriculum is broad, balanced and exciting, and incorporates British values. Children explore widely and freely, developing skills in well-planned activities aimed at developing language and communication skills. Formative assessment is continuously used to check understanding, and to probe and seek children’s opinions. Assessment data over time shows a strong trend of improving outcomes for all children.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 expectations in the new provision for two-year-olds match the high aspirations of the rest of the nursery  attendance and punctuality of two-year-old children improve further to accelerate the rate of progress and maximise outcome opportunities.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Hackney. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

I held meetings with you and the deputy headteacher in her capacity as assessment leader. I met with a group of governors, including the chair of the governing body and the chair of the curriculum and standards committee. I also met with the school improvement partner from the learning trust. Together, we looked at evidence to support my key lines of enquiry. We visited all classes together and observed practice. I reviewed a range of documents, including leaders’ evaluation of the school’s performance, improvement plans and information about children’s progress and attendance. The school’s single central record of employment checks and a range of safeguarding documentation were also reviewed. I considered views from eight parents at the school in the morning and 18 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey for parents. There were no staff or pupil responses to Ofsted’s questionnaires.

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