Bayonne Nursery School

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

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Mrs Patricia Logan Headteacher Bayonne Nursery School 50 Paynes Walk London W6 8PF

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Short inspection of Bayonne Nursery School

Following my visit to the school on 14 June 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 January 2014.

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Short inspection of Bayonne Nursery School

This school continues to be outstanding.

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Short inspection of Bayonne Nursery School

The leadership team has maintained the outstanding quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Your relentless drive to provide the very best for the children underpins all decisions made. You are supported by a strong team who share your passion for wanting the very best for children’s learning and well-being. Governors share your vision for ensuring that professional development for all staff has an impact on children. This results in creative and exciting opportunities for children. One parent, reflecting the positive views of many, said that the opportunities for children were ‘amazing’.

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Short inspection of Bayonne Nursery School

The passion of leaders, governors and staff is tangible. Children really do receive a stimulating and inspired start to their education. Children demonstrate superb, determined attitudes to their learning. The reflective approach to planning, where staff respond to the interests of the children, has the desired impact. All children are immersed in purposeful activity. The previous inspection report highlighted music as an area for improvement. Leaders have embraced this wholeheartedly and the nursery is filled with music, from children singing rhymes, to conducting the orchestra. Parents were actively engaged in the end-of-session singalong, joining in with the songs and the actions.

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Short inspection of Bayonne Nursery School

Governors are well informed and share your detailed knowledge of the progress children make. Like you, they are accurate in their acknowledgement of the school’s many strengths. Governors are clear of their roles and responsibilities and support leaders while effectively holding them to account. Together, you take swift and effective action to challenge any weaknesses and maintain the outstanding quality of education. You are all keen to learn and willing to try new ways of ensuring that all children reach their potential.

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Short inspection of Bayonne Nursery School

The leadership team has ensured that safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. All staff are well trained and understand how to keep children safe. Effective working relationships and detailed knowledge of the children means that staff can quickly detect when a child’s behaviour changes. Intervention is swift and effective. Leaders follow up on any concerns appropriately. Records show that leaders contribute effectively to multi-agency meetings and work with outside agencies to provide appropriate support when children and families need it. Appropriate checks on staff working with children are completed. Minor administrative errors were swiftly rectified during the inspection.

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Short inspection of Bayonne Nursery School

Adults ensure that children can understand and manage risks for themselves, for example when climbing a step ladder to feed the birds. All children use the play equipment safely, because they have been trained to do so. They use real tools effectively and safely. For example, they are reminded when whittling wood that the tool needs to move away from their bodies. All parents and staff agree that children are safe, happy and well cared for in school.

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Inspection findings

 At the beginning of the inspection we agreed three lines of enquiry. The first focused on what leaders considered to be the strength of the nursery. You explained that the biggest strength was the relentless teamwork by staff, ensuring that children received high-quality play provision. You have created and retained a highly motivated team who work exceptionally well together. They have determination and the expertise to ensure that children excel and make substantial gains in their knowledge and skills. Staff said that they are happy and feel valued.  From the moment children join the school, leaders and staff collaborate closely to assess and meet their needs exceptionally well. Daily meetings ensure that all children are successfully achieving. Children are encouraged to make their own decisions. They choose from a variety of stimulating activities, but know that they can fetch something different out of the cupboards. Your approach to ‘planning in

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Inspection findings

the moment’ is reflected throughout the provision. As a result, children are absorbed in their play and developing their learning. They persevere and consider different options to solve a problem. For example, one child wanted to make the sand wet, he worked out that he would need to fetch water. He persevered with this task for some time and was later observed with his socks and shoes off, splashing in the puddle he had created.  Children also choose to develop their reading and mathematical skills. One girl was curious about a book. She told me that she thought the character looked mean. She said, ‘I am going to find out.’ She told a story using the pictures and then at the end said, ‘She looks nice at the end.’ Another child was using cubes to count; an adult challenged him to create repeating patterns. He enjoyed the challenge and worked well with the adult. Effective, high-quality questioning from

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Inspection findings

adults encourages children to think and ask questions for themselves. As a result, children will also ask questions of one another. Children are confident and happy and they engage with adults and children well.  The previous inspection report highlighted effective partnership with parents and carers as a strength. You explained that you forge strong partnerships with parents. This became the second line of enquiry. Leaders and staff know parents and families exceptionally well. The partnership begins from the first home visits and during the stay and play sessions, held as part of the successful transition. As a result, children settle into nursery exceptionally well.  Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school and feel involved in their children’s learning. Parents talk about children taking cameras home so that they can take photographs and contribute to the child’s story of development. Parents

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Inspection findings

value the many activities available for them to work with the nursery. The singalong sessions held every other week are well attended. These sessions show the children that parents are interested in what they are learning. They also provide an opportunity to share positive examples of how songs and rhymes can be used with children at home.  Parental engagement in the profiles of the children are evident. Parents respond to reports about their children’s progress. In addition, parents share information about their children. One parent wrote, ‘He is very interested at the moment in cooking and baking.’ This provides an opportunity for staff to build on this within the nursery. The doorstep library is a well-used and valuable resource for parents and the community.  The final line of enquiry explored how effectively leaders fulfil their statutory duties to ensure that all children, particularly those who are vulnerable, get the

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Inspection findings

best possible start to their education. This was because key documents pertaining to those who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities and the pupil premium strategy were not available on the website. This was swiftly rectified during the inspection.  You and the team are explicit in your work to provide exceptional levels of support for children who have SEN and/or disabilities. As a result, children’s needs are very well catered for, enabling them to play and learn successfully alongside their peers. Children are resilient and they persevere to overcome barriers to take part in activities. Other children support their friends to access activities and offer praise when success is achieved. This group of children are confident and keen to learn. Effective questioning, appropriate to the needs of the individual child, supports their development. Leaders acknowledge that transition for children who have SEN and/or disabilities needs constantly

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Inspection findings

revisiting. However, in practice, care and guidance is highly effective in supporting this group. As a result, children make strong progress from their variable starting points.  The early years pupil premium funding supports children to visit a variety of places. This has included a trip to the ballet and a trip to see the butterflies. The purpose of these visits is to further develop experiences and, consequently, language. The strategy for children in receipt of the funding is brief and it is not clear what the barriers to learning are for this group or how their needs will be met. Leaders acknowledge that greater clarity is needed to ensure that this group make progress in all areas in line with their peers.

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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

 provision for children in receipt of the early years pupil premium funding is well focused to their needs.

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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 Hammersmith and Fulham. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection, I reviewed your own evaluation of the nursery. I also considered a range of documentation related to safeguarding, improvement planning and assessments of children’s skills and understanding. I held meetings with you and your deputy headteacher. I met with five members of the governing body. Together with you, I visited classrooms and the outdoor areas to observe children as they played and learned. I spoke to children about their learning and looked at records of their achievement over time. I held a meeting with two members of staff and considered the 16 responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire. During the day, I met informally with parents and I considered the 18 responses to Parent View (Ofsted’s online survey for parents).

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