Greenfields Nursery School and Children’s Centre

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

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Mrs Ellie Larkin Headteacher Greenfields Nursery School and Children’s Centre Recreation Road Southall Middlesex UB2 5PF

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Short inspection of Greenfields Nursery School and Children’s Centre

Following my visit to the school on 11 September 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 2014.

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Short inspection of Greenfields Nursery School and Children’s Centre

This school continues to be outstanding.

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Short inspection of Greenfields Nursery School and Children’s Centre

The leadership team has maintained the outstanding quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Your authority and determination ensure that all children receive the very best provision and make progress in all areas of development.

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Short inspection of Greenfields Nursery School and Children’s Centre

Leaders have responded promptly to the key issue arising from the last inspection. All children are now assessed within four weeks of entering the school. Their progress is tracked termly with those joining mid-term receiving more regular monitoring. There are no discernible differences in the results achieved between children who start school at the beginning of the year and those who start mid- term.

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Short inspection of Greenfields Nursery School and Children’s Centre

Leaders respect parents and carers as equal partners in their children’s education and expect all adults working in the school to do likewise. The curriculum is planned effectively to support children’s interests and meet their development needs. It is firmly underpinned by a framework of values and clear expectations which children quickly learn to understand and respect.

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Short inspection of Greenfields Nursery School and Children’s Centre

Governors make strategic decisions, with children’s education and welfare at heart. The recent introduction of an outdoor learning programme is a strong example. Mindful of the additional financial implications, governors determined it to be worthwhile because of its many benefits to learning. Regular and detailed reports on children’s progress give governors the information they need to undertake their strategic role. Leaders and governors are tenacious in their pursuit of an inclusive educational provision. Provision for two-year-olds and for children with additional needs, including those who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities, reflect this commitment well.

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Short inspection of Greenfields Nursery School and Children’s Centre

Leaders ensure that safeguarding procedures are fit for purpose. Staff training is regular and relevant, taking account of recent changes to statutory guidance.

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Short inspection of Greenfields Nursery School and Children’s Centre

Staff are experienced, curious and vigilant. They know the children well and they know what to do if they have a concern about a child. They use the curriculum effectively to teach children about personal safety. For example, when reading the story of ‘Goldilocks and the three bears’, staff talked about the danger of going into strangers’ houses. Well-chosen resources, such as an indoor ‘zebra crossing’ help children to learn about keeping safe when out and about on the roads. Simple but important school rules help children develop their own sense of personal safety. Detailed and closely monitored risk assessments for the rooms and activities ensure that all eventualities are considered.

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Short inspection of Greenfields Nursery School and Children’s Centre

Governors take their responsibilities for safeguarding seriously. The chair of the governing body takes personal responsibility for quality assuring the single central record of staff suitability checks. All governors receive termly reports informing them of the impact of leaders’ safeguarding practices. Governors take account of wider safeguarding issues, including poor attendance. Improving the attendance of all children and especially the two-year-olds is a new and important priority. At present, leaders do not consider the attendance data alongside information on children’s educational outcomes so that a rounded picture can be built of the development needs of each child.

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Short inspection of Greenfields Nursery School and Children’s Centre

Parents who responded to the school’s survey and those I spoke to agreed that their children are safe in school. This is a view echoed by staff.

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Inspection findings

 We agreed to focus on three areas you believed to exemplify the school’s outstanding practice. The school serves a community where there is considerable disadvantage for children and families. So, the first was how leaders enable children, including those who are disadvantaged, to make strong progress. We agreed to focus on language development and children’s personal and social development.  Children make strong progress in their learning. For example, a small group of three-year-olds played ‘lotto’ with an adult. The adult modelled the rules of the game, reinforced vocabulary and used praise to good effect. The children listened carefully, kept their cards and board in order and showed that they were beginning to understand how to play this game together.  Adults promote children’s speaking skills effectively. For example, outside in the mud kitchen, two children were ‘cooking’ while an adult chatted to them about

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Inspection findings

their choice of ingredients and use of utensils. Encouraged by the adult’s interest, the children persevered with the task and enjoyed the experience.  Children who require additional support to help their learning benefit from a quieter and calmer environment. This enables them to learn through activities for personal, social and language development but in smaller steps and at a suitable pace.  The entire school day includes very effective learning experiences that promote children’s personal, social and language development. Snack and lunchtimes provide further opportunities to learn personal and social skills such as taking turns, choosing sensibly and sitting down calmly while eating. Well-established routines at the beginning and end of sessions also support these development areas very well. Calm and orderly registration at the start of the session means that staff can talk to the children about the activities available that day. Stories

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Inspection findings

and songs at the end of the sessions help children to build up their own repertoire.  From the range of evidence, including my observations, conversations and reading children’s work, these aspects of your school’s curriculum reflect outstanding practice.  The next area of focus looked at how leaders developed the provision for two- year-olds to a level that reflects the strong practice across the school. This area was chosen because it has been established since the school was last inspected.  Provision for two-year-olds is completely integrated into the life and work of the school. It is underpinned by the same values and ethos as for the older children. Two-year-old children receive a broad and balanced curriculum that reflects their younger age and earlier stages of development. Identical systems for assessment on entry and for tracking and monitoring progress help leaders and teachers to meet children’s individual needs.

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Inspection findings

 Leaders ensure that the youngest children try out activities that interest and challenge them. In the outdoor space, a small group of children were making hand and foot prints on large sheets of paper. Adults gently encouraged curious children to try out this new tactile, creative activity. Very young children learned new words associated with the experience, enjoyed the sensations of stickiness and slipperiness, and built trust with the adults supporting them.  The quality of provision combined with strong values and high expectations have all contributed to the provision for two-year-olds being highly effective.  Our final focus was on how effectively leaders use partnerships with parents to develop children’s learning.  Parents gave examples of how staff help them with their children’s learning at home. They spoke positively about the changes for the better in their children’s language and their confidence in trying out new things.

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Inspection findings

 Leaders and staff speak warmly about the value they place on the relationship between home and school. Overall, leaders encourage parents to see themselves as lifelong learners and so provide good role models for their children now and in the future.

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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

 data gathered on children’s progress and attainment is combined with that for their attendance so that leaders can secure even stronger outcomes for the children who are disadvantaged.

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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 Ealing. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

At the start of the inspection, we agreed three lines of enquiry to exemplify your self-evaluation of the school’s performance. I held meetings with senior leaders, the chair of the governing body, the designated safeguarding leads and staff. I also spoke to two representatives from the local authority. I observed learning in lessons in personal and social development and in language development. I looked at a small number of portfolios of children’s work and discussed these with leaders. I spoke to a small number of parents and to children. I considered the responses to the staff survey, pupil survey and responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents as well as one provided by the school. I read reports to governors about children’s progress and an article in a national publication on a community project involving the school.

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