Lane Head Nursery School

Inspection of an outstanding school: Lane Head Nursery School High Road, Willenhall, West Midlands WV12 4JQ

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Outcome

Lane Head Nursery School continues to be an outstanding school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders, staff and governors live and breathe the school’s motto of ‘Every day, in every way, everyone matters’. They make sure that every child blossoms during their time at the school. Children bounce into school each day. They are keen to get going with the exciting activities that adults provide.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Adults have high expectations of children. They make every moment a learning opportunity. Activities capture children’s imagination and inspire their interests. Children are constantly busy. They love learning and are exceptionally well prepared for starting Reception.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children are happy and confident. They enjoy spending time with their friends. Children learn how to work together. For example, during the inspection, a group of children built a bridge for the three little pigs. They shared the equipment and helped each other out.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Adults know children extremely well. They know what children like, what they are good at and where they need help. Adults are highly skilled. They let children experiment for themselves. They understand when to offer support and when to challenge children to do more.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are delighted with the quality of education the school provides. They are confident that their children are safe at school. Parents have no concerns about bullying.

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

Leaders and staff are clear about what they want children to know and be able to do by the time they leave Lane Head. They work tirelessly to ensure that all children make a flying start to their education.

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

Adults assess children’s knowledge and skills thoroughly. They plan activities to meet 22 October 2019

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children’s needs. Adults understand what to teach children and in what order. Learning builds day by day and week by week across all areas of the curriculum. Adults plan purposeful activities that develop lots of skills at one time. For example, during the inspection, children used tweezers to pick up toy bears. They sorted the bears into different colours and counted how many they had.

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Activities are exciting and fun. Children choose the activities they do and follow their interests. They are engrossed in their work. Children concentrate for long periods of time. They work with great care and are proud of what they achieve. Activities help children to develop early writing skills. For example, children take part in ‘dough disco’. They make shapes using playdough. This strengthens their fingers so that they can hold a pencil correctly.

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Leaders and staff prioritise developing children’s communication and language skills. Adults model language extremely well. They talk constantly to children. Adults listen carefully to what children have to say. They match the language they use and the questions they ask to the skills of each child. Children grow in confidence when speaking in different situations. They learn to listen to adults and to each other.

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Children quickly develop a love of reading. Adults plan activities that link to ‘treasured texts’. These are well-known stories that children get to know inside out. For example, children are currently enjoying the story of ‘The Three Little Pigs’. They know the story off by heart. Adults read regularly to children. Children take home a different book each day to share with a grown-up.

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Relationships between adults and children are strong and nurturing. Adults use ‘emotion zones’ to help children to understand and explain how they are feeling. They frequently praise children. Adults encourage children to try hard and to keep going when they find things difficult. Weekly ‘wow’ experiences support children to practise real-life skills, such as making a sandwich.

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Children’s behaviour is exemplary. Well-established routines support children to become confident, independent learners. Children learn to share and take turns. They play happily with their friends and say that children are kind to each other.

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Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive excellent support. They take part in all aspects of school life. Leaders provide staff with training. They work closely with external agencies such as the speech and language therapist.

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Leaders provide a range of activities to help children learn about the world around them. They visit places of interest such as a forest, the post office and the local church. Children celebrate different festivals, including Diwali and Chinese New Year. They know that it is important to eat healthy food.

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The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Adults receive regular training in safeguarding. They know children well and are alert to changes in their appearance or behaviour. There are strategies to help children let adults know if they are worried or upset. Adults know how to report concerns about children. When children are frequently absent from school, leaders check that they are safe.

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Children learn to take risks in a safe environment. For example, they learn to climb trees and use a knife to butter bread. Adults teach children about ‘stranger danger’. They provide parents with information about how to keep their children safe online.

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Background

When we have judged a maintained nursery school to be outstanding, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains outstanding. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding on 1 February 2012.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 22 October 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10111816 Type of school Nursery

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Cathy Draper (executive headteacher) Deb Walton (head of school) Website www.lane-head.walsall.sch.uk/

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School details

Date of previous inspection 8 December 2015

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Information about this school

 The school runs a before- and after-school club, although this is due for imminent closure.  There is a lunchtime club for children who attend full-time.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors held meetings with the executive headteacher, head of school, curriculum leader and other staff. The lead inspector met with the chair of the governing body and one governor.  Inspectors looked in depth at communication and language, literacy and personal, social and emotional development. In each area of learning, inspection activities included discussions with leaders, visits to lessons, meetings with staff, looking at examples of children’s work and discussions with children.  Inspectors observed children’s behaviour and spoke with children when they visited lessons.  Inspectors met with leaders to discuss the school’s safeguarding procedures. They reviewed policies and records relating to safeguarding, behaviour, attendance and 22 October 2019

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children who have left the school. Inspectors spoke to children and staff about how safe children are at school.  Inspectors reviewed the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plans, minutes of governing body meetings and information on the school’s website. They took account of the 17 responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire.  Inspectors took into consideration the 20 responses to Parent View, including the 15 free-text responses. An inspector spoke to parents at the beginning of the school day.

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Inspection team

Claire Jones, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Ian Beardmore Ofsted Inspector 22 October 2019

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regulates and inspects to 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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