Selhurst Nursery School and Children's Centre

Inspection of Selhurst Nursery School and Children’s Centre 23 Dagnall Park, South Norwood, London SE25 5PL

p.1

Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 15–16 January 2020

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

The quality of education is not good enough at Selhurst Nursery and Children’s Centre. Older children do not have enough opportunities to extend their learning and reading skills. The school’s curriculum plans do not focus on what children should learn, particularly in reading.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Many improvements have taken place since the previous inspection. Leaders now have a good handle on the school’s strengths and weaknesses. The staff team is committed to improvement.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Staff relationships with parents and carers are strong. Positive partnerships begin with home visits to gather information. As a result, staff know pupils well and want the best for them. The school is welcoming and inclusive. The emphasis on communication enables children who speak little English to learn to speak effectively.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Children love learning. They share, listen and take turns when playing together. Disadvantaged children and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. Children are polite and well-mannered, and treat adults with respect. They are well behaved. Children are safe and happy. They are proud to see their kindness recognised with a leaf on the kindness tree. Bullying is very rare; there are no recorded incidents of bullying in the school.

p.2

better?

Staff’s understanding of what older children can do and need to do next is not strong. This is because plans for these children do not identify what children know and need to learn next. Staff use the assessment processes provided by leaders. However, weak planning limits their ability to guide children appropriately. Adults’ understanding of the knowledge, skills or experiences that the older children need to gain next is not strong. Some adult interactions with older children do not focus on improving learning. As a result, older children do not achieve as well as they could.

p.2

better?

Children show a keen interest in books. They like to choose books themselves and enjoy looking at them as they play. However, older children’s understanding about a variety of stories is not well developed. The teaching of reading is not challenging for older children. It is too similar to that provided for younger children.

p.2

better?

Teachers are clear about what the younger children need to know and do. They identify early on the children that need extra support to help them catch up. Staff make it a priority to help children to communicate well with each other. They build children’s language step by step, using simple words and phrases. Children new to the English language receive strong support. As a result, these children settle quickly into school. 15–16 January 2020

p.2

3

Children’s personal development is a high priority. All children play independently for a long time inside and outside, exploring the world around them. Children learn to problem solve, for example by moving water to different areas using drainpipes, buckets and ladles. They take great interest in observing this. Children make decisions together, changing plans to include each other’s ideas. They enjoy using the range of equipment on offer. For example, children showed great excitement as they uncovered more and more worms while digging with spades and forks. Children develop appropriate physical skills. They learn to cut up fruit safely during snack time. Children behave well because staff have high expectations.

p.3

3

Children with SEND receive good support. Staff are well trained to meet their needs. They provide appropriate and sensitive help for these children. They adjust activities with precision as a result of careful planning and regular reviews. Leaders are ambitious and want pupils with SEND to achieve as well as others.

p.3

3

Leaders use expertise from the other school within the federation. This helps to increase staff skills and knowledge about early years practice. Staff value the training and support leaders provide. They work towards developing their teaching skills with those who have experience. Governors have been effective in addressing areas for improvement from the previous inspection. Leaders continue to be considerate of the well-being and workload of staff.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

Children’s safety and welfare are high priority for everyone in the school. Parents said that the school helps keep their children safe. Staff training is thorough. They recognise when a child may need specific help and know what to do if they have any concerns. Leaders follow up actions taken as a result of any concerns raised in a timely manner. Leaders quickly seek external support when needed. This includes the beneficial family support from the Children’s Centre. Leaders carry out all appropriate checks when recruiting new staff and governors.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s long-term curriculum planning does not contain all that children should know and be able to do by the time they leave. This means some staff are not clear about what the older children need to learn. As a result, these children do not achieve all that they are capable of. They are not sufficiently prepared for their next school, especially in reading. Leaders should ensure that the needs of the older children are included in curriculum plans. 15–16 January 2020

p.3

How can I feed back my views?

or to 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.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

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

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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. 15–16 January 2020

p.4

School details

Inspection number 10121517 Type of school Nursery

p.5

School details

Appropriate authority The governing board

p.5

School details

Headteacher Jaqi Stevenson (executive headteacher)

p.5

School details

Date of previous inspection 2–3 November 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 The school is federated with Crosfield Nursery and Children’s Centre. The schools share an executive headteacher and a governing board.  The Children’s Centre is subject to separate inspection arrangements.  The school offers a range of full-time and part-time places for two-, three- and four-year olds.

p.5

Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.5

Information about this inspection

 We met with the executive headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator, two members of the governing board and a representative from the local authority. We spoke with parents at the beginning and end of the school day.  We did deep dives in these subjects: personal, social and emotional development, communication and language (including reading) and physical development. We 15–16 January 2020

p.5

6

spoke with leaders, teachers and support staff. We visited lessons and scrutinised children’s learning journeys and planning documents.  A wide range of school documentation was scrutinised, including documentation relating to the governing board, safeguarding, behaviour, assessment, the school’s own evaluation of its work and the school’s plans for improvement.  We took account of 12 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, including 15 responses in free text. We also considered 12 responses to the staff survey.

p.6

Inspection team

Rebekah Iiyambo, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Tom Canning Ofsted Inspector 15–16 January 2020

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

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 .

p.7

7

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

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7