Surbiton Hill Nursery School

Inspection of an outstanding school: Surbiton Children’s Centre Nursery Alpha Road, Surbiton, Surrey KT5 8RS

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Outcome

Surbiton Children’s Centre Nursery continues to be an outstanding school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children love coming to school. They are at the heart of every decision that leaders make. They rapidly develop their confidence and independence. Children arrive at school enthusiastically, self-register using their photo name card and set off to explore. The outside area is particularly popular and is a treasure trove of wonder. Children make ‘pasta’ and then write recipes in the mud kitchen. Others create their own obstacle courses and navigate through with a hand to help them if needed, always being kept safe. Staff quickly adapt activities to capture the attention and imagination of the children. On a windy day, we saw huge bubbles being created using crates. This delighted the children who began to discuss how they could make bigger bubbles that last for longer.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children are kind to each other. They share with their friends. I saw children help push each other up the hill on the trikes which needed staying power and drive. Behaviour is exceptional here. This is because adults know how to respond to children’s needs while having high expectations at all times. Parents and carers said that there is no bullying. They used words such as ‘amazing’, ‘dedicated’, and ‘genuinely care’ to describe the staff and their child’s nursery school experience.

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

This is an exceptional learning environment. The members of the early years team are experts at planning the curriculum and creating learning opportunities that enable all children to excel. The staff have ensured that all areas of learning are interwoven, meeting the varied needs and interests of all children. Children are proud to be able to select work to go on the wall, known as their ‘Squares Display’ and can explain what they have learned.

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

A love of reading begins with home visits, when the teacher takes each child a book bag with a selection of library books. When children start school, adults choose stories to match the needs and interests of the children. Children join in with well-known stories and use props in their play to bring characters to life. They can explain why they like 14 January 2020

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certain stories. For example, one child told me that they liked one story ‘because everyone can dance at the end!’. Staff use every moment of the day to promote song, rhyme and a love of books.

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Leaders are highly ambitious. Although the school is highly impressive, leaders are always looking at ways to improve their approach to what and how the children will learn. The members of the early years teaching team know exceptionally well how young children learn so they are able to identify and plan the next steps. Children are engaged and attentive because activities are well designed and stimulating. Recently, leaders have introduced an online learning and assessment system. This helps parents to know what their children are learning and for them to share learning moments from home more easily.

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Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) achieve well. Children who need support with speech and language are nurtured in the resource provision with activities designed carefully for them. They enjoy using the new sensory room and spending time with their friends outside, at breaktime and in the classroom. Parents are included in this learning journey and have the opportunity to observe their child’s activities.

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The provision for two-year-olds is carefully set up with familiar toys, similar to those the children would see at home. Staff balance this with increasingly challenging activities, often using natural resources such as wood and water, as children grow in confidence.

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Leaders and governors know the school well. Staff work hard to make the school a ‘home from home’ environment, especially for those children who attend for long days and during the holidays. Children have the opportunity to spend time in the local community. They visit a nearby café and go to the local library for ‘rhyme time’. Children take part in an intergenerational project with residents in sheltered housing. This includes doing jigsaw puzzles and singing songs together and has been a huge success.

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Leaders manage staff workload well. Staff recognise this and said that they feel valued and are listened to.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a culture of safeguarding at this school and thorough record keeping is in place. Staff are well trained and know what to do to keep children safe. They are vigilant and swiftly report any concerns. Senior leaders have taken steps to ensure that all staff receive first-aid training. Trained senior leaders take responsibility for overseeing safeguarding.

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Safeguarding

Children feel safe and explore all areas of the classroom and outside area with confidence. Staff carry out daily risk assessments to ensure that all areas of the school are safe. 14 January 2020

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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 nursery to be outstanding in June 2016.

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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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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 .

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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. 14 January 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10121636 Type of school Nursery

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School details

Chair of governing body Andrew Christopher

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School details

Website www.surbitonchildrenscentrenursery.com

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Information about this school

 Children are taught in one large, open-plan classroom. They attend on either a full- or part-time flexible basis. The school has provision for two-year-olds.  There is also provision for extended day care for up to 48 children on site. This includes a breakfast club and after-school club, as well as during the holidays. This extended provision is in an adjacent building and shares the outdoor area and dining hall. Qualified nursery nurses supervise the day care, with the early years leaders overseeing the provision and supporting with planning.  The school has a unit with 14 places for assessing and meeting the needs of children with social communication difficulties and other special needs and disabilities.  There is a higher than average proportion of children for whom English is an additional language.  Since the previous inspection, the deputy headteacher has been appointed as the headteacher. Senior positions have been restructured and the deputy headteacher role

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Information about this school

has been replaced with two part-time early years leaders. 14 January 2020

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Information about this inspection

 During the inspection, we held meetings with the headteacher and other senior leaders. We met with the vice-chair of governors and three other governors. We also spoke with a representative from the local authority.  We spoke briefly with parents as they dropped their children off in the morning. We took account of 47 responses to Parent View, the online Ofsted survey. Inspectors also took account of the school’s own survey of parental views in 2018/19.  We met with school leaders, staff and governors to discuss safeguarding. We reviewed records and the single central record.  We did deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and physical development. We visited lessons with leaders. We spoke with children and looked at their work. We also met with staff to discuss the curriculum and their roles at school.

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Inspection team

Paula Craigie, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Kanwaljit Singh Ofsted Inspector 14 January 2020

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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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