The Ambleside Centre

Inspection of an outstanding school: The Ambleside Centre Ambleside Close, Woodley, Reading, Berkshire RG5 4JJ

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Outcome

The Ambleside Centre continues to be an outstanding school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children love their time in this happy, welcoming and inclusive school. Children move eagerly and confidently from one high-quality activity to the next. They behave exceptionally well because they are engrossed in what they are doing. The nursery is a hive of activity. It hums with the gentle sound of children playing, talking and learning. Children are very safe in the school’s nurturing and well-organised environment. The warm and trusting relationships they develop with adults help them to feel valued and secure. Staff take good care of children and are alert to their well-being. Concerns about bullying hardly ever arise, but leaders respond seriously and sensitively when they do.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The nursery prepares all children exceptionally well for the next stage of their schooling. Adults have the highest expectations of all children. They combine these with a deep understanding of each child’s needs. Skilful teaching, combined with caring and sensitive support, mean that all children make exceptional progress in their learning and development. Staff expertise in teaching children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) means that these children learn just as well as other children. Their progress is impressive. Children with SEND play a full and active part in all aspects of nursery life.

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

Leaders have established a carefully constructed and well-sequenced curriculum. This, and adults’ thorough knowledge of how to teach young children, ensure that children learn exceptionally well across all areas of learning. Adults use every opportunity to support children’s development with great skill. For example, during the inspection, an adult capitalised on a child’s enthusiasm for the playhouse to develop language skills, encouraging him to repeat phrases such as ‘knock-knock’, ‘come in’ and ‘bye-bye’. Adults continuously assess children’s learning. They know exactly how to support each child’s development. 23 November 2021

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Children thrive in the nursery’s positive and nurturing atmosphere. Adults’ success in settling children into routines is startling. Children respond exceptionally well to adults’ high expectations. They quickly learn the importance of ‘good sitting’, ‘good looking’ and ‘good listening’. The setting is highly effective in helping children to develop independence skills. At lunchtime, for example, children confidently serve themselves while seated at tables. During the inspection, they happily helped themselves to potatoes, carrots, shepherd’s pie and a drink of water without fuss. Adults are always on hand to provide help wherever needed.

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The school gives the development of children’s language and vocabulary a very high priority. Children are routinely encouraged to talk about what they are doing and to express opinions and ideas. They learn to do this confidently because they know that adults will value what they have to say.

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The nursery supports the development of early reading extremely well. It provides a wide range of appealing books that are displayed throughout. Children learn how to hold a book, turn the pages and talk about the story. They love listening to adults reading them stories. Adults use discussions with children skilfully to develop reading skills. For example, during the inspection, an adult used ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’ to ask children about what they could see in the pictures, and what they thought might happen next in the story.

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Children have plenty of opportunities to explore early mathematics throughout the nursery and learn very well. For example, activities with modelling clay are used to develop children’s understanding of ‘more than’ and ‘less than’, bead games are used to practise counting to five, and shape games are used to develop understanding of the names and properties of shapes.

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The nursery usually provides children with lots of activities to learn about the world, from collecting leaves to posting letters. Speakers visit to talk to children about different cultures and faiths, and children learn about festivals, such as Diwali and Christmas. The nursery is looking forward to reinstating visits, visitors and special events as pandemic restrictions begin to ease.

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Leaders provide a strong steer for their staff team. They make sure that adults are well qualified and knowledgeable about the early years curriculum. Staff feel well supported. They say that leaders prioritise their welfare.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders give children’s safety an appropriately high priority. Adults are alert to any signs that may cause concern. They report any worries promptly following the school’s well- established reporting procedures. Leaders monitor records carefully. They work closely with agencies, such as children’s services, to ensure that children and their families receive the help they need. 23 November 2021

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Children are taught that their views matter. They learn that they can say ‘no’ if they would rather not hold another’s hand, for example. The nursery is well organised. Children can move safely freely between activities.

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Background

When we have judged a 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 or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, 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 deem the section 8 inspection 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 in December 2021.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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. 23 November 2021

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Samantha McMahon

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Date of previous inspection

23 November 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school offers specialist provision for children with a hearing impairment. Children who require this provision are placed by the local authority. No children with hearing impairment were attending at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders, and have taken that into account in their evaluation.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and other members of staff. They also spoke with three governors, including the chair of governors, and a local authority representative.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in literacy, mathematics and personal, social and emotional development. They looked at curriculum plans, met with a group of staff, and visited all areas of the school. Inspectors spoke with parents and carers informally at the start of the morning and afternoon nursery sessions. They also considered the views of those parents and staff who had completed Ofsted’s surveys. 23 November 2021

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 The inspectors reviewed a range of safeguarding records and documents, including the single central record of checks on staff. They also met with the designated safeguarding lead and reviewed the school’s safeguarding records.

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Inspection team

Julie Sackett, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Lizzie Jeanes Ofsted Inspector 23 November 2021

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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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