Lydalls Nursery School

Inspection of an outstanding school: Lydalls Nursery School Lydalls Road, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 7HX

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Outcome

There has been no change to this school’s overall judgement of outstanding as a result of this initial (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a full inspection were carried out now. The next inspection will therefore be a full (section 5) inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Lydalls Nursery provides all children with the strong start they need to their education. Parents and carers are delighted that the school is so inclusive and focuses on the individual needs of their children. Families receive a very warm welcome and are actively encouraged to help with their child’s development. Strong relationships and building trust underpin the nursery’s clear approach to working in partnership with families.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children love attending this setting and are eager to learn. The staff work very well as a team to enable children to feel safe, secure and valued. Children who are new settle quickly into the clear routines and receive excellent care.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Happy children flourish here because dedicated staff equip children with the language and attributes to help them succeed. Children are encouraged constantly, and the enthusiasm of staff is infectious.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The nursery is packed full of varied, interesting and exciting activities. These help children develop their skills and keep learning exciting. Staff pay close attention to children’s own interests but also introduce them to new opportunities as well. Staff take great care to get to know each individual thoroughly to make sure that all children can be fully included in what this vibrant nursery has to offer.

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

Leaders are clear about what the school aims to achieve before children leave for other settings. Over time, they have developed a close-knit team of adults who are passionate about making these early school days the best they can be. Rightly, leaders prioritise children’s language and personal, social and emotional development (PSED) because of the needs of the children and the gaps many possess on entry. 7 June 2022

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The curriculum is ambitious and well considered. However, the curriculum does not consistently help children build all the knowledge they need to help them achieve exceptionally. This is because it is not clear to adults what all children need to know through play activity and the best order to learn it in. This also means that informal assessments and observations are not always focused on checking children’s understanding or if they need to revisit learning before moving on. As a result, not all children build their knowledge gradually and securely as they could.

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Staff teach the curriculum using a consistent set of effective approaches. This is because there is a team of staff who understand child development very well. Children recognise the language for learning that is used by adults throughout the school. This helps with choosing tasks and transitioning between activities.

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Promotion of communication and language is a strength of this school. Staff make every word count, ensuring that children hear a wide and relevant vocabulary. Children are encouraged and praised for repeating and enriching their speaking into increasingly full sentences. This starts with the language of needs and wants and moves to more conversational and descriptive language. Children who may be unable to use words to communicate are helped to express themselves successfully using Makaton and/or symbols.

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Right from the start, experienced staff work closely with families to get an accurate insight into children’s needs, interests and strengths. Leaders analyse information precisely, which helps them identify any children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and their potential barriers. Children with SEND make strong progress because staff use tailored plans, teach in the small steps they need and support children flexibly.

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Staff model the way they want children to behave. They intervene effectively to help children to understand their emotions and deal with any challenges. As children learn how to communicate and control their behaviour, their positive interactions with others increase. Children learn exceptionally well how to get along with others and play nicely.

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Children’s learning extends beyond the school gates, helping them expand their horizons. For example, leaders have carefully considered the many languages spoken and ensured that the learning environment reflects the cultures of all families. By recording familiar stories in children’s first language, opportunities to enjoy and share are taken. For example, all children feel that they belong and are valued. This helps enrich their understanding of the world and people from a range of religions and races they may not have encountered yet.

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Governors are completely in tune with the school’s priorities. They also challenge leaders on the impact of their work and their decision-making on children’s outcomes. Staff workload is manageable because they receive ongoing support and have clear systems in place. This means that staff can focus on working with children without distraction. Staff feel valued and well supported by leaders. Staff are very proud to be part of the team and clearly enjoy working here. 7 June 2022

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The safeguarding culture is strong. For example, leaders do not shy away from challenging other agencies and professionals if a child might be at risk. All staff are thoroughly trained to provide appropriate care and medical assistance to all children. Staff receive effective training, which helps them to identify the signs that children and families may need extra support. Information about child protection is recorded in detail and overseen meticulously to ensure that no concerns are missed. Leaders follow up on information, taking the right actions in a timely way. Checks on adults appointed are carried out thoroughly and monitored appropriately.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The planning of the curriculum and training in its delivery is not precise enough. This means that teaching does not always focus on what pupils need to know and remember over time. This sometimes leads to missed learning opportunities. Leaders should ensure that curriculum planning is clear about what pupils need to know and the best order to learn it in. In addition, leaders should ensure that high-quality training supports staff to implement these plans effectively.  Assessment strategies are not effective enough because they are not focused on what children have learned. Practitioners are not clear about exactly what they want children to know, remember and be able to do from play activities. This means that staff often focus on dispositions, for example teamwork or resilience, without checking the underlying learning intended. Children do not always build and practise using knowledge well enough. Leaders must ensure that adults have clear direction and

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

understand what must be learned to maximise children’s early development.

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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 as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding in January 2017. 7 June 2022

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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. 7 June 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10211283 Type of school Nursery

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Michelle Williamson

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School details

Date of previous inspection 24 and 25 January 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is organised into two mainstream nursery classes, one for younger children aged two to three, and the other for children aged three and over.  There is a breakfast club run on site and managed by the school.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, other school leaders and staff. The lead inspector met with the chair of the governing body and two other governors and spoke with a representative of the local authority by telephone. An inspector had informal conversations with parents on the morning of the inspection. 7 June 2022

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 To understand the quality of education provided by the school, the inspection team examined certain aspects of the early years foundation stage curriculum in detail (deep dives). This inspection included deep dives in the prime areas of communication and language and PSED, as well as physical development. To explore these aspects, inspectors spoke with leaders and other adults. Inspectors observed the nursery in action, including watching activities and listening to interactions between adults and children. The team also looked at what children created and produced through their various activities.  Inspectors also scrutinised the school’s arrangements for safeguarding. They explored adults’ knowledge and understanding of safeguarding, reviewed important records and checked procedures for vetting the suitability of adults.  Inspectors took account of parents’ responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent

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View, and parents’ written comments.  Inspectors met with a range of staff to gather their views about the school and took account of staff’s responses to Ofsted’s confidential staff survey.

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Inspection team

Gareth Flemington, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Judith O’Hare Ofsted Inspector 7 June 2022

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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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