Etherley Lane Nursery School

Inspection of Etherley Lane Nursery School Hazel Grove, Bishop Auckland, County Durham DL14 7RF

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Inadequate Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Inadequate Previous inspection grade Outstanding 17 and 18 May 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders’ expectations of what children should learn are not ambitious enough. Leaders have not developed a curriculum that clearly sets out what children will learn. Children experience a disconnected series of activities that do not enable them to make the progress of which they are capable. Staff do not have the curriculum knowledge to support children to achieve well. Children do not build the knowledge they need to ready them for their move to primary school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children are happy and safe. Relationships between staff and pupils are positive. Children settle quickly into the routines of the nursery. They form strong attachments to their key workers and are happy to leave their parents and carers at the start of the day. Parents welcome the positive, nurturing and caring role models provided by the key workers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The nursery is a calm and purposeful learning environment. Children have the space to play and explore, including outdoors. Adults encourage children to build their independence. Children enjoy spending time in the forest school garden or playing in the mud kitchen. With support from adults, children learn to manage their behaviour well.

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better?

Leaders have not identified the key knowledge that children should learn during their time at the nursery. Key workers do not have access to plans about what knowledge to teach and in what order. Leaders have not provided staff with suitable curriculum training. As a result, staff do not have sufficient understanding of what children should know or how to quickly address gaps in their learning. Children’s knowledge and understanding do not build well over time. Children are not well prepared for the demands of primary schooling.

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better?

Governors have not supported and challenged the school’s leadership with sufficient rigour. They have been too accepting. The local authority and governors have not acted to resolve the issue of permanent school leadership over a four-year period. Governors have not ensured that leaders sought appropriate external support to develop a suitable curriculum. Governors have failed to hold leaders to account for identifying and tackling the nursery’s weaknesses. Leaders, including governors, have not considered the staff’s well-being and workload sufficiently. Some staff told inspectors that they feel they have been ‘forgotten’. They feel they are working reactively rather than proactively. Governors have taken insufficient action to ensure leaders understand and address staff’s concerns.

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better?

Children enjoy listening to a wide range of books which introduce them to rhyme, language patterns and story language. They choose to sit quietly with books in the outdoor classroom. Children know these books well and can recite the stories from memory. Adults read to children regularly. Some adults use questioning well to develop children’s understanding. However, this is not consistently the case. Some 17 and 18 May 2022

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adults do not introduce children to new vocabulary consistently well. These issues limit the progress that children make.

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The acting headteacher ensures that the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified quickly. Staff use additional resources, such as speech and language activities, to meet children’s specific needs. The acting headteacher works effectively with external professionals to provide children and families with specialist interventions. However, the absence of an ambitious curriculum limits children’s learning opportunities. These children do not have the opportunity to gain the necessary foundations they need for later learning.

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Adults have a strong understanding of how to promote children’s positive behaviour and attitudes. They establish clear routines and expectations, such as putting on waders before playing in the water and taking turns on the bicycles. Adults provide positive role models for managing these routines and dealing with any frustrations. Most children demonstrate the ability to persevere with activities for extended periods of time. At times, when activities do not match their level of understanding, children lose attention more quickly.

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Strong partnerships with parents are a key feature of the nursery. All parents who responded to the Ofsted Parent View survey said that they would recommend Etherley Lane Nursery. Parents enjoy the new online learning journals. Staff update these regularly with information that parents can share with their children at home. Leaders include assessment information in these journals. However, the lack of a well-planned curriculum limits the impact and effectiveness of these assessments.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The acting headteacher ensures that all adults working in the school are safe to do so. She has established a culture in which the safety of children is central to all decisions made. Governors monitor safeguarding records and procedures regularly. The acting headteacher provides annual training and regular updates to all staff and governors. Staff understand how to raise a concern. They are vigilant and quick to act when they are worried about a child.

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Safeguarding

The acting headteacher works closely with external professionals such as the health visitor and social workers. This ensures that children and families receive the additional support and advice they need.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not designed and implemented a suitable curriculum. This means that children experience disconnected activities that do not meet their learning needs. Leaders, including governors, should develop and implement a well- 17 and 18 May 2022

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planned and ambitious curriculum that prepares children well for their next stage in learning.  Leaders have not provided staff with appropriate curriculum development training. Staff do not have the subject knowledge they need to identify gaps in children’s learning. Leaders should ensure that staff have a secure understanding of the small steps of development in each area of learning so that they can support children to catch up quickly.  Governors have not given sufficient attention to the strategic direction of the school. They do not hold leaders to account effectively for the development of children’s education and the workload and well-being of staff. As a result, the school’s effectiveness has declined over time. Governors should urgently access the training necessary so that they can provide robust oversight and assurance and hold leaders to account for their actions.  Leaders and those responsible for governance may not appoint early career

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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. 17 and 18 May 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Jo Madgwick (Acting Headteacher)

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School details

Website www.etherleylane-nur.durham.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 9 January 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher has been in an acting role since 2018.  The number of children on roll has fallen since the previous inspection. As a result, governors have reduced the number of administration and teaching support staff.

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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

In accordance with section 44(1) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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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. 17 and 18 May 2022

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 Inspectors met with the acting headteacher, members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives into these areas of learning: communication and language, personal, social and emotional development, literacy, mathematics and understanding the world. For each deep dive, inspectors spoke to the acting headteacher, spent time observing daily routines and activities, spoke to staff and observed specific children at different times of the day.  Inspectors also met with the acting headteacher to discuss the provision for pupils with SEND and procedures for monitoring children’s attendance.  To judge the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors scrutinised the single central record of recruitment checks, reviewed the procedures for safer recruitment of staff and held a meeting with the designated safeguarding lead. Inspectors met with staff to check their understanding of safeguarding and the

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impact of any training received.  Inspectors met with parents at the start and end of the day and spoke to a selection of parents via telephone. Inspectors considered responses to the survey, Ofsted Parent View, including 22 free-text responses.

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Inspection team

Alex Thorp, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Amy Keith Ofsted Inspector 17 and 18 May 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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