Grandpont Nursery School

Inspection of a good school: Grandpont Nursery School Whitehouse Road, Oxford, Oxfordshire OX1 4QH

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Outcome

Grandpont Nursery School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children love coming to school. They enjoy being with their friends and learning together both inside the classroom and in the well-planned outside space. Children feel safe and happy. They talk positively about the help that they receive from the adults.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children are polite and confident. They behave well during activities and around the school site. Children get on well with one another and show understanding and respect to staff and other children. Staff deal with any behaviour that is below the school’s high expectations, including bullying, quickly and well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of all children. They plan learning that develops their knowledge and skills effectively. Consequently, children achieve well and are prepared successfully to move on to primary school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents say they value the school’s caring ethos and the positive start the school gives their children. Parents appreciate the opportunities to meet and discuss their children’s individual needs. Children enjoy the wide range of activities that take place inside and outside. The curriculum is enhanced through visits within the local area and to places of interest further afield. This helps them to understand the world around them.

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

Children experience a curriculum that is ambitious and supports their learning and development. Leaders have sequenced learning in most areas of learning. This helps children to build their skills and knowledge over time so that they can achieve well. Leaders know that the curriculum for some areas needs further work, for example physical development. Leaders in some areas have not identified the knowledge that they want children to gain. In some parts of the curriculum leaders have not thought about the order in which children will be introduced to new learning. 14 June 2022

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The teaching of early reading is a strength of the school. Leaders make certain that staff understand when and how to begin teaching children the sounds that letters make. Leaders and staff have thought carefully about the books that they read to children. They make sure that the books children read mirror what is being taught. Some books introduce children to a range of new words and sounds. Children love listening to and talking about stories. Staff are very good at making story times interesting. They make sure that they keep a close check on how well children learn to read. They use this information to plan activities that build children’s knowledge and reading skills steadily. Staff help parents to support their children with reading at home.

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Staff make sure that children develop a rich vocabulary. For example, children know a range of words linked to life cycles. They talked knowledgeably about a cocoon and know what is happening inside it. Staff identify and understand well the different communication and language needs of children. Teachers adapt learning so that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities take part in learning fully and are successful. Staff provide effective support for individual children. This means that the right help is in place to meet children’s specific need across the different areas of learning.

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Leaders have high expectations of behaviour. Staff are consistent in their approach to help children regulate their emotions and manage their behaviour. Children move sensibly and safely in the nursery building and when working and playing outside. They follow the clear and simple rules and routines well.

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Leaders have thoughtfully shaped how the curriculum supports children’s personal, social and emotional development. This means that the opportunities children encounter add significantly to their growth as responsible young people. They take part in a high-quality projects and visits and learn to apply and improve their skills. Children learn about difference and similarities in appropriate ways, for example through stories and pictures. These activities help children to learn about different countries and cultures.

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Staff feel supported by leaders. They say that their workload is taken into account. Staff appreciate the supervision meetings that the headteacher organises. This provides a meaningful opportunity to discuss any concerns.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding in this school. Children’s safety, welfare and well-being are at the heart of the school’s work. Leaders provide staff with a wide range of training in relation to safeguarding. This enables staff to know how to spot any signs of abuse or neglect and to recognise when a child may be at risk from harm.

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Safeguarding

Pre-employment checks are carried out carefully when appointing staff to ensure they are suitable to work with children. Children learn about keeping themselves safe in the school and when in the local area. 14 June 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders do not consistently pinpoint and sequence the essential knowledge that children must learn. This means that children do not always achieve as much as they could across all areas of learning. Leaders are aware of this and should continue with their work to identify the key knowledge that staff will teach children to build their knowledge and skills incrementally.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. 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 good in May 2017.

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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. 14 June 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10227899 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 Sara Carey and Daniela Cesco (Co-Chairs)

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School details

Website www.grandpontnurseryschool.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 3–4 May 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The interim headteacher took up her role in November 2021.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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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 school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: communication and language, including early reading; physical development; and mathematics. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to staff and children and looked at children’s work.  Inspectors met with the interim headteacher, the acting lead teacher and the acting special educational needs coordinator. An inspector had a meeting with three governors, including the co-chairs of the governing body.  The lead inspector met with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors spoke with staff to discuss workload, well-being and safeguarding.

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 Inspectors spoke with children about their school experience.  Documentation relating to safeguarding was scrutinised by inspectors.  Inspectors took account of parents’ views in their conversations with parents at the beginning and end of the school day.

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Inspection team

Richard Blackmore, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Debra Anderson Ofsted Inspector 14 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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