Stockingford Maintained Nursery School

Inspection of Stockingford Maintained Nursery School St Paul’s Road, Stockingford, Nuneaton, Warwickshire CV10 8HW

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Previous inspection grade Good 14 and 15 June 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

‘A place of possibilities’ is how leaders describe their school. They are absolutely right. Highly skilled adults nurture, inspire and enable children to grow. Leaders and staff are highly ambitious for what children can achieve. They want the very best for them. No limit is put on what children can accomplish.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children make exceptionally strong progress. The enticing learning environment and carefully planned activities spark children’s interests. They settle quickly and love to explore. There is a real buzz of learning across the nursery. For example, at lunchtime in the bistro children develop excellent social skills as they eat by candlelight to the sound of soothing music. Staff ensure that every moment is a learning moment.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff get to know and understand each child really well. They gently and patiently show children how to do things. They sensitively help children understand and manage their emotions and feelings. Relationships with adults and between children are exceptionally strong. Children behave very well and look after each other. Bullying is not an issue.

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What is it like to attend this school?

A strong partnership with parents and carers is in place. Parents say that their children flourish. They value the way leaders look after whole families, as well as their children.

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better?

Leaders know exactly what they want children to be able do by the time they are ready for school. They have set out an ambitious, highly engaging curriculum with clear end points. In each area of learning, leaders sequence the key knowledge they want children to learn. They build in opportunities for adults to further support and extend children’s thinking. They take a rigorous approach to ensuring that all children access a broad curriculum. Nothing is left to chance.

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better?

A well-thought-out approach to teaching and learning is deeply embedded. Leaders ensure there is an effective balance between planned learning experiences, adult-led sessions and child-led learning. Teaching helps every child achieve the best they can in their learning and in their personal and social skills. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff make daily checks on what children have learned and make necessary adjustments to their teaching. Children achieve extremely well.

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better?

Adults are very well trained and have a deep understanding of how young children learn and develop. They skilfully help children learn new things through precise teaching and clear demonstrations. They give children time to think for themselves. Staff know just when to intervene. They teach with passion, energy and purpose, inspiring children into new areas of learning. Adults are highly effective at 14 and 15 June 2022

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encouraging children to have a go. Children quickly gain confidence and independence.

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Leaders rightly ensure that there is a high focus on developing children’s communication and language skills. Although many children have extremely limited communication skills on entry, adults help children gain strong language skills so that they can thrive. Children are keen to talk about what they can do. They remember words they have been taught, such as nocturnal, overflow and minibeasts, and explain what they mean. All adults know the key vocabulary that is to be taught, practised and learned.

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Children display a love of stories, poems and rhymes. Staff choose books to link to the curriculum that inspire and excite pupils’ interest. They read to children every day. The delivery of the school’s phonics programme is effective. When they are ready, children have the opportunity to practise their phonics knowledge across a wide range of activities.

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Careful planning ensures that children’s development is promoted very well. Staff make sure that children have rich learning experiences indoors and out. Outdoor spaces support children’s physical development extremely well. Children hunt for minibeasts in wooded areas, while others paddle and explore how to build a dam. Children learn how to be an artist choosing their own brushes and paints. They enthusiastically describe the shapes they use when painting in the style of Kandinsky.

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Staff support children to develop bonds with each other and to play together extremely well. Staff are alert to any disagreement between children and work with them to find solutions. Children show great care and concern for their friends. For example, a girl gently placed her friend’s sun hat on her head before they went out to play. They are extremely well motivated and eager to learn.

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Governors are deeply committed and ambitious for Stockingford Nursery. They hold leaders to account for the quality of education provided effectively. Staff feel valued and proud to work at the Nursery. They feel very well supported by leaders and value the high-quality training package on offer.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff complete high-quality training, so understand their responsibility to report concerns, no matter how small. They know pupils and their families very well. They quickly spot changes in behaviour and note any concerns. Effective record-keeping, including the new electronic recording system, and processes are in place. Leaders secure the help of other agencies, so children and families get help when needed. Leaders check and record staff’s suitability to work with children. 14 and 15 June 2022

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Through the curriculum and in the exciting learning environment, adults support children to take risks safely. Children learn to climb, balance and put safety glasses on when hammering nails.

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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. 14 and 15 June 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10201059 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 Caroline Phillips

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School details

Website www.stockingfordnurseryschool.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 20 November 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher and specialist leader in education support other nurseries across the local authority.  The school does not 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

 After the initial two days of inspection, Ofsted decided that it was necessary to return to the school to gather further evidence to complete the inspection. This additional inspection day was undertaken by two of Her Majesty’s Inspectors.  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.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in communication and language, personal, social and emotional development, physical development and mathematics. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, discussed the curriculum, 14 and 15 June 2022

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visited lessons, observed children and spoke to some of them about their learning and spoke to teachers and the other adults in the setting.  Inspectors met with members of the governing body, including the chair of the governing body.  Inspectors spoke with parents at the start of the day and considered the responses, including written responses, to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents.  Inspectors reviewed safeguarding records, including the single central record of recruitment checks on staff.

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Inspection team

Nicola Harwood, lead inspector Emma Gater Max Vlahakis Her Majesty’s Inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted inspector Gill Turner Ofsted Inspector 14 and 15 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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