Ogley Hay Nursery School

Inspection of an outstanding school: Ogley Hay Nursery School Brickiln Street, Brownhills, Walsall, West Midlands WS8 6AU

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Outcome

Ogley Hay Nursery School continues to be an outstanding school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Ogley Hay Nursery School is ‘one big happy family.’ Leaders prioritise working in partnership with children and their families. The school motto ‘together we learn more’ is at the heart of everything this school does. Staff greet children and their families warmly each day. Children are very happy and safe. They settle well and thrive socially. Parents are very positive about leaders and staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are highly ambitious for all children. They make sure that children are very well prepared for the next stage in their education. The calm, orderly environment enables children to focus on their learning. Adults read to children regularly. A wide range of enriching experiences makes learning fun. For example, children enjoy watching chicks hatch from eggs in the nursery. They explore working with clay with an artist. Children broaden their horizons through trips and visits to the farm and theatre.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children’s behaviour is exemplary. Leaders set clear boundaries and have high expectations of how children will behave. Highly effective support from staff helps children to know what is expected of them throughout the day. Children are polite and kind to each other. Incidents of poor behaviour or bullying are very rare. Leaders deal with any issues swiftly and effectively when they occur.

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

Leaders have planned an ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum which is highly aspirational for all pupils. Highly trained adults are supported to deliver the curriculum very well. Staff are extremely knowledgeable about the differing developmental needs of two-, three, and four-year-old children. The ‘Ogley Hay learning goals’ set ambitious endpoints for learning. Staff tailor learning to the needs of each child so that every child can succeed. Children play and learn effectively together. They enjoy hunting for spiders and worms in the forest area. They look at photographs of themselves to learn about past 5 January 2023

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and present in their own lives. Staff check on children’s learning regularly and recap on previous learning. This helps children to know and remember more over time.

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Leaders ensure that staff are highly skilled. They have the resources they need to teach early reading and mathematics well. Staff are very effective communicators. Children enjoy listening to, and joining in with, stories. They know many nursery rhymes and are eager to sing repeated phrases and perform actions. The daily routine supports early phonics and mathematics learning. For example, children count how many are present in their group or have fun with sounds in words such as ‘slither’ and ‘snake’ during a jungle storytelling session. Adults are highly attentive and know how to support all children effectively. They ensure their learning and care needs are met.

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Leaders provide many exceptional opportunities for children’s moral, social and cultural development. Clear routines and structure help children to settle well into nursery life. During social times, such as breakfast time, children enjoy talking to adults and other children. This helps them to develop positive relationships. Children serve their own cereal, pour out milk and put on their aprons independently. They learn to take turns when using equipment such as trikes. Children learn to try again if they are not successful at a task or activity. This helps them to build a strong sense of resilience and know it is ‘ok to have a go.’ Children learn about cultures and festivals such as Diwali, lunar new year and bonfire night. Activities such as creating firework pictures, making chalk rangoli prints or creating a ‘leaf bonfire’ help children to recreate experiences and events. All this allows children to flourish personally and socially.

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Leaders, including governors, are passionate in making sure that every child will be successful. The highly effective nurture provision is an example of how Ogley Hay Nursery goes above and beyond to support children with additional needs. Governors undertake regular robust checks on the work of the school. They identify the right priorities for continuous improvement which they monitor closely. Staff value the support from leaders to manage their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders prioritise the welfare of children. They make sure that staff attend regular safeguarding training. This means that staff know how to keep children safe from harm, and can identify the issues that children may face. Staff record and report safeguarding concerns swiftly. Excellent relationships with external agencies mean that leaders get the right help for children who need it.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure that they undertake appropriate pre-employment checks on staff before they start working at Ogley Hay Nursery School.

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Safeguarding

Ogley Hay is a strong community provision. Leaders form effective relationships with children and families. Parents and carers value the range of support available to them. 5 January 2023

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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 an ungraded inspection and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually, this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding in December 2012.

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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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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. 5 January 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10257042 Type of school Nursery

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 7 November 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school provides education for two-year olds.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this ungraded inspection under section 8 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. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in language and communication with a focus on early reading, personal social and emotional development and knowledge and understanding of the world. These included visiting lessons, looking at pupils’ work, examining curriculum guidance and talking with children and staff. Inspectors looked at pupils’ work from a sample of other subjects. They also discussed the curriculum with subject leaders. 5 January 2023

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 Inspectors observed reading sessions and how children engaged in their learning. They reviewed reading resources.  Inspectors looked at a range of documentation on the school’s website.  Inspectors reviewed the school’s safeguarding arrangements. This included examining the record of employment checks on school staff.  Inspectors observed children’s behaviour in lessons and at other times during the day.  During the inspection, inspectors had formal meetings with the headteacher, the lead teacher, the deputy practitioner, the SEND coordinator, the designated safeguarding leader, representatives of the governing body and a local authority representative.  Inspectors took account of responses to Ofsted Parent View and staff surveys.

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Inspection team

Lorraine Lord, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Lesley Yates Ofsted Inspector 5 January 2023

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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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