Tenterfield Nursery School

Inspection of an outstanding school: Tenterfield Nursery School London Road, Tenterfield Nursery School, Welwyn, Hertfordshire AL6 9JF

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Outcome

Tenterfield Nursery School continues to be an outstanding school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children in Tenterfield Nursery School are taught the knowledge, values and skills they need to thrive. Their daily routines are well established. These support them to be independent and confident. Belonging to their key groups helps children develop strong connections with adults and other children. This provides a secure foundation to help them explore and learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children live up to the high ambitions adults have for them. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Children are consistently absorbed in activity as they put their knowledge into action.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The learning environment is orderly and purposeful. Children at every stage cooperate well together. They manage their feelings with impressive independence. Consequently, they are safe, happy and relaxed. They know that if another child chooses to be unkind, adults will help to quickly fix it.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children are exposed to important vocabulary in their daily learning. This contributes significantly to their early language development. Children are routinely encouraged to use verbal communication to share their ideas. This includes exploring social issues in an age-appropriate manner, such as looking after the planet. As a result, children are best prepared for the new learning challenges of primary school.

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

Leaders strive for the experience of children to be the best it can be. This vision is demonstrated clearly in the curriculum that leaders have devised. Curriculum plans are ambitious and driven by the school’s values. These draw on an intelligent selection of research about how young children best develop. Curriculum plans are precise and detail 23 March 2023

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all the important knowledge and skills children should learn at each stage. There are also deliberate opportunities for children to revisit and rehearse key content. This ensures that what children learn sticks in their memories.

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The curriculum is built around a carefully selected range of high-quality texts and stories. These books expose children to new and relevant language. The use of story time and rhyme activities lay a strong foundation for children’s early reading. They are taught to listen carefully. They grow in confidence as they verbalise sounds, rhythms and words. Books also expose children to wider issues, such as faith and individual identity. Staff use these to help children embrace the values of diversity and inclusion.

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Adults help children make links between what they are learning and the real world. This includes regular discussion about appropriate social and cultural issues on ‘talking Tuesdays.’ Through this, children can explore the meaning of events, such as Remembrance Day. The training staff receive is focused and impactful. This means that staff have the expertise they need to adapt and maximise children’s achievement in all areas of learning.

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The approach to teaching communication and language is comprehensive. This includes adults precisely modelling spoken language, which inspires children to do the same. Staff introduce children to a range of visual resources, including the use of Makaton signing. This means all children, including those with SEND, can access all activities fully.

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Children with SEND have their needs identified rapidly and accurately. Detailed and accessible plans are created to support their learning and development. The approaches adopted remove barriers and promote steady, manageable improvement. As a result, children with SEND make exceptional progress.

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Staff coach children to take responsibility for their choices and actions. This is seen in the gentle way adults encourage and instruct for long-term success. For example, adults guide children to independently put on their coats without relying on adult support. The behaviour of children contributes to the meaningful learning taking place. They settle quickly following transitions and manage taking turns independently, sometimes using egg timers. Adults observe children carefully and respond to signs that they might need support to manage their feelings. This means that learning is not disrupted by the behaviour of individual children.

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There are many opportunities for children to use what they know in their learning. At the snack table, children apply their mathematics skills as they select the right number of items according to the daily menu. Children are mature and responsible. They routinely clean up after themselves and each other. The guidance they receive from adults helps them to stick at tasks even when they face challenges. This is evident from the moment children join the setting at age two. Children show high levels of focus and are determined to succeed.

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Governors have an unrelenting focus on nurturing and matching the ambition of leaders in school. They are knowledgeable about the developments made to the curriculum. They 23 March 2023

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hold leaders to account and check the impact of changes made. Governors make strategic decisions in the best interests of children.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders prioritise the safeguarding and well-being of children. They maintain effective safeguarding records and share information to help keep children safe. Mandatory vetting checks are made on all staff working in the setting. All staff have relevant training to support them to identify when a child might be at risk of harm. This includes awareness of how children with additional needs might communicate their worries.

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Safeguarding

Children are supported to be open and share with their trusted adults. They instinctively go to adults if they are unsure or need help. They are also taught how to keep themselves safe when, for example, climbing on equipment outside.

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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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding in June 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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You can search for published performance information about the school.

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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. 23 March 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10255257 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 22 and 23 June 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 There has been a change in headteacher since the previous inspection. The current headteacher took up post in September 2020.  Leaders organise and manage some holiday club opportunities that children can access throughout the year.  The school does not use off-site 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 held meetings with the headteacher, the assistant headteacher and a range of other staff to explore provision across the school, including curriculum design and provision for children with SEND. 23 March 2023

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 The lead inspector met with four governors, including the chair of governors. A separate meeting was held with an improvement partner from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in three areas of learning: communication and language, mathematics and personal, social and emotional development. For each deep dive, inspectors met with curriculum leaders, looked at curriculum documentation, visited lessons, spoke with teachers and staff, spoke with children about their learning and looked at examples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors met with the designated safeguarding leader, the school’s office manager, governors and other staff to discuss safeguarding.  During the inspection, inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation, including the single central record of recruitment and vetting checks, curriculum plans, school development plans, and safeguarding and behaviour records.  Inspectors also spoke with children about their experiences of school life and their

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learning in lessons to understand what it is like to be a child in this school. Inspectors also observed the behaviour of children in classrooms and outside areas.  Inspectors considered 35 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, including the free-text comments. Inspectors also considered 17 responses to Ofsted’s survey for school staff.

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Inspection team

Kristian Hewitt, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Wayne Jarvis His Majesty’s Inspector 23 March 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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