Lanterns Nursery School and Extended Services

Inspection of an outstanding school: Lanterns Nursery School and Extended Services Bereweeke Road, Winchester, Hampshire SO22 6AJ

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Outcome

Lanterns Nursery School and Extended Services continues to be an outstanding school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children thrive at Lanterns Nursery School. They develop exceptionally strong bonds with staff. Leaders and staff know each child extremely well. Children learn the routines and behaviours that they need to be successful learners right from the start. In their role play, for example, children take turns being the teacher, leading each other in song. They use the class ‘listening bear’ to remind each other of how to sit well on the carpet.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff ensure that every child gets the right support to reach their full potential and achieve the best possible outcomes. Children experience consistently high levels of engagement and kindness from staff. With support from adults, children learn to play cooperatively and share, even when it might feel tricky. For example, when multiple children wanted to ride the two-seater bike, they agreed to take turns using a sand timer to make things fair.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Every aspect of the school day has been carefully planned to support pupils’ wider development. Children who stay for lunch enjoy healthy, tasty meals before going outside to explore the meadow. Inspectors saw children enjoying butternut squash lasagne, happily chatting about the taste, and different types of pasta that they enjoy. Children delight in the outdoor environment, which provides a range of opportunities for physical development and exploration.

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

Leaders have maintained their clear and unwavering vision of an early years education that provides every child, including those with complex special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), with the very best start to their education. This is achieved through a broad and enriching curriculum that builds on children’s starting points and interests and fully prepares them for the next phase of their education. 19 April 2023 Leaders and staff have carefully considered exactly what they want children to learn across the seven areas of learning. Leaders ensure staff are experts in child development and know how to help all children, including those with complex SEND, to learn well. On an ongoing basis, staff carefully adapt the curriculum to take full account of children’s interests, what they already know and can do, and what they need to learn next.

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

Leaders and staff recognise the importance of developing all children’s communication and spoken language. Staff are expert in the communication systems that support all children, but particularly children with SEND, to develop their communication. Throughout the day and across the curriculum, staff engage children in high-quality conversation, introducing them to new vocabulary and ideas.

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

Children develop a keen love of books and stories. Staff regularly read stories and poems in a way that engages and enthuses children. Leaders have identified the core texts that all children will read and get to know. Children then incorporate these stories, and the vocabulary they hear, into their own play. Alongside this, staff read a wide range of additional texts in response to children’s interests or to broaden their reading diet.

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

Children’s personal, social and emotional development is a top priority for leaders. Leaders and staff have a clear and shared understanding of what children need to learn in this area. A number of children have autism spectrum disorder and/or other social communication difficulties. Staff plan very precisely to meet their needs and help them to begin to understand their own feelings and those of others. Where children have particularly complex needs, staff work closely with external experts to ensure that the right support is put in place.

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

Leaders develop strong and effective partnerships with parents. Leaders’ home visits, when children join the nursery, help them get to know families well. Staff communicate regularly with parents and ensure that they know what their children have been learning about, and what they can do to help. As children approach school age, leaders ensure a very careful transition for all children. For those with SEND, leaders work closely with parents and the local authority to ensure that children’s individual needs are fully understood and that their next setting is appropriate to their needs. Parents cannot speak highly enough of staff and leaders.

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

Through their positive engagement with staff, ongoing professional development and reflective approach, leaders have developed an impassioned staff team, whose members keep children at the heart of everything that they do. Leaders and governors are dedicated to the school and its children. Governors have a clear understanding of their role and responsibilities.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff and leaders know children and their families extremely well. Staff are well trained to recognise when children need early help or might be at risk of harm or being harmed. Parents have high levels of trust in staff and leaders and will often proactively seek 19 April 2023 support when they need it. Leaders refer to external safeguarding partners when they are worried about a child. When children have a social worker, leaders work in partnership to support children and their families. Leaders follow safer recruitment processes and manage any concerns about adults appropriately. Children learn to identify and name their feelings, and that it is safe to share any worries that they have.

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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 June 2013.

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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. 19 April 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10256556 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 6 December 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 At the time of the last inspection, the headteacher was acting headteacher. She is now the substantive headteacher.  A new chair of governors was appointed in October 2021. There have been a number of resignations from, and new appointments to, the governing board since the last inspection.  The school has a resourced provision for 36 children. This is for children with a broad range of SEND, who need specialist support.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school provides breakfast and after-school care. 19 April 2023

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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.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator.  Inspectors met with a number of governors, including the chair of governors.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: communication and language, personal, social and emotional development and understanding the world. Within the deep dives, inspectors talked to leaders about the curriculum, looked at curriculum plans, visited classrooms and outdoor learning environments, spoke to staff, spoke to some children about their learning and observed children learning, playing and interacting with staff.  Inspectors also spoke to leaders and staff about children’s learning in other areas of

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Information about this inspection

the early years foundation stage.  To inspect safeguarding, inspectors checked the single central record, reviewed safeguarding records and spoke to leaders, staff and governors. The inspector considered how well the school manage safer recruitment, and how they manage allegations about adults.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation, including the school’s self-evaluation and school development plans, and individual learning and behaviour support plans.  Inspectors reviewed responses to the staff survey and responses to the parent survey, including the free-text comments. The inspector spoke to parents on the gate on the morning of the inspection.

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Inspection team

Alice Roberts, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Neil Small Ofsted Inspector 19 April 2023 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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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