Adderley Nursery School

Inspection of an outstanding school: Adderley Nursery School 1 St Saviours Road, Birmingham B8 1HN

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Outcome

Adderley Nursery School continues to be an outstanding school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children love attending Adderley Nursery School. Children enter school with smiles on their faces and settle down to activities quickly. The strong values are brought alive in what the school provides. It is a school that helps children to be courageous, creative, respectful, valued and very well-educated individuals.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have ensured that all adults uphold the highest expectations and aspirations. Children like to talk about what they are learning and what they know, for example about animals, planting seeds and eating fruit during snack time.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Adults are wonderful role models for children. They show them how to be kind and respect others. Children are well behaved. Consequently, the school is a purposeful place to learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

School life is enhanced considerably by the wide range of things to do beyond the classroom. The school benefits from a beautifully developed forest school that is used all year round to enhance the learning, resilience and curiosity of the children. This provides an essential opportunity to explore and encourages risk-taking within a safe environment.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents are extremely happy with the school and say their children thrive. They receive regular information about their children’s learning.

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

Leaders and governors lead the school extremely well. They ensure that adults are exceptionally well trained. Leaders are considerate of staff’s well-being and workload. Adults skilfully develop children’s knowledge and learning skills. The school’s motto ‘A special place to create and learn, connect and belong’ is threaded through everything about the school. Leaders and staff are resolutely focused on providing outstanding education and exemplary care. Leaders ensure that children thrive in an environment where they love learning. 20 April 2023

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The curriculum is ambitious. It is enhanced by a well-designed learning environment. Adults ensure there is no ceiling and no limits to what the children can achieve. Children are well prepared to move on to primary school.

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Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make exceptional progress. Leaders of SEND are highly trained and ensure that no child slips through the net. Children’s additional needs are identified quickly. They receive the right support to help them make progress. Activities are specially designed for children with SEND, such as the use of sensory circuits.

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Adults support children effectively to develop their speaking and listening skills. They encourage and challenge children to use sentences and new words when they are speaking, for example when weighing, measuring and filling containers to plant potatoes. Children make excellent progress in their communication skills. They are keen to talk about what they can do. They take turns talking together when they are playing and learning. They enjoy talking about problem-solving using recycled materials to build swings outdoors.

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Relationships between adults and children are excellent. Children respect each other and celebrate each other’s achievements. Adults have created a setting where children feel valued and listened to. The environment, both indoors and outdoors, is calm and well organised.

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Children enjoy books, stories and rhymes. They relish adults reading to them. Adults help children bring stories to life. Children predicted what the animals were in a story from clues. When the teacher read the story, children learn the sounds that letters make. They joined in with actions they had practised. Leaders make sure that developing children’s early literacy skills is a key focus. Adults read throughout the day to children. They think very carefully about the stories they choose.

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Adults support children well to develop their knowledge of number and shape. Children develop their ability to count and are supported by staff to be confident in their ability to manipulate numbers up to 10. Adults make sure that they keep a close check on what children learn. They use this to plan carefully what they need to teach next.

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The learning spaces and resources inside and outside are exciting and interesting. They motivate and inspire children to explore, play and learn. Outdoors, there are lots of opportunities to develop children’s physical skills, such as climbing and balancing. Children confidently take risks and develop their physical skills in climbing rock walls and walking along bridges.

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The opportunities the children encounter add significantly to their personal development. They take part in an excellent range of activities. Children learn to look after and take care of themselves, for example by cleaning their teeth and regularly washing their hands.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 20 April 2023

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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 act swiftly should any child or their family require extra help. They share information with agencies to make sure that children at risk are protected and supported. Effective record-keeping and processes are in place.

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All necessary checks are carried out before staff are appointed to work at the school. Adults have regular training and are aware of risks. They are vigilant and know how to raise and report concerns.

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Children learn about keeping themselves safe.

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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 November 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. 20 April 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 7 February 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, the school has become part of the Birmingham Federation of Maintained Nursery Schools.  No children attend 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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors completed deep dives in communication and language, personal, social and emotional development and mathematics. They met with leaders, visited lessons, reviewed children’s progress and spoke with staff and children.  Inspectors reviewed information about other areas of learning and the wider curriculum.  Inspectors met regularly with the executive headteacher, the deputy headteacher and the special educational needs coordinator. 20 April 2023

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 Inspectors met with some parents and reviewed responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.  Inspectors spoke by telephone with a local authority adviser about the work of the school.  The lead inspector spoke with the chair of governors and other governors.  Inspectors spoke to leaders about children’s behaviour and policies and procedures. Inspectors observed children’s behaviour in lessons and during playtimes.  Inspectors spoke with children, including children with SEND, to hear their views of their education, as well as about behaviour and safety.  Inspectors spoke with staff and considered their responses to the Ofsted survey.  Inspectors evaluated safeguarding by speaking with leaders, staff, children and parents. They reviewed a sample of leaders’ records. Inspectors reviewed the effectiveness of the school’s safeguarding policies and procedures.

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Inspection team

Lynda Townsend, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Sally Snooks Ofsted Inspector 20 April 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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