Camrose Early Years Centre for Children & Families

Inspection of a good school: Camrose Early Years Centre for Children & Families Streatfield Road, Northampton, Northamptonshire NN5 7DE

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Outcome

There has been no change to this school's overall judgement of good as a result of this ungraded (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a graded (section 5) inspection were carried out now. The next inspection will therefore be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Camrose is a happy place for children to learn. Parents, carers and children are welcomed with a kind, warm and friendly smile as they arrive each day. Staff help the children to settle quickly into the supportive learning environment. They value the uniqueness of every child. Staff are caring and want the best for all children.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children are safe. They benefit from the positive relationships that they have with staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children typically get on well together. Staff help children to learn what good behaviour looks like, through visual prompts and interactions.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children are eager to learn and have high levels of engagement. They enjoy the many learning experiences and activities that they are offered. Children know the routines well. They enjoy the large outdoor environment, including the forest garden. Children love to learn new skills, practise what they know and explore ways to solve problems.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders expect all children to do well. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders want the children to be curious, inquisitive, independent and respectful. While leaders have made recent improvements to the curriculum, they have yet to identify fully the precise knowledge that they want children to learn in each area of learning.

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

There have been many recent changes to the staff team, including at leadership level. The leadership team has wasted no time in making improvements to all aspects of life at Camrose. Leaders have children at the heart of everything that they do. There is a clear direction in which leaders are taking the school. 4 May 2023

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Leaders have ensured that the curriculum covers all of the overarching areas of learning. They are developing the curriculum, so that the knowledge children need to learn is clear. Staff do not yet know the most important knowledge that children need to know and be able to recall.

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Underpinning the curriculum is leaders’ focus on developing children’s language. Some staff are highly skilled at this. They listen to children, prompting when necessary. Leaders are developing all staff’s skills at language development, to ensure that the quality of this work is consistent across the school.

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A love of books and stories is an important feature of school life. Parents value the opportunities that they have to visit the ‘lending library’. Staff read and explore stories with children. Children enjoy listening to stories, songs and rhymes. They join in with enthusiasm when listening to stories, including ‘The Gruffalo’ and ‘The Three Little Pigs’.

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Children’s personal development is a high priority for leaders. Staff make sure that children learn about keeping themselves healthy. They talk to children about healthy snacks and food, as well as encouraging them to enjoy physical activity. Children learn how to recognise their feelings. The calm area allows children to have some quiet time with an adult. Children enjoy the weekly music group and role playing in the home corner.

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Staff have a genuine care for every child. They teach children to understand how their behaviour affects others. Most children learn and play well together. Leaders have written a new policy for behaviour. When faced with challenging behaviours, some staff do not consistently follow this policy.

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Leaders identify the additional needs of children with SEND early and accurately. They work well with parents and professionals to make sure that these children receive the support they need. Leaders ensure that these children have the same opportunities to access the curriculum as their peers.

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Parents are just as important as the children at Camrose. Comments such as, ‘It is an amazing place! I have and will continue to recommend this place to everyone,’ are typical.

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Governors know the school well. They challenge and support leaders in equal measure. Together with school leaders, they know what is working well and what needs further development.

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Leaders have invested in staff training, and they have appropriate plans to develop this further. Staff appreciate the care and consideration that leaders have for their workload and well-being. Despite the many changes that they have faced, staff morale is high. They are proud to work at the school. 4 May 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders provide regular training for all staff. They make sure that everyone understands the risks to children. All staff are alert to the signs that may indicate that a child is at risk of harm. Staff work well with other agencies to get the right help and support for children and their families. The procedures in place for reporting safeguarding concerns are well understood by staff.

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Safeguarding

Leaders follow safe recruitment practices to ensure that all those working with children are suitable to do so.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The quality of adults’ interactions with children is variable. Consequently, there is inconsistency in how well children are supported through talk to develop their language and to get the most from activities. Leaders should make sure that, through their checks, including the teaching and learning observation programme to improve the quality of interactions, adults further develop their use of dialogue in helping children to learn.  In some areas of learning, leaders have not identified precisely the knowledge children must learn and when. As a result, staff are not able to ensure that children learn everything that they need to know in preparation for their next stage of learning. Leaders should ensure that staff know the exact curriculum content that they should teach in these areas of learning.  Not all staff apply the practice identified in the new behaviour policy when faced with challenging behaviours. Because of this, not all children receive the support and

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

guidance to understand the expectations of them in relation to their behaviour. Leaders must ensure that all staff follow a consistent approach to responding to challenging behaviours, so that all incidents are dealt with appropriately and all children know how they are expected to behave.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. 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. 4 May 2023

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This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in May 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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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. 4 May 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Lyndsey Lambert (Executive headteacher)

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School details

Date of previous inspection 23 and 24 May 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection in 2017, Camrose Early Years Centre for Children & Families has federated with Parklands Nursery School, Highfield Nursery School and Croyland Nursery School.  As part of The Foundations for Children Nursery School Federation, the school shares a governing body. An executive headteacher oversees all of the schools.  The school offers provision for two-year-old children.  The school does not make use of any 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.  The inspectors held meetings with the executive headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator and a range of other leaders and staff. The lead inspector met with representatives of the local governing body and the local authority. 4 May 2023

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 The inspectors carried out deep dives in these areas of learning: communication and language; personal, social and emotional development and literacy. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with leaders and spent time observing in the classrooms. Inspectors also talked to staff and children and observed activities to determine the impact of the curriculum and teaching methods on children’s learning and development.  Inspectors examined a range of school documentation, including leaders’ self- evaluation, improvement plans and documentation relating to attendance and behaviour.  The inspectors evaluated the effectiveness of safeguarding by reviewing the records of pre-employment checks. They also considered records leaders held for children’s safeguarding and welfare.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s parent and staff questionnaires. They also spoke to a sample group of parents while on site.

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Inspection team

Kirsty Norbury, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Rebecca Jackson Ofsted Inspector 4 May 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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