Wentworth Nursery School and Children's Centre

Inspection of an outstanding school: Wentworth Nursery School and Children’s Centre Cassland Road, Hackney, London E9 5BY

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Outcome

Wentworth Nursery School and Children’s Centre continues to be an outstanding school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children at Wentworth Nursery love coming to school. They get an exceptional start to their education. Leaders have high ambitions for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff strive to ensure that every child achieves their very best.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school, and many commented on how lucky they feel that their child comes here. A parent summed up the views of many when they said that their child ‘loves going in every morning and always comes home full of the things she has been doing all day.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders aim to provide children with wonderous experiences. These are planned to spark children’s interest, as well as to help them quickly settle and get on with learning. For example, children were delighted and amazed to watch the hatching of the chicks.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff foster highly positive and nurturing relationships with children. As a result, children feel safe and are kept safe here. Children get along well with each other. Staff plan experiences, such as caring for the chicks and Fred, the school tortoise, to support children to understand the importance of being kind.

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

Leaders have created an ambitious and rich curriculum. They have carefully considered what children should learn and in what order. Leaders’ curriculum design incorporates children’s interests, as well as inspiring experiences and events that broaden children’s knowledge progressively. Children are very well prepared for the move to primary school. 26 April 2023

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Staff are early years experts and know how best to support the learning and development of young children. Across the areas of learning, activities are well designed and closely reflect the ambition of the curriculum. Children are provided with ample opportunity to repeat, extend and revisit important ideas. This enables children to remember and apply what they learn.

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Staff use every opportunity to promote language. They do not shy away from using and revisiting ambitious vocabulary. Pictures and symbols are used effectively to support children’s understanding of new words and ideas. Adults model talking in full sentences and provide ‘sentence starts’ to get children speaking. They are highly skilled in helping children to talk about what they know and their experiences of the world around them. As a result, children develop confidence in spoken language. For example, they enjoy using words such as ‘incubator’ and ‘hibernate’ in their talk as they play and learn.

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A love of reading is promoted and prioritised by all adults. Children are introduced to a diverse range of high-quality texts through daily story time. Staff use this as an opportunity to further develop children’s understanding of important ideas in other areas of learning. For example, rhymes and songs are used to revisit and reinforce children’s understanding of number. Children enjoy sharing books with adults and do so often. Reading at home is also well promoted through the school’s ‘book library’.

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Staff are skilled at using interactions with children to check their understanding and explore misconceptions. Adults have a detailed knowledge of every child. They identify what children can do and use this information to decide what is taught next. These agreed learning priorities are then woven seamlessly into the delivery of the curriculum.

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Provision for children with SEND is exemplary. Leaders and staff have a deep understanding of the needs of children and their families. Children with SEND receive the support they need to access the same curriculum as their peers and join in with all aspects of school life.

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Children behave impeccably. Leaders ensure there is a calm atmosphere throughout the nursery. Children are highly engaged in their learning. They concentrate for long periods, whether working alone, with their friends and in adult-led sessions.

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Leaders provide children with a range of rich experiences. For example, as part of curriculum enrichment, children go on local outings to buy ingredients for a recipe or to visit a café. Other experiences are chosen in response to children’s interests, such as a recent visit to London City Airport. Children have opportunities to be responsible. For example, they get involved in caring for Fred, the tortoise, or setting up and tidying away at lunchtime.

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Staff feel well supported and valued by leaders. They receive the training that they need and are confident in their roles. Leaders are mindful of staff workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 26 April 2023

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Staff know children and their families extremely well. This means that they quickly identify and follow up anything that causes concern. Leaders understand the types of risks that children may face. They ensure that staff receive regular training and updates. Staff understand how to record and report any concerns that arise.

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Leaders ensure that the nursery environment is safe. For example, they check equipment and resources daily and maintain appropriate levels of supervision. The curriculum has been designed to help children understand how to stay safe and take appropriate risks when, for example, using climbing equipment.

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Governors understand their responsibilities and check that safeguarding procedures are followed.

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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 January 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. 26 April 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10255537 Type of school Nursery

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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 admits children from the age of two.  The school runs a breakfast and an after-school club.  Leaders do not use alternative provision.  A new headteacher has been appointed since the previous inspection.

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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 spoke to school leaders about all aspects of school life. The lead inspector also met with governors and the local authority school improvement partner.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these areas of learning: communication and language, physical development, and understanding the world. For each deep dive, inspectors spoke to leaders, observed learning across the provision, and spoke to practitioners and children. They also looked at how well the school promotes the 26 April 2023

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development of early reading and early mathematics. Other areas of learning were also considered as part of this inspection.  The inspectors considered a range of evidence related to safeguarding. This included speaking to leaders, including those responsible for governance, and staff about safeguarding procedures. They also checked records and documentation.  The views of parents and staff were considered through both discussions and their responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Helen Morrison, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Maureen Okoye Ofsted Inspector 26 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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