Nursery Hill Primary School

Inspection of Nursery Hill Primary School Ansley Common, Nuneaton, Warwickshire CV10 0PY

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 6 and 7 June 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Nursery Hill is a warm and welcoming school, where everyone is cherished. Pupils enjoy their time in school and feel safe, happy and valued. They are caring and considerate of others and play happily with their friends at social times and at breakfast club.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff and pupils have a strong bond. Pupils, including those in early years, are confident to talk with staff about their concerns or worries. Bullying is very rare. If it does happen, it is quickly tackled and resolved by staff. Pupils enjoy taking on extra responsibilities, such as being members of the school and eco council. Throughout the curriculum and assemblies, leaders provide opportunities for pupils to develop an understanding of the world outside their school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Increasingly pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), have opportunities to take part in trips and visits. They have recently visited local museums and castles. Pupils are particularly excited about residential trips.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Praise postcards are powerful motivators. Pupils are proud to receive one of these. Pupils show compassion for their community by raising funds for local causes and joining in with events, such as Remembrance Day.

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better?

All staff and governors care deeply about pupils. They have navigated the school through some difficult times. Leaders build strong, supportive relationships with those in the school community. Most parents recognise this and praise staff for the level of care they provide. All staff are proud to work at the school. They feel part of a dedicated and cohesive team.

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better?

Children begin to learn phonics as soon as they start school in the early years. Leaders’ work to help children to read has been particularly successful. Pupils in other year groups also learn to read well. Any pupils who struggle with their reading get the extra help they need to catch up.

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better?

A love of reading is evident across the school. Pupils are read to daily and enjoy visits to the library. Engaging reading areas in all classrooms enthuse pupils. Older children read fluently and enjoy a wide range of books. In the early years, children regularly hear and repeat songs, stories and rhymes. This helps them to develop their speaking and listening skills and enrich their vocabulary.

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better?

Leaders have developed a diverse and well-structured curriculum. They have outlined the knowledge that pupils need to know from the early years to Year 6. Leaders have used external support wisely to help teachers to pinpoint the key knowledge to be taught, while also helping them to think about the best ways to share this knowledge with pupils. This is successful in most subjects. 6 and 7 June 2023

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Recently, leaders made a decision to review and refine the mathematics curriculum. This is because some activities did not focus carefully enough on the important learning that pupils needed to know and remember. In most cases, these changes help pupils to know and remember their learning. However, at times, this new approach is not followed consistently, so some pupils do not learn as well as they could.

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Many pupils join the school at different times of the year. For these pupils, leaders offer a range of targeted extra help. This allows them to catch up with their peers. So, although the outcomes for pupils from previous national tests are below average, current pupils’ learning shows an improving picture.

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Teachers check carefully that pupils can remember what they have been taught. This helps pupils to build their knowledge over time. Leaders use this knowledge to identify any pupils with SEND. Teachers use a range of strategies to ensure that pupils with SEND can access the same curriculum as their peers. Teaching assistants are skilled and provide timely and specific support, where and when necessary.

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In early years, staff think carefully about the activities on offer. They make sure that children have plenty of opportunities to practise what they have been taught. Children build up their knowledge across all areas of learning and are ready to move into Year 1.

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Leaders ensure that pupils’ poor attendance is challenged. They work well with external agencies to support families to develop good patterns of attendance. Most pupils respond well to leaders’ high expectations of behaviour. In early years, routines are well established. Pupils learn to take turns and ask for help when it is needed. However, there are times when staff do not reinforce the expectations for behaviour consistently. When this happens, a small number of pupils do not follow the rules as well as they could.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and governors had created a strong safeguarding culture across the school. They have ensured there are effective systems for the reporting of any concerns and work well with local agencies to prevent problems escalating. Leaders ensure that checks are made on staff to ensure that they are suitable to work with pupils.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe through the curriculum and visitors to the school, such as the fire brigade. Pupils understand the features of healthy friendships. They learn how to tune into their own feelings and emotions by ‘being their own best friend’. 6 and 7 June 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 On occasion, staff do not reinforce the behavioural expectations across the school. This means that some pupils’ behaviour interrupts their learning. Leaders need to ensure that all staff members constantly reinforce these expectations, so that pupils are able to make the most of their learning.  Leaders have recently made changes to the way mathematics is taught. However, teachers are not yet constantly implementing the scheme as it is intended. Consequently, there are occasions when pupils do not remember important parts of their learning. Leaders should continue to develop the delivery of the mathematics curriculum, building on the improvements they have already made.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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. 6 and 7 June 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 20 and 21 November 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The senior leadership team has changed since the previous inspection.  Leaders do not use any alternative provision.  There is a before- and after-school club managed by the school.  The number of pupils joining and leaving the school during the school year is well above average.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.  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 carried out deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the 6 and 7 June 2023

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curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at a sample of pupils’ work.  Inspectors spoke with leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects.  Inspectors listened to a sample of pupils read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors met with leaders about the school’s safeguarding procedures.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation provided by the school. They looked at the school’s website, policies and curriculum documents. They evaluated safeguarding information, SEND records and published information about the school’s performance.  Inspectors spoke to pupils and staff about pupils’ safety.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at breaktimes and lunchtimes. They spoke formally with groups of pupils, as well as talking to pupils in lessons and around the school.  Inspectors spoke with parents at the start of the school day. They considered the

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views expressed on Ofsted Parent View.  The lead inspector spoke with a representative from the local authority and spoke with members of the governing body.  Inspectors spoke with groups of staff and considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Josie Leese, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Debbie Newman Ofsted Inspector 6 and 7 June 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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