Somerset Nursery School and Children's Centre

Inspection of an outstanding school: Somerset Nursery School and Children's Centre 157-159 Battersea Church Rd, Battersea, London SW11 3ND

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Outcome

Somerset 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 flourish in this school. They arrive happily each day, ready to enjoy the well- planned activities on offer. Children are taught the knowledge, values and skills they need to thrive. Daily routines are well established. Adults look after children very well. There are warm and positive working relationships throughout the school. Adults have high expectations of what all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), can achieve. Leaders ensure that there is a strong focus on language development. This supports children to be independent and confident.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children are encouraged to talk with confidence about how they are feeling and what they are learning. They enjoy listening to and performing familiar rhymes and stories. ‘Story time’ is very popular. The indoor and outside learning environment is superbly organised. This promotes children’s independence strongly. For example, children can find all the resources they need to investigate, explore and play.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children settle into school quickly and they behave exceptionally well. They get along well with each other and are happy to share and take turns. Leaders promote a positive partnership with parents and carers who spoke highly of the school. They appreciated the care and support their children receive here.

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

Leaders have a clear vision for a highly ambitious curriculum. It sets out the knowledge and skills that children should gain as they progress through the school. Adults gather information about children’s starting points and interests as soon as they join the school. They use this information to build on what children already know and can do. Staff act promptly and work closely with parents and external agencies if they identify that any child needs extra help. There are also deliberate opportunities for children to revisit and rehearse key content. This ensures that what children learn sticks in their memories. For 24 May 2023

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instance, children applied their mathematics skills as they selected the right number of bricks to construct a tower.

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Leaders use high-quality texts and stories. Staff help children to learn new and relevant language. Adults are expert, enthusiastic storytellers, who bring traditional and modern tales alive. They encourage children to join in with familiar stories, for example, by acting out scenes in the outdoor area. There are opportunities to sing songs throughout the day. Leaders have mapped out the key vocabulary that children will learn in each curriculum area carefully.

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Adults help children to understand wider issues, such as faith and individual identity. Staff use these to help children to understand about the importance of respect. Adults help children to understand about the world around them. They check that children have remembered what they have been taught. This helps children to deepen their knowledge and skills. For example, children explained in detail what the school’s newly hatched chicks needed to survive.

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Leaders make children’s wider development a priority. Children learn about eating the right foods and keeping active, for example, when making a healthy cress sandwich. Adults promote healthy eating during snack and lunchtime. Leaders place importance on children learning about the natural world. Children were very proud of the runner beans they had grown, for example.

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The training staff receive is highly effective. Staff have the expertise they need to adapt activities quickly to ensure learning opportunities are not missed. The approach to teaching communication and language is comprehensive. Adults model spoken language precisely, which inspires children to do the same. Staff introduce children to a range of visual resources. This means that all children, including those with SEND, can access all activities fully.

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Children with SEND have their needs identified rapidly and accurately. The approaches adopted by staff remove any barriers to these children’s learning. As a result, children with SEND make exceptional progress.

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Adults know children well and use this knowledge to provide extra support for those who need extra help, such as to manage their feelings. Children listen well and show high levels of concentration during tasks and activities. Staff coach children to take responsibility for their choices and actions. This is seen in the gentle way adults encourage and instruct children for long-term success. For example, adults guide children to put on their coats independently without relying on adult support.

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The governing body knows the school well because of their regular visits and discussions with staff. Leaders ensure that staff feel valued and are mindful of their workload and well-being. Staff enjoy working at the school and felt supported. 24 May 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders prioritise the safeguarding and well-being of children. They maintain effective safeguarding records and share information to help keep children safe. All staff have relevant training to support them to identify when a child might be at risk of harm. This includes awareness of how children with additional needs might communicate their worries.

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Safeguarding

Staff encourage children to be open and share any concerns with their trusted adults. They instinctively go to adults if they are unsure or need help. They are also taught how to keep themselves safe when, for example, climbing on equipment outside.

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Background

When we have judged 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 2020.

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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. 24 May 2023

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School details

Type of school Nursery and Children's centre

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provision

Appropriate authority The governing body

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provision

Headteacher Emma Williams (executive headteacher)

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provision

Date of previous inspection 1 December 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of a hard federation of three maintained nursery schools. The executive headteacher oversees all of the schools.  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.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these areas of learning: communication and language, personal, social, emotional development, and understanding the world. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with leaders. Inspectors visited each classroom and joined a range of sessions throughout the day. Inspectors talked to staff and children. They looked at documentation, including records of children’s 24 May 2023

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learning. Inspectors also spoke with leaders about other areas of learning, including children’s physical development.  Inspectors met with leaders responsible for safeguarding and checked procedures for pre-employment checks.  Inspectors held meetings with staff. They considered the responses to the online survey for staff.  The lead inspector met with representatives of the governing body. He spoke with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors met with parents at the start and end of the day. They took into account any parental responses to online surveys.

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Inspection team

Phil Garnham, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Rekha Bhakoo Ofsted Inspector 24 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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