Bradley Nursery School

Inspection of Bradley Nursery School Bradley Road East, Nelson, Lancashire BB9 7QH

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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 Outstanding 4 and 5 May 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children are happy and content at this friendly nursery school. Leaders have effective systems in place to make sure that staff get to know the children and their families very well. This helps children to feel safe and well looked after.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff have high expectations for children’s behaviour and achievement. Children are eager to learn. Staff have designed all areas of the nursery to inspire and encourage children to play and discover. For example, two-year-old children were keen to develop their large-muscle and coordination skills while balancing along beams outdoors. Overall, children learn well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children behave in a polite and well-mannered way. They learn the difference between right and wrong, and know that their actions can have an impact on other people. Leaders and staff are quick to resolve any incidents of unkindness or bullying.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children enjoy some exciting activities and events. They have benefited from a recent visit from a farm to the nursery, and have had opportunities to watch chicks hatching from eggs, which excited them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children learn about their local community and their cultural heritage. For example, they have learned about Eid and have also visited the local mosque. Children learn to make a positive contribution to society by fundraising for charities and by litter picking in the local community.

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better?

Leaders have placed a strong emphasis on developing the early years curriculum, following the previous Ofsted inspection. They have made sure that the design of the curriculum is broad, knowledge-rich and presented in a logical order. In the main, the curriculum successfully enables children to build on their prior learning and, as a result, they achieve well overall.

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better?

Leaders have equipped staff with the knowledge that they need to understand how young children learn and develop. For example, staff work in small teams, closely guided in each classroom by a lead teacher. This support enables adults to select appropriate activities to deliver the curriculum. Staff carefully identify children’s interests and their next steps in learning. However, in a small number of areas of learning, leaders have not fully embedded their recent changes to the curriculum. As a result, some staff do not deliver new knowledge and skills in these areas of learning consistently well. Therefore, some children do not learn all that they could.

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better?

Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to learn and develop well. They are careful in how they identify any additional needs that children may have. Staff do not label children as having SEND without secure 4 and 5 May 2023

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and compelling evidence. Leaders work in close partnership with external professionals, and parents and carers, to support children with SEND to access all aspects of their learning. Typically, children with SEND achieve well.

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Communication and language, and early reading, are central to all that staff do. The day is sprinkled with opportunities for children to listen to and join in with stories, songs and rhymes. Staff read in ways that capture children’s interest and they encourage children to talk about a wide range of books. Children, including those who speak English as an additional language, successfully build their vocabulary. Staff encourage children to write their names and to listen to the sounds within spoken words.

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Leaders have created a warm and welcoming atmosphere which helps children to settle quickly. During small-group activities, children try their best to listen and to join in. They play well alongside their friends and learn to share and take turns. Children from the earliest age, including in the classroom for two-year-olds, gradually increase their confidence in embarking on new situations and in meeting new people.

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Staff gently encourage children to develop their independence and self-care skills, for example when putting on their own coats and boots. Leaders are also considering ways that they can further enhance children’s personal development. For example, they have established classroom rules with the children. Leaders are also making links with a school from a different area.

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Leaders have identified the wider talents and skills that they want children to develop. They are providing children with greater opportunities to demonstrate these skills through well-planned and age-appropriate enrichment activities. Children enjoy participating in these sessions.

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Governors are dedicated to their roles and understand their statutory duties. They are supportive of leaders and of staff, including of their well-being. Governors have a secure understanding of the strengths and areas for further development in relation to the quality of education that the school provides to children.

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Leaders have taken effective steps to reduce staff workload. This helps staff to have high levels of morale. Staff commented positively about the support that they receive from leaders and from their colleagues.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure that staff access up-to-date training in child protection and that they know how to keep children safe. Staff understand the signs which may indicate that children are at risk of potential harm. They understand the steps to follow should they have any concerns about children’s welfare or a colleague’s conduct. 4 and 5 May 2023

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Leaders have robust links with external agencies to ensure that timely support is provided to children and their families when it is needed.

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Children learn how to keep themselves healthy and safe. For example, they develop an awareness of the dangers that strangers may present and they learn how to use cutlery and other tools safely.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In one or two areas of learning, leaders have not made sure that their recent changes to the curriculum are fully embedded. Leaders have not ensured that staff implement the revised curriculum in these areas consistently well. This means that children do not learn all that they could across the breadth of the curriculum. Leaders should ensure that staff implement the curriculum as intended. This is so that children achieve consistently well across all areas of learning.

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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. 4 and 5 May 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10255983 Type of school Nursery

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 22 and 23 January 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 A new headteacher has been appointed since the previous inspection.  The school provides educational provision for two-year-old children.  The school offers a before-school club for a small number of children.  Leaders do not make use of alternative provision for children.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection that the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken this into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in communication and language (taking account of early reading), physical development and mathematics. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with leaders and visited a sample of lessons. They spoke with teachers and with some children about their learning. Inspectors 4 and 5 May 2023

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looked at samples of children’s work. They also looked at some other areas of learning.  The lead inspector observed some children sharing a book with a familiar adult.  Inspectors observed how children behaved around the school throughout the school day. They scrutinised the behaviour policy.  Inspectors reviewed leaders’ policies and procedures relating to safeguarding. They scrutinised documentation, including the single central record and training records. Inspectors discussed safeguarding with governors, leaders and staff.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and other leaders of the school. The lead inspector met with governors. He also held a meeting with the school improvement consultant.  Inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff. They spoke with staff about their workload and well-being. There were no responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey to consider.  Inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the

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free-text responses. Inspectors met with some parents at the start of the school day.

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Inspection team

David Lobodzinski, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Louise McArdle His Majesty's Inspector 4 and 5 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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