Clervaux Nursery School

Inspection of an outstanding school: Clervaux Nursery School Clervaux Terrace, Jarrow, Tyne and Wear NE32 5UP

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Outcome

Clervaux Nursery School continues to be an outstanding school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This school truly lives up to its motto of ‘Children at the heart of what we do’. It is, indeed, a little gem in the heart of the community. Children love coming to this welcoming and vibrant nursery school. They flourish because of the caring and consistent approach every adult shows. Children are eager to begin their learning each day. They relish the wealth of captivating things for them to do, both inside and outside. Children enjoy their constant interactions and dialogue with adults.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff take great care to get to know every child thoroughly, including before they start, to ensure that they are fully included in what the school has to offer. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) thrive. Like others, they benefit significantly from the close partnerships the school crafts with parents and carers. One parent, whose comment echoed the views of many, said, ‘Clervaux is an amazing nursery; my child is flourishing here.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders want the very best for every child and have the highest expectations for what children can achieve. They have created an environment where, in the children’s eyes, everything is possible. No limits are put on children’s ideas and imaginations. Children show an extraordinary awareness of the natural world. They are excited to explore their impressive forest school area. Here, they learn about the wildlife living there, for example fishing for froglets and examining the life cycle of butterflies.

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

Leaders have designed a well-planned, rich and ambitious curriculum. They plan with precision what they want children to know and be able to do across all areas of learning. Staff are adept at identifying when and why children are making insufficient progress. Extra help and support are provided. Children are very well prepared for their move to primary school. 27 June 2023

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Staff are highly skilled. They reflect on children’s learning every day. They make adjustments to reinforce learning for children who fall behind, including those with SEND. Leaders proactively engage other professionals for specialist support. As a result, children with SEND achieve exceptionally well.

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Every minute counts at Clervaux. Staff patiently show children how to do things. They encourage them to persist, help them to think through problems and challenge them to do more. Staff do a lot to keep children’s enthusiasm and curiosity alive. They use children’s initial interests as hooks in designing learning activities that match the ambition of the curriculum. They do not leave it at that though. They skilfully encourage and support children to broaden their horizons. They guide them to learn through many other activities and to develop a very wide range of new interests.

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The promotion of children’s communication and language skills is a particular strength of the school. Staff ensure that children hear relevant and useful words daily. Children are encouraged to use these words themselves in their learning and are praised when they do. They love listening to stories and staff encourage them to join in. For example, in one class, children enthusiastically joined in with and acted the story ‘I am going on a Bear Hunt’. Well-trained staff provide daily sessions to support early reading. Books, and inviting reading areas, are to be found in all areas of the nursery. Children take home good-quality books to share with their families.

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Children’s personal, social and emotional development is a top priority for leaders. This is evident through the clearly established routines and extremely nurturing culture. Staff encourage children to make their own choices and articulate their feelings. For example, when children gather round the campfire having hot chocolate, they choose where to sit. This approach allows children to grow their independence. Children behave very well. They play cooperatively and show care for each other.

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Provision for children’s wider development is impressive. Leaders’ focus on outdoor learning is an integral part of children’s learning. Children enjoy explaining about their visitors to school, for example a fireman who spoke to the children about fire safety. Children mark different cultural events and festivals, such as celebrating Christmas and Eid. Also, children benefit from the exceptional range of activities and experiences provided. Visits to places such as farms, parks and beaches help to broaden their horizons.

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Leaders and governors never stop thinking about what they can do to make the school even better. They keep up to date with the latest developments in early years education and combine this with their expertise to keep the school improving.

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Staff morale is high. There is an evident sense of collaboration and teamwork. Staff value the support that leaders and governors provide for their workload and well-being. They particularly appreciate their termly well-being days. 27 June 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and staff know the children, and their families, very well. Leaders have instilled a strong culture of safeguarding as being everybody’s responsibility. Designated safeguarding leads make sure that all staff are well trained. Because of this, staff are vigilant. They report any concerns they have about a child, no matter how minor they might appear. Leaders are relentless in the way they check that these are acted on. Records are detailed and confirm that leaders respond rapidly when a concern is noted, however small. Governors routinely check the effectiveness of the school’s safeguarding procedures.

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Safeguarding

Children learn about how to stay safe. For example, they learn to listen before taking part in a fire circle during outdoor learning. They learn to speak up if a situation is making them uncomfortable. They learn how to take risks in their play. Staff teach them how to use tools and equipment safely.

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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 December 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. 27 June 2023

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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. 27 June 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10255916 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 13 December 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Leaders currently do not use any alternative provision to meet the needs of children.  The school has provision for two-year-old children.  There is a breakfast club and an after-school club at the school.

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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 school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors held meetings with the headteacher and senior teachers. The inspector also spoke with the representatives of the local governing body, including the chair of governors, and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these areas of learning: language and communication, including reading; personal, social and emotional development; and understanding the world. For each deep dive, inspectors looked at curriculum plans and 27 June 2023

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spoke with leaders and different members of staff. Inspectors looked at these areas of learning in action.  Inspectors spoke to leaders and staff to understand how the nursery meets the needs of individual children, including those with SEND. Inspectors looked at examples of children’s achievements, including their learning journals and learning records.  Inspectors also looked at curriculum plans and spoke to leaders about other areas of learning.  A range of documentation was also scrutinised, including leaders’ plans to improve the school, their self-evaluation document and information published on the school’s website. Inspectors also looked at records of governors’ meetings.  Inspectors observed children’s behaviour during the day.  Inspectors reviewed the school’s safeguarding procedures. They checked the school’s single central record of staff suitability and held meetings with leaders, staff and

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governors about safeguarding.  Inspectors met with staff, including key workers. They spoke with staff and children informally throughout the inspection.  Inspectors met with parents as they dropped their children to school. Inspectors reviewed the free-text responses to Ofsted’s survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

Jean Watt, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Deborah Ashcroft Ofsted Inspector 27 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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