Granville Plus Nursery School

Inspection of Granville Plus Nursery School Granville Road, London NW6 5RA

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Good 18 and 19 July 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children love coming to this school with its great sense of community. Children want to do their best. The school’s motto of ‘growing hearts, minds and community’ captures the ambition of all at the school. Adults know the children and their families well. They use this knowledge and close working relationships to give children a safe and positive start to their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children respond to the high expectation that adults have for them. They participate in the imaginative activities they take part in actively. Even the very youngest children learn to sit, learn and eat together. There is a strong culture of welcoming and respecting all here. Children listen to each other, are kind and play together safely. Children trust adults to help them when needed. Parents and carers value how adults in school help their children to feel secure and happy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children who need extra help, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are fully supported by adults. Leaders ensure all children are included in the life of the school. As a result, the atmosphere around the school is joyful and calm.

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better?

Leaders, including governors, have retained a clear focus on the needs of children during a period of leadership changes. Staff are proud to work at the school and feel supported and valued. Leaders have designed an ambitious new curriculum. It helps children to secure appropriate knowledge and skills sequentially. Teachers explain things clearly. They help children to deepen their knowledge, including about the world around them. For example, adults enabled children to compare objects that floated or sunk in the water tray. Children learn to eat healthily at lunchtime and enjoy music to choreograph dance moves.

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better?

The school’s curricular thinking focuses on developing children’s rich language and communication skills. Most activities build on what children have learned before and prepares them for what comes next. Leaders regularly check that the curriculum in each learning area is helping children remember key vocabulary. For instance, children learned the names of different minibeasts. On occasions, staff do not make most of activities to deepen children’s knowledge, skills and vocabulary development.

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better?

Leaders prioritise children’s early reading and language development. Leaders and staff promote a love of reading. Children listen to stories and join in with songs enthusiastically, copying actions and repeating words. Children delight in using newly remembered words and sentences. They enjoy acting out stories they have heard. They can find quiet areas and, with the help of adults, access many books of interest to them. The recently introduced phonics programme enables older children to develop their knowledge of early letter sounds quickly. 18 and 19 July 2023

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Teachers check children’s understanding often. They identify those who need extra help, including for children with SEND, promptly. They adapt their teaching to meet children’s needs. Leaders work closely with specialists when their help is required. Pupils with SEND achieve successfully. Adults reinforce new vocabulary constantly through modelling spoken language skilfully. As a result, children with SEND gain confidence in communicating and gaining new knowledge.

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Children are taught to listen well. They learn how to concentrate during tasks and activities. Routines for the youngest children, such as sitting in groups, are quickly established when they join the school. Staff help children make positive choices to ensure behaviour is consistently positive. Children respect each other and adults help them to become increasingly independent. For example, while clearing away resources and hanging coats up. Children also visit the local shops and park to broaden their understanding of the community.

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Leaders have ambitious plans to improve the curriculum, as well as the school’s environment and resources. They are supported well by committed governors, who bring a wealth of skills and experience to their roles. Leaders value their staff highly and are determined to provide them with the training and support they need to be as effective as possible.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that there is a strong safeguarding culture. Leaders work well with a range of external agencies to ensure that any vulnerable children and their families receive the help they need. Safeguarding training is timely, comprehensive and relevant to the context of the school. Staff identify and report any signs of concerns about children.

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Safeguarding

Leaders maintain accurate and thorough records of actions where concerns about children have been raised. Children go without hesitation to trusted adults when they have any concerns. Children are taught how to keep safe, such as using a knife safely when cutting up their vegetables.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 On occasions, opportunities to teach aspects of the curriculum, including important vocabulary, communication skills and knowledge, are missed. Sometimes, staff do not make the most of activities in order to develop children’s understanding. The school must ensure that staff fully embed the curriculum expectations and make the most of all interactions with children so that they can consolidate and secure what children know and can remember. 18 and 19 July 2023

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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. 18 and 19 July 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10240949 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 20 June 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The current deputy headteacher is currently leading the school. She is supported by local school leaders and the local authority. The headteacher was not present during the inspection.  At the time of the inspection, the school was not using any alternative provision.

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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 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 held meetings with the deputy headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator and two members of the governing body. Inspectors spoke to a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following areas: communication and language, physical development and understanding the world. For each deep 18 and 19 July 2023

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dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with the deputy headteacher, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some children about their learning and looked at samples of their work.  Inspectors met the deputy headteacher to discuss personal, social and health education as part of the inspection team’s evaluation of pupils’ personal development.  To inspect safeguarding, the inspectors met with the responsible leaders. Inspectors scrutinised the school’s pre-employment checks on staff. Inspectors also spoke to governors, staff and children to evaluate safeguarding.  Inspectors reviewed a range of other school documentation and policies, including the school development plan and minutes of governors’ meetings.  To gather children’s views, inspectors spent time observing and speaking to pupils.  To gather parents’ views, inspectors reviewed the free-text responses submitted to the online survey. Inspectors also spoke to parents at the start of the school

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day.  Inspectors gathered staff’s views by meeting groups of them during the course of the inspection.

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Inspection team

Phil Garnham, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector’

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Inspection team

Julie Wright His Majesty’s Inspector 18 and 19 July 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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