Madeley Nursery School

Inspection of an outstanding school: Madeley Nursery School Bridle Road, Madeley, Telford, Shropshire TF7 5ET

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Outcome

Madeley Nursery School continues to be an outstanding school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children get off to a great start to their education at Madeley Nursery School. Leaders are highly ambitious for all children. They offer an exciting child-centred, creative approach to learning for every child. Learning is fun, with time for reflection, including daily opportunities for meditation and outdoor activities. Children enjoy opportunities to work with expert gardeners to grow fruit and vegetables in the school garden. During walks to explore the local community, children find out about people who help them. Such opportunities help children to excel in all aspects of school life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children’s behaviour is exemplary, despite some only having attended for a very short time. The early days in school are well organised and children adapt to routines very quickly. Staff set clear expectations. Children live up to these expectations and behave well. Children show consistently high levels of respect and care towards each other. They are kind to one another. They are highly motivated and focused on their learning. Children are happy and safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders establish positive relationships with parents right from the start. They make sure that open and effective discussions take place. Parents are very happy with the quality of education and care that their children receive.

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

Leaders have carefully planned and sequenced an ambitious curriculum for all children. Staff have the subject knowledge they need to teach the curriculum well. Leaders provide good-quality resources. They offer a wide range of exciting learning opportunities for all children. For example, children learn to work skilfully with clay and paints. They enjoy counting the number of slugs in the garden or the number of legs on spiders. Staff regularly check how well children are learning the curriculum so that they can plan next 13 September 2023

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steps for them. Children are exceptionally well-prepared for the next stage of their education.

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Reading is at the heart of this school’s work. Throughout the day there are many opportunities for children to listen to stories and sing songs and rhymes. Staff sometimes accompany this singing with the guitar or clarinet. Children really enjoy these experiences. Parents join story sessions, share home books and receive family ‘book gifts’ that help to support children’s reading in the home. Adults encourage children to talk about their learning in depth. They make sure that any child who has fallen behind is well-supported to catch up quickly, which they do.

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Right from the start, leaders identify any child in need of extra help and support. They work effectively with external partners, such as speech and language therapists. This means that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) get the help they need swiftly. As a result, children with SEND achieve exceptionally well.

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Opportunities such as composting and finding out about the local area help pupils to develop wider interests and care for the environment. Visits to the local orchard and allotments help children to learn about organic farming. Children learn about road safety during walks in the local community. A wide range of religions and cultures within the nursery are studied and explored, including Sikh and Pagan cultures. Children enjoy learning about Chinese New Year, Diwali and Christmas through music, art and storytelling. Children enjoy singing to elderly residents and sending cards at Christmas time.

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Children develop an understanding of right and wrong through the school rules. They are polite and courteous and regularly use good manners such as ‘please’ and ‘thank you’. They learn about friendships and how to share. They help and look after one another. In addition, children listen carefully to adults and focus well on their tasks.

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Leaders, including governors, know the school well. They set the right priorities for the school. They regularly review the impact of the school’s work. Governors hold leaders to account for the work of the school.

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The school successfully engages parents in their children’s learning. Parents express very positive opinions about the school. Staff too are overwhelmingly positive about support from leaders to manage their workload and well-being. They value regular training and opportunities to learn from others. This includes some staff visiting an international school. Staff say this helps them to reflect on their practice and professionally develop.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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 13 September 2023

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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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This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding in December 2012.

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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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 13 September 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 13 February 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school admits pupils from the age of two years.  The school does not use alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education 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 subjects: creative art and design, early reading and mathematical development. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of sessions, spoke to teachers, spoke to some children about their learning and looked at samples of children’s work.  Inspectors observed children being read to by a familiar adult. Inspectors reviewed reading resources. 13 September 2023

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 Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation on the school’s website.

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 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single central record, took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils, and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors observed children’s behaviour in lessons and at other times during the day.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator, the designated safeguarding leader, curriculum leaders, representatives of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors took account of responses to Ofsted Parent View and staff surveys.

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Inspection team

Lorraine Lord, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Ian Beardmore Ofsted Inspector 13 September 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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