McMillan Nursery School

Inspection of McMillan Early Childhood Centre Judge Heath Lane, Hayes UB3 2PD

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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 Outstanding 3 and 4 October 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children are happy and safe at this family friendly school. They are supported to become confident learners. Children arrive at school eager to learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff have high expectations for children’s behaviour and achievement. Working relationships between children and staff are very positive. Activities in the Nursery inspire and encourage children to play, investigate and explore. For example, two-year-old children were keen to develop their balancing skills on the outdoor apparatus. Typically, children learn well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children are respectful and kind to each other. Staff deal with any minor disagreements among children quickly. Children learn the difference between right and wrong. Leaders provide a wide range of events and visits to complement the curriculum and broaden children’s experiences. They have benefited from visits to an aquarium and local shops. Children enjoyed opportunities to watch butterflies grow.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children learn about their community and how to make a positive contribution to society. They fundraise for charities and participate in many faith celebrations. Parents and carers are highly supportive of the care and education their children receive.

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better?

Leaders have focused on developing the curriculum for all children. They have identified the important steps in each area of learning. Leaders have provided a broad, ambitious, and exciting curriculum. They take account of children’s different stages of development. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) build new knowledge securely.

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better?

Typically, staff have strong subject knowledge. They identify and check children’s misconceptions well. Sometimes, teaching does not build on the small steps of learning that children need to take. This limits opportunities to extend children’s learning further.

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better?

Leaders are ambitious for children with SEND. Adults seek to understand each child’s needs at the earliest opportunity. They build effective relationships with families, even before children start at the Nursery. Staff work closely with external partners and specialists, including parents.

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better?

Children’s communication and language skills are a priority for staff. Staff make sure that they speak clearly using language that the children understand. Throughout the day, staff immerse children in singing, stories, and rhymes. Children use props to retell stories, for example developing a fire station during role play. Staff assess children’s vocabulary and language development regularly. They skilfully use this information to target support to children that need extra help. Children develop strong spoken language skills over time, including those with SEND. 3 and 4 October 2023

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Leaders and staff help children to settle quickly. The warm and welcoming school environment helps children to learn the routines required. Children work positively in adult-led activities, and during their own self-initiated play. They behave well and follow instructions from staff. They play well alongside their friends and learn to share and take turns. Children learn to take on challenges, unfamiliar situations and meeting new people. Staff nurture children’s growing independence. For example, they encourage children to help to pack away apparatus and clear up the sand playing equipment.

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Staff encourage children to eat healthy foods and learn how to use cutlery at lunchtime. The curriculum offers many opportunities to learn about the community and the world. Children have opportunities to discover cultural festivals throughout the year. They travel on different forms of transport on school visits. Staff enable children to learn about the living world around them, such as ‘a bug’s life’.

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Staff enjoy working at the school. They said that leaders consider their well-being and workload. Governors are dedicated to their roles and are very well informed about the school. They hold leaders to account and support them to bring about improvements. Governors fulfil their statutory responsibilities well.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The recent changes to the curriculum are not fully implemented. On occasion, teaching does not extend children’s learning so that they learn securely across the breadth of the curriculum. The school should ensure that staff implement the curriculum as intended 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. 3 and 4 October 2023

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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). 3 and 4 October 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website mcmillanearlychildhoodcentre.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 23 November 2021, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 A new headteacher and chair of governors have been appointed since the previous inspection.  The school offers provision for two-year-old children.  The school does not make use of 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

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 3 and 4 October 2023

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 The inspectors held meetings with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher and a range of other staff. The inspectors met with representatives of the local governing body and the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these areas of learning: communication and language, physical development and understanding of the world. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with leaders and spent time visiting lessons. Inspectors also talked to staff and children to determine the impact of the curriculum and teaching methods on children’s learning and development.  Inspectors examined a range of school documentation, including leaders’ self- evaluation, improvement plans and documentation relating to attendance and behaviour.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and

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considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s parent and staff questionnaires.

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Inspection team

Phil Garnham, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Lascelles Haughton His Majesty’s Inspector 3 and 4 October 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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