St Anne's & Avondale Park Nursery School

Inspection of St Anne’s & Avondale Park Nursery School Sirdar Road, London W11 4EE

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Inspection dates: 30 and 31 January 2024

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

This school was last inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 11 years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time.

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Overall effectiveness Good

From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between graded inspections under section 5 of the Act. The school received an ungraded inspection under section 8 of the Act on 24 May 2022. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last graded inspection. 30 and 31 January 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children settle in quickly and play happily at St Anne’s & Avondale Park Nursery School. The nursery’s nurturing atmosphere is central to this. When children need a little extra help to feel safe and secure, staff care for them with warmth and sensitivity. A parent summed up the views of many when they said that their child ‘wakes up every morning excited to go in’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children behave impeccably. They understand the clear routines for the day, including the number of children allowed in designated learning areas like the home corner. Staff help them to manage sharing and taking turns. They teach children to solve conflicts positively and to be respectful and kind to each other. Children also learn how to look after their nursery environment. For example, children empty the water tray into a bucket using a larger container with care. Children’s excellent behaviour is underpinned by the positive relationships they have with staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for children. They focus on building children’s resilience and independence. They introduce children to high-quality picture books, as well as songs and rhymes. Children love to repeat these stories in their play. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are extremely well supported. They learn happily alongside their peers.

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better?

Leaders and staff deliver a curriculum that places a strong focus on children developing communication and language skills. Staff model language as children play, encouraging them to use and repeat new words and phrases. Staff spend time in back-and-forth conversation with children. They introduce children to new words while they play, as well as through sharing books and singing songs with them. In both the classroom and outside learning environment, children use this knowledge to talk about a book’s characters independently. They enjoy acting out stories that they have heard. For example, children asked adults to be quiet, as they might wake the giant from the story that they had been sharing.

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better?

In most areas of learning, the school has identified the small steps of knowledge that children should learn and know across the curriculum. However, in some areas, curriculum thinking is less clear about what children need to be taught. This means that some planned learning is not as purposeful as it could be in building up children’s understanding over time. Leaders have recognised this and are in the process of addressing this.

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better?

The school is a calm and nurturing environment. Children play together happily. Children learn the routines of the school as soon as they join. Leaders ensure that the curriculum supports children to become confident and self-aware individuals. Staff reinforce daily routines, including handwashing, taking turns and tidying away equipment. They support children to develop their attention levels and persist at 30 and 31 January 2024

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activities such as cooking and preparing food in the role-play area or finding hidden objects in the sand area.

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Leaders have put effective systems in place to identify children with SEND. This support is provided through both staff and external agencies and includes speech therapy and small-group sensory activities. The nursery works closely with parents to develop a shared and consistent approach.

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Leaders have considered carefully how they support children to be able to express their feelings. Staff promote independence and resilience throughout the school day. Children respond well to this and listen to each other when they are working alongside their peers. They are encouraged to explore their emotions and well-being through daily targeted sessions. These sessions teach children about various aspects of the brain and also include breathing exercises. Children said that they feel ‘calm and happy’ after participating in these activities.

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Leaders ensure that children experience a rich range of activities that broaden their experiences and promote their wider development. Children learn about different cultures, festivals and traditions by, for example, celebrating Eid. They also enjoy their visits to woodland learning areas, especially the climbing activities. In addition, the nursery offers an extensive range of workshops and welcomes various visitors, including artists, authors, and farm animals.

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Staff feel valued and listened to by leaders. They appreciate the real care given to their well-being, as well as the adjustments that the school makes to ensure that they can carry out their work effectively.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some areas of learning, the small component steps of knowledge that children need to be secure in are not as well defined as they should be. As a result, some planned tasks and activities do not build cumulatively on what has been previously learned. The school should ensure that the small steps of learning are clearly identified so that the planned learning enables children to build upon their previous knowledge and skills. 30 and 31 January 2024

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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' 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). 30 and 31 January 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 24 May 2022, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school runs its own after-school club.  The school federated with Fox Federation in April 2023.  The school does not use 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

 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.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these areas of learning: communication and language; personal, social and emotional development; and understanding the 30 and 31 January 2024

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world. Inspectors discussed the curriculum with leaders, visited sessions, watched staff interactions with children and looked at samples of work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders and staff; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children’s interests first.  Inspectors met informally with parents at nursery pick-up times. Inspectors reviewed the responses to Ofsted Parent View and to the online staff survey.

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Inspection team

Karen Kent, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Samantha Ingram His Majesty’s Inspector 30 and 31 January 2024

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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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