Marsh Hill Nursery School

Inspection of an outstanding school: Marsh Hill Nursery School 275 Marsh Hill, Erdington, Birmingham, West Midlands B23 7HG

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Outcome

Marsh Hill Nursery School continues to be an outstanding school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff care for children exceptionally well. Parents and carers value staff knowing their children so well. Children develop warm, trusting relationships with staff. Such relationships are also evident between staff and parents. Parents appreciate this aspect of Marsh Hill.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff help children to settle quickly into their learning and play. Children respond willingly to routines and expectations. At the start of each session, children know that they need to take their coats off and choose activities that interest them. They do this with confidence and independence. Children relish their learning, both inside and out. They learn in safe environments. Staff encourage children to follow their own curiosities. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), experience a wide range of specific and purposeful activities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Every adult is an expert at knowing what is needed, when and just how much to help each child to behave and achieve well. Staff challenge children effectively. They know when to interact with a child and when not to. Staff encourage children to come up with their own ideas and reflect on new experiences. They do this with skill and success.

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

The school is very aware of the adverse impact of the pandemic. Many children coming to Marsh Hill for the first time are anxious and unsure about what to expect. Staff quickly reassure children and their parents. Staff successfully encourage and support children to attend nursery as often as possible.

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

Staff continually think about what is best for the children and make changes to ensure that each child learns well. A recent example has been helping children with SEND to concentrate and develop curiosity for longer periods of time. 6 February 2024

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Parents and staff share many engaging learning moments between school and home. These include activities that encourage children to learn across all areas of the curriculum. Staff carefully plan what children will learn and when. This means that children’s learning is continually building on what they know and can do.

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Communication and language underpin all provision. Staff diligently plan activities and how they will teach them. Children pick up and embed essential communication skills. Staff expertly exploit every opportunity to develop children’s vocabulary and conversation. Staff check how well each child is progressing in their learning across the curriculum. Children interact easily and courteously with each other and with staff, rehearsing newly learned language. This supports children well for future learning.

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Staff make sure that every child learns about the wider world, outside of Marsh Hill. When learning about Chinese New Year, children were fascinated by the richness of colour and enjoyed experiencing an unfamiliar culture. Every child, together with their parents, visit the theatre and other places of interest. Imagination is fuelled.

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Staff engineer success for children through a carefully thought through and considered curriculum. They help children to develop a healthy awareness of risk. Children dive into their learning, explore and experiment. They are not afraid to make mistakes. Watching children mix paints with concentration, collaboration and a sense of purpose was a joy to see.

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Staff draw upon a wealth of experience and knowledge when considering how best to help each child. Children benefit exceptionally well. Children new to school watched staff skilfully show how they could join others in serving food in an outdoor kitchen. With greater confidence, the children took part using freshly learned skills.

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Staff make sure that if a child needs time to think, they get it. If a child needs simpler instructions, staff respond quickly and effectively. When reading with children, staff gauge how much information to share. Staff use time wisely and well. These frequent activities instil a love of reading.

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The school continually seeks ways to further improve its work. Staff workload and well- being are considered carefully. Governors are very aware and supportive of all staff in respect of their mental health and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 6 February 2024

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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 2013.

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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). 6 February 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 18 June 2018 under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use alternative provision.  Since the previous inspection, a federated governing body has been established. Marsh Hill Nursery and Perry Beeches Nursery form the federation. The headteacher at Marsh Hill Nursery School has become the executive headteacher, leading across the two settings.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgment about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors and leaders completed learning walks together of all areas of the school and discussed the early years curriculum.  Inspectors spoke to children to find out about their time at the school. 6 February 2024

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 Inspectors spoke to the headteacher and other senior staff. The lead inspector spoke with a representative from the local authority and members of the governing body. Inspectors also met with a range of staff.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in communication and language, understanding the world and personal, social and emotional development. For each deep dive, inspectors visited adult-directed sessions and observed continuous provision and talked with staff about the way these areas are planned and taught.  A range of documentation was scrutinised, including leaders’ plans to improve the school, their self-evaluation documents and information published on the school’s website.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and children; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around

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safeguarding that puts children’s interests first.  Inspectors spoke to parents. Inspectors also took account of parents’ and staff’s views via Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Jeremy Bird, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Jayne Thorpe Ofsted Inspector 6 February 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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