Kay Rowe Nursery School

Inspection of an outstanding school: Kay Rowe Nursery School Forest Gate, Forest Gate, Osborne Road, London E7 0PH

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Outcome

Kay Rowe Nursery School continues to be an outstanding school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children enter school with sheer excitement to start the day. Exciting and stimulating activities make children eager to take part. Staff encourage children to explore and to be curious about their learning. The ambitious outdoor environment enables children to take risks and to problem solve. Staff provide children with many opportunities for their physical development. Staff use their detailed knowledge of children to expertly guide their learning and development.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have set clear routines, so children are confident and know what to do. They support children to learn the routines of the Nursery. Staff support children’s independence. The Nursery is a calm and happy environment. Staff make sure children play cooperatively and make friends. All staff have high expectations of every child, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The curriculum is ambitious. Staff strive to ensure that all children are ready for their next stage in learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school prioritises building strong partnerships with families. Parents and carers value the input and involvement staff have in their child’s education. Regular school outings with families enable a shared learning experience.

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

The school has carefully considered the ambitious curriculum goals that it wants all children to achieve. Well-considered key skills and knowledge have been set out to support children’s learning. Staff tailor their interactions effectively with each child and know how to support their next steps in learning. For example, a key worker supported children to count and subtract expertly. Staff weave all areas of learning into activities seamlessly. For instance, while playing outside, staff and children observed a squirrel and discussed how it stored and collected food. 21 February 2024

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The development of children’s communication and language is a priority. This threads through every element of the curriculum. All staff interact with children very well, responding and expanding their vocabulary and sentences. Staff support children’s misconceptions, modelling the correct language precisely. Adults take regular opportunities to share books with children. This helps to develop children’s love of reading and stories.

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Staff develop children’s mathematical understanding with precision. In all activities, staff guide children to count, to understand size and shapes, for example when counting cucumber pieces while making sandwiches. Children’s fine motor skills are developed at every opportunity. Children cut and prepare their own snacks. They use scissors independently and a variety of pens to create story maps.

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Pupils with SEND receive great care. The staff’s deep knowledge of each child enables them to identify and support individual needs. All staff use communication strategies skilfully so that children can express their emotions, thoughts and needs. Small steps of learning are set out to help each child meet their milestones. Staff model how to use language for children very carefully.

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Staff enable children to understand consequences and solutions. Children behave very well as a result. The school carefully plans a wide range of visits, including to places of worship. Families participate in and enjoy these shared learning opportunities. The school celebrates the rich cultural diversity of its community.

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All staff know their children and families well. Staff provide families with bespoke support and guidance on their child’s development. Leaders work closely with families to ensure a shared understanding of the importance of regular attendance in education.

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Leaders strive to continually improve the education experience for all children. They are reflective of their practice and how to improve further. Staff value the professional development opportunities, which they apply readily in the Nursery. They enjoy working in a supportive, happy environment.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 21 February 2024

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Background

When we have judged 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 September 2018.

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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). 21 February 2024

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School details

School category Maintained nursery school

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 25 September 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Leaders do not make use of any alternative provision.  The school has funded assessment SEN places for 18 children.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection that 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 met with the headteacher, other leaders and a range of staff. They also met with members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these areas: communication and language, personal, social and emotional development and understanding the world. Activities included discussions with leaders and teachers about the curriculum, visiting Nursery sessions and speaking with staff and groups of children about their learning. 21 February 2024

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 Inspectors checked the school’s policies and records, including those related to behaviour and children’s wider development.  Inspectors considered responses of parents and staff to Ofsted’s online surveys.  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 safeguarding that puts children’s interests first.  Inspectors held meetings with staff and spoke with children during Nursery sessions. They observed children’s behaviour across the Nursery, including as they arrived and left the site.

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Inspection team

Sacha Husnu-Beresford, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Jonathan Newby Ofsted Inspector 21 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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