Newtown Nursery School

Inspection of Newtown Nursery School Hockley Close, Newtown, Birmingham, West Midlands B19 2NS

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Previous inspection grade Outstanding 5 and 6 March 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Newtown Nursery School is an exciting place to learn. Children arrive happily at school each day with smiles on their faces. They and their parents are greeted with warmth and kindness by staff. Children cannot wait to get involved in activities when they walk through the door. They relish the wealth of captivating things for them to do, both inside and outside.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school places great emphasis on knowing each child and understanding their individual needs. This results in a highly inclusive provision where everyone is valued. Staff take time to form strong relationships with each child and their families. As a result, all children flourish here.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s vision statement, ‘ Newtown Nursery School is a place to nurture, inspire and shine’, is very evident . Leaders are highly ambitious for what all children can learn and do. All activities have a clear learning purpose. For example, children learn songs and rhymes that become progressively more complex. This aids their communication and language. Children take turns talking and sharing thoughts in group activities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children play and learn very well together. They learn the importance of rules and respect. Their behaviour is exemplary. They are exceptionally well prepared for primary school.

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better?

Leaders have created an exciting curriculum. It is well designed, sequenced and structured. Children are taught knowledge, skills and vocabulary in accordance with the early years foundation stage. Staff review each day together to ensure that the play opportunities are continually adapted and enhanced to extend children’s learning. All children achieve well.

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better?

Staff are very skilled at delivering the curriculum because of the excellent training they receive. They know exactly where children need to get to according to their age. They foster a sense of curiosity in children and encourage them to question what they see. For example, children were talking about the chicks that had just arrived in school. They were working out how the chicks get out of the egg, and learning new words, such as incubator and life cycle.

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better?

Many children are from families who speak a range of different languages. Leaders have thought carefully about the specific needs of these children. They have developed several programmes to support the children, including using sign language. This helps children express their feelings and emotions. These programmes, and the excellent relationships formed with parents, help families become part of the school and local community. 5 and 6 March 2024

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The development of children’s communication and language is an absolute priority. Staff have a high level of expertise when talking to and with children. They build language incrementally. They do this by introducing the children to key vocabulary.

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Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are very well supported. Their needs are quickly identified. They are fully included in all that the nursery has to offer. Staff expertly adapt activities and provide individual and group sessions to meet children’s needs. Individual learning support plans provide staff and parents with clearly identified next steps and the actions to be taken to achieve them.

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Reading is a key priority in school. Children explore identified stories in depth. They can talk about them well, such as the story of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’. They can access books and stories throughout the day. Adults use a rich range of literature to support children’s learning across the curriculum. The school runs reading workshops for parents, which are very well attended. They give parents tips for promoting a love of reading with their child. Staff skilfully deliver the school’s pre- phonics programme.

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The school is a calm environment. Children play together happily. Leaders ensure that the curriculum supports children to become confident and self-aware individuals. Through clear routines, children become adept at setting things up, tidying up and helping others. Staff support children to develop their attention levels and persist at activities.

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Children enjoy the wide range of activities to enrich their learning in school. These include a local artist working in school and outings to the local park and the seaside. Children enjoy the responsibility that staff give them, such as setting things up at dinnertime. These simple routines and expectations are supporting them to develop independence, responsibility and maturity.

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Staff morale is high. There is an unmistakable sense of collaboration and teamwork. Staff know that leaders take their well-being seriously.

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Leaders and governors never stop thinking about what they can do to make the school even better. They keep up to date with developments in early years education and combine this with their expertise to keep the school improving.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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. 5 and 6 March 2024

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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). 5 and 6 March 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 31 January 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 There have been some staff changes following the previous inspection. The current deputy headteacher took up her post in September 2023.  Newtown Nursery works closely with Highfield Nursery School in a small cluster. This cluster is served by a ‘local committee’ but remains accountable to the Birmingham Federation Governing Board.  The school provides full- and part-time places for children aged two to four years old.  No children attend 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. 5 and 6 March 2024

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 Inspectors completed deep dives in communication and language, personal, social and emotional development, mathematics and literacy. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers and some children about their learning and looked at samples of children’s work.  Inspectors met regularly with the executive headteacher and senior leadership team. They also spoke to the SEND coordinator, who is the deputy headteacher.  Inspectors spoke to the executive headteacher and staff about children’s behaviour, policies, and procedures. Inspectors observed children’s behaviour.  Inspectors spoke with children to hear their views of their education as well as about behaviour and safety.  Inspectors reviewed information about other areas of learning and the wider curriculum.  Inspectors met with parents to hear their views about the school.  The lead inspector spoke by telephone with the quality and safeguarding strategy

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manager from the local authority about the work of the school.  The lead inspector spoke with the chair of governors and other governors.  Inspectors spoke with staff and considered their responses to the Ofsted survey.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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 children’s interests first.

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Inspection team

Lynda Townsend, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Nicola Harwood Ofsted Inspector 5 and 6 March 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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