Rowley View Nursery School

Inspection of an outstanding school: Rowley View Nursery School 149 Dangerfield Lane, Wednesbury, West Midlands WS10 7RU

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Outcome

Rowley View Nursery School continues to be an outstanding school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Every day at Rowley View Nursery School, children are greeted with a warm welcome by smiling staff. Children know what to do. They settle themselves in the nursery ready for a session of fun-packed learning. All thrive in an environment where routines are consistent.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children, including the two-year-olds, show increasing confidence and independence as they move through the nursery rooms. All staff are ambitious for every child. They get to know the children and their families well from the outset. Children make friends quickly. This starts in their family groups where they greet each other and play games together happily.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children’s growing assurance can be seen in their play. For example, children are excited to pick up worms in the soil and put them back carefully. They talk about how important worms are to help the soil. There is a care for each other and living things. Children enjoy growing their own food and getting involved in cooking on ‘Tasty Tuesdays’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children’s learning is enhanced by a fabulous range of visitors and experiences, such as a visit to Darlaston library. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school, describing it as ‘amazing’ and ‘so caring’.

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

The school is ambitious and fully committed to every child having the very best start in their young lives. It has created a unique Rowley View curriculum that encourages curiosity and sparks children’s imagination. The school benefits from being part of the federated partnership with Alumwell Nursery. This is making a positive difference to leaders, staff and children. Staff appreciate the training opportunities and support they receive. Children benefit from the new knowledge that staff bring to their everyday practice in the nursery. 13 and 14 March 2024

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The nursery is a book-rich environment. Children regularly change their library bags and take books and activities home to share with parents and carers. Staff are keen to ensure that children develop a love of reading. Children beam with joy when listening to stories and sharing books with adults. Books about eggs and chicks capture their imagination along with their care for chicks hatching in the nursery. Children in the two-year-old provision snuggle up to adults ready for story time. Staff use rhymes and songs throughout the day to strengthen children’s language and learning. Children eagerly join in with rhymes at register time and tidy-up times.

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Staff are skilled in helping children settle quickly into nursery life. They help children to think about their friends and care for others. Staff build warm and caring relationships with children. They teach them to ‘use kind hands’ and ‘say kind words’ to others. Children learn to express their feelings well and think about how others feel. Children know the routines. If any children need extra help following daily routines, staff make adaptions. Staff are exemplary in celebrating small steps and adapt routines to enable everyone to meet with success.

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Children use their mathematical knowledge well in their everyday play. They can count how many children are in their family group and compare two groups of objects. Children are confident and respond well to visiting adults. For example, all children were happy to take part in a computing workshop during the inspection. Children displayed excellent listening skills during the activity. They demonstrated remarkable resilience and did not give up. They scampered after the robots. Their joy and excitement were a delight to behold.

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The school excels in its positive care for every child, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The identification of each child’s individual needs is outstanding. Children with complex needs show tangible signs of success. Each milestone is celebrated with parents and carers. All staff are determined that every child will succeed. Parents and carers said again and again how much support their children receive at Rowley View Nursery and how this helps shape their lives.

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So many aspects of life at the nursery are impressive. Children access all areas of learning through high-quality learning experiences both indoors and outdoors. Children enjoy forest school and can independently put on their own outdoor suits for the activities planned. They help each other to get ready for other outdoor activities, such as mud painting.

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The school’s leadership team is second to none, as is the impact its members have on staff, children and their families.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 13 and 14 March 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 October 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 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). 13 and 14 March 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 3 July 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The nursery school does not use any alternative provision.  The nursery school provides a breakfast club.  There has been a change of leadership since the last inspection. An interim headteacher and deputy headteacher were appointed in September 2023.  The school is federated with Alumwell Nursery School in Walsall.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in this evaluation of the school.  The inspector spoke with the chair of governors and met with a parent governor.  During the inspection, deep dives were carried out in communication and language, mathematics and personal, social and emotional development. 13 and 14 March 2024

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 The inspector met with leaders and staff to discuss their plans for children’s learning and development. Learning in classrooms and outdoors was observed. The inspector spoke with children and staff. The inspector looked at examples of children’s learning.  The inspector held meetings with the interim headteacher, deputy headteacher and the inclusion leader.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff, parents, carers and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, including free-text responses. The inspector considered staff responses in the staff survey.  The inspector spoke with parents at the school gate.

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Inspection team

Pamela Matty, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 13 and 14 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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