Appletree Nursery School

Inspection of Appletree Nursery School Milking Stile Lane, Lancaster, Lancashire LA1 5QB

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Outstanding 14 and 15 May 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children make a positive start to their education at this inclusive school. Children settle in quickly and are happy. The school is ambitious for children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). It places high importance on building children’s self-esteem and confidence. Nurturing staff provide children with a range of opportunities that help them to develop these personal attributes. The broad range of learning opportunities offered by the school help children to become confident and successful learners.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children learn the importance of sharing and cooperating with one another. Older children often work together as a team to create dens or to role play different games and stories. Staff help children to understand their different emotions and how to manage them. Children value the praise and recognition that they receive for showing good manners and behaving well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children learn about different interesting places beyond the school. For example, they experience trips to the seaside and to the park. Children begin to learn about the work of charities, supporting them through events such as cake sales. They also learn about important people in their community, gaining delight in visits from firefighters, refuse collectors and police officers.

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better?

The school has developed a curriculum that is aspirational and designed to meet the needs and interests of children, including those with SEND. The curriculum sets out what children should learn in the two-year-old provision and how this is built on when they move to the Nursery Year. This includes the key vocabulary across the different areas of learning. The curriculum considers the important knowledge the children should have so that they are ready for the demands of the Reception Year. Many children are well prepared for the next stage of education.

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better?

Across many areas of the curriculum, staff are well trained in educating young children, including two-year-olds. In most areas of learning, staff use assessment information well to identify any gaps in key knowledge that children have. In the main, staff design and deliver learning activities that build on what children already know. However, in a small number of areas, some staff do not have the subject knowledge that they need to be able to teach the curriculum as the school intends. This leads to some aspects of the curriculum not being taught in sufficient detail. As a result, some children do not deepen their knowledge as well as they could.

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better?

The school has effective systems in place to identify and assess the additional needs of children with SEND. The school has set out a range of strategies to help children with SEND access the curriculum and to understand the routines of the day. For a very small number of children with SEND, these strategies are not consistently applied and these children do not learn as well as they could. 14 and 15 May 2024

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Communication and language are a priority across the school. Staff explore new words with children through different activities and books. Staff also use opportunities during play to help children use new words and to form simple sentences. Staff check where children need support with communication and language. They use this understanding to help children to build on what they already know.

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Children regularly experience the pleasure that comes from having a book read to them. They learn about reading through the well-chosen stories that inform and excite them. Children in the two-year-old provision enjoy singing a range of songs and nursery rhymes, often linked to what they have been learning about.

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Children behave well. This positive behaviour is supported by the school rules, which staff help children to understand. Children learn with little disruption to their activities. Many are keen to help out at tidy-up time. The school does a great deal to ensure that children attend the nursery regularly, so that they benefit from the good standard of education that it provides.

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The school provides a broad range of personal development opportunities. The school encourages parents and carers to come into school to talk to the children about the important celebrations in their different cultures. This includes the different types of traditional clothing and food that go with the occasion. Children are taught the importance of personal hygiene, such as why they should wash their hands before sitting down for a snack. Initiatives in school also help children to understand the need to brush their teeth regularly.

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Governors challenge and support the school well on the quality of education provided. Staff value being part of the school. They appreciate the training and support that they receive, which helps them give children a positive start to their education.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of areas, some staff do not have the subject knowledge that they need to teach the curriculum as intended. As a result, some children do not deepen their knowledge as well as they could. In these areas, the school should ensure that staff have the knowledge that they need to teach the curriculum well, so that children effectively build on what they already know.  For a very small number of children with SEND, the strategies set out to aid their access to the curriculum and to understand daily routines are applied inconsistently. As a result, a small number of children with SEND do not learn as 14 and 15 May 2024

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well as they could. The school should ensure that the adaptations in place are used consistently by staff so that these children can fully access the learning.

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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 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). 14 and 15 May 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Nicholas Harrison

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School details

Website www.appletreenurseryschool.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 6 July 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Willow Tree Federation, which comprises two schools.  Lucy Naylor is the headteacher for both schools in the federation.  The school has provision for two-year-olds.  The school does not make use of 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.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these areas of learning: communication and language, mathematics and physical development. For each deep dive, the 14 and 15 May 2024

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inspectors met with curriculum leaders, visited a sample of lessons and spoke to staff. Inspectors spoke with children when visiting lessons and considered their work.  The inspectors spoke with the headteacher, other school leaders and members of staff.  The lead inspector spoke with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. The lead inspector also spoke with a representative of the local authority.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single central record and took account of the views of leaders and staff. They also considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children’s interests first.  The inspectors observed children’s behaviour in lessons.  The inspectors spoke with staff about their workload and well-being. They also considered the views of staff shared through Ofsted’s online staff survey.

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 The inspectors spoke with some parents. They considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View. This included the free-text responses.

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Inspection team

David Robinson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Olivia Barnes Ofsted Inspector 14 and 15 May 2024

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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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