Tudhoe Moor Nursery School

Inspection of a good school: Tudhoe Moor Nursery School Tudhoe Moor, Spennymoor, County Durham DL16 6EX

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Outcome

Tudhoe Moor Nursery School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides children with a safe, nurturing environment in which to begin their education. Building positive relationships is central to school life. Parents and carers appreciate the effort that the school makes to get to know both them and their children. Children are happy and confident in the setting. They are inquisitive and eager to learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has established clear routines and expectations. Consequently, the setting is calm and children behave well. Children are kind to each other. They show high levels of respect for their peers, adults and the resources that are available to them. The school has high ambition for all children. It strives to establish good attendance habits so that children are prepared well for the transition to primary school. A wealth of support is available to families, including from external agencies where needed.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children enjoy a range of learning experiences. These help to prepare them for the next stage of their education, but also for life beyond the school. For example, older children regularly take part in sessions in the forest school. In addition, all children visit the local library on a regular basis. The school uses visitors, such as the police and a petting farm, to enhance teaching and broaden children’s horizons.

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

The school has developed an ambitious curriculum for all areas of learning. The curriculum is logically sequenced and progressive. Since the last inspection, the school has begun to admit two-year-old children. Leaders have created a curriculum for this provision that aligns with the existing offer to older children. They are now embedding and refining this curriculum.

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

For all areas of learning, leaders have identified goals that children need to reach as they move through the school. However, sometimes the small steps of learning that children need to take to reach these goals are not clear. This means that, on occasion, staff give children activities that do not support them to reach their next goal. It also means that 16 July 2024

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some of the interactions between adults and children are not precise enough. They do not consistently impact on children’s learning or language development.

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Staff use the outcomes of assessment to plan children’s next steps and any interventions that are needed. Children can talk confidently about some of their learning. For example, one child explained to an inspector what binoculars are for and demonstrated how to use them correctly.

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The school prioritises communication and language. Staff identify the key vocabulary that they want children to know and use. They display this around the provision so that adults can refer to it during their interactions with children. The school uses stories well to teach pupils key messages. For example, staff read ‘The Colour Monster’ to children to help them to explore their feelings and emotions. Staff are trained in the fundamentals of phonics teaching. As a result, they prepare children well for the formal phonics teaching they will receive when they start Reception. Children learn to orally segment and blend words and to identify initial sounds. The school develops a love of early reading by sending books home. It also runs reading events, such as the popular bedtime stories evening.

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Leaders have established strong systems for identifying children with potential additional needs. There is a determination to identify children early. This is so that any external support needed is in place by the time children start primary school. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported in school. Specialist staff support children, but also train other adults.

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Children have access to a wide range of equipment both inside and outside. This supports not only their educational development, but also their wider development. The school teaches children about other faiths and cultures through celebrating religious festivals and visiting places of worship, such as Durham Cathedral. Nurses, police officers and firefighters visit school to teach children about keeping safe. Visitors also give children an insight into possible future careers.

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Leaders, including governors, have a clear vision for the school. Governors understand their statutory obligations and generally fulfil these well. Staff are very positive about working at the school. They say there is a strong sense of teamwork.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 For each area of learning, the school has identified end goals that children need to reach. However, the small steps of learning that children will take to reach these goals are not consistently clear. This means that some activities do not support children to 16 July 2024

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reach their next goal. The school should ensure that staff are trained in how to break end goals into small steps of learning so that children make even better progress.  The interactions between staff and children are not consistently high quality. Some interactions do not impact on children’s learning or language development. The school should ensure that all staff are trained in the use of high-quality interactions.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. 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 good in January 2015.

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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). 16 July 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 27 February 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the last inspection, the school has started to offer provision for two-year-old children.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school offers before- and after-school childcare provision. This is run by school staff and managed by the governing body.

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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 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, the chair and other representatives from the governing body and the school leadership adviser from the local authority. 16 July 2024

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: communication and language, personal, social and emotional development and understanding the world. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited the provision, spoke to staff and spoke to some children about their learning. They also reviewed some children’s learning journeys.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders and staff; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children’s interests first.  Inspectors considered how the school caters for children’s wider development.  Inspectors observed children’s behaviour when accessing both indoor and outdoor provision and at lunchtime.  Inspectors considered the responses from parents to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent

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View, as part of the inspection. Inspectors also spoke with some parents at the beginning of the school day. The responses to the staff survey were also considered.

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Inspection team

Philippa Kermotschuk, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Alison Ashworth Ofsted Inspector 16 July 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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