Hindpool Nursery School

Inspection of Hindpool Nursery School Bath Street, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria LA14 5TS

p.1

Inspection dates: 15 and 16 October 2024

p.1

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 15 and 16 October 2024

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Children are happy at this friendly school. It is a welcoming place. Children and staff have a strong sense of belonging. Staff forge positive relationships with children and know their families well. Children are content and relaxed. They know that caring staff will look after them, including when they need comfort or reassurance.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Most children achieve well. This is because the school has high expectations for every child, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Typically, children move on to primary schools ready for the next stage of their learning.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Children behave sensibly. They thrive in a culture of well-established routines. The school’s values of kindness and sharing underpin the positive way in which the children relate to one another. They are polite and well mannered.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Children have the opportunity to try many new activities. They benefit from a wide range of educational trips and events. For example, children relish visits to a pumpkin patch, a forest and the seaside, as well as taking part in a scarecrow festival and a community carnival. These rich opportunities help children to learn more about the world around them and to develop new interests.

p.2

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

Since the last inspection, the school has successfully overhauled the quality of education that children receive. It has raised the bar for children’s achievement. The school has developed an ambitious curriculum for all areas of learning. The curriculum is organised seamlessly to enable children to build secure knowledge and skills from the beginning of the provision for two-year-old children.

p.2

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

In the main, staff deliver the curriculum well. They are adept at choosing appropriate activities and resources that help children to learn effectively. Nevertheless, during some activities, some staff are not clear about the important knowledge that children should learn. This means that some staff do not place enough emphasis on the knowledge that children need for future learning. At times, this hinders children in making connections with their prior learning and prevents them from learning as well as they could.

p.2

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

The additional needs of children with SEND, including speech, language and communication needs, are accurately identified. For instance, staff use the progress check at age two of children’s development to identify any early concerns about individual children. This helps staff pinpoint where they need to adapt their delivery of the curriculum to help children overcome barriers to their learning.

p.2

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

Typically, staff address any gaps in knowledge and vocabulary that children have. However, in a small number of areas, staff are not as clear on what children do and do not know. This is because the school does not check on what key knowledge children have learned in these areas. 15 and 16 October 2024

p.2

3

Children demonstrate sustained concentration and immerse themselves in play. They enjoy the responsibilities they have to care for and help each other. Older children are proud to act as ‘tiny teacher’ helpers. This includes carrying out important jobs such as preparing snacks and helping new children learn the nursery rules.

p.3

3

Two-year-old children love to learn and take part in activities with confidence. They are ably supported by staff to understand the rules and routines of the nursery. They understand the importance of looking after resources and enthusiastically help to tidy toys away.

p.3

3

The school supports children’s wider development well. Children learn about diversity among people and families through stories and celebrations, such as for Diwali and Christmas. Visitors, including from the emergency services, talk to the children about their roles and responsibilities. This helps children to understand that there are people in the community who can help them. These meaningful experiences prepare children for life in modern Britain.

p.3

3

Governors use their wide range of expertise effectively. They understand their statutory duties and fulfil their responsibilities well. Governors assure themselves about the quality of education that children receive by holding leaders to account. The school is considerate of staff’s workload and well-being. For example, it considers how best to implement new initiatives without overburdening staff.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of activities, some staff are not clear about the important knowledge that they should teach children. In these activities, children do not learn as well as they could. The school should ensure that staff design and deliver learning activities which help children build on what they already know.  At times, staff do not check on children’s understanding of key knowledge in the curriculum. As a result, in a few areas of learning, some children are not as well prepared for the next stage of education as they could be. The school should ensure that staff are supported to identify and address any gaps in key knowledge that children may have. 15 and 16 October 2024

p.3

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.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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). 15 and 16 October 2024

p.4

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.5

School details

Headteacher Andrea Sweeting and Peter Mills (co- headteachers) Website www.hindpoolnurseryschool.co.uk

p.5

School details

Dates of previous inspection 29 and 30 March 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 Since the last inspection, the school’s leadership structure has changed. There are currently two co-headteachers.  Several of the staff are new to the school since the previous inspection.  Many of the governors are new to the school since the previous inspection.  The school’s provision includes early education for children aged two years old.  The school does not make use of alternative provision for children.

p.5

Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. 15 and 16 October 2024

p.5

6

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the co-headteachers and other school leaders. The lead inspector also spoke with a representative of the local authority.  The lead inspector met with some members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these areas of learning: communication and language, mathematics and physical development. For each deep dive, the inspectors met with curriculum leaders, visited a sample of classroom activities and spoke to staff.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other areas of learning.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and children; and considered

p.6

6

the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children’s interests first.  Inspectors spoke with children and observed their behaviour as they played in the nursery.  Inspectors reviewed documentation, which included leaders’ evaluation of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement and documentation relating to children’s behaviour and attendance.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses. Inspectors also spoke with some parents and carers during the inspection.  Inspectors reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff. There were no responses to Ofsted’s online survey for pupils to consider.

p.6

Inspection team

Victoria Burnside, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Olivia Barnes Ofsted Inspector 15 and 16 October 2024

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7