Bordesley Green East Nursery School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Bordesley Green East Nursery School 358 Bordesley Green East, Stechford, Bordesley Green, Birmingham, West Midlands B33 8QB

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Outcome

Bordesley Green East Nursery School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s motto of ‘play, learn and grow’ branches out through all aspects of nursery life. Children move through the school rooms as explorers, inventors and researchers. Staff support children to settle to nursery routines and expectations well. Where children find this a little tricky, a kind word, a hand held out and time with a favourite object all help to wipe any tears away.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children enjoy listening to stories, moving in time to wonderful musical sessions and building large structures that can be a bus or a house as their wishes demand. Their imagination is fired up as they paint exploding fireworks on large pieces of paper and they mould clay that, with the twist of a thumb, becomes Spiderman’s house or a birthday cake.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Kindness, sharing and learning to be a good friend who can take turns shine through. Children listen carefully and follow instructions. The session and daily routines help them to feel safe and secure. These give children a platform from which they gradually explore more, increase their confidence and extend their learning. The school’s high expectations for children to be active learners who know right from wrong and respect each other are met. 12 November 2024

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

Since the previous inspection, there has been a change in the leadership structure of the school. An initial interim model of sharing a headteacher between two nursery schools has been made permanent. This has brought stability, structure and effective checks to school life. This in turn has made sure that the leaders’ focus is on making the right decisions that are all about the children in their care. They do this well, especially for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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

The school has invested in staff training and the way each room is set up. Much thought has gone into how children can access and use the resources on offer. This is paying dividends. Staff chat to and communicate with children with clarity. This helps children to grow the number of words that they know and how they put their sentences together. Staff introduce children to sounds and stories in a fun and flexible way. Children learn to make different shapes with their mouths in readiness for later learning. They love reading stories several times over. Repeated readings of carefully chosen texts are helping children to grow their memories and understand how stories work.

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

The school has a distinctive approach to putting the learning together for children. The theme for each half term is planned with care and purpose. Chosen themes allow children to develop a sense of who they are and how to organise and express themselves. They also help children to learn how the world works so that they can be responsible citizens who share the planet with others in a respectful way. This works well within the indoor learning spaces but is underdeveloped in the outside areas.

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

Children show independence. They register themselves each morning, choose what they would like to play with and how they use the resources and equipment. Occasionally, there are inconsistencies in how fully staff support this independence. This means that not all children are given every opportunity to think or do things for themselves. For children with SEND, staff are adept at stepping in or stepping back at just the right moment to guide them through their learning journey. The school works well with parents and carers and outside agencies to gather information. They use this to good effect to identify, know, understand and meet children’s needs. Every child has a clear pathway through the transition to the next room or on into school.

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

Children experience a whole host of wider opportunities during their time in nursery. They visit theatres and buy ingredients at the local shop for their cooking. They develop understanding of cultures and diversity through celebrating festivals and having visits from authors. The in-residence artists add further joy and expertise to the daily routine. The school sets out to achieve, and achieves, being a place where children question, laugh, play and dream.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 12 November 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school does not promote children’s independence consistently across the daily routine and learning. This means that on occasions staff do things for children that children can do for themselves. The school should further develop staff so that they have the knowledge and expertise to support children to show what they know and can do without adult help.  The school is in the process of developing the outdoor learning environment. This is a work in progress. There is more to do in terms of resources and staff training and development. As a result, children’s learning is stronger when indoors than outdoors. The school should replicate the leadership and development of staff expertise and skill thus far for the indoor curriculum into the learning that happens outside.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 for overall effectiveness in March 2019.

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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. 12 November 2024

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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). 12 November 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Dr Valerie Daniel (executive headteacher)

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School details

Date of previous inspection 5 March 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school offers part- and full-time provision to children between the ages of two and five years old.  The school does not use alternative provision.  The school works in partnership with another local nursery. The executive headteacher oversees the two settings.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector held meetings with the executive headteacher and senior leaders. 12 November 2024

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 Inspectors observed learning both in classrooms and outdoors. They spoke with children and with staff and looked at examples of children’s learning.  The lead inspector met with the chair of the governing body and spoke with another member of the governing body. They also spoke with a representative from the local authority.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the lead inspector: 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 pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors reviewed responses to Ofsted’s online staff surveys and talked informally to parents during the inspection.  The lead inspector reviewed a range of documentation, including the school’s evaluation and improvement plans, a range of policies and information on the school’s

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Inspection team

Kirsty Foulkes, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Mary Maybank Ofsted Inspector 12 November 2024

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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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