Tanglewood Nursery School

Inspection of a school judged outstanding for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Tanglewood Nursery School Melbourne Avenue, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 2DX

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Outcome

Tanglewood 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?

Children thrive at this nursery. They benefit from all staff knowing their abilities and interests well. Staff skilfully match the curriculum to meet children’s needs, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). As a result, children achieve well from their starting points and are successfully prepared for the next stage of their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

From the outset, children of all ages are supported to settle quickly into routines. They rise to the high expectations all staff have for them. Staff build caring and positive relationships with all children. This means children are comfortable and secure around all adults. They are taught how to be polite, think of others and take turns.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children learn and play happily alongside each other. Children are confident and independent. They like doing special jobs such as handing out snacks and equipment. Children relish being able to learn outdoors and love the large climbing equipment, sand pit and forest area. They have ample opportunities to role play and be creative. The school ensures children also gain experiences beyond the classroom with visits to the local community, an annual school trip to the beach and the much loved ‘Tanglemas’.

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

This school is unwavering in its determination to be the best it can be. Leaders continually review the curriculum design so that it inspires the children and is relevant to changing needs. Staff provide meaningful activities that capture children’s interests and imagination. The school has ensured that this curriculum is underpinned with a clear focus on the key knowledge and skills the children need to build over time. All staff 7 and 8 January 2025

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understand and follow the curriculum approach consistently well. They check what children should know to shape and adapt the provision accurately so that children successfully fill any gaps they may have.

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The school prioritises children’s communication and language development. Children have stories read daily to them and enjoy joining in with these. Staff choose songs, rhymes and books that have ambitious and rich vocabulary. Staff ensure children know how to use words accurately when speaking. This particularly supports those children with speech and language needs and the growing number of children who speak English as an additional language.

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Staff understand they have a shared responsibility for the learning of all children, including those with SEND. Staff expertly ask all children probing questions to move their learning on. Children with higher starting points are provided with opportunities in group and individual adult-led work to have their knowledge extended and deepened. However, there are occasions when there are not enough opportunities for these children to have this rich knowledge secured further in their play or class work.

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Children with SEND benefit from the expert care and guidance they receive. The school quickly and accurately identifies these children’s needs. It leaves no stone unturned in finding solutions to overcome these children’s barriers to learning. Staff adapt learning so that children with SEND are fully included in all aspects of school life and succeed.

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Children’s behaviour is impressive. They are taught to build up their concentration span, share and respect others. They regularly rehearse routines and become proficient at lining up, putting coats on and washing their hands independently. Staff teach children to know how to ask for help if needed.

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Children learn about keeping safe, choosing healthy foods, getting exercise and being hygienic. They understand right from wrong. Children learn about different cultural celebrations. They are supported to problem solve if finding something tricky. This prepares them for life beyond the classroom. Leaders work closely with parents and feeder schools to ensure effective transitions into and out of nursery.

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Staff find working here rewarding. They know leaders are mindful of their well-being. Governors know the school very well and are adept at fulfilling their statutory duties. They care deeply about the success of every child and hold leaders to account for this. Parents are also very positive about the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 7 and 8 January 2025

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 There are some occasions when independent learning opportunities are not suitably adapted to the ability levels of some pupils who are further ahead in their learning. This means sometimes these children are not securing knowledge in the depth the school intends. The school need to ensure a more robust and consistent approach to how well these children access and apply this in-depth knowledge so they achieve as highly as they can.

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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 outstanding 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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding for overall effectiveness in July 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.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school. 7 and 8 January 2025

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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). 7 and 8 January 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.tanglewoodnurseryschool.co.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 10 and 11 July 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The provision for children aged two to three years is referred to as ‘Little Tanglewood’. Pupils aged three to four years are allocated one of three classes as a base but access all areas of the main nursery.  The school runs two sessions daily in both sections of the school, morning and afternoon. Children attend either mornings or afternoons. However, some older children access 30 hours of provision. Children in ‘Little Tanglewood’ attend between two to five morning or afternoon sessions depending on parental choice.  The school has a speech and language centre, which is run by the speech and language therapy service in partnership with the school and the local authority. This is staffed by specialist speech and language therapists working alongside a speech and language learning nursery nurse.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 7 and 8 January 2025

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 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 their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the inclusion manager, teachers, nursery nurses and support staff.  The inspector met with five governors, including the chair and vice-chair of governors.  The inspector had telephone calls with the school effectiveness partner and the school inclusion partner from the local authority.  The inspector spoke to leaders from two schools who receive children from this Nursery into their Reception classes.  To evaluate the quality of education, the inspector met with staff, visited classes and observed children during snack and play times. The lead inspector spoke with children about their learning.  The inspector also reviewed documentation provided by the school, including the

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school development plan, its self-evaluation document and governor minutes.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and children; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children’s interest first.  The inspector met with groups of staff and considered the opinions expressed through the staff survey.  The inspector took account of the views of parents expressed through Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments and letters, and from talking to some parents at the school gate.

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Inspection team

Sara Boyce, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 7 and 8 January 2025

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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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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