The Sue Hedley Nursery School

Inspection of The Sue Hedley Nursery School Campbell Park Road, Hebburn, Tyne and Wear NE31 1QY

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The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Previous inspection grade Outstanding 4 and 5 February 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children flourish at this school. They bound into the nursery full of energy, happy and ready for the day ahead.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for children’s behaviour and learning. It focuses on positive adult-child relationships, active learning and consistent daily routines. Staff understand the children’s needs very well. They create a calm, playful environment that fosters trust and engagement. As a result, children’s behaviour is exemplary and they achieve very well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Adults support children to develop their independence. They encourage children to try and put their coat or wellies on. Adults intervene effectively when children find these tasks challenging. Children persevere and show pride when they master a skill.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children take responsibility for their own belongings, keeping them safe on their peg. They enjoy being the ‘special helper’, giving out the snacks and milk. This begins to provide children with leadership opportunities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The nursery has an outstanding curriculum. It ensures that children are well-prepared for the next stage in their learning. Children who attend the school’s two special educational needs and /or disabilities (SEND) resourced provisions, make exceptional progress in their learning and development.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has a very well-considered programme of enrichment activities to widen children’s experiences. For example, children visit the library, farm and travel on the Metro railway service. This enhances the curriculum, bringing it to life for these young children.

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

Since the last inspection, the school has reviewed its curriculum. It has carefully considered what it expects children to know and remember from the ages of two to five- year-old. The school incorporates children’s interests into their learning. For example, if a child shows an interest in trains, adults skilfully use this resource to teach them about other subjects, such as mathematics. This leads to deeper levels of thinking, learning and involvement from the children.

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

The school’s daily routines support children’s communication and language development. The morning ‘welcome time’ starts the day with language at the forefront. Adults use rhymes and songs to settle children in their key worker groups. The quality of the interactions between adults and children are excellent. In small groups, children draw on their prior knowledge to access new learning. Adults meticulously ensure that the two- year old children access different activities to the older children. For example, when using playdough, the youngest children use their hands to shape the dough, while older 4 and 5 February 2025

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children use knives safely. This develops children’s fine motor skills in an age-appropriate way.

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The school involves the children in ‘planning’ their day. Adults support children to select where they want to start to play. This means children are practising their communication and decision-making skills.

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The school checks what children know and remember. Adults reflect on what children have learned securely and what their next steps are. Any gaps in children’s knowledge are swiftly identified and successfully addressed by the key workers. This enables children to continue to make rapid progress through the curriculum.

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The school has effective processes in place to identify if children have SEND. Many children have communication needs. The school uses approaches that value all methods of communication, such as pictures, symbols, photographs or signs. Adults use short, basic, repetitive phrases. This supports children with SEND who need this help to understand simple instructions and participate in the activities alongside their peers.

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Children enjoy learning outdoors in the school’s woodland area. For example, children begin to develop their knowledge of the world by building nests. Adults exploit this, making links to mathematics, habitats, birds and their young, materials and weather. Children engage in sustained, concentrated play for considerable periods of time, showing commitment to their learning. They are thoroughly immersed in their play.

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The nursery has a whole school age-appropriate approach to teaching children about healthy relationships that includes aspects of different family types, friendships and the wider community.

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The staff have strong subject knowledge. The school provides many professional development opportunities that supports them to work effectively. Staff are proud to work at the nursery.

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The school’s leaders have high expectations and ambition for the children. Everyone shares the school’s vision. This brings overwhelming consistency to the school’s practices. The governors know the school well and provide the right challenge and support. They have a clear understanding of the school’s curricular aims.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 4 and 5 February 2025

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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). 4 and 5 February 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.thesuehedleynurseryschool.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 25 April 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school has a specially resourced provision that provides 12 places for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs. Places are allocated by the local authority.  The school also has a specially resourced provision for 12 early years children with SEND. Places are allocated by the local authority.

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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. 4 and 5 February 2025

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the second routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. 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 headteacher and other leaders in the school.  Inspectors also met with members of the local governing board and representatives from South Tyneside and Gateshead local authorities.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these areas of learning: communication and language, mathematics and personal, social and emotional development. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited the provision, spoke to practitioners and spoke to some children about their learning. Inspectors also looked at the curriculum structure in the other early years prime and specific areas.

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 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors 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 interests first.  The views of parents and staff were considered from meeting with them and from the responses to Ofsted’s questionnaires.

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Inspection team

Alison Stephenson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Mark Wilson Ofsted Inspector 4 and 5 February 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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