Triangle Nursery School

Inspection of a school judged outstanding for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Triangle Nursery School 35 Effra Parade, London SW2 1PL

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Outcome

Triangle 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 Triangle Nursery School. They settle quickly into the school’s warm and welcoming environment, where staff know them well and form strong, nurturing relationships. Parents and carers value the school’s kind, inclusive ethos and speak highly of the support that their children receive. One parent summed up parents’ views when they described the school as ‘a magical place’, where their child is ‘excited to come every day’. Children feel safe and secure, which enables them to confidently explore the varied and well-organised activities on offer.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for children. It recognises and overcomes the barriers to learning that children’s special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) may present. Leaders and staff work closely with families to understand what children know and can do and how best to support their development. As a result, children achieve highly. They are focused and enthusiastic learners. For example, children remained deeply absorbed while collaboratively completing a number puzzle. They enjoyed the challenge of finding the next number in the sequence. Songs and stories are used effectively to develop children’s early communication and literacy skills.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children behave well. The school’s calm routines and sensitive teaching help them to manage their emotions and develop respectful relationships. Children learn to take turns, solve problems and express their feelings appropriately.

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

Triangle Nursery School provides a highly caring and inclusive environment where children are supported to develop a strong foundation for future learning. The school is ambitious 23 April 2025

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for all its children, and the curriculum is thoughtfully designed to reflect children’s needs and interests.

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Staff use songs, stories and real-life experiences to spark curiosity and nurture a love of learning. For example, children explore ‘Jasper’s Beanstalk’ by planting seeds, retelling the story and climbing the outdoor climbing frame. This helps them to deepen their understanding of the story as well as ideas such as growth.

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The school works closely with families and external professionals to identify children’s needs early and provide timely, targeted help. Children with SEND access the curriculum with increasing independence and confidence and are supported well in their development.

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Staff use language purposefully, modelling ambitious vocabulary and encouraging children to express their ideas clearly. For example, while handling sand and playdough, staff introduce words such as ‘smooth’ and ‘crumbly’. Children respond well to staff’s guidance, showing sustained concentration and practising their use of language.

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In many areas of learning, teaching makes thoughtful and effective use of routines, resources and activities to help children build on what they know and can do. For example, children who initially find it hard to express themselves verbally are supported step by step to use sounds and simple words to communicate their needs and preferences. Targeted activities, including sessions in the sensory room, are closely matched to individual needs and help children to build their attention gradually. Staff are reflective and adapt their approach thoughtfully based on what they observe about children.

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Children benefit from a wide and rich range of experiences that promote their personal development. Staff typically select approaches, for instance clear, direct language and visual prompts, to support children’s understanding. This enables children to participate confidently. For example, during lunchtime routines, children took on roles such as the ‘washer’ or ‘drier’. They followed instructions carefully and counted the plates aloud as they dried them, reinforcing both mathematical language and cooperation.

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Staff are skilled in observing children’s interests and responding with well-timed support to develop understanding. Nevertheless, while the school has clear and ambitious overall aims for what children should know and do, some teaching interactions and activities do not precisely support children in building and applying the knowledge and skills needed to achieve these goals. As a result, the curriculum is not consistently realised in the classroom. The school is aware of this. It is refining the curriculum to ensure that learning is more clearly sequenced and more closely aligned with what children already know and can do.

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Leadership at all levels is knowledgeable and deeply committed to the school’s ethos. Leaders and governors know the school well and are focused on continuous improvement. Governors play an active role in the school’s development, providing appropriate challenge and support. 23 April 2025

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Staff feel well supported and valued. They work together collaboratively. Leaders are mindful of staff’s workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some areas of learning, the school has not clearly and consistently set out the steps children need to take to achieve the curriculum end goals. This means that some teaching, including interactions with children, does not build children’s knowledge over time as effectively as it could. The school should refine the curriculum to ensure clear progression in all areas of learning and support staff to deliver this curriculum consistently.

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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 October 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. 23 April 2025

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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). 23 April 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Luke Page (Executive Headteacher) Emily Patterson (Head of School) Website www.trianglenursery.org

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 16 and 17 October 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently use any alternative provision.  The head of school took up post in September 2024. The executive headteacher works across the five nursery schools in the federation, including Triangle. The other four schools in the federation are Holmewood, Maytree, Effra and Ethelred.  The school shares governance across the federation but has a local governing body committee for each school.  Triangle and Effra Nursery Schools share the same site.  The school provides full-time and part-time Nursery places for children aged two to four.  The school offers a breakfast and after-school club.  The school has provision for two-year-olds.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education 23 April 2025

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provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with the chair of the local governing body committee, other governors, the executive headteacher, the head of school, teachers and support staff.  The inspectors spoke with leaders, visited lessons, met with children and staff and considered children’s work.  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 the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children’s interests first.  The inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff. They also considered the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including parents’ free-text

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Inspection team

Adam Vincent, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Jude Wilson His Majesty’s Inspector 23 April 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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