Oakengates Nursery School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Oakengates Nursery School Charlton Street, Oakengates, Telford TF2 6BT

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Outcome

Oakengates 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 in this warm, welcoming school. Children enjoy the wide range of well- planned learning activities on offer. The school values of ‘love, laugh and learn’ are realised at Oakengates Nursery. Children are happy, and relationships with staff are positive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children are curious and eager learners. Staff know the children well. They have high expectations and aspirations for what every child can achieve. Children benefit from a well-thought-out curriculum. This enables children to fulfil those expectations. Children are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

School routines are well established. On arrival, children quickly settle. Staff are caring. Children feel reassured and supported by staff. The school teaches children about honesty, working hard together and being kind to one another. Children grow in confidence and independence. They learn to talk about their feelings. They behave well and show care for others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school enriches the curriculum with experiences to widen horizons. For example, children enjoy weekly music and yoga sessions. They have regular visitors from the local community to learn about people who help them and how different families celebrate special events.

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

This is an inclusive nursery, where everyone is welcomed and supported. The school ensures that children settle quickly into routines whenever they join the nursery. Staff get to know children’s interests and their routines before they start school through home 3 June 2025

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visits. Children’s additional needs are skilfully identified. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive expert support that enables their successes to be celebrated and shared with their parents.

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The curriculum is ambitious. The school has refined the curriculum so that it sets out precisely what children should know and be able to do in each of the areas of learning. Staff’s training helps all staff deepen their knowledge of the curriculum. Staff check the progress children are making effectively. They successfully utilise this information to identify areas where children may require additional support. This helps children tackle more complex concepts as they move through Nursery.

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Children benefit from a communication-rich environment. Staff have been trained to have an expert understanding of speech, language and communication. Staff provide concise explanations when they introduce new words. Staff promote the love of books and storytelling. Children show joy when singing songs and rhymes and listening to stories. The school provides targeted support for children who need extra help with speech and language. Staff use signing and visual prompts effectively. Children become confident communicators who are keen to share their ideas. For example, two-year-old and pre- school children talk about ‘minibeasts’ with increasing skill. Their language is expressive as they confidently talk about minibeasts’ antenna and ‘googly eyes’.

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The atmosphere throughout the nursery is calm, industrious and purposeful. Staff work closely alongside children, supporting their play. On many occasions, staff help children advance their learning through questioning and modelling vocabulary. However, at times, learning is not as productive as it could be when adult intervention does not happen soon enough to help extend children’s understanding.

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The nursery promotes children’s broader personal development effectively. Children learn to look after themselves. In pre-school, children are excited to brush their teeth every day in nursery. Children can explain how ‘cavities form and teeth rot if we eat too many sweets’. They learn to care for animals, such as taking care of young ducklings. The school celebrates diversity. Children learn about different cultures and traditions.

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Children learn to take turns and share. Staff praise children, positively reinforcing good manners and care for others. In pre-school, children celebrate others who have shown kindness, done the right thing or ‘worked wonders’ each week. Communication between school and home helps children to attend regularly. The school provides support for children and their families to help reduce any barriers to attendance.

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The school has a shared vision that puts the children’s best interests at the heart of Oakengates Nursery. Staff work well together. They value the school’s consideration of their well-being and workload. The governing body is highly knowledgeable about the school. Governors play an active role in the school’s development, providing a good balance of support and challenge. They check closely on all aspects of the school’s work. 3 June 2025

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Occasionally, staff do not make the most of opportunities to extend children’s knowledge. This means that sometimes children do not improve their vocabulary or understanding as much as they could. The school should support staff to ensure that the interactions with children consistently enhance learning opportunities and deepen children’s understanding.

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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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness on 25 and 26 February 2020.

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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. 3 June 2025

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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). 3 June 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Jenny Gascoigne (executive headteacher)

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School details

Website www.oakengatesnurseryschool.co.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 25 and 26 February 2020, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The executive headteacher took up post in September 2024. The executive headteacher works across two other schools in the federation.  The school provides full-time and part-time places for children aged two to four years.  The school has provision for two year olds.  The school does not currently 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.  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 executive headteacher, head of school, support staff, business manager, the chair of the governing board and other governors. 3 June 2025

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 The inspectors spoke with leaders, visited lessons, met with children and staff and considered the 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 Parent View, parents’ free-text comments and Ofsted online survey for staff.

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Inspection team

Pamela Matty, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

James Dean His Majesty’s Inspector 3 June 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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