Ellergreen Nursery School and Childcare Centre

Inspection of a school judged outstanding for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Ellergreen Nursery School and Childcare Centre Ellergreen Road, Norris Green, Liverpool, Merseyside L11 2RY

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Outcome

Ellergreen Nursery School and Childcare Centre 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 are happy at this exceptionally nurturing and positive school. They develop strong bonds with staff, who they consistently describe as ‘kind’. The school provides extensive support to children to help them to identify, understand and manage their different emotions. For example, staff create bespoke ‘toolkits’ for children with resources to meet their emotional and sensory needs. Children demonstrate remarkable maturity in independently using these and in explaining how they help them to feel calm.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has firmly embedded routines. Staff support children extremely well to understand and to follow these. Children behave admirably and live up to the school’s clear expectations. They develop high levels of confidence through their social interactions with staff and with each other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has very high expectations for children’s achievement. The curriculum is broad, with a strong focus on developing children’s personal, social, emotional and language needs. The school broadens children’s experiences by enriching the curriculum through sporting and musical activities. Staff help children to experience awe and wonder in the world and through their learning. For example, children eagerly explore how magnets attract and repel different materials. They delight in finding different ways to melt ice. Children are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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

The school is unwavering in its determination to identify children’s needs early and accurately. It has developed strong links with an extensive range of specialists to support 10 and 11 June 2025

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its work in meeting the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school ensures that children accessing the specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND (specially resourced provision) are seamlessly integrated into mainstream classes. Staff carefully adapt the delivery of the curriculum for these children. They use visual and sensory resources effectively, to enable children with SEND to learn the curriculum alongside their peers. Children with SEND achieve impressively well.

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The school has continued to strengthen the curriculum since the last inspection. The curriculum is ambitious and informed by the school’s context considerately. Staff are clear about what they intend for children to know and have ensured that this builds consistently over time. Staff deliver the curriculum with expert precision, seamlessly building on children’s individual next steps. They are vigilant at spotting misconceptions and focus sharply on swiftly addressing these. Children make rapid gains in their learning and development.

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The school places the utmost importance on developing children’s communication and language skills. It has identified the ambitious words and phrases that it intends children to learn. Staff expertly introduce new, wide-ranging words to children and design activities that enable children to use them in context. The school delivers targeted programmes to help children who struggle with their language. This supports them to develop the skills they need to become confident communicators.

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Staff immerse children in stories as they read aloud skilfully. They support children to make connections between the different ways that authors write. Children use the many books across the provision to extend their learning. For example, children observe caterpillars and find the page in a book that explains the stages of a caterpillar’s growth. The school fosters a love of reading and an appreciation of books very effectively.

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Children develop highly positive attitudes to learning. They become deeply engaged in purposeful learning activities and are eager to join in with new experiences. The school provides support to families to remove any barriers to children’s attendance. This helps to ensure that children can benefit fully from the high-quality education the school provides.

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The school supports children’s wider development considerably. Staff broaden children’s understanding of the local area and the wider world. Children enjoy meeting visitors, who talk about their different jobs. The school teaches children about diversity and supports them to develop an inclusive attitude. Children fondly recall their learning about different religious festivals. Children develop a secure understanding of how to maintain their health. They know the importance of brushing their teeth and eating healthy food. Children are exceptionally well prepared for life beyond school.

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The school builds strong relationships with parents and carers. It engages meaningfully with them about their children’s education and provides them with wide-ranging pastoral support. Parents and carers speak extremely highly of the school and its impact on their children’s academic and personal development. 10 and 11 June 2025

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Staff feel well supported by leaders. They appreciate the range of training and development opportunities they have to further strengthen their expertise. Governors are committed to ensuring the school’s vision is realised. They carry out a range of activities to provide support and challenge to the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding for overall effectiveness in December 2015.

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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. 10 and 11 June 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). 10 and 11 June 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Elizabeth Van de Waal

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School details

Website www.ellergreennurseryschool.co.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 8 and 9 January 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has a specially resourced provision for up to nine full-time children, or 18 part-time children with SEND. Children typically have primary needs that include speech, language and communication needs, social, emotional and mental health needs, and autism. There were 14 children on roll in the specially resourced provision at the time of the inspection.  The school makes use of one registered alternative provision.  The school operates a breakfast club and after-school provision.  The school has provision for two-year-old children, but this is inspected separately by Ofsted. It was last inspected in November 2024 and was judged to be outstanding.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 10 and 11 June 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 this evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with leaders, governors and staff at the school. The lead inspector spoke with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors visited lessons in the indoor and outdoor learning spaces. They also spoke to children about their learning.  Inspectors spoke to parents and carers and considered their feedback, including the free-text comments, through Ofsted’s online survey for parents and carers, Ofsted Parent View. Inspectors spoke to children and to staff to gather their views. Inspectors also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff.  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

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extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children’s interests first.

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Inspection team

Liz Dayton, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 10 and 11 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 looked-after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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