Houghton Community Nursery School

Inspection of Houghton Community Nursery School Houghton Community Nursery, Nesham Place, HOUGHTON LE SPRING, Tyne and Wear DH5 8AE

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Outstanding

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The provision is outstanding

The experience this nursery provides for children and their families is of the very highest standard and is worthy of dissemination to others. The outstanding provision is built around a well-established culture, that holds the care of children and families at its core.

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The provision is outstanding

The curriculum is exceptionally broad. Children are immersed in a range of off-site visits, including the forest and the beach where they develop a vast array of knowledge and skills, including an extensive vocabulary. Furthermore, they gain a deep understanding of how to stay safe in these environments. These enriching experiences have a powerful impact on the most vulnerable children. For instance children express their awe and wonder of the surroundings in forest school, as they investigate the different types of trees with magnifying glasses.

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The provision is outstanding

Every aspect of children's care and education is meticulously planned to ensure that all children make excellent progress from their starting points. The ambitious curriculum is expertly delivered by a team of highly qualified, passionate staff. Their enthusiasm and joy for learning is infectious. They provide stimulating learning experiences which ignite children's fascinations and promote deep levels of curiosity. Furthermore, staff provide children with time to explore and process new learning at their own pace. Children are provided with opportunities to revisit and consolidate prior learning. Staff pay close attention in these moments and readily facilitate and extend children's knowledge further. Parents and carers describe the care and support their children receive in this nursery as being exceptional.

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need to do better?

n Leaders are deeply involved in all aspects of the nursery. Their expertise and ongoing investment in staff training and continuous professional development, ensures that the nursery continues to evolve, resulting in ever-greater experiences and outcomes for children. Leaders say they cherish the one-to-one time they spend with staff, where they focus on extending the quality of their practice even further, including pursuing additional qualifications. The qualifications undertaken by staff result in learning experiences that are of the highest quality. This is demonstrated in the well-planned approach to forest school provision. n The curriculum is research-led and bespoke to the individual needs of the children and families. Ongoing support for the progression of children's knowledge and skills across all areas of learning is well embedded into daily practice. For instance, additional funding is utilised to provide all children with

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need to do better?

copies of the focus texts used in the nursery. This means children have the opportunity to immerse themselves in stories at home and can share their

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need to do better?

17 June 2025 learning with their families. Daily reflection meetings take place, where staff share their ongoing observations of children's development and plan for their next steps. As a result, children are extremely well prepared for transitions onward to the next stage of their education. n At all times, staff are alert to responding to children and facilitate high-quality interactions. They demonstrate genuine warmth and interest in children's interests and use these to progress children's knowledge further. For instance, staff are highly engaged with children when they choose to draw. Children are proud when they see the interest staff have in their marks and this encourages them to challenge themselves further, by making more complex marks and developing their pen control and imaginative skills in the process. n Additionally, staff gently weave an ethos of respect and care for others into all their interactions. For instance, they remind children to stay in the bird hide, so

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need to do better?

that the birds can feel safe while they eat the seeds. n Staff continually support conversation skills, as well as modelling key vocabulary. They prompt children to share their thoughts and ideas. Stories, songs and rhymes are embedded into daily life in the nursery and children are empowered through building repertoire of story knowledge and vocabulary. n Staff establish nurturing bonds with children. They use the phrase 'holding children close' to describe the additional care and support provided to vulnerable children. Well established daily routines provide a familiar rhythm which helps children to feel safe and secure. Within these routines there is a flexible approach, to ensure that children's individual needs are responded to. For example, babies are gently settled down to rest when staff identify sleep cues. n The secure attachments with caregivers, in conjunction with the carefully planned curriculum and learning environment, results in a culture where

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need to do better?

children's behaviours and attitudes to learning are exemplary. n Children relish the opportunity to spend long periods of time, deeply immersed in exploration and investigation. For instance, when children query why paint drips downward, staff create a learning environment where children can explore and experience this scientific concept over a period of months. As a result, children develop a deep understanding of gravity whilst developing fundamental creative skills in mixing and using paint. This approach fosters a mindset in children that celebrates the continuous pursuit of knowledge.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY461958 Local authority Sunderland Inspection number 10398894 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 52 Number of children on roll 66 Name of registered person Houghton Community Nursery School

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reference number

Telephone number 0191 584 6655 Date of previous inspection 13 November 2019

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Information about this early years setting

Houghton Community Nursery School re-registered in 2013 and is located in Houghton-le-Spring in Sunderland. Care is provided for children aged naught to three. The community nursery is on the same site as Houghton Le Spring Nursery School, which is a nursery school for children aged three to five. This provision did not form part of this inspection. It has been inspected separately by Ofsted. The inspection report can be accessed on Ofsted's website.

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Information about this early years setting

Houghton Community Nursery School employs eleven members of childcare staff. Of these, all hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and above, including one with qualified teacher status and two who hold masters degrees in education at level 7. The nursery opens Monday to Friday for 50 weeks of the year. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. The nursery offers government funded places for childcare and receives specific funding for disadvantaged children.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector viewed the provision and discussed the safety and suitability of the premises. n Nursery leaders joined the inspector on a learning walk and talked to the inspector about their curriculum and what they want the children to learn. n Children spoke with the inspector during the inspection. n The inspector talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector joined staff and children on an off-site visit to observe the forest school provision. n The inspector carried out joint observations of a forest school session with the manager. n Staff spoke to the inspector about how they support children with SEND. n The inspector spoke with leaders about the leadership and management of the setting. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning.

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Inspection activities

n Parents shared their views of the setting with the inspector. n The inspector looked at relevant documentation and reviewed evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery.

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Inspection activities

We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

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Inspection activities

17 June 2025 regulates and inspects to 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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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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