Surbiton Hill Nursery School

Inspection of a school judged outstanding for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Surbiton Hill Nursery School Middle Green Close, Surbiton KT5 8TD

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Outcome

Surbiton Hill 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?

Surbiton Hill Nursery’s motto is, ‘Every child, every chance, every day’. Nothing could better capture this school and its ethos. Children come into school happily, they get straight to work, both inside and outside. Their experiences do not end in the classroom. Visits out in the local environment broaden children’s experiences. These include to the library, the supermarket and the park.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have a deep understanding of each child. The key worker model helps this. Strong relationships are evident, allowing for individualised support for children’s emotional needs. This fosters a safe, happy environment, where staff help children to share and regulate their emotions. Behaviour is calm and always focused on learning. Partnerships with families are a strength. Ongoing updates, both in person and through the school’s parent communication system, reinforce strong home-school relationships.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Across the nursery, including in the specialist resourced provision, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), learn from a curriculum that is expertly designed. Staff are on hand to make sure children develop and flourish. A wide range of indoor and outdoor activities encourage children’s physical growth, confidence and risk- taking within a safe and nurturing environment. This means children are very well prepared to move through the nursery and for their future learning. 24 June 2025

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

The curriculum is very well thought through. It is based on the stages of child development and provides a broad, balanced and ambitious offer. The school has identified the knowledge it wants to children to learn at each stage. This has been broken down so that staff know what to teach children and when. The school’s ‘seasonal learning’ approach widens learning opportunities further. Regardless of starting points, the curriculum is designed to meet the needs of all.

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

Checks on children’s learning are woven through the curriculum. Staff share the outcomes of these with parents and carers. The school uses information from these checks to effectively inform activities within the continuous provision. Staff encourage children to explore, try new things and engage in learning for extended periods. They know how to support, when to stand back and the best strategies to use for each child. As a result, children develop curiosity, independence and resilience.

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

Stories play a key role in the curriculum. Core texts have been identified. These are read and re-read, so that children can practise familiar language, rhyme and repetition through their play. This helps to prepare them for learning to read when they transition to the Reception Year. Vocabulary and developing children’s language is also a key priority. Staff are very well trained; they facilitate children’s learning with precision. Skilful interactions develop children’s thinking and language. Staff know when to use different strategies, including visuals and simple phrases, and when to extend children’s vocabulary.

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

Children with SEND, and those who are disadvantaged, achieve very well here. Needs are identified swiftly, and external support is accessed without delay. For instance, the speech and language and occupational therapists work with staff and parents to model effective strategies. There is a bespoke offer for every child based on their different starting points. There is no ceiling on learning. Progress and success are expected and realised.

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

The personal development offer is a real strength. The curriculum provides regular opportunities for children to learn about themselves and others. This develops respect, confidence and an appreciation of diversity. Additional experiences, such as tree climbing and lighting a campfire, further enrich children’s experiences. Children make independent choices and show positive behaviour. They build strong relationships, learn to share, take turns and make new friends. For those who struggle with this, expectations are carefully modelled and scaffolded by adults Staff help them learn to regulate their emotions and develop self-control.

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

Staff are overwhelmingly positive about the support they receive from leaders. There is a shared commitment to continual improvement. Well-being is prioritised through school- based initiatives and access to other well-being support through external agencies, if required.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 24 June 2025

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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 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 third ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding for overall effectiveness in October 2012.

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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). 24 June 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Alan Stevenson and Jane Colombo (co- chairs) Headteacher Esther White

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 14 January 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school offers both 15- and 30-hour places to children. This includes provision for two-year olds.  The school has two additional resource bases for children with SEND. This caters for children with speech, language and communication needs and/or those with a diagnosis of autism. Some children are placed by their local authority as part of their education, health and care plan.  The school runs a breakfast and after-school club.  The school operates during term time but offers additional full-time holiday places.  The school does not 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. 24 June 2025

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, deputy headteachers and members of staff. They also spoke with a representative of the local authority and met with four governors, including the co-chairs of the governing body.  Inspectors visited learning sessions in the provision, spoke with children during these visits and looked at samples of their 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 looked at a range of documents, including the school’s priorities for

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improvement.  The views of children, parents and staff were gathered through discussions as well as responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Samantha Ingram, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Rekha Bhakoo Ofsted Inspector 24 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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