Hillview Nursery School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Hillview Nursery School 2 Grange Road, South Harrow HA2 0LW

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Outcome

Hillview 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?

The school has high expectations for what children can achieve. All children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), learn consistently well. Well-established routines enable children to settle quickly into the school day. From an early stage, children develop a sense of belonging. Over time, they grow in confidence. Children enjoy playing in the classroom as well as exploring in the large outside area.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children receive an extremely high level of care. From the moment they join the school, parents and carers are confident in how staff support their children’s well-being. Children have many trusted adults to talk to. They value the nurturing support they receive, which fosters children’s deep sense of safety. A parent told inspectors that the school was a ‘dream,’ and their child’s needs were met very well and ‘loves coming to the nursery’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children’s behaviour throughout the school is positive. Children celebrate differences between themselves and others. They are encouraged to become considerate and tolerant. Staff maintain a respectful environment by teaching children how to behave in lessons, so that they can enjoy learning new things. This approach helps children to manage their emotions and to make improved choices in how they behave.

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

The school has designed a rich and purposeful curriculum. It has a strong focus on developing children’s language through stories, songs and high-quality talk. Staff set out activities that promote children’s independence and imagination. For example, children confidently use the language of items on a shopping list when playing a bingo game. Children explore science activities linked to the curriculum and children’s interests. They use magnifying glasses to examine the insects they have been learning about. Children 10 June 2025

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practise their mathematical knowledge by counting the spots on the backs of ladybirds. As a result of stimulating activities, children concentrate and enjoy learning.

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Teachers are skilled at knowing how children learn best, including for the two-year-olds. They explain the learning clearly, questioning children to check that everyone has understood them. If there are any misunderstandings, these are quickly addressed. Teachers ensure that pupils have many opportunities to revisit what they have learned. For example, by identifying and then cutting up fruit for snacks, pupils learn to manage risk and keep themselves safe. However, occasionally, the school does not provide children with opportunities to build on what they already know. As a result, some children do not broaden and deepen their knowledge as much as they might.

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The school promotes a love of reading and books through a variety of means. Staff use of a range of carefully chosen texts to read to children, then re-read and act out. Some children match the sounds that they are learning in the classroom and have appropriate books to read. As a result, children quickly become confident, enthusiastic early readers. Children who are less confident learn to communicate through signs, symbols or key words. Staff’s strong understanding of this aspect of child development supports these children extremely well.

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The school is quick to identify the needs of pupils with SEND, including children in the additional resource provision. To remove barriers to learning, these pupils have access to adapted resources and additional support. Pupils who need extra help to manage their behaviour are well supported. This helps pupils to make friends and play together happily, as well as accessing the same curriculum as their peers. Consequently, pupils with SEND thrive in this school.

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The school provides many opportunities to enrich children’s broader development. Visitors to the school enhance the school’s curriculum. For example, farmers from the local farm brought animals for children to meet that appeared in the books they were reading. Throughout the year, carefully planned activities celebrate a range of religious and cultural festivals.

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Leaders, including those with responsibility for governance, have an accurate understanding of the school. They have taken decisions to further improve the school. They have acted to strengthen and increase the capacity of the leadership team. This has provided additional capacity to improve the curriculum and ensure staff are supported effectively. Staff consider that their well-being and workload are always considered when changes are made to the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 10 June 2025

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes, the school does not build on children’s prior knowledge as well as they could. This limits some children’s deeper understanding of important content over time. The school should ensure that the curriculum and teaching builds precisely on what children know and is tailored to their needs, so they can achieve well across all areas of learning.

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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 third ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in September 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. 10 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 June 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Gemma Williams and Claudia Calogero (co- chairs) Headteacher Carly Orbell and Lisa Orbell (co- headteachers) Website www.hillviewnurseryschool.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 30 October 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Most children attend on a part-time basis, either mornings or afternoons.  The school has provision for two-year-olds.  The school has additionally resourced provision for 12 children with SEND, who are referred to the school by the local authority.

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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.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of staff, leaders, and pupils; and considered 10 June 2025

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the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Meetings were held with the headteacher and senior leaders. Inspectors also met with some members of the governing body, including the co-chairs of governors. An inspector also spoke with a representative of the local authority on the telephone.  Inspectors examined a range of documents provided by the school, including leaders’ school development plans and the school’s self-evaluation document.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at lunchtime and in lessons.  Inspectors considered the free-text comments made by parents in response to Ofsted’s online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View. Inspectors also spoke with parents at the beginning of the school day.

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Inspection team

Phil Garnham, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sahreen Siddiqui Ofsted Inspector 10 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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