Windsor Nursery School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Windsor Nursery School Parkfield Road, Parkfield, Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV4 6EL

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Outcome

Evidence gathered during this ungraded (section 8) inspection suggests that aspects of the school’s work may not be as strong as at the time of the previous inspection. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Windsor Nursery School works effectively with parents and carers. Staff listen, share and receive information from parents at the start and end of daily sessions. This means that children’s needs and wishes are carefully considered. Right from the beginning, parents are encouraged as partners in their child’s education. This includes workshops, home visits or stay-and-play sessions. Parents value these. Parents spoken to during the inspection were happy with the school’s work and the care shown to their children.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Personal, social and emotional development is carefully thought through. Independence is promoted. There are strong relationships between adults and children. Most children are well behaved and settle well to school life. The school sets high expectations for children’s behaviour and achievement. However, there are inconsistencies across the school in how children are supported to meet these expectations.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s improvement journey has been hampered in recent years. Oversight of some of the school’s work, such as curriculum development and governance, has not been as rigorous or thorough as it needs to be.

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

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are prioritised. Their needs are swiftly identified. Effective engagement with external professionals, such as health professionals, means children get the swift help and support they need. Children’s individual needs are carefully considered and met through visual prompts, sensory experiences, targeted adult support or alternative communication methods. The SEND 7 May 2025

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resource base is calm and nurturing. Adults are highly skilled. Children with SEND achieve well.

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The school has developed a curriculum for two-, three- and four-year-olds. In some aspects of this curriculum, the precise knowledge, skills and vocabulary that children need to learn is not clearly identified. This includes important language and communication, reading and mathematical knowledge. There is variability in how knowledge is taught and how it builds on prior learning. Checks to establish children’s gaps in learning or misconceptions are inconsistent and can, therefore, be missed.

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Whilst a range of activities, such as the mud kitchen, sand and the reading den, are on offer for pupils, the purpose of children’s learning through these activities is not always carefully considered. It is not clear to staff how they can support children to develop their knowledge or vocabulary. This impacts on how well children develop communication and language skills. Children do not receive the support they need to learn from or talk about the activities they are participating in.

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Children select preferred activities with growing independence. When painting, they put on aprons independently, demonstrating resilience. Children think about the colours they need to mix paints to make their desired colour. They learn to take turns and share. Children manage their personal hygiene effectively, such as washing their hands or using and disposing of a tissue when blowing their nose. However, some differences in routines or the strength of staff knowledge impact on how well some children achieve. Not all children get the help and support they need to learn and remember more.

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Turbulence in staffing and leadership in recent years means the school has not made the progress intended. Governors’ role to hold leaders to account for the school’s improvement is not as effective as it could be. Aspects of the curriculum have not improved as quickly as they should have done. Scrutiny of the school’s recruitment systems are not as robust as they should be. That said, staff are positive about the support they receive to manage their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Systems to check on the school’s recruitment systems are not as robust as they should be. As a result, there is some uncertainty that reviews of recruitment checks would reveal any gaps.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum does not identify the precise knowledge, skills and vocabulary children need to know, particularly in early reading and early mathematics. This means children 7 May 2025

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do not build on prior learning effectively and staff are not clear on what to teach and how. The school should ensure staff are clear on the curriculum content and have the knowledge to deliver this to ensure children make effective progress across the curriculum.  Governors’ ability to hold leaders to account for the school’s improvement is not as effective as it could be. Aspects of the school’s work have not improved as quickly as they should. Governors should strengthen their processes to seek assurance that the school is making the desired improvements and that these are having a positive impact.  Scrutiny of the school’s recruitment systems are not sufficiently robust. This means that the school cannot be assured that the right checks and records are in place for all staff. The school should make sure records are maintained in line with the school policy, and there is clear oversight of this work.

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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 in November 2019.

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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. 7 May 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). 7 May 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 26 and 27 November 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher is new to the school since the last inspection. He took up post in January 2022.  The school does not use alternative provision.  The school has provision for two-year-olds.  There is a resourced provision for children with SEND who have complex needs. The provision caters for 10 children at any one time between the ages of three and five years old.

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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. 7 May 2025

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 The inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some children about their learning and looked at samples of 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 pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors observed pupils at informal times of the day as part of the evaluation of safeguarding and pupils’ behaviour.  The inspectors held meetings with the headteacher and other senior leaders. The lead inspector met with the governor and local authority representatives. The inspectors also talked to pupils, staff and parents to gather information about school life.  The inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. The inspectors also considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Lorraine Lord, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Martina Abbott Ofsted Inspector 7 May 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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