Slough Centre Nursery School

Inspection of Slough Centre Nursery School Buckingham Avenue East, Slough, Berkshire SL1 3EA

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The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Previous inspection grade Outstanding 8 and 9 July 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Slough Centre Nursery School is a warm, inclusive community where children get a great start to their education. As soon as children enter the nursery each day, they start playing and exploring. The school has exceptionally high expectations of every child. This includes children in ‘Daisies class’, the specially resourced provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Children are taught how to concentrate for sustained periods of time. As a result, they focus intently on activities. They are typically engrossed in learning, and they achieve highly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has a deeply embedded culture of kindness and professionalism which underpins every aspect of its work. Staff believe in children and have high expectations of what they achieve. As a result, children are exceptionally well prepared for their transition to Reception.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children’s behaviour is consistently excellent. The school works closely with parents and carers so that children transition successfully into the nursery. Staff understand children’s needs very well. They help them to learn the school’s daily routines. Children are taught how to take turns and love playing with their friends. They are empowered to say ‘Stop it, I don’t like it’ on the rare occasions when anyone does something unkind.

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

Leaders have developed an ambitious curriculum that reflects a deep understanding of young children's developmental needs. The curriculum and the way it is taught results in learning that is consistently engaging and enjoyable. From the moment children arrive, the nursery is alive with focused and purposeful activity. Staff design learning sequences that build securely on children’s prior knowledge and skills. Children are given many opportunities to revisit familiar experiences, while also being encouraged to explore new ones.

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

The provision for two-and three-year olds gives children a great start. The environment is full of activities which invite children to learn the curriculum through play. Staff are experts at teaching young children. They focus consistently on the most important areas of the curriculum. Staff take every opportunity to build children’s listening skills and their ability to concentrate for sustained periods on learning. Staff closely observe children as they play alongside them. They use these interactions to identify skilfully when to intervene, support, or extend children’s thinking. They know precisely what children’s next steps are and are adept at moving their learning on appropriately.

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

The school identifies accurately any children who may have SEND. They work closely with families and external professionals to understand children’s needs. Staff are experts in providing individualised support for children with SEND. As a result, children with SEND flourish and enjoy learning. All children in the nursery make excellent progress from their individual starting points. They acquire new skills and develop a secure understanding of the world around them. 8 and 9 July 2025

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The school is highly skilled at understanding behaviour as children’s way of expressing their underlying feelings. The school ensures that every child, no matter their barriers to communication, can express themselves clearly. Staff teach children how to identify and regulate their feelings and behaviour well so that no learning time is wasted.

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The love of stories, rhymes and songs is at the very heart of the school’s curriculum. Throughout their time in the nursery, children build up a deep understanding of many stories and rhymes. They remember phrases from stories and use these as they re-enact and write their own books proudly. The environment is designed to encourage children to write meaningfully. By the end of nursery, children recognise the sounds that letters make. They persevere as they label their work and write their names. Some children attempt sentences and attain far beyond age-related expectations.

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The school’s provision for children’s personal, social and emotional development is excellent. Staff model how to listen to each other and treat each other kindly. They use stories and puppets to help children understand how to develop positive relationships. The school builds a wealth of wider experiences into the curriculum. Children learn about different opinions, faiths and cultures. They experience the community working together through experiences such as the summer fair and family picnics. They enjoy their roles of responsibility in the school as they take part in daily tidy up times.

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Governors use their extensive skills and knowledge to challenge and support the school highly effectively. They share the school’s vision to provide an excellent education to all pupils. Staff value the support they receive for their well-being and workload. They appreciate the training and the support the school gives them to carry out their responsibilities well. Staff are proud to work at this school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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 8 and 9 July 2025

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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). 8 and 9 July 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Mahesh Yanambakkam

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School details

Date of previous inspection 26 March 2024, 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 six children with autism.  Slough Centre Nursery is part of the TLC Nursery Federation. Its governing body is federated with one other maintained nursery school in the local authority.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 8 and 9 July 2025

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 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and staff. The lead inspector met with members of the governing body including the chair, and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these areas of learning: communication and language, personal, social and emotional development and mathematics. To do this, they met with leaders, looked at curriculum plans, had discussions with staff, spoke to children, visited classrooms and outdoor learning environments and observed children learning, playing and interacting with 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 extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children’s interests first.

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 The views of staff and parents were gathered through discussions and Ofsted’s online surveys. Inspectors spoke to some parents on the morning of the inspection.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation provided by the school. This included the school’s self-evaluation and school improvement priorities, policies, curriculum documents, behaviour and attendance records, information about pupils with SEND and minutes of governors’ meetings.

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Inspection team

Jo Brinkley, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Matthew Haynes His Majesty's Inspector 8 and 9 July 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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