Alice Model Nursery School

Alice Model Nursery School

Address: 14 Beaumont Grove, Stepney, London, E1 4NQ Unique reference number (URN): 100887

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

The school works extremely effectively to encourage children to behave well. Behaviour is a focus at all times. Staff place emphasis on the positive things children should do, such as sharing, taking turns and being kind. Staff are skilled at knowing when to step in. They use calming techniques and distract children on the rare occasions when it is needed. Children are encouraged by staff to show kindness and be caring as they interact with each other. This helps children learn to manage their emotions and work together harmoniously. They listen to guidance and take turns in different activities. The school welcomes opportunities to provide support to parents and carers. They offer parents advice to help them manage behaviour issues at home.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Leaders make it clear to parents that good attendance is important. The school quickly communicates with parents if a child is not in school. Parents appreciate the termly reports they receive to update them on their child's attendance. Leaders also offer support to parents and carers in different ways to help ensure children attend school regularly. The school celebrates positive habits of attendance by rewarding children with certificates for high levels of attendance. These are displayed around the school to encourage others.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders have planned a creative and highly ambitious curriculum. Learning carefully builds on what children already know. Different activities, both in focused groups and free-flow play, are wide ranging, interesting and linked well to each other. For example, when children listen to and discuss a story about an enormous watermelon, they then make puppets representing the main characters before eating watermelon as a healthy snack.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Children are encouraged to explore their interests and staff are ready to support them, expanding and enhancing children's learning. Staff present the learning in highly effective ways. They are enthusiastic and ready to adapt their approaches to ensure pupils of all abilities and needs can access new knowledge and learn new skills.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Developing children’s language is always a priority. Staff encourage the use of rich language across activities, for example, through questioning or modelling vocabulary. Children also regularly listen to stories and love to participate in songs and rhymes.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Assessment is constant, from baseline assessment on entry, through everyday observations during teaching sessions and activities. Parents and carers are kept regularly informed about their child's progress. Parents are encouraged to visit the classrooms. They can participate in different activities, such as celebrating different religious festivals.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders focus on getting to know every child. They identifying any additional needs at an early stage. Staff receive high-quality training to provide support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Children with SEND have an individual plan with clear targets established. Leaders ensure that these plans are shared and that targets are regularly reviewed. Staff are skilled at adapting their approaches in the moment. Wherever possible, they respond to each child's experiences and learning as they happen.

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Inclusion Strong standard

There are termly meetings with parents, where they receive detailed information about their child’s progress. Parents’ input is invited and forming strong relationships with parents to enhance the support of children is a priority for leaders. Leaders also provide workshops for parents offering advice and guidance on areas, such as stages of development and support for healthy sleep.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders seek expert guidance from specialists, such as an educational psychologist. Leaders use additional funding to ensure that, from the early years, disadvantaged children receive appropriate support. This includes additional resources or funded visits to broaden children’s experiences and promote their confidence as learners. Children with additional needs are well supported by staff, who consistently reflect calm, positive messages that ensure they can access the learning and persevere if they struggle. Children benefit from access to a sensory room. This can help them regulate their behaviour or offer a quieter area to help develop their social skills.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

School leaders and governors know their school very well. Leaders have accurately identified the school's current strengths. They are also constantly exploring ways to continue to improve what their school offers. All aspects of the school’s work is designed to be flexible and responsive to the needs of the children. Staff understand this and show this in their work with pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff have high expectations for all children, regardless of any barriers to learning. Leaders work successfully to produce confident children, who are fully prepared for the next stage of education, and ensure they are given a wider outlook in life.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

There is a well-planned and highly effective system of ongoing training and professional development for staff. Staff feel highly valued and cared for by leaders. Staff say leaders are approachable, supportive and respect their workload and wellbeing. Governors meet their statutory duties very well. They work closely with the school and provide excellent challenge and support. The school is an important part of the community. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the progress their children make and the rich experiences the school provides.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

The school's provision for children's personal development runs throughout the school. This is one of the first priorities when the children enter the school. Children and staff build warm relationships. Staff help children to learn the importance of being kind to each other and to respect differences between people. Staff skilfully support learning while also understanding when to allow children to become more independent. This allows children to learn valuable lessons when things do not go the way they expected.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Children learn the importance of making healthy eating choices and are guided to explore a range of different foods. For example, children grow cress as part of a topic on plants and

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Expected standard

then use the cress to make sandwiches. The school encourages children to help out in the school and the wider community. For example, they participate in 'tidy-up time' at the end of the day, including sweeping up and wiping tables. Children visit a local care home to sing to residents. They also help to host the residents at their school for afternoon tea.

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Expected standard

Children are offered a huge range of experiences to enrich their learning at the school. They visit museums, historic buildings and enjoy special concerts by a London orchestra aimed at children. The school uses specialist teachers to deliver music sessions and sports. The school celebrates a range of different religious festivals and special days. Leaders use trips to local shops to help develop children's mathematics skills. They plan trips using public transport, when visiting local landmarks to add interest and build children's confidence.

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Achievement Expected standard

Over time, children make suitable progress from their starting points. They typically develop appropriate knowledge across the 7 areas of learning that they need as they progress to the next stage of education. They gain important knowledge that prepares them for learning phonics in Reception. Staff are quick to step in to support children who are struggling and ensure they catch up. Children with additional needs typically receive the support they need to achieve well from their starting points.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Children arrive each morning to be greeted by the friendly staff. They enter happily and are then immersed in a world of exciting and interesting learning. Children benefit from the caring relationships with staff. They feel safe and are kept safe. Children can name an adult they would talk to if they have a concern or worry.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Leaders have created a curriculum that is broad and ambitious across the school. The curriculum prioritises children securing skills across the prime areas of learning. Children’s speaking and listening skills are constantly developed; staff encourage the use of rich language and draw out the pupils’ thoughts and ideas. Children’s emotional development is nurtured and they are provided with multiple opportunities to improve their physical skills. By the time children leave the school, they are generally well prepared for Reception.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Leaders have established clear rules and routines that the children understand and follow. In the rare cases when children do not behave appropriately, staff quickly and calmly resolve the situations. Leaders work hard to encourage regular attendance. Above all they work to ensure that children are eager to come to school and experience the different activities and wider experiences that are provided.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Staff present learning in exciting and engaging ways so that children are attentive and engrossed in their learning. Children are able to work collaboratively and demonstrate

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Team inspector:

Jonathan Newby, Ofsted Inspector resilience at overcoming problems or persevering with difficult tasks. Children with additional needs are carefully supported in different ways to ensure they can access the learning and make progress.

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Team inspector:

Children’s learning is enriched in a wide range of different ways. They visit local landmarks, celebrate different religious festivals and special days and they learn to respect the differences between people. Such opportunities help to prepare children for life in modern Britain.

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Next steps

Leaders should continue to build partnerships with other nursery settings and work with them to ensure support, exchange of expertise and improvement to the education and care of children across all settings. Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure continued improvement to the education provision to sustain the standards currently in place and to benefit, in particular, those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged children.

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About this inspection

The chair of the board of governors in this school is Jean Thomas.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with the headteacher and senior leaders. They also held meetings with the members of the local governing body and a representative from the local authority during the inspection.

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About this inspection

The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational support needs at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English Indices of Deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced Provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care. services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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