Chatham Place Nursery School

Chatham Place Nursery School

Address: 139 Earle Road, Liverpool, Merseyside, L7 6HD Unique reference number (URN): 104503

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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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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders place the community at the heart of their work. They make sure that the school is a welcoming place for all. Mornings are calm and children settle in remarkably well. Many children and their parents and carers speak English as an additional language. Leaders prioritise building positive relationships so that children and their families feel included. Leaders work closely with external professionals to provide specialist support when needed.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders identify and assess children’s additional needs early. Following a step-by-step approach, they successfully reduce any barriers to learning or wellbeing that children face. This includes for children who are disadvantaged and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. In the special educational needs unit, known as ‘the Nest’, staff provide a sensitive and individual approach for children with complex needs. This helps these children to engage successfully with their individual learning programmes.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders carefully review children’s progress through the curriculum and the impact of additional support. Children progress well from their starting points. Leaders ensure that additional funding is used effectively to provide children with rich experiences that support their communication and language development. They provide well-thought-out adaptations, including calming spaces, to support children’s wellbeing. Staff have appropriate training to further develop their knowledge of how to tailor their teaching and support for individual children.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children typically secure the knowledge that they need to be ready for their next steps in learning. They progress well from their starting points, including children who are disadvantaged and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children, including those who speak English as an additional language, develop their communication and language skills well. They generally remember their learning and practise this during independent play. For example, children compare the height of towers that they build and count balls when they roll them down guttering. They use their imaginations and creativity to make space rockets. Children successfully develop their small- and large-muscle skills.

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Achievement Expected standard

Overall, children usually learn well and gaps in their learning close. However, some children do not develop their knowledge across the areas of learning as well as they could. This is because staff do not consistently make full use of opportunities to revisit and extend children’s previous knowledge.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders work closely with parents, carers and external professionals when needed to instil positive attendance habits. They help parents to understand the importance of early education. Leaders carefully check children’s levels of attendance. They know the reasons for absence and provide appropriate support for families. This largely helps to secure improvements so that children benefit from regular attendance. Children enjoy their time at school and feel a sense of belonging.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders have created values that reflect the family-like ethos of the school. The environment is calm and orderly. Children typically behave well. They learn how to share toys and play well alongside their peers. Children rarely need reminders about positive behaviour. Staff have nurturing relationships with children. They adapt their approach to support children who require additional help, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This means that children are increasingly able to manage their own feelings and emotions. Staff quickly address any unkindness or bullying. Children mostly follow staff’s expectations well. While routines and expectations are generally embedded, there are occasions when these could be more precise.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have adopted a broad and balanced curriculum that enables children to build on what they already know and can do. Leaders focus on supporting children’s communication and language skills, particularly for those who speak English as an additional language.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have an accurate grasp of the quality of the curriculum and teaching. Staff understand how children learn. They generally deliver the curriculum well. Staff provide learning activities to develop children’s understanding across the curriculum. They typically interact well with children to develop their thinking and language skills. For example, staff model words such as ‘roll’, ‘press’ and ‘squeeze’ when using play dough. However, at times, staff are less clear on the specific knowledge and vocabulary that children should develop and practise during their play. This means that children do not consistently learn as well as they could.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff use broadly effective approaches to review children’s progress through the curriculum. They use this information to adapt future teaching and provide additional support when needed. However, staff sometimes miss opportunities to check children’s understanding of important learning. This limits their ability to pinpoint and swiftly address any gaps in knowledge and vocabulary that children have.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff nurture children’s love of reading. Children enjoy listening to many stories and songs. They take books home from a ‘little library’ to share with their families.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders work closely with those responsible for governance. They accurately evaluate the school’s effectiveness. Leaders take appropriate actions that focus on areas that they identify to improve. For example, leaders place a sharp emphasis on continuing to refine the curriculum to further develop children’s learning, particularly in communication and language. They have adapted the provision to successfully cater for an increase in the number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders act carefully and place children’s best interests, particularly those who are more vulnerable, at the centre of their decisions.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders provide staff with a broad range of professional learning that is well matched to improvement priorities. For example, recent training has enabled staff to better support children with SEND and those who require additional assistance to manage their behaviour. There is scope to further develop staff’s knowledge and skills in delivering the curriculum consistently well. Staff morale is high. They appreciate the support and time that leaders provide for their workload and wellbeing.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The school is an important part of the local community. Leaders prioritise developing effective partnerships with external agencies and with parents and carers. Parents appreciate the support that leaders provide. They are regularly invited into the school. For instance, parents attend a ‘book club’ that helps them to understand how to support their children’s reading at home.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Governors are knowledgeable about the school’s context and are fully committed to the school’s vision. They provide leaders with effective support and challenge to aid continual improvement across the school’s priorities. Governors ensure that statutory duties are met.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders focus on developing relationships and supporting children’s emotional wellbeing. They provide training for staff to help them to understand children’s lived experiences. Staff care for children well and provide the support that they need. Across the school, leaders have created spaces that children can use to refocus and learn how to manage their feelings and emotions. This includes in the school’s special educational needs unit, ‘the Nest’. Staff teach children words to express their feelings, such as ‘worried’ and ‘angry’. A tranquil entrance to the school, the ‘Zen Den’, supports children to part with their parents and carers each morning with ease.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders provide a well-considered programme to foster children’s personal, social and emotional development. They focus on developing children’s independence and resilience. For example, children hang up their own coats and self-register themselves in the classroom. They learn how to be healthy, including through visits from a dentist that help them to understand the importance of oral hygiene. Children learn how to be safe outside of school and when crossing roads. They find out about people who can help them, such as police officers.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Children have many opportunities to explore the world around them. Through the school’s ‘family’ values, children gain an age-appropriate understanding of fundamental British values. They learn about differences between themselves and others. For example, children visit a care home for older people. During a ‘community week’, parents visit school to talk about their cultures and traditions. Children learn about different festivals, such as Eid and Diwali. Leaders ensure that all children benefit from the school’s personal development offer and wider experiences. For example, children who attend ‘the Nest’ classroom go on trips with the rest of the school. They also regularly visit local parks and shops.

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

Children enjoy attending this close-knit nursery school. They arrive happily each morning, knowing that the school is a safe place where they feel settled and supported by caring staff.

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

Children typically achieve well. Leaders have high expectations for their achievement, including for children who are disadvantaged and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They quickly identify and reduce any barriers to learning or wellbeing that children face. As a result, children are ready for their next steps, including their eventual move to primary school.

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

Children develop positive attitudes towards their learning. For example, they confidently play indoors and outdoors. Children are curious to explore and search for bugs under logs in wooded areas. They enjoy listening to stories and learning new words. Children benefit from having ‘reading buddies’ with older peers from the linked primary school, which helps to foster their love of reading.

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

Children behave well. They play kindly and cooperatively with others. Children share toys and take turns. They understand the school’s routines and generally follow them well. Children learn about different emotions and how they can manage their own feelings. They benefit from spaces that provide quiet and calmness when needed. Staff quickly address any rare incidents of unkindness or bullying.

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

Children learn about the wider world through a range of rich experiences that enhance their learning of the curriculum. For example, they go on trips to farms, zoos and local parks. Children also visit nearby shops regularly. They receive dance and sports sessions from specialist coaches to develop their spatial awareness and large-muscle skills. Children are well prepared for the society in which they live.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that staff further develop the knowledge and skills that they need to deliver the curriculum consistently well, making full use of opportunities for children to practise and revisit important knowledge across all areas of learning. Leaders should support staff in checking how well children learn the intended curriculum, to identify and address any gaps in children’s vocabulary and knowledge as they arise.

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Lead inspector:

David Lobodzinski, His Majesty's Inspector

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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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About this inspection

The chair of the board of governors in this school is Angela Glanville.

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About this inspection

The school is part of a federation called The Federation St Hugh's Catholic Primary School and Chatham Nursery School.

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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 executive headteacher, the head of school, staff and pupils during the inspection. The lead inspector spoke with representatives of the governing body and of the local authority.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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About this inspection

The school includes a special educational needs unit for up to 12 children with speech, language and communication needs.

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About this inspection

The school currently uses no alternative provision.

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About this inspection

At the time of the inspection, there were 58 children on roll.

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About this inspection

The school has a separate registration with Ofsted, on the Early Years Register, for younger children. This provision was not inspected during this inspection.

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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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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.

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Urgent improvement

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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