Moss Hall Nursery School

Moss Hall Nursery School

Address: 189 Nether Street, Finchley, London, N3 1NR Unique reference number (URN): 101253

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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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Achievement Strong standard

Children thrive here. This is because opportunities for learning are highly systematic and focused on identifying and closing gaps that children may face. The significance given to early communication and language, physical and personal development makes sure all children, including those who may face barriers to their learning, have the foundations they need to be very well prepared for their next steps and future learning. Staff are highly skilled and confident, meaning they get the very best from children.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children's self-care is also well considered. For example, a focus on toilet training means that by the age of 3, the vast majority of children are toilet trained and out of their nappies. For the children who do not meet this milestone, further support and close parental partnership continue.

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Achievement Strong standard

The school's use of key workers' 'floor books' helps to capture children's learning. Projects such as 'The journey of food' and 'Man versus machine' are deliberately linked to the children's talents and interests; they include a range of different activities and culminate in a visit. These projects are in addition to the curriculum and are highly engaging. They contribute significantly to children's enjoyment and motivation to learn.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Despite the children being below statutory school age, leaders promote the importance of attending well. Children's attendance is checked carefully, and any concerns are addressed swiftly. Leaders are committed to supporting families to build good attendance routines to prepare them effectively for school. When concerns are identified, the school works closely with families to identify and address the barriers that are preventing positive attendance. The impact of the support provided has had a notable impact on improving attendance over time.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

The nursery is an incredibly calm learning environment where transitions, even for the youngest children, are seamless. Children know what is expected of them and they rise to these expectations. Their attitudes to learning and self-control are very well developed. This is because daily routines and expectations are embedded. Highly effective modelling by staff enables children to recognise and learn about their feelings and emotions. These opportunities are practised frequently. When children struggle, including those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, incidents are managed consistently, often using pictures and symbols to support understanding.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders have made astute decisions about the curriculum. The content that children should learn has been carefully identified across each of the areas of learning in the early years. Learning here is highly structured. The curriculum is designed to teach children new knowledge and skills, provide opportunities to practise, manage risk with supervision and build independence. Well-designed and consistently implemented adult-led sessions support learning in different areas of the nursery, including the outdoor provision and for woodwork and cookery. Leaders have ensured there is a clear and logical progression across the year when children move from the 2-year-old to the 3-year-old provision. This makes transition seamless.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Children's early communication and language, physical and personal development are prioritised. Staff know that success in these areas is necessary to enable access to the rest of the curriculum and future learning. Staff have had considerable training to ensure they have the skills they need to support children effectively. As a result, the curriculum is delivered with precision and expertise. High-quality interactions are prioritised and realised. Staff know exactly when to intervene and support and when to step back. Children's language is developed using words, picture cues and signing. Opportunities to use language are meticulously tailored to each child's needs. Children who are disadvantaged and/or those with special educational needs and/or disabilities are immersed in language and communication from the start.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Children who may have additional needs or experience barriers to their learning are identified quickly and accurately. Embedded systems, including those used to assess and track children's early language, alongside close working relationships with external professionals, underpin this work. Once identified, children are allocated the most appropriate support to help close any gaps there might be, including in their personal, social and emotional development and their communication and language. Carefully designed individual learning plans are in place for children who need them. These are shared with staff so that they are aware of children's specific targets. These are skilfully addressed through high-quality teaching and a well-designed continuous provision.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The impact of any additional support is checked systematically. This helps leaders to know precisely who is on track and who needs further support, which is then provided. Staff training is meticulously linked to the taught curriculum and any additional interventions provided. This ensures staff have the knowledge and skills that they need to deliver learning and support effectively. Additional funding is used strategically to enable leaders to address any barriers to learning and/or participation. For example, children who need it are provided with a personalised set of core books and associated communication cards to help parents pre-teach and practise important language at home.

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Inclusion Strong standard

High-quality interactions are prioritised and realised. High-quality support and interventions have a significant impact on reducing any barriers to learning and/or wellbeing that children and families may face.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

The curriculum for children's personal, social and emotional development is thoughtfully designed. Carefully chosen and age-appropriate content supports children's wider personal development, including a developing awareness of safety. As a result, children show through their actions and self-care routines that they are building a secure knowledge of safety and appropriate behaviours. They develop confidence, resilience and independence because these important aspects are taught systematically and not left to chance.

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Expected standard

The systems and procedures that leaders have put in place ensure all staff know each child incredibly well. Staff use 'evaluation discussions' to share pertinent information and plan the next steps for each child. Close working partnerships with parents and carers ensure that they are fully included in their child's learning journey. Families are well supported to maximise what has been learned in school when they are at home.

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Expected standard

Leaders use additional funding effectively to support those children who experience barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing. This includes helping to fund 30-hour placements, providing books for those who need them and funding educational visits, so all children can access and benefit from the rich offer. Leaders also carefully craft opportunities to support children's social and moral development. For example, children participated in a fashion show using upcycled fabrics to help them understand that not all children have the clothes they need. Similarly, in response to a story about plastics in the ocean, children decided they should no longer use plastic tape in the nursery. This has now been replaced with paper tape. To support children's early understanding of fairness and democracy, children make choices through voting. This carefully considered approach to personal development helps children to develop a mature understanding of some important issues and prepares

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Expected standard

them very well for life in modern Britain as they continue to grow and develop.

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Expected standard

Leaders and staff ensure that the early years welfare requirements linked to safe sleep, intimate care and safer eating are consistently applied and carefully checked.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

There have been significant changes to the leadership of the nursery since the previous inspection. Additionally, some recent instability resulted in staff taking on new roles. This reduced the overall leadership capacity at the school. Despite this, the acting headteacher, those responsible for governance and some carefully chosen external support have helped to ensure that the provision for children continues to be of high quality and that the school runs effectively while a new headteacher is recruited. Leaders and those responsible for governance have ensured that the decisions they make have been with the children's best interests at the forefront.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

High-quality practice in all other areas of the provision is supported by an effective and often bespoke professional learning programme. This ensures staff have the knowledge and skills that they need to deliver the curriculum and support children's wider needs with expertise. Staff speak highly about the quality of training they receive, including about high-quality interactions and delivering speech and language interventions. They say they feel empowered to provide the support children need.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff are overwhelmingly positive about the help they get to manage their workload and support their wellbeing. They recognise that the recent staff changes have increased their workload but are fully committed to the school, the children and families. Staff are appreciative of the additional things leaders do to help them, For example, a bursary is provided to enable staff to buy appropriate clothes so they are equipped to be outside in all weathers. Those responsible for governance understand and enact their statutory duties. As a result, there is close oversight of aspects such as safeguarding and the use of additional funding.

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

Children are happy and kept safe here. There is a real sense of purpose. A genuine feeling of awe and wonder permeates children's learning, both indoors and outdoors. From the beginning, children build their knowledge and understanding, confidence and physical skills through well-designed opportunities for exploration and learning.

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

Children behave very well. Through close, caring and supportive relationships with key workers, children learn to develop resilience and self-control. The use of visual resources and signing supports this understanding for the youngest children, as well as for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Both indoors and outdoors, children interact and collaborate well. Those who need additional support get the help they need from expert staff within the provision. Even though the children here are still very young, they trust staff and recognise that their teachers are there to help them if they are worried about anything.

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

There are high expectations about what children can achieve. Independence and resilience are taught clearly and then form part of the daily expectations from staff. Managing risk is a key part of learning. For instance, children learn to use woodwork tools and knives for cooking and navigate the 'Wild Woods' outside in a safe way. Using equipment safely is part of the planned curriculum, as are opportunities to practise. This helps to ensure children use what they learn with growing independence as they get older. Trusting relationships enable children to listen and respond well to their teachers. This shared focus on collaborative learning supports children to thrive.

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

Learning in the Nursery is very well designed and supports children to build the knowledge and skills they need to be thoroughly prepared for starting school, when they move on to the Reception Year.

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Next steps

Leaders and those responsible for governance should embed leadership at all levels. This will help to ensure that the high-quality provision across the nursery is sustained and that the school has sufficient leadership and governance capacity to continue to improve.

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About this inspection

The school is a local authority maintained nursery for children from 2 to 4 years.

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Lead inspector:

Samantha Ingram, His Majesty's Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This was the data available at the time of the full inspection, taken from different sources . More recent data may have been published since the full inspection took place.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The inspector(s) used this data during the full inspection on 8 July 2026

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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. The co-chairs of the board of governors in this school are Jonathan Brown and Patrick Richmond.

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What does this mean?

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

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What does this mean?

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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What does this mean?

Inspectors spoke with the acting headteacher, an external adviser, governors and members of staff during the inspection. The lead inspector also spoke with a representative from the local authority.

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What does this mean?

Leaders do not currently make use of any alternative provision.

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What does this mean?

The school has undergone significant changes in leadership since the last inspection. The current deputy headteacher is the acting headteacher . A new headteacher is due to start their role in September 2026.

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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 needs support 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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