Aspiring Foundations Federated Nursery Schools - Warrington Road Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Children are happy at this caring nursery school. They show a strong sense of belonging.

Children happily wave goodbye to their parents and carers at the start of each day. Staff get to know children well, which helps them to settle in and to feel secure.

The school is ambitious for what children can achieve.

This includes for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Overall, children develop positive attitudes towards their learning. However, due to weaknesses in the design of the curriculum and how it is implemented, children do not learn as well as they should.

Children typically behave well. They develop their understan...ding of taking turns with other children during their play. Children learn about some of the differences that exist between themselves and others, and that these differences should be valued.

The school provides children with experiences that help them to understand the world around them. For instance, children go on trips to a forest and a farm, which broadens their awareness of animals and nature. Visitors to the school, such as firefighters and police officers, help children to learn about safety and of people in the community who help others.

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

The school has implemented a broad curriculum that covers the areas of learning outlined in the early years foundation stage. However, the school's curriculum thinking is in its infancy. As a result, children are not as well prepared for their next steps in learning as they should be.

Across many areas of learning, the important knowledge that children should learn has not been well determined. This makes it difficult for staff to know what they should teach to children and the order in which this should happen. Therefore, children do not consistently build on what they already know and can do.

The school provides some support for staff to develop their expertise to teach the curriculum. It enables staff to work together to choose the activities and resources that they will provide for children. Nonetheless, the curriculum is not delivered consistently well across different areas of learning.

This means that some children do not routinely develop their knowledge and skills sufficiently well during their play and they do not learn as effectively as they should. The school is not effective in evaluating the implementation of the curriculum to identify what is working well and what requires further development. The school has a suitable approach to check children's communication and language development.

However, the approaches to check that children learn all that they should across the curriculum are underdeveloped and not used consistently well. This hinders staff in identifying gaps and addressing next steps in some children's learning.

The school prioritises identifying children's additional needs early.

It works well with external agencies and parents to support the needs of children with SEND. This enables children with SEND to be fully included in school life.

Staff foster children's love of reading.

Books are well chosen and are prominently placed across the school. Children enjoy listening to stories and joining in with songs. They spend time each week in the school's library, where they choose books to take home to share with their families.

Children recently visited an exciting venue to hear new stories.

In the main, classrooms and outdoor areas are calm and orderly. Children learn well-established routines from the beginning of the classroom for two-year-old children.

They develop their confidence around new people. The school has adopted effective strategies, including working with parents, to support children's regular attendance habits.

The school encourages children to develop their independence and self-care skills, such as handwashing and toileting, from an early age.

At snack times, children select their plates and cups, pour drinks and butter crackers. They help tidy their things away afterwards. Children are provided with healthy foods and drinks.

The governing body has strengthened the support and challenge that it provides to the school. It is self-reflective and shares in the school's aim to continue to improve. Staff are positive about working at the school.

While instability in staffing has strained some staff's workload, overall, staff appreciate the support that they receive for their well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In many areas of learning, the curriculum is not well designed.

This means that staff do not have enough guidance to understand what children should learn and the order that it should be taught. The school should ensure that it identifies the important information that children should learn and when this should be taught, so that staff help children to know and remember more. ? The curriculum is not delivered consistently well.

The school is not as effective as it should be at evaluating the implementation of the curriculum and using this information to develop staff's expertise. As a result, some children do not learn as well as they should. The school should ensure that it checks how well staff implement the curriculum and support staff to enable children to learn more effectively.

• Staff do not check closely enough how well children develop and secure new knowledge across the curriculum. This means that gaps in children's learning are not consistently identified and addressed. The school should support staff in assessing how well children progress through the curriculum, to prepare them sufficiently for their next steps in learning.

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