Colleges Nursery School

Overview

This ungraded inspection confirms the school’s overall judgement remains ‘outstanding’, though inspectors noted that a graded inspection might yield a lower rating. The report describes a setting where children are ‘relaxed and settled’, benefiting from ‘nurturing relationships’ with staff who model ‘calm, friendly behaviour’. Leaders are actively working to strengthen the school following a period of change, with a stable team that is proud of its work.

Strengths

• Staff create a ‘happy and friendly atmosphere’, helping children feel ‘reassured’ and safe.
• Children are encouraged to ‘have a go’ at new things, fostering independence and confidence.
• Staff effectively support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), putting ‘carefully planned extra help in place straight away’.
• Focused group sessions are used well to teach ‘precise vocabulary and skills’ in a fun way.
• The curriculum includes enriching experiences, such as regular visits to a ‘local woodland area’ and learning about the natural world.

Areas to improve

• Systems to review and develop staff expertise are not helping all adults improve their practice; some interventions do not help children progress as quickly as they could.
• Provision is not consistently well adapted to meet children’s needs, meaning they do not always consolidate or extend their vocabulary and skills.

Safeguarding

The report states that ‘the arrangements for safeguarding are effective’.