Harrison Nursery School

Overview

Harrison Nursery School provides a “happy, nurturing and inclusive environment” where staff are “wholly committed to the holistic development of each child.” The inspection highlights a robust, child-centred approach that fosters independence and ensures children make “excellent progress from their individual starting points.”

Strengths

• Staff are “highly knowledgeable and skilled,” using a deep understanding of child development to tailor interactions and extend learning through “purposeful child-led play.”
• The “thoughtfully resourced” indoor and outdoor environments promote “creativity, imaginative thinking, risk taking and open-ended exploration,” fostering autonomy and learner agency.
• Children are “exceptionally well-behaved” and manage their emotions well, supported by consistent behaviour management and trauma-informed practices.
• Communication and language skills are “very well developed,” with children expressing thoughts confidently and accessing books independently.
• Inclusion is “robust,” guided by the principle that the school “first meet[s] children’s needs, and then we ask for them to learn,” ensuring systematic support via Personalised Learning Plans.

Areas to improve

• The school is advised to “embed further trauma-informed practices within the nursery school” to better meet the changing needs of children.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for child protection align to the current statutory guidance.”