Newport Nursery School

Overview

Newport Nursery School is described as a "happy, nurturing, and inclusive" setting where staff build strong relationships with pupils. Most children make suitable progress in key developmental areas, with particularly strong outcomes for those in the specialist Communication Class due to highly skilled teaching. However, the school is at an early stage of developing its curriculum and needs to better support independent learning for mainstream pupils.

Strengths

• Staff create a "positive, and nurturing relationship" with pupils, ensuring they feel "safe and valued."
• The "impact of professional learning" on staff, particularly in the Communication Class, is a significant strength, leading to "strong progress" for pupils with additional learning needs.
• Provision for developing Welsh language skills is "effective," with pupils using simple vocabulary and joining in with songs.
• Leaders use "robust self-evaluation processes" to plan improvements and provide worthwhile training opportunities.
• Pupils develop good social skills, demonstrating they are "kind, polite and respectful" towards others.

Areas to improve

• Teachers must create environments that enable pupils to become "independent, curious, and creative learners."
• The school needs to develop its curriculum to better reflect the specific learning needs of early years pupils.
• Staff should plan more effectively to support mainstream pupils in exploring and investigating independently, rather than relying on over-directed learning.

Safeguarding

The report states that the school’s arrangements for safeguarding pupils "meet requirements and are not a cause for concern."