Nightingale Infant & Nursery School

Overview

Nightingale Infant & Nursery School is described as a “small school with a big heart” where pupils feel valued and safe. The inspection found that leaders have successfully transformed the school’s culture through a “compelling and ambitious vision,” resulting in high expectations and a strong sense of community.

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate “Outstanding” personal development, embracing values such as being “fair, listen and learn, be open and honest, caring and kind.”
• Staff implement effective teaching strategies, ensuring pupils are “confident and eager to share and talk about their learning.”
• Early reading has improved significantly following a “new systematic synthetic phonics programme,” with children making “rapid progress.”
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are “well supported and fully included” in school life.
• Leaders have established a “strong safeguarding culture” where staff are “vigilant” and identify risks quickly.

Areas to improve

• Leaders must complete the planned revision of curriculum content in a few subjects to ensure “high expectations” are instilled across all areas.
• Leaders need to continue communicating with parents to rebuild confidence, as the school’s past reputation means “a few parents lack confidence in the school.”

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective,” noting that staff are vigilant and pupils have a “broad and thorough understanding of how to stay healthy and safe.”