Stockingford Maintained Nursery School

Overview

Leaders describe the nursery as ‘a place of possibilities’ where ‘highly skilled adults nurture, inspire and enable children to grow’. The report states that children ‘make exceptionally strong progress’ within an ‘enticing learning environment’ that sparks their interests. Staff demonstrate a ‘deep understanding of how young children learn and develop’, ensuring every moment is utilised for learning.

Strengths

• The curriculum is ‘ambitious’ and ‘highly engaging’, with leaders sequencing key knowledge so that ‘nothing is left to chance’.
• Staff ‘gently and patiently’ support children, helping them ‘understand and manage their emotions and feelings’, resulting in ‘exceptionally strong’ relationships.
• There is a ‘high focus on developing children’s communication and language skills’, enabling even those with limited initial skills to gain strong vocabulary.
• ‘Outdoor spaces support children’s physical development extremely well’, offering rich experiences such as hunting for minibeasts and building dams.
• Governors are ‘deeply committed’ and ‘hold leaders to account for the quality of education provided effectively’.

Areas to improve

• The report identifies no significant areas for improvement.

Safeguarding

The report states that ‘the arrangements for safeguarding are effective’, noting that staff complete ‘high-quality training’ and ‘quickly spot changes in behaviour’ to ensure children and families receive help when needed.