The Castle Nursery School

Overview

The Castle Nursery School continues to be a good school, described as a "happy, welcoming place" where children enjoy learning and form positive relationships with caring adults. Leaders are passionate about early years education, having implemented a curriculum that prioritises communication and language development alongside independent exploration. While the school is inclusive and celebrates difference, there are inconsistencies in how well the intended curriculum is delivered in practice.

Strengths

• Children settle in quickly and demonstrate good progress, particularly through "exciting learning opportunities" in the newly refurbished outside areas.
• The school fosters a strong sense of community, with staff sharing a "determination to provide exemplary care" and promoting kind, cooperative behaviour.
• There is a clear focus on physical development and health, including an oral hygiene programme where children clean their teeth independently.
• The specially resourced provision for children with complex needs is highly regarded by parents for its tailored curriculum and supportive care.

Areas to improve

• Staff must better implement the curriculum for communication, language and literacy, ensuring they consistently "encourage, support and model talk" to develop children’s vocabulary.
• Monitoring systems need to identify variations in practice more effectively, ensuring all incidents of inappropriate behaviour are dealt with consistently by all staff.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.