Dear Parents and Carers,
We are writing to let you know the outcome of the Ofsted inspection at Speedwell Nursery School on 5th and 6th November 2024.
The Ofsted inspectors recognised that there are many areas of good practice. They have reported:
“Adults have high expectations of children. Children respond with enthusiasm and keenness.”
“Rightly, the school has prioritised communication and language. As soon as children start school, staff check children’s language skills. The school uses this information to accurately identify any additional needs or gaps and help children learn specific vocabulary.”
“Carefully selected stories help children to hear sounds in words and begin to recognise rhyme.”
“Children enjoy listening to a wide range of stories. They learn that print has meaning and use a range of props to retell different stories to each other.”
“During adult-led sessions, staff use their expertise to ensure children learn important vocabulary and build knowledge well.”
Of the staff team they commented that:
“They are dedicated and passionate.”
“They have a deep understanding of the children and their interests. This helps children to settle quickly and feel safe.”
They reported that the areas of ‘personal development’ and ‘behaviour and attitudes’ are a strength of the school and graded as good.
“From the start, children learn how to be kind.”
“Children play together, take turns and help one another. They are curious about the world around them and are keen to share their ideas.”
“Children develop a strong sense of belonging through the school’s personal, social and emotional curriculum.”
“Adults support children to learn vocabulary that describes their emotions.”
“Clear routines and boundaries, as well as timely reminders from adults, reinforce the important message about being safe.”
Safeguarding continues to be effective with strong links to wider services that support the whole family.
The inspectors identified some areas for improvement. These focused on the development of vocabulary teaching, consistency of curriculum implementation across the daily routine and embedding of our revised assessment systems.
We will continue to address these through our planned programme of staff development and embedding the curriculum within our ethos of a play based learning environment.
The inspectors found that the school has continued to strengthen its capacity to improve.
The fact that there are some areas for improvement around the curriculum meant that they graded the Quality of Education and Leadership and Management of the Nursery as ‘Requires Improvement’.
“Supported by governors and the local authority, the school has strengthened its capacity to improve. It is now stabilised, focused and determined to make the necessary improvements so that all children receive the education the school aspires to offer.”
While it is disappointing for everyone involved that there were ‘requires improvement’ judgements, we are glad so many positive attributes of our nursery school were recognised, particularly the ethos of inclusion and the strong relationships forged with children and families.
We will continue working to improve the nursery school and ensure that every Speedwell nursery school child is in receipt of the highest quality early years provision.
The full report is on the link below and will be available on Ofsted website when it is published.
Link to Ofsted website: Speedwell Nursery School
If you have any questions about this report or more generally about your child’s nursery education please contact us. We really value your feedback.
Yours sincerely,
Jet Davis
Head Teacher
Jill Gettrup
Chair of Governors