Appletree Nursery School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 14 May 2024

Children make a positive start to their education at this inclusive school. Children settle in quickly and are happy. The school is ambitious for children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). It places high importance on building children's self-esteem and confidence. Nurturing staff provide children with a range of opportunities that help them to develop these personal attributes. The broad range of learning opportunities offered by the school help children to become confident and successful learners. Children learn the importance of sharing and cooperating with one another. Older children often work together as a team to create dens or to role play different games and stories. Staff help children to understand their different emotions and how to manage them. Children value the praise and recognition that they receive for showing good manners and behaving well. Children learn about different interesting places beyond the school. For example, they experience trips to the seaside and to the park. Children begin to learn about the work of charities, supporting them through events such as cake sales. They also learn about important people in their community, gaining delight in visits from firefighters, refuse collectors and police officers.

What the school should improve

• In a small number of areas, some staff do not have the subject knowledge that they need to teach the curriculum as intended. As a result, some children do not deepen their knowledge as well as they could. In these areas, the school should ensure that staff have the knowledge that they need to teach the curriculum well, so that children effectively build on what they already know.
• For a very small number of children with SEND, the strategies set out to aid their access to the curriculum and to understand daily routines are applied inconsistently. As a result, a small number of children with SEND do not learn as well as they could. The school should ensure that the adaptations in place are used consistently by staff so that these children can fully access the learning.

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