Birchfield Nursery School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 8 December 2022

Children are happy, and benefit from the gentle, thoughtful support that staff give them at Birchfield Nursery School. They trust the staff to look after them. Children share their ideas and opinions with staff. They know that teachers and teaching assistants are genuinely interested in what they wish to say. Children profit from the worthwhile and interesting curriculum. They achieve well because leaders and staff have high expectations for their learning and behaviour. Children become confident, enthusiastic investigators who love learning new knowledge such as by singing, reciting stories and counting. Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are kind and self-controlled. They participate well in group activities because staff sensitively help them to know how to behave. Children have many friends at the nursery school. On the rare occasions that disagreements arise between children, staff help them to resolve problems quickly. Children explore the five linked classrooms and the large outdoor area with confidence. Staff teach them to be responsible for the tidiness of different learning areas as a 'tidy up team'. They learn to watch the local heron when it flies in to visit the local pond and to watch out for trespassing ducks on the playground.

What the school should improve

• In a few areas of learning, leaders do not make clear enough to staff the essential knowledge to teach children. This means that children learn less deeply than they might. Leaders should make clear to staff the key foundational knowledge that they want children to learn in all areas of the school's curriculum.
• When assessing the abilities of children, including those with SEND, staff over-use age bands rather than the school's curriculum. This approach risks missing how well children are learning leaders' intended curriculum. Leaders should ensure that staff focus their assessment techniques on children's learning of the curriculum.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)