Howard Street Nursery School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 27 June 2023

Children are happy at Howard Street Nursery School. They arrive full of smiles and confidently say goodbye to their parents and carers. They feel safe and trust the staff to care for them, including when they need comfort or reassurance. Children, including two-year-olds, achieve well. This is because leaders and staff have high expectations for every child, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Children enjoy playing and investigating in the well-equipped classrooms and outdoor areas. They proudly showed the inspectors their favourite books and resources. Staff teach children to behave and expect them to follow the rules and routines of the day. Children behave sensibly and respect other people. They learn how to be kind, well-mannered and how to share resources. Staff step in quickly when children need guidance so that unwanted behaviour is addressed effectively before it becomes an incident of bullying. Leaders seek to create rich moments of learning that children will never forget. Children benefit from many educational trips and visits, such as canoeing along a canal and exploring nature by splashing in muddy puddles at a woodland nature reserve.

What the school should improve

• On occasion, some staff miss opportunities to build children's knowledge through talking with them about their learning as they play. This means that some children do not learn as well as they could. Leaders should ensure that all staff make full use of opportunities to support and extend children's learning through discussion.

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