Washwood Heath Nursery School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 15 October 2024

Children thrive in this happy and nurturing Nursery School. They enjoy school and feel safe. Staff plan exciting activities and are attentive to their needs. Children form secure, trusting attachments with their key workers. This helps them to settle quickly at school. The school has created an ambitious three-stage model for the children's learning journey. On entry, children are 'explorers', using their investigating skills. Gradually, children become 'researchers', finding out how things work. Finally, children become 'inventors', demonstrating creativity and working things out for themselves. Staff carefully guide children through this process. This prepares them well for learning at their next school. The school has high expectations for children's achievement. Ambition is evident for all children and many achieve well. The daily focus on communication and language, early literacy and mathematics, gives children a firm foundation on which to build. Children behave well. They enjoy the many enrichment activities the school provides to extend their learning. These include music, pottery and woodwork sessions. The school is proactive in fostering a positive partnership with parents and carers. Workshops and school events ensure that parents are fully involved in their child's learning. Parents value the communication and feedback they receive from staff.

What the school should improve

• Some child-led activities lack a clear learning focus. This reduces the contribution they make to children's development, and children quickly become disengaged. The school should ensure that all activities fully support purposeful and meaningful learning.
• Some activities are not adapted well enough for individual children, including those with SEND. This means that small numbers of children do not participate in all activities or develop the skills and knowledge they need. The school should ensure that staff adjust learning activities, where needed, to enable all children to be fully included.

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