What OFSTED say
OFSTED inspected Appletree Nursery School in January 2010. Building on a very strong report in 2006, the school was rated as Outstanding this time around.
To view a full copy of the report please click here.
OFSTED's summary
Appletree is an outstanding Nursery. Now fully integrated within the Children's Centre, it provides exemplary care, guidance and support and an excellent curriculum, which positively influence children's welfare, learning and development. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. Behaviour is exemplary and children develop an extremely good understanding of how to keep safe and healthy. They make an excellent contribution to the Nursery community by acting responsibly. Parents and carers are highly appreciative of the provision made and credit their children's joy in learning to the welcoming atmosphere and dedication of staff. Children's love of school is evident in their good attendance and happy faces.
Nursery provision is outstanding. Excellent teaching ensures that children learn rapidly. Their progress is exceptionally good in gaining knowledge and understanding of the world and developing creativity and personal qualities. Children make good progress in communication and language, mathematical and physical development. Consequently, although children's knowledge and skills are broadly typical on entering Nursery, overall attainment is higher than typically seen when they leave.
The headteacher's outstanding leadership and excellent support from staff and governors lie at the heart of the school's success. Exceptionally good partnerships have been forged with parents and carers and outside agencies. Good safeguarding procedures and first-class support for families of vulnerable children enables those with special educational needs and/or disabilities to make excellent progress. The work of the school is meticulously checked, helping the Nursery to build on its previous good inspection. There is no hint of complacency. In fact, the school's self-evaluation, though sharp and accurate, modestly regards its work to be good, rather than outstanding. In the headteacher's view, 'there is always more to do,' evident in the work being done to strengthen the links between assessment and planning. The headteacher recognises correctly that insufficient use is made of personal targets in literacy and numeracy to move children on. The search for excellence, for example, in developing exceptionally good outdoor provision, illustrates the school's outstanding capacity for improvement.
