Inspection Report - Barbour Nursery School

Barbour Nursery School, Lisburn

DE Ref No 411-6018

Inspection Report - May 2026

Barbour Nursery School offers full-time pre‑school provision for 52 children, serving both the local community and the wider Lisburn catchment area.
The school’s three-year development plan, informed by extensive stakeholder consultation, provides a clear and appropriate strategic direction, articulated through the vision: “Where play, language and outdoor learning help every child thrive.” Priorities for development are identified through robust self-evaluation processes and currently focus on language development, special educational needs and on extending and enriching the children’s learning experiences through shared education. Staff professional learning aligns closely with the school priorities.
This vision, which is embedded very effectively in the staff’s daily practice, is underpinned by a shared understanding of the philosophy of learning through play, strong child-centred principles, a clear focus on holistic development and first-hand experiences, and a strengths-based approach to supporting each child, starting from the individual assessments of what they can do.
The school benefits from a well-established and experienced Board of Governors, characterised by a broad range of expertise, and a commitment to their role. They are well-informed on the work of the nursery school and actively engage in school life. The governors contribute meaningfully to strategic leadership and the provision for learning.
The children benefit from rich and relevant learning experiences evident across all areas of the pre-school education curriculum. Planning for learning is detailed, comprehensive and highly responsive to the children’s interests and needs. The learning potential, role of the adult, key vocabulary and appropriate extension activities are
identified across the six learning areas of the pre-school education curriculum and guide the staff very well in their daily practice.
Robust assessment procedures are in place, including detailed baseline observations, individual profiles for each child, and regular systematic observations complemented by ongoing incidental observations. These effectively inform planning and the next steps for each child in their learning.
The staff have created an attractive, well‑organised and stimulating environment that promotes child-initiated play and independence. The high-quality outdoor provision is a significant strength, offering extensive opportunities for physical development and active learning within the playground, butterfly garden and forest area. These experiences support the children’s emotional wellbeing, physical health and growing understanding of the natural world, through high-quality, collaborative, exploratory and investigative play.
Relationships across the setting are very positive. Children play collaboratively, with clear evidence of developing friendships and strong social and emotional skills. They are confident communicators, willing to share ideas and experiences with both adults and peers. Transitions are smooth and well managed, and children demonstrate responsibility, respect for their environment, and positive behaviour.
The children are developing into independent, confident, and curious learners, demonstrating strong physical skills and a high level of creativity. Their language development is a particular strength: they engage with, share, and respond enthusiastically to stories; use mark-making for a range of meaningful purposes; and express their thoughts, ideas, and feelings with confidence.The impact of staff training from the Incredible Years programme is clearly reflected in the nurturing, consistent approaches used by the staff to support the children’s emotional needs and social development. As a result, the children are confident, well behaved and able to form positive relationships in this calm, respectful, and inclusive learning environment.
The children’s achievements are made visible and valued through displays of their artwork, creations and photographs, which are shared across the setting and with parents on digital platforms. Highly positive and nurturing relationships ensure that staff consistently recognise and praise children’s efforts, using skilful interactions to extend their learning, language and thinking. Comprehensive documentation, including Our Learning Journey and detailed assessment records, demonstrate clearly progression from individual starting points.
The nursery demonstrates a strong commitment to equity and inclusion, meeting effectively the diverse needs of all children. Targeted speech and language interventions, including Time to Talk and Early Talk Boost, alongside well-developed Personal Learning Plans (PLPs) and partnerships with parents and external agencies, support clear progress in the children’s communication and engagement. Staff are skilled and responsive to the children’s needs, ensuring early identification and timely, sensitive intervention. A warm, inclusive ethos ensures that all of the children and their families feel welcomed, valued and well supported.
The nursery has established a well-connected and effective community of learning. Communication with parents is regular, relevant and enhanced through, for example, parent presentations, bespoke online resources and participation in programmes such as the Department of Education’s Getting Ready to Learn, all of which support parental engagement in their child’s learning. Partnerships with primary schools, external agencies and community organisations enhance continuity and access to specialist support. Professional learning is collaborative, research-informed and aligned to school priorities, strengthening practice and improving outcomes.
At the time of the inspection, the evidence provided by the nursery school demonstrates that the arrangements for child protection align to the current statutory guidance.

Next steps

The child-centred ethos, combined with a commitment to professional growth and partnership working supports the staff very well in Barbour Nursery School to achieve the vision and create a stimulating and inclusive learning environment “Where play, language and outdoor learning help every child thrive.”

As identified by the school through its own self-evaluation processes, the area for action for Barbour Nursery School is to continue to increase opportunities for parental engagement.

The inspection has also identified an aspect of highly effective practice from which others may learn. The aspect of practice which should be shared more widely is:

the high-quality, collaborative and exploratory child-led play, in particular in the outdoors.