Inspection Report - Belmont Nursery School

Belmont Nursery School

DE Ref No 211-6345

Inspection Report - November 2025

Belmont Nursery School has a well‑established shared vision. It has been reviewed with all stakeholders and remains relevant to the context of the school. The school’s core values ‘Play, Laugh and Learn’ are incorporated well into the children’s learning and supports them to become responsible, motivated, and confident in their learning.
There are highly effective processes for self‑evaluation which inform well a strategic and detailed school development plan. The key priorities are appropriate and include: to enrich further the outdoor provision; develop the children’s speech, language and communication skills and provide further sensory experiences to support the children with additional needs.
The planning for learning is comprehensive. The targeted observations and assessments identify the children’s individual starting points and inform appropriately the planning for child-led learning. The staff outline effectively the next steps for each child and individual progress across the curriculum is monitored and evaluated in the children’s learning journal which is also shared with parents.
All of the children are happy in their learning and understand well the established routines in the nursery school. The learning environment is richly resourced with a wide range of natural materials which promote and support well the children’s curiosity and creativity. The children are attentive and engage well during story and group time. The children lead their learning through, for example, voting collectively for the story of the day, during which they show understanding and acceptance of the process.
The development of the children’s early mark making and mathematical experiences are a strength of the provision. The children have extensive opportunities to draw plans, take phone messages and use chalk to mark out a track for the wheeled vehicles. Early mathematical language is seamlessly integrated into the curriculum, as children recognise and name numbers and use confidently capacity and positional language. They greet each other when joining in play experiences and celebrate each other’s success when the children share their artistic creations. They participate enthusiastically in singing songs and playing percussion instruments as they begin to follow musical beat and rhythm.
The well-developed outdoor environment supports very effectively the children’s learning and development across all areas of the curriculum. They are curious learners and enjoy problem-solving and engaging in challenging play opportunities as they balance at height, climb with confidence and develop well their hand-eye co-ordination and balls skills. The children with additional needs also benefit from planned opportunities to use the swings and quiet areas to help them manage their emotions.
The children are encouraged by the staff to take on leadership responsibilities such as ‘litter busters’ where they learn the importance of caring for their environment. These experiences align closely with the school’s vision of making ‘the world a better place” and develop well the children’s sense of responsibility and pride in their community.
The staff know all of the children, understand their needs and make appropriate adjustments such as small group support, to support them in their learning. Careful consideration of the learning environment and resources has resulted in the development of enriching and purposeful spaces to support the children’s learning and sensory needs. The staff are reviewing the children’s individual education plans to include the children’s strengths and parental contributions.
Funding obtained from the Extended School programme is used by the staff to provide a morning club for the children, which is well attended and provides the children with a positive start to the school day. In addition, the funding also enables the staff to assess the children’s language skills and provide targeted support. The progress of the children is monitored robustly, which enables the staff to make timely referrals for the children who may require external support. The staff have appropriately identified the need for regular professional learning opportunities to support further the needs of all of the children.
The staff make visits to the local Sure Start project to learn about the children before they transition to the nursery school. Information from the local Sure Start project is also used well by the staff to build on the children’s progress. It provides staff with a deeper understanding of the children’s needs during induction and enables timely referrals for support when needed. As part of the North West nursery cluster group, the staff share effective practice and benefit from joint professional learning opportunities.
Developing links with the local community is key to the school’s ethos and is achieved through a wide range of effective partnerships to support the children and their families, such as the Greater Shantallow Area Partnership. Opportunities, such as visits to the residential care home, the library and the swimming pool enable the children to develop an understanding of their local area and its role in their lives.
The staff have excellent relationships with the parents which are strengthened by regular communication through a digital application, the monthly newsletter, parental questionnaires and stay and play sessions. The parents express strong appreciation for the work of the staff and actively contribute to the life of the nursery school by volunteering on school trips, talking to the children about their jobs and talking to other parents about the help their child received when they attended the nursery school. These reciprocal partnerships enhance the children’s learning experiences and build a supportive community of learning.
At the time of the inspection, the evidence provided by the school demonstrates that the arrangements for child protection align to the current statutory guidance.

Next steps

The staff in Belmont Nursery School are encouraging the children to have a love for learning in a nurturing, accepting and supportive environment. They are highly reflective practitioners who support and encourage the children to be happy and confident learners, as they live out well the nursery school’s vision for the children.

ETI will continue to work with Belmont Nursery School as it addresses the area for action already identified by staff: to develop further opportunities for the staff to participate in professional learning to support all of the children. ETI will also work with the school to share the example of the well-developed outdoor provision which supports effectively the children’s learning across all of the pre-school curriculum.