Knowles Nursery School, Milton Keynes

What it's like to be a pupil at Knowles Nursery School

Children are extremely well nurtured at this nursery school with a big heart. They greet staff with beaming smiles on arrival each day. Children are confident to separate from their parents and carers. They quickly settle and join in with their friends. Children feel safe and secure in the presence of staff. Children play together cooperatively and support each other well. For example, they notice when another child falls over outside and they offer a helping hand. When occasional minor fall outs happen, children are well supported by staff to resolve these issues quickly and calmly. Children follow the routines and rules. When children find it more challenging to manage their emotions, the school provides specific help. This has a positive impact on enabling children to cope with different aspects of school life. Individual children's needs are understood in detail by leaders at this highly inclusive school. Any barriers that children face to their learning or wellbeing are identified swiftly through the school's robust processes. This includes information collected before children start at the school. Children are given extensive, targeted support to reduce these barriers. Children enjoy the learning opportunities that staff and leaders create for them. They benefit from a broad and engaging curriculum that prepares them well for starting primary school. Children achieve well, particularly the many pupils with special education needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and disadvantaged pupils. Children broaden their personal development through an extensive range of hands-on experiences. For example, the curriculum is enriched by local visits and visitors to the school. These are personalised to the needs of children. Children learn more about animals from accessing a mobile farm, seeing chicks hatch and watching butterflies feed. Leaders support parents and carers to ensure that their children attend school regularly. This means that they do not miss valuable learning experiences.

What Ofsted says the school should do next

• Leaders should ensure that tasks consistently maximise opportunities for children to develop their learning across all areas of the curriculum.
• Leaders should check that teachers use assessment as effectively as possible. This will help them to identify and then close gaps in children's knowledge more swiftly.

Knowles Nursery School excels at nurturing every child as an individual, with particular strength in supporting those with additional needs or facing barriers to learning. Staff skilfully develop children's communication skills and emotional wellbeing, preparing them well for primary school. The school creates a warm, inclusive community where children feel confident, safe, and genuinely celebrated for who they are.

Safeguarding standards are met with an open, positive culture where all legal requirements are fulfilled and children are made safer and feel safe.

Local visits (seasonal walks, shops), mobile farm visits, chick hatching experiences, butterfly watching, singing on the high street, community engagement through buggy buses

Train Stations

Bus Stops