Avanti Park School

Yavneh Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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147651 Unique Reference Number 06 July 2007 Inspection date Anahita Aderianwalla Inspector

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Woodside Park Road, Finchley, London, N12 8RZ Setting Address

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E-mail

Woodside Park Synagogue Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care, Sessional care Type of care

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E-mail

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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ABOUT THIS INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality of childcare and, if applicable, of nursery education. The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004; the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding; and, where nursery education is provided, the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage. The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration or 1 April 2004 whichever is the later.

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

For more information about early years inspections, please see the booklet Are you ready for your inspection? which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Yavneh Nursery operates from a specially designed nursery unit in Woodside Park Synagogue. It has two areas for outdoor play. The nursery is situated close to Woodside Park tube station and a local park. It is open during term time only from 09:15 - 12:15 Monday to Friday. Extended hours until 13:45, are available three days a week subject to demand.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery curriculum is planned around Jewish festivals and weaves Jewish prayer times and practices into the nursery day. There are currently 29 children on roll. Some children have special educational needs. The nursery is registered to receive nursery education funding and five funded three-year-olds and two funded four-year-olds attend.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Five full and one part time staff work with the children. Five staff have a minimum level 3 early years qualification. One member of staff has no early years education qualification but is a trained speech therapist. The setting receives support from the Agency for Jewish Education, Barnet Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership and Barnet Pre-school Learning Alliance.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The setting has gained accreditation from the Effective Early Learning programme.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. The pre-school is clean and maintained to an appropriate standard. Children have daily opportunities to experience fresh air and exercise within the fully enclosed play area. They move freely and demonstrate good spatial awareness. They use a varied range of equipment, such as a climbing frame, tyres and hoops, a trampoline and ride on vehicles, that helps to promote their physical skills. Children increase their fine motor coordination by using tools, such as pencils, scissors and glue sticks with increasing control and dexterity.

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Helping children to be healthy

During snack time, children benefit from a healthy and nutritious snack, brought from home. Allergies or dietary issues are discussed with parents as part of the registration process. All requirements are carefully recorded and accommodated. Children are able to help themselves freely to water or milk throughout the indoor sessions, however, is there no access to drinking water during their outdoor playtime.

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Helping children to be healthy

There are good procedures in place to support children's health and welfare. Staff are very aware of children's individual needs and accurate records are maintained regarding accidents and parents are made aware of the group's sick child policy; written parental permission has been obtained for seeking emergency treatment, and sufficient staff have a current first aid qualification. Children develop an understanding of personal hygiene routines. Children are able to visit the toilet independently, which helps them to build their confidence and self-care skills. Staff explain the importance of hand washing to protect children from germs after toileting. Paper towels and liquid soap help protect children against cross infection.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. The premises are clean, well maintained and of an appropriate temperature. They are learning to gain an awareness of personal safety through measures, such as tidying away toys, thus reducing trip hazards and by taking part in emergency evacuation drills. There is a range of appropriate measures to support children's safety and help prevent accidents. For example, staff are suitably deployed, the premises are secure, socket covers are placed over exposed electric points and hazardous materials are inaccessible to children.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children access an adequate range of age appropriate resources that are clean and suitably maintained. They benefit from the staff's understanding of safety issues concerning the ongoing maintenance of equipment. As a result, children play with toys that are safe, suitable and help to support their development.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children play with a very good selection of toys. They have good opportunities to choose independently and select their own resources from low level storage areas. For example, the craft trolley offers children a good selection of different types of craft resources and drawing materials.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's welfare is safeguarded by staff that are aware of child protection issues, confidentiality of information and the correct procedures to follow if concerned about the welfare of a child. There are effective arrangements for making sure parents are fully aware of the provider's child protection responsibilities prior to a child commencing in the provision.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are very happy and content in the setting. They take part in activities with enthusiasm and enjoy being together. Children show immense pleasure as they fill bottles with water from a tap to water the flowers. They are confident and demonstrate good self-esteem and show high levels of independence in carrying out tasks, such as tidying up by themselves. They have good social skills, play cooperatively with their peers and realise the need to take turns, for example, when filling up bottles from the water tap, in the garden. Children have warm relationships with the staff and are forming good friendships with their peer group. Staff make full use of the Birth to three matters framework to monitor the development of the younger children. Children enjoy a very happy and sociable morning at pre-school.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. The staffing team is aware of the areas of development covered by planned and spontaneous activities. For example, the children decided to make rockets from large cardboard boxes. They plan and provide a varied programme of suitably challenging activities that cover all aspects of the curriculum and support children's progress towards the early learning goals. Staff regularly evaluate weekly activities and continually seek ways to improve the provision. However, the current procedures for evaluation do not always sufficiently relate to children's individual learning. Consequently, the current system is not consistently effective in helping to identify all children's next steps or further learning needs.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have a wide range of vocabulary and demonstrate a good understanding of how to link sounds and letters. They use language confidently, such as when sharing their news with staff and peers during the Shabbat. They self register on arrival and at the snack bar, and confidently find their name. Children enjoy exploring books and appear to gain great pleasure from taking part in whole group story times. During such activities, children concentrate well, listen attentively and enthusiastically answer questions posed by staff. They have regular opportunities to practise their early writing skills through routine activities, such as using pens and paper in the role play corner and in the outside area.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children count confidently and have the chance to solve simple mathematical problems during their play, with the support of staff. Through practical activities, such as exploring the shapes of boxes during imaginative play, completing puzzles or playing with sand, children are gaining an understanding of shape, space, time and measure. They count during the daily routine and there are clear examples of numbers displayed for children at low level, helping children develop good number recognition skills. During outside play, children learn about capacity as they fill their water bottles up and discuss concepts of empty and full.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children learn about patterns and changes in nature through discussions at the snack bar, observing the differences that occur when fruit is not ripe and fruit that is over ripe. Children welcome meaningful visitors to the setting, including a doctor, a police officer talking about road safety and fire service and railway staff. In addition, children take part in local outings, such as to the nearby parks and woods. Such opportunities enable children to gain a greater awareness of their local community.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have opportunities to explore and investigate natural materials. For example, during topic work on butterflies, the children watched caterpillars turn to butterflies and let them go.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 Children develop a keen interest and knowledge of roles of others. They learn about transport as part of topic work and identify different features of the community, such as the travel agents. Children have access to very good technology resources, especially on the computer.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have good communication skills. They use language effectively to convey their needs and enjoy conversations with adults and each other. Staff utilize many opportunities to extend children's language development, through effective questioning, encouraging children to think and give explanation. For example, during Shabbat sessions, children are confident to discuss their experiences. Children listen to each other and show courtesy.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. The provision is good. Children are valued and treated as individuals. They are able to access a suitable range of resources, such as puzzles, posters and small world toys that reflect positive images of diversity. Good use is made of visitors to help children gain an understanding of the wider world, such as inviting firemen and railway staff, to visit and explain about their jobs.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children behave well. They are aware of the need for rules and immediately sit quietly and listen during Shabbat. Their behaviour is supported by staff that act as very good role models and use imaginative, effective, positive strategies to promote appropriate behaviour. Children receive lots of praise and encouragement.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Children are confident and demonstrate good self-esteem. They show genuine consideration for others. For example, one child immediately informs an adult when his friend his hurt during outside play. Through practical activities, such as Shabbat , and talking about other festivals, children are gaining an awareness of a range of cultures and festivals.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children with learning difficulties are well supported. Staff attend regular training and work closely with other professionals to formulate individual educational plans and keep parents well informed. Staff are committed to providing an inclusive environment for all children. Thoughtful planning helps to make sure that children are included in all activities and receive the support they need to enjoy their time at pre-school.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents is good. The parents are given very comprehensive written information about the provision, its policies and procedures, and the Foundation Stage curriculum, prior to a child commencing in the provision. There is a formal opportunity for parents to meet with their child's key worker to discuss their child's progress. They do not receive an annual written report, but they do they receive a power point presentation at the end of the year. However, parents do not have regularly planned opportunities to review children's Foundation Stage assessments with staff. They are kept up to date through the weekly and termly newsletters displayed on the notice board, and daily informal opportunities, when parents and staff can discuss children's achievements or any childcare issues. Parents are encouraged to become involved in their child's learning. For example, they are invited every

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Friday to help with Shabbat and share their skills or help their child to bring in articles from home to place on the topic related interest table.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The children's care and development is supported by a staffing team that works well together and has achieved required training and relevant qualifications. All legally required documentation is maintained, securely stored and available to support children's care. Careful records are kept of the attendance of children, staff and visitors. However, the times of arrival and departure are not recorded. This can impact on the knowledge of children and staff present in an emergency evacuation.

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Organisation

All staff are aware of their roles and responsibilities. Appropriate systems are in place to ensure that staff are suitable. Staff are well supported by the manager through regular team meetings, and active encouragement to attend a wide range of training and practice workshops. Staff deployment and high adult to child ratios means that children are well supervised at all times, promoting their safety and supporting their individual needs.

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Organisation

The leadership and management is good. There is a commitment to training and development. The group has achieved accreditation from the Effective Early Learning programme. Staff meet together on a regular basis to review the effectiveness of the provision and to plan for children's future learning. The Manager reviews the staff's evaluations of planned activities and monitors the Foundation Stage assessments, to help ensure children are making progress across the curriculum. Staff knowledge of the Foundation Stage, the use of observations and assessments effectively evaluate how children are progressing towards the early learning goals. However, some children's assessments do not include the next steps, and this impacts on children's progress.

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Organisation

Policies and procedures are kept regularly reviewed and updated and the manager ensures that she keeps herself aware of changes in legislation and current practice.

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Organisation

Overall, the setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection, the pre-school was asked review the organisation of how key workers are deployed at the beginning of the day and the size of group times more effectively to meet the needs of all children. The setting has addressed this and now has an effective key worker system and more organised group sizes throughout the day, which effectively meets the needs for all children.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The setting was asked to develop written information provided for parents so they are well informed about the nursery and about their children's progress and so that the information is in an easily readable format, this has now been met. The admissions brochure has now been revised, and is now a fully comprehensive brochure that informs parents about the setting. The setting informs the parents through a formal end of year parents' evening, and through regular newsletters.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection there have been no complaints made to Ofsted that required the provider or Ofsted to take any action in order to meet the National Standards.

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Complaints since the last inspection

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaints record may contain complaints other than those made to Ofsted.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

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The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • ensure that the record of attendance includes daily arrival and departure times

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

To improve the quality and standards of nursery education further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • improve ways of recording children's starting points and next steps when planning their progress using the Foundation Stage curriculum

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

set out in the leaflet Complaints about Ofsted Early Years: concerns or complaints about Ofsted's role in regulating and inspecting childcare and early education (HMI ref no 2599) which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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