Ermine Primary Academy

Finchley Reform Synagogue Kindergarten Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 147530 Inspection date 12/11/2009 Inspector Anahita Aderianwalla

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Setting address Fallowcourt Avenue, Finchley, London, N12 0BE

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Telephone number 0208 445 6807 Email Type of setting Childcare on non-domestic premises to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It rates council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 08456 404040, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as

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you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M2 7LA

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T: 08456 404040 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of the registered early years provision. ‘Early years provision’ refers to provision regulated by Ofsted for children from birth to 31 August following their fifth birthday (the early years age group). The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and welfare, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Introduction

The provider must provide a copy of this report to all parents with children at the setting where reasonably practicable. The provider must provide a copy of the report to any other person who asks for one, but may charge a fee for this service (The Childcare (Inspection) Regulations 2008 regulations 9 and 10).

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Introduction

The setting also makes provision for children older than the early years age group which is registered on the voluntary and/or compulsory part(s) of the Childcare Register. This report does not include an evaluation of that provision, but a comment about compliance with the requirements of the Childcare Register is included in Annex B.

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Introduction

Please see our website for more information about each childcare provider. We publish inspection reports, conditions of registration and details of complaints we receive where we or the provider take action to meet the requirements of registration. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Description of the setting

Finchley Reform Synagogue Kindergarten is run by a management committee. It was registered in 1981 and operates from three rooms of Finchley Reform Synagogue in a residential area of North Finchley. Children attending the kindergarten are from local families in which there is a Jewish parent. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts the Childcare Register. They are registered to care for no more than 60 children under eight years; of these, none may be under two years at any one time. There are currently 50 children on roll in the early years range. It is open each weekday from 09.15 to 14.30 for 38 weeks of the year. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. There are 16 staff in total working with the children and a supernumerary head teacher. All staff have relevant qualifications. The kindergarten receives support from the Pre-school Learning Alliance, and an advisory teacher from the Early

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Description of the setting

Years Development and Childcare Partnership. The Kindergarten are now in their fifth year of the Effective Early Learning Programme Quality Assurance Scheme.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children are very happy, settled and thriving, because the all the staff create a safe and secure environment, where children are valued and supported to make the most of their abilities. The wonderfully resourced and stimulating environment is highly effective in promoting outcomes for children as they become confident learners. The dedicated and skilled staff work highly effectively with every child, to challenge and extend their learning so that all make very good progress in relation to their starting points. The whole staff team have an ethos of examining their practice and the environment they create, and then revise ideas and take action to achieve the best outcomes for all children. The very well developed systems for monitoring and evaluating all aspects of the provision ensure that the group continues to develop and improve.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 continue taking part in relevant training to promote professional development.

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded as all adults have undergone Criminal Records Bureau checks to ensure their suitability to work with children. All staff are fully aware of This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 their responsibility to protect children from abuse or neglect and have undergone training in child protection. All staff are responsible for checking the safety of the premises and equipment on a daily basis and they fully contribute to the detailed written risk assessments, which heighten their awareness of potential hazards. The staff constantly remind children how to keep themselves safe, without making them fearful to try new challenges. For example, staff gently remind children to run carefully around the hall as they participate in a dance and movement session. Children are quick to point out dangers on outings ,for example, a child warns the member of staff to be 'very, very careful' when they cross the road and talk

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the early years provision

confidently about the dangers of crossing roads before they go on a bus ride.

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the early years provision

The manager and staff routinely reflect on all that they do. Weekly staff meetings focus on children's progress and any issues relating to individual care needs. Activities are evaluated and plans made based firmly on children's interests and developmental needs. Children's assessments and observations are clearly linked to the Early learning goals, and evaluated to ensure that all children are progressing in all the areas of learning. There are excellent systems in place to capture the views of children, parents, carers, staff and outside professionals and these are used to draw up action plans which are well targeted to bring about improved outcomes for all children. The manager and staff demonstrate a very firm commitment to further improving the already high quality provision. The staff work very effectively and all work as a very close knit team, making good use of their individual skills. The whole staff team is highly qualified, skilled and

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the early years provision

enthusiastic in their approach. They demonstrate their utmost dedication to ensuring that the care and learning they provide for the children is of the highest quality. The annual appraisals and regular team meetings help staff to identify and plan in advance for any additional training needs for the benefit of the children.

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the early years provision

Exceptionally good use is made of the resources available to the group. The play materials are of a high quality, age appropriate and are excellently organised to allow children to self select easily. Each room has a different atmosphere, bright, comfortable and cosy as well as free access to the enclosed outside play area. A large hall is also used for dance sessions with a specialist teacher, which the children thoroughly enjoy. Children move confidently between all the spaces, selecting things they need and they become highly independent, with most needing little adult help to visit the toilet and wash their hands.

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the early years provision

The staff create a welcoming family environment, where every child is made to feel an important member of the group. Children settle exceptionally well as the setting has extremely effective settling in procedures. Each member of staff acts as the key person for a small number of children. They help parents complete a very comprehensive 'all about me' book for their child and arrange home visits and several visits to the setting prior to joining so that the care and learning can be tailored to meet each child's needs. The setting further promotes equality and diversity by involving the parents of all children to bring something to the setting and to allow everyone to enjoy the benefits of different cultures, such as food, music, stories, festivals and clothing. For example, for Diwali, the setting visited the Neasden Hindu Mandir. This welcoming, inclusive environment helps children to value differences in their own community and the wider world.

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the early years provision

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Exceptionally effective systems are in place to record what children do and identify individual targets for each child. The staff involve parents in their children's development by inviting them for termly target child meetings with their key worker in order to continue observations at home and contribute to plans for future learning. The parents have easy access to all records relating to their children's development and are welcome to stay and see first hand what their children do. Some bring in items of interest. For example, a parent brings in motor bikes and camper vans to show children different transport methods, where as others share their knowledge with the group, such as providing a recipe for traditional Jewish bread for the children to make. Parents are made very welcome and have access to child related information on parents' notice boards, as well as

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the early years provision

receiving regular news letters and emails for working parents to become further involved with their child's learning. This helps build close relationships and values the role that parents have as their child's primary educator. They also establish firm partnerships with local schools and other carers that children may have throughout the week, such as using a transition book to share information to make a smooth transition into school.

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and outcomes for children

Staff have created a calm, welcoming environment and have effectively organised the three playrooms to provide a good range of resources according to children’s ages and stages of development. Staff have made significant progress in developing the outdoor area and making it completely accessible to children as part of their continuous provision. This is well-designed and further enables children to make good progress across all areas of learning and development. For example, children use writing and craft materials in the outdoor areas to develop their literacy, creative and physical skills.

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and outcomes for children

They clearly feel safe and secure and settle quickly because of the friendly and welcoming attitude of the staff and other children. The high adult to child ratio means that all receive plenty of individual attention, giving them the confidence to try new experiences and play alongside other children. Children are exceptionally well behaved and are sensitive to others' feelings, for example, quickly telling a member of staff when one of the children is upset. They show a high level of maturity as they negotiate minor disputes between themselves and play cooperatively with others.

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and outcomes for children

Staff have a thorough understanding of how children learn and how to extend their play. They listen and are interested in each child, introducing new ideas and skills so that children make very good progress. Children's language and communication skills are extremely well developed. Staff are involved in the 'Letter and Sounds training' which encourages early forms of reading and writing for all children. Staff encourage children to talk about what they are doing and introduce new vocabulary. For example, whilst playing with the play dough, a staff member talks about how they can 'plait' the bread, or make 'circles'. Children then repeat the word in conversation with each other. For example, a child tells others she is This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 plaiting the bread and then moulds her ball of dough and says 'I've made a circle as well'. In this way children learn rapidly, whilst they play. They take part in many

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and outcomes for children

activities that develop good hand eye coordination and strengthen their fingers, ready to start to write. They help themselves to writing materials and make ingredients lists to make the pretend play dough bread and cards, giving meaning to the marks that they make.

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and outcomes for children

Staff always pick up on children's interests and use these to provide exciting activities that children really enjoy. For example, staff noted children enjoying talking about dinosaurs. They provide messy play areas inside to resemble a marsh, where children play with small dinosaur figures; and compliment the outside area where children relish reading books about dinosaurs as they read familiar stories with the use of the small world play figures. They enjoy books and listen attentively to a familiar story, predicting what will happen next and recalling things that happened earlier. Activities such as these, build on what children already know, to help children develop in all areas of their learning and develop skills to prepare them for future life. Staff use interesting and imaginative ways of teaching children. For example, they encourage children to work together to solve problems, such as inviting children to play a word bingo game, which required

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and outcomes for children

children to match pictures to similar rhyming picture cards. During activities staff stimulate children’s thinking effectively by asking a good range of questions to support their learning. For example, children confidently count and name two dimensional shapes as they play with wooden blocks and as they build a tower. Staff ask questions relating to height and length. This supports children’s numeracy, problem solving and reasoning skills. Children understand how to keep themselves safe from harm by participating in a regular fire evacuation practise and listening to staff talk about how to stay safe in the setting and on outings. Children become very aware of the importance of healthy living. They join in very enthusiastically with the skilfully taught movement and dance sessions, moving and balancing in many ways as they pretend to become flowers blowing in the wind. They provide children with healthy snacks

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and outcomes for children

and meals according to their individual needs and provide regular water to drink when they are thirsty. The children have free use of a computer and learn to use a variety of intellectual games to encourage problem solving and early reading and writing skills. Children are confident in expressing their ideas and trying new ways of doing things in this child centric environment where they are valued. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

Grade 1 is Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Grade 2 is Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Grade 3 is Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Grade 4 is Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement

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and managed?

The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement The effectiveness with which the setting deploys resources 1 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 1 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 1 The effectiveness of the setting’s engagement with parents and carers

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Stage

The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 1

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 The extent to which children feel safe 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 1

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Stage

procedures set out in the guidance available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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