North Islington Nursery School and Childrens Centre

North Islington Nursery School and Childrens Centre 110/112 Tollington Park, London, N4 3RB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19/11/2014 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: Not Applicable How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Staff plan a range of exciting activities to stimulate children and to promote all areas of learning and development.  Staff provide planned activities, as well as offering opportunities for children to make their own choices in learning through play. Consequently, children make good progress in the nursery.  Strong partnerships with parents, the children's centre and external agencies ensure that children receive targeted support when needed.  Parents make positive comments about the care and learning their children receive.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There are fewer opportunities for children with English as an additional language to learn about their own language and background in the nursery.  There are missed opportunities at mealtimes for children to develop their self-care skills and independence by serving themselves and pouring their own drinks.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are:  scheduled at least once in every inspection cycle – the current cycle ends on 31 July

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  scheduled at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed interactions between staff and children in the indoor and outdoor areas.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector discussed the nursery safeguarding procedures with management and staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector met with the management team to discuss the process of self- evaluation and children's records.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector took into account the views of parents and children in the nursery.

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Information about the setting

North Islington Nursery and Children's Centre registered in 2006. It operates from purpose-built premises in Finsbury Park, in the London Borough of Islington. There are five rooms for different age groups of children, with outdoor spaces attached to each. There are two parents' rooms, a kitchen, staff room and four offices. There are toilets and changing areas in each of the rooms. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary part of the Childcare Register. It receives funding for the provision of free early education sessions to children aged two, three and four. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and /or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. There are currently 99 children on roll in the early years age group. There are 35 staff in total. Six have Qualified Teacher Status, 22 have a qualification at level 3, three are unqualified and four do not work directly with the

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 develop the environment further, including visual teaching aids, to support children with English as an additional language to learn about their language and culture

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 enhance the opportunities for children to develop self-care skills, especially at mealtimes, so that they learn to serve themselves and pour their own drinks.

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who attend

Staff support children's learning well. They talk to parents about children's abilities and interests during home visits before they start at the nursery. This means that staff get to know children's individual needs well before they start in the nursery and can plan challenging activities to promote their progress. Staff effectively monitor children's development and share this information with parents. They complete progress checks with health visitors and parents when children reach the age of two. This enables staff to identify children who may need additional support and effective arrangements are put into place to promote their development. Staff talk to parents about the activities in the nursery and share ideas so that parents can support children's learning at home. Staff provide a bright, warm and stimulating environment with a wide range of resources that stimulate and motivate children to develop in all areas of learning. However there are

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who attend

fewer images and resources to support children who speak English as an additional language so that they can develop a greater understanding of their own home language and culture.

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who attend

Babies and toddlers develop confidence and independence as they are able to choose from a range of easily accessible resources. Staff provide low-level units which contain exciting and motivating resources that cover all areas of learning. At the inspection babies cuddled up to staff who were singing songs about animals and learnt to copy actions. Staff showed them toy animals so that they learnt what the animals look like. They also taught them the animal's names which encouraged their language development. Toddlers chose to play outdoors and practise their walking skills using push-a-long toys. They giggled and developed confidence in walking and running as they moved up and down ramps.

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who attend

Staff sing songs which promotes children's language and teach children how to count. At the inspection children developed their imagination as they made current buns out of dough and decorated them with sparkly buttons and glitter. The staff then played simple maths games with the buns to encourage children's learning. Staff encourage children to write their names on the pictures they make. They teach them how to sound out the letters and children become confident in starting to use a pencil. Children explore different materials, using paint and wooden beads to create pictures. They also practise early writing skills on whiteboards outdoors and learn to write numbers as they count the score while playing ball games. This promotes their mathematical development.

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who attend

Children have lots of opportunities to develop their confidence and independence in preparation for school. There is a self-registration system for older children as they start to recognise and find their own name when they enter the nursery. Staff encourage children to make choices all the time. Children use the toilet and wash their hands independently. They find their coats when going outdoors and are encouraged to dress themselves. Staff encourage children to choose books to take home in their book bags. This promotes children's home learning and they develop a sense of responsibility as they learn to look after their books and return them to the nursery. Children sit, listen and concentrate during circle times and focused activities help to prepare them for school.

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who attend

Partnership with parents is strong. Staff share information about children's development daily and build positive relationships with parents. They invite parents to sessions in the children's centre so that they can access additional support for children. This ensures an effective child-centred approach to children's development and, consequently, children make good progress in the nursery.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

There is an effective key-person system. Staff visit children at home before the settling-in process and find out information about their individual needs and interests. This helps them to meet the children's needs right from the start. Children develop strong emotional bonds with their key person and this supports their personal, social and emotional development. Consequently, children feel safe and secure in the nursery.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Overall, children develop a good sense of independence as they choose from a wide range of activities that take account of their interests. The environment is built around the children's age and stage of development. The outdoor play areas for each age group are planned carefully to meet the needs of the children. This ensures that the children are challenged and this motivates and excites them to explore and learn through play. Large physical play equipment, including an agility bridge, look-out tower, play boat and play house, encourages older children to use their imaginations. The equipment challenges children and they learn to take risks in a safe environment supported by attentive staff. This promotes children's confidence and self-esteem.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Staff remind children about the rules of the nursery and to be polite and have good manners. They teach children to be kind to their friends and think about the consequences of their actions. This encourages children to start to manage their own behaviour. Staff praise children for their achievements and, consequently, children behave well in the nursery.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Staff teach children effectively about healthy lifestyles. They encourage outdoor play and children benefit from lots of fresh air and exercise throughout the day. During the inspection, the children ran around and pedalled bikes. They pushed buggies and played ball games with staff. Toddlers developed confidence as they climbed and explored and babies dug in the sand. This promoted their physical development. Staff provide healthy food and drinks during all mealtimes. Children eat a variety of fruit at snack times and a nutritious meal at lunchtime encourages them to understand about being healthy. Staff and children discussed the vegetables they ate at lunchtime which they had grown themselves. Staff showed children photographs to remind them how to grow their own sprouts and they learnt about composting and recycling. This promotes their understanding of the world. However, staff do not fully promote children's independence

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

at lunchtimes as children are not able to serve themselves or pour their own drinks.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Staff follow rigorous risk assessments daily, including specific assessments for outings. Staff check all areas of the nursery, including the play equipment indoors and outdoors. Therefore children are kept safe. Comprehensive health and hygiene procedures are in place and effectively followed to ensure the well-being of children. Good procedures are in place for the administration of medication and recording accidents, and parents are informed when medication is given or children have an accident. Staff complete first-aid training and are deployed effectively to ensure that any accidents in the nursery are dealt with appropriately. Therefore, good procedures are in place to promote children's safety and well-being.

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provision

Management and staff have a secure understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Robust policies and procedures are in place and shared with parents so that they are informed of the management of the nursery. The management and staff team work well together and each understands their roles and responsibilities well. Thorough procedures are in place in relation to recruitment, induction and supervision. There is a robust vetting procedure to ensure staff suitability. Management supervision of staff provides a system of support and staff are encouraged to attend ongoing training so that they continue to be suitable for their role. All children's documentation and parental permissions are in place and paperwork is well organised and stored confidentially. Children's ongoing safety and well-being is protected. Management and staff have a good understanding of the procedures to follow if they have concerns

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provision

about a child. They also understand the procedures to follow if they have concerns about another member of staff. Staff follow effective procedures for the use of mobile phones, cameras and other technology to ensure children's safety.

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provision

Management and staff have a good understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They display information in the entrance to the nursery so that parents understand the activities that children are involved in and can therefore extend them at home. Staff have built secure relationships with the children's centre and work in partnership with other agencies. Staff are therefore able to access additional support to encourage children's development so that they make good progress towards the early learning goals. Management and staff take into account the views of children, parents, staff, external agencies, the local authority and statistics to develop their vision for the future and reflect on their practice. There is an action plan in place, including changing to an electronic process for observations, assessment and planning for children to make it easier to monitor their progress. Future plans are also in

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provision

place to promote children's literacy and mathematical development as a result of data showing lower levels of attainment in these areas. Consequently the nursery plans to ensure that children are well supported ready for school. Staff foster good partnership working with parents. Parents make positive comments about the support they receive for their children and the loving relationships the children have with the staff.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Grade 3 Requires improvement The provision is not giving children a good standard of early years education and/or there are minor breaches of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. We re-inspect nurseries and pre-schools judged as requires improvement within 12 months of the date of inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate Provision that is inadequate requires significant improvement and/or enforcement action. The provision is failing to give children an acceptable standard of early years education and/or

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Grade Judgement Description

is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. Met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. The inspection judgement is that the provider does not meet the requirements for registration.

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Inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY317201 Local authority Islington Inspection number 845717 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 82 Number of children on roll 99 Name of provider North Islington Nursery School Governing Body Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 0207 272 5045

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Setting details

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises, which are usually the childminder’s own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. 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 assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children,

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Type of provision

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Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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