Gilah Nursery School

Gilah Nursery School Gilah Nursery, Borehamwood & Elstree Synagogue, Croxdale Road, Borehamwood, WD6 4QF

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11 February 2016 9 March 2011

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management Requires improvement Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement Outcomes for children Requires improvement

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This provision requires improvement. It is not yet good because:

 The quality of teaching is variable. Weaker planning and organisation in some of the younger children's rooms contribute to children not being continually interested or excited to learn more.  Staff do not consider the impact of noise and poor organisation on children's learning and development. Children's independence is also not promoted consistently as staff often undertake tasks which some children are more than capable of completing for themselves. They are not effectively supported in gaining an awareness of healthy eating and hygiene arrangements at mealtimes.  Current staff supervision arrangements are erratic. Arrangements for the performance management of staff practice lack rigour in identifying training needs to ensure that they can continually improve teaching skills.

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It has the following strengths

 Older children benefit from stronger teaching. Staff effectively extend and challenge children's learning during activities and routines. Older children are confident communicators.  There are strong partnerships with parents. They praise the staff highly and comment that they are very caring. Parents receive frequent communication about their children's care and development, and progress checks are regularly completed by staff.  Disabled children and those with special educational needs are supported well. The lead member of staff for this group of children shares her specialist training and knowledge with colleagues. Staff have a close relationship with other professionals involved in children's lives to support children's specific needs.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage the provider must:

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Due Date

 improve the quality of teaching to ensure that staff working with the younger children have the necessary skills to plan and provide a good range of quality learning experiences that is challenging but achievable for the children 25/03/2016

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Due Date

 provide staff with effective supervision that offers support, coaching and training to improve the quality and consistency of teaching. 25/03/2016

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Due Date

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

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Due Date

 support children more effectively in developing their concentration and listening skills, monitoring the noise level in rooms and providing a more organised environment  plan and organise group activities so they are sufficiently motivating and challenging for all children  improve opportunities for children to develop their awareness of the benefits of good hygiene and healthy eating.

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Inspection activities

 The inspectors observed activities in the indoor and outdoor play areas.  The inspectors spoke with the provider, staff and children at convenient times throughout the inspection.  The inspectors carried out joint observations with senior members of staff.  The inspectors checked evidence of the suitability and qualifications of staff working with children and adults working on the premises. They also sampled a range of documentation including self-evaluation, children's records and the safeguarding policies and procedures.  The inspectors spoke to several parents and took account of their views.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

The provider, who is also the manager, is suitably qualified, as are many of the staff. However, areas of practice that need to be improved are not swiftly identified or prioritised. Individual room leaders address some weaknesses in teaching. However, the lack of supervision for all staff and the weak monitoring of the quality of teaching have a negative impact on staff morale and the opportunities for them to improve their teaching skills. The provider follows safe staff recruitment guidelines. Systems are in place to ensure that the environment is safe and secure. New staff complete a thorough induction process. This helps them to gain relevant basic knowledge of the policies and procedures. The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The provider and staff attend training events to extend their knowledge about protecting children's welfare. Information from training, such as safeguarding updates, is cascaded to all staff through staff meetings.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

Children take part in a variety of child-led and adult-led activities. Staff explain how to play games, and language skills are supported through ongoing discussions. Older children are provided with opportunities to learn about the sounds of letters as reading and early writing opportunities are supported and encouraged. Older toddlers and pre-school children confidently take part in familiar singing and dancing routines. They enjoy joining in with familiar stories. However, the large group activities do not always actively engage all the children. Some children sit for too long and become disinterested in learning. They learn about early numeracy and problem solving during construction with bricks and playing 'I spy' with numbers. Younger children have a wide range of resources to explore. However, staff do not always promote children's learning effectively as they are more focused on attending to their care needs.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

Meals provided for children successfully follow cultural guidelines. Snacks are healthy and nutritious. Staff work closely with parents to ensure that children's dietary needs are well known. However, staff do not always reinforce good hygiene practices or build on learning opportunities during snack and meal times. For example, younger toddlers are not provided with plates to eat their food from while some older toddlers play with their plates when waiting to be served their snack. Children enjoy exploring the well-resourced outdoor area. They climb on the apparatus, and staff support their physical development. Children learn about the wider world. They go for picnics and visit interesting places within the community, such as the baker's shop and the delicatessen.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Overall, children reach expected levels of achievement. Older children gain basic skills to prepare them for school. This includes disabled children and those with special educational needs. However, some children are not making as much progress as they can. Teaching is variable in quality. Children are not always challenged to hold their interest in engaging in learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 130521 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 854219 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 95 Number of children on roll 110 Name of provider Gilah Nursery School Committee Date of previous inspection 9 March 2011 Telephone number 020 8953 5200

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Setting details

Gilah Nursery School was registered in 1980. The nursery school employs 31 members of childcare staff. Of these, 16 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above. One staff member is a qualified speech and language therapist. The provider and one other staff member hold Qualified Teacher Status. The nursery school opens from Monday to Friday term time only. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6.30pm from Monday to Thursday. On Friday, sessions are from 7.30am until 12 noon. The nursery school supports disabled children and those with special educational needs. The setting follows Orthodox Jewish traditions.

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Setting details

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

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

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Setting details

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Setting details

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Setting details

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