St Augustine's Nursery

St Augustine's Playgroup 108 Highbury New Park, London, N5 2DR

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 29 November 2017 21 April 2015

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This inspection: Good 2

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good 2

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This provision is good

 Staff deployment is good and this helps to ensure that children receive good levels of supervision so that they are kept safe and secure.  The manager and staff evaluate their practice effectively to identify the playgroup's strengths and areas for further development, to implement positive changes and ensure continual improvements in children's care and learning.  Staff know children well and use effective teaching skills. Children show good levels of involvement during activities, make good progress and are ready for the next stages in their learning.  Staff promote children's personal, social and emotional development very well. Children are happy, settled and secure, and form strong relationships with staff and each other.  Staff work well with parents and have made good links with other professionals involved with children. Staff regularly update and encourage parents to become fully involved in their children's learning and they closely follow the advice and guidance

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This provision is good

from professionals to support children's individual needs.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Staff miss opportunities to extend children's understanding and introduce new mathematical concepts during some activities.  Staff do not plan the outdoor environment effectively to provide children with high- quality learning experiences, particularly to support those children who enjoy learning outdoors.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

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

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 build on staff's skills so that they make the most of opportunities to extend children's understanding of new mathematical concepts  develop the planning of the outdoor learning environment further to provide a range of high-quality learning experiences, particularly to support children who learn best outdoors.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with staff and engaged with children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector carried out a joint observation and held a meeting with the manager.  The inspector looked at a sample of records relating to children and staff, including children's individual learning journals and staff files.  The inspector spoke to some parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Safeguarding is effective. The manager and staff have a confident knowledge of safeguarding issues, including the procedures to follow if they have a concern about any of the children in their care. The manager follows robust procedures for the safe recruitment and vetting of new staff. All staff are aware of and implement the playgroup's health and safety procedures effectively. The manager offers effective support, supervision and professional development opportunities to her staff team, and staff have good opportunities to attend training to further enhance their knowledge and skills. The manager uses effective systems to monitor the quality of teaching and children's progress. She uses the information gained to identify any gaps in the educational programmes and to measure the amount of progress children make. Parents are totally satisfied with the service provided. They compliment the staff on their care and commitment and describe

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff make consistent observations and regular assessments of children in all areas of learning to identify next steps to help move children on in their learning. They organise the indoor learning environment well to provide children with a wide range of experiences and different levels of challenge. There is a strong focus on supporting children's language development. This has been successful in improving children's speech and narrowing any gaps in achievement, particularly as a vast majority of the children speak English as an additional language. For example, staff plan smaller group sessions tailored to children's stage of development and individual needs, and they use effective strategies to support children's differing communication levels.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Key persons work closely with parents to put in place settling-in arrangements that are tailored to meet children's specific needs. Consequently, all children settle well and separate easily from their parents. Staff use a consistent approach in managing children's behaviour. They provide appropriate explanations to ensure children understand their expectations and why certain behaviour is not acceptable. Also, staff provide good levels of support to help children learn important social skills such as sharing and taking turns. Children are gaining good physical skills appropriate for their development, such as when using the suitable physical play equipment.

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Outcomes for children are good

All children, including those who receive additional funding and those who speak another language, make good progress. They gain a range of skills and are working comfortably within the typical ranges of development for their age groups. Children are confident learners and are eager to take part in activities. They listen well, engage in discussions and communicate their needs effectively. They play well together and demonstrate good levels of cooperation as they engage in activities.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 131737 Local authority Islington Inspection number 1089440 Type of provision Sessional provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 2 - 3 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 17 Name of registered person St Augustine's Playgroup Committee

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 21 April 2015 Telephone number 02077048003

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reference number

St Augustine's Playgroup registered in 1994. It operates from St Augustine's Church in Highbury in the London Borough of Islington. The provider receives funding for the provision of free early education to children aged two, three and four years. The playgroup is open from 9.30am until 1.15pm every weekday during school term times, with optional afternoon sessions until 2.45pm from Monday to Thursday. The provider employs six staff. Of these, five staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3.

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reference number

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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reference number

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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reference number

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reference number

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reference number

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

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