Little St Pancras Nursery

Inspection of SPCA Nursery St Pancras Community Centre, 67 Plender Street, LONDON NW1 0LB

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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The provision is good

Children benefit from kind and nurturing interactions from staff. Staff create a warm and welcoming atmosphere for children to learn and play in. As a result, children show that they are happy and they feel safe and secure. Staff have high expectations for children's learning and behaviour and are extremely attentive to their needs. This helps children to show good engagement and behave very well.

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The provision is good

Children delight in exploring a broad range of resources that support their development. This is evident when they run around and ride on a range of wheeled toys in the spacious and well-equipped garden. Children show great imagination and curiosity when digging for treasure and exploring insects outdoors. Furthermore, they show high levels of interest as they listen to stories, such as 'The Tiger Who Came to Tea' and enjoy acting out the story in the role-play area.

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The provision is good

There is a real sense of fun and enjoyment as children sing songs and use a colourful parachute. Staff skilfully support children's mathematical language as they use a water tray to explore concepts such as 'empty', 'full' and 'heavy'. Staff boost children's confidence and frequently offer encouragement as they play. It is evident that children are making good progress in relation to their starting points. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive good levels of support. Staff work in partnership with other professionals to achieve a consistent approach in relation to their next steps in learning.

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need to do better?

n Staff are knowledgeable about how children learn and plan a varied and interesting curriculum that is well sequenced. Staff know individual children extremely well and carefully plan activities based on children's interests to close any gaps in learning. It is apparent that children are thriving and enjoy their time at the setting. n Staff are good role models and they are effective in teaching children about positive behaviour. Staff are very clear about boundaries, and children respond well and show positive attitudes to learning. n There is good emphasis on promoting children's language and communication skills. For instance, staff commentate effectively as children play and introduce rich descriptive language to support their understanding. n Children have good opportunities to learn about leading healthy lifestyles. For example, staff talk to children during snack time about the importance of eating

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need to do better?

nutritious foods. Furthermore, staff host training for parents on providing children with varied and healthy foods to support their growth and development. n Staff plan a variety of activities that recognise children's home culture. For instance, children learn about Eid. They enjoy dressing up and sharing food. This

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need to do better?

3 February 2022 helps them to develop respect and understanding for others' lives that are different from their own. n Parents speak positively about staff and the experiences of their children. They state that their children love attending and are making good progress. They say that they value the good communication, staff's experience, and the consistency in staffing arrangements. n Staff acknowledge some of the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought. For instance, they are placing an even higher focus on supporting children's social and communication skills during small-group activities to boost children's learning in a social group. n Children have very good opportunities to access a wide variety of high-quality resources indoors and outdoors. However, further consideration should be given to boosting children's interests further in mark making and early writing experiences. n Staff have good opportunities to enhance their professional development. For

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need to do better?

instance, staff attend a variety of training courses to extend their knowledge, and this positively influences their daily practice at work. n The manager is ambitious and highly committed to her role. She has good vision for making ongoing improvements. Good progress has been made to address the weaknesses identified at the last inspection. The manager is able to talk about plans for developing the outdoor space even further to better support the needs of the children that attend. n Staff's well-being is given high priority. The manager values all the hard work of the team immensely. Although staff frequently meet to discuss children's progress and receive some ongoing coaching and supervision, this is not sharply focused to raise the quality of teaching to the very highest level.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff demonstrate a good understanding of safeguarding and child protection issues. Staff are knowledgeable about identifying possible signs that may indicate a child is at risk of harm. Furthermore, they understand about the importance of seeking additional support from outside agencies to protect children. Staff show understanding about recognising wider safeguarding issues, such as families at risk of radicalisation and how to respond in relation to any concerns. Recruitment and vetting arrangements are thorough and effective. Extensive checks are completed to help to ensure that staff are suitable for their roles. Staff supervise children extremely well and carry out risk assessments to help them to play in a safe and secure environment.

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should:

3 February 2022 n strengthen staff supervision and monitoring to further enhance staff's overall practice n build on opportunities for children to practise their mark-making and early writing skills.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY545895 Local authority Camden Inspection number 10128764 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Sessional day care

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inspection

Total number of places 22 Number of children on roll 15 Name of registered person St. Pancras Community Association

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reference number

Telephone number 020 7380 1501 Date of previous inspection 9 October 2019

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Information about this early years setting

SPCA Nursery registered in 2017. It operates from a self-contained group room within a community centre in Camden, London. The nursery is open Tuesday to Thursday from 9.30am until 2.30pm during term times. There are five staff who work directly with the children and they have appropriate childcare qualifications ranging from level 4 to level 2.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the provider received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the provider and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the provider. n The inspector and manager completed a learning walk of the nursery. n The inspector talked to staff, children and parents and took their views into account. n The manager and inspector observed the quality of teaching together. n A range of documentation was viewed, such as staff suitability information and training certificates.

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Inspection activities

3 February 2022 We carried out this inspection 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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Inspection activities

3 February 2022 regulates and inspects 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 and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, 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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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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