Setting

families

Thank you for your hospitality and co-operation, and that of your staff, during my visit on 2 October 2007.

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families

As outlined in my initial letter, the visit had a particular focus on the links between leadership and management and outcomes for children and their families and looked at the recruitment and retention of staff, their qualifications and skills, and their roles in leadership and management.

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families

The visit provided valuable information which will contribute to our national evaluation and reporting. Published reports are likely to list the names of the contributing settings but individual settings will not be identified in the main text. All feedback letters will be published on the Ofsted website at the end of each half-term.

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families

The evidence used to inform the judgements made included: interviews with staff and learners, chair of governors, parents and scrutiny of relevant documentation, analysis of children’s records and observations of 3 sessions.

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families

The overall effectiveness of the impact of leadership and management was judged to be outstanding .

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The impact of leadership and management on outcomes for children

 Children and babies of all ages and ability progress exceptionally well from their starting points.  Children revel in the wonderful outdoor learning environment, the garden experiences are of an exemplary standard, for example wood Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 08456 404045 F 020 7421 6855 www.ofsted.gov.uk

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The impact of leadership and management on outcomes for children

Mr J Grenier Headteacher Kate Greenway Nursery School and Children’s Centre York Way Court Copenhagen Street Islington N1 0UH working techniques, growing food year-round and the inclusion of the celebration of various cultures.  Children behave well because staff and managers set clear boundaries and reinforce them regularly. Children are independent and enjoy making choices from the excellent activities on offer.  All outcomes including staying safe, keeping healthy and positive contribution are of the highest possible standard because leaders and managers understand the importance of regularly checking children's levels of involvement, they encourage negotiation and problem resolution, ensure children show respect and kindness, and that they are busy and happy throughout the day.  Babies enjoy a stimulating environment and are emotionally well supported by their key workers. They are an integral part of this family

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The impact of leadership and management on outcomes for children

environment, enjoying their diverse activities and the older children who often watch and encourage and them.

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The impact of leadership and management on the quality of what

 The provision is well thought out and of a very high quality; resources are exciting and encourage children to be active and independent learners.  Planning includes stimulating activities, many devised by the children themselves. Activities are well supported by knowledgeable and exceptionally well trained staff. Staff are adept at challenging children's thinking and encouraging language acquisition.  Those with learning difficulties or disabilities are challenged alongside others by exciting activities, such as the new movement program which is offered daily.  Evaluations and quality assurance of the short sessional groups, art therapy and taster sessions are of a very high standard, this gives many families their first introduction to the nursery and builds children's and parents’ confidence.  Observations of children's progress increasingly go beyond describing what the child does and analyse what has been learnt and the

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The impact of leadership and management on the quality of what

appropriate next steps. This is good practice. However, given the current disruption from the building programme and lack of staff space to update their records it is ambitious and currently not entirely manageable.

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The impact of leadership and management on inclusion is

 Diversity is celebrated and the multi-ethnic community is harmonious  Children show respect to each other and all staff.  External partners and agencies work well with the centre; although there has been some disruption due to the extensive building programme which has overrun.  Those with learning difficulties and disabilities are fully integrated and included; staff celebrate their developments and achievements. Practitioners have written some excellent case studies which appear on the centre’s web site, this means parents looking for provision for a child with special needs feel genuinely welcome.  The centre has experience and success in supporting families and children with mental health issues.

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The impact of leadership and management on inclusion is

The overall quality of leadership and management is outstanding.

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The impact of leadership and management on inclusion is

 The headteacher and senior management team provide very strong leadership.  There is clear strategic vision and practical management and leadership which strives to reach the whole community in imaginative ways, including those groups which are traditionally hard to reach.  There has been an effective restructuring of staff to cover the whole year and to meet different family needs.  Parents are valued and encouraged no matter what their circumstances. They make many contributions to the centre, including recently devising plans for a community kitchen, however, they do not always participate in adding to the children's assessment records.  Leadership and management promote staff training and aim for excellence, much that is on offer is on the leading edge of practice and involves trialling new programs and supporting research, this is a genuine ongoing learning environment for all concerned.  Governors act as critical friends and provide effective support and

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The impact of leadership and management on inclusion is

challenge to the centre and its many new developments.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, included:

 ensure the assessment procedures are manageable in the time and space available and fully involve parents’ knowledge of their child’s continued development at home.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, included:

I hope these observations are useful as you continue to develop your provision for children and their families

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, included:

As I explained in my previous letter, a copy of this letter will be sent to the Director of Children’s Services in Islington and will be published on the Ofsted website. It will also be available to the inspector that carries out your next inspection.

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