Brondesbury Park Synagogue Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled at this friendly and nurturing nursery. They form strong bonds with the caring staff and engage in a wide range of stimulating and enjoyable experiences. They demonstrate confidence and a positive attitude as they arrive enthusiastically and wave goodbye to their parents.

Staff plan the curriculum based on children's interests and work hard to make sure every child achieves well. They know the children well and work with parents to plan effectively for the children's learning and development. Staff assess what children know and can do and provide a good range of activities to stretch and challenge their development. Children have positive attitudes to learning and experience a wide range of experiences that prepare them for future learning. Staff help children to gain confidence to speak in a group and listen to their friends, for example, during 'share and tell' sessions. Children are learning about their home beliefs and about people and places in the wider world.

Children learn to manage their feelings and behaviours and they are beginning to understand the importance of rules and taking turns. Some children work out solutions for themselves from the rules that they already know and understand, and are managing to find resolutions to problems and conflicts. For example, they use a sand timer and together discuss that when the sand runs through from the top to the bottom, it is time for the other child to have a turn.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

• Staff provide a curriculum that has a positive impact on helping children to progress through the stages of learning. They embrace children's interests and provide learning that is highly engaging. Children build on and remember what they already know and can do. Their experiences over time are planned to ensure that they have the essential skills they need for their move on to school.
• Parents praise the work and dedication of the manager and staff and appreciate that this is reflected in their children's progress. They say that they have noticed progress in their children's speech and language ability since they have started at the nursery. They remark on how their children benefit from the secure relationships they have with the staff, who know the children very well. They say the staff are kind and welcoming in their approach, including the support they provide for parents throughout the year, but particularly when they have experienced difficult and challenging times, such as during the pandemic.
• Overall, children's communication and language skills are supported well. Staff sit alongside children at meal times and join in with their play. However, on occasion, staff miss opportunities to extend children's communication appropriately. For example, the meaning of new words introduced to children to extend their vocabulary are not sufficiently explained so that they are easily understood by children.
• Children understand the rules of the nursery and their behaviour is good. They use sand timers to help regulate taking turns independently. Older children can take care of their own self-care skills in preparation for school and life. They confidently use the toilet, dress themselves and serve their own food at mealtimes.
• Children's early mathematics skills are developing well. They can recognise numerals throughout the environment. Staff support children to learn about weight and measure by using cups to measure ingredients when making play dough and when using a double-pan balancing scale to compare objects to see which are heavier or lighter.
• Leadership from the manager is effective. Staff report high levels of support for their well-being. There is effective engagement with staff through supervisions and focused actions for professional development. There are strong shared values between the manager and staff. This is evident through the quality of practice and assessment that ensures that children receive good quality of education.
• Staff work closely with parents from the outset to find out about children's home life and experiences. Parents join the children on Fridays at nursery to share Shabbat as a community. As part of the curriculum, children also learn about other communities and the wider world, including celebrations of different festivals such as Diwali and Chinese New Year.
• The children returned to their brand-new nursery building after a two-year absence in September. The manager and staff have worked hard on creating a safe and stimulating environment for children to play and learn in. The outdoor balcony area requires some resourceful planning to further enhance children's learning opportunities.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop the outdoor play space so that it offers an environment that complements and enhances children's play and learning
• ensure that staff give simple meaning to vocabulary being introduced to children so that they understand what the word means.