Lubavitch Of Edgware Kindergarten

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children quickly settle into this welcoming nursery. Leaders place a high priority on robust settling-in arrangements to support the needs of different families. Staff demonstrate a strong commitment to supporting children's happiness and well-being. They greet every child warmly as they arrive. Staff take the time to speak to parents and carers to find out about children's current needs. Babies show much affection for staff, especially for their key person. Older children become independent and confident over time. They know staff are always on hand if they need a cuddle or some reassurance.

Staff promote children's social development successfully. They encourage children to share their thoughts and ideas as they play with them. Children learn to express themselves confidently, listen to others and participate in autumn-themed discussions. They behave well and show much cooperation as they play together. Staff teach children the key skills that help them to make friends, such as the importance of turn-taking and sharing resources with others. The leaders and staff have high expectations for every child, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those from a disadvantaged background. The curriculum is ambitious to ensure that every child reaches their full potential.

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

• Children's joyful singing can be heard throughout the nursery. Babies babble as staff sing nursery rhymes together. Toddlers smile with delight as they join in with the action songs. Children are engrossed in listening to stories and joining in with repeated phrases. This helps to promote children's communication skills.
• Staff take children for walks down the street to develop their knowledge of the local community. They teach children about the ways different cultures celebrate special events. Children begin to understand the diversity of cultures in the modern world.
• Leaders ensure that children have access to a wide range of exciting learning opportunities indoors and outdoors. Children's developmental starting points are established through discussions with parents and observations. Through understanding children's interests and needs, the staff ensure that children's learning is effectively planned for and that it is well sequenced.
• Staff promote children's health throughout the day. Kitchen staff prepare delicious, well-balanced snacks and meals, ensuring that all children's food requirements, such as allergies, are considered. Staff talk to children about the importance of brushing their teeth. Children are keen to tell staff the colour of their toothbrushes at home.
• Children develop their physical skills as they play. Babies build up core strength as they balance and take first steps using the equipment as an aid. Older children balance, run and jump in the outdoor area. They are learning to exercise and move their bodies in a variety of ways.
• Staff work in close partnership with parents and share daily communications with them. Parents say that they are extremely happy and their children are making good progress. Staff share children's learning needs and provide ideas of what parents can do at home to support their children's learning further.
• The leaders are dedicated and committed. They have a clear and ambitious vision for the nursery, which is shared with the staff. They are reflective of practice and seek to continually improve the nursery and make enhancements, where necessary, based on the needs of the current cohort of children.
• Staff provide resources to help children engage in mark making and develop their fine motor skills. This supports children with their pre-literacy skills. However, the staff do not yet fully support children's early mathematical development. Mathematical language or concepts are not yet consistently woven into children's play and experiences to build on what they already know.
• Overall, the leaders and staff implement an ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum. However, sometimes, staff do not identify opportunities in children's play when they can take their learning to the next level. For instance, staff do not consistently challenge children's learning to build on what they know and can already do. In this way, children are not consistently provided with high levels of challenge throughout the day.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• incorporate more mathematical vocabulary and concepts into everyday routines and activities to help widen children's understanding further
• support staff to strengthen their teaching strategies to consistently challenge and extend children's learning.