The Learning Experience, East Finchley

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Leaders and staff have created a bright and happy environment where every child is greeted by their name and a big smile. The robust key-person approach supports children to develop secure and trusting relationships with adults.

This translates into happy and confident children who are settled and have positive attitudes to their learning. Staff implement a broad and varied curriculum that helps all children progress to their next stages of learning. They carefully plan exciting activities that engage and excite children.

Young children develop their physical skills by pulling up on low-level furniture and playing with... musical instruments. Older children explore with magnifying glasses and learn to pour and fill water with jugs. Staff provide interesting opportunities for children to practise their language and literacy skills.

Leaders ensure that the curriculum is ambitious and challenging for all children. This ensures that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those from disadvantaged backgrounds, make good progress. Children behave well.

Staff encourage children to learn new knowledge and skills and use praise to celebrate their achievements. Children show kindness to their friends and listen and respond well to adults. Children show care for their environment by tidying up after themselves and reminding others to do the same.

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

Staff know children well. They regularly observe and track children's progress. They plan exciting activities based on children's individual interests, what they know and what they can do.

Staff identify any gaps in children's learning and put appropriate support in place. Staff interact and support children to focus on activities. However, some staff do not always make the most out of interactions to challenge the most-able children further to raise achievements even more.

Children are given lots of opportunities to sing songs, listen to stories and have conversations with each other. This supports all children, including those who speak English as an additional language, to make good progress in their communication and language development. However, on occasion, children are not given enough time to respond to questions posed to them to further support their learning.

Leaders have good oversight of the provision and are committed to continuous development to further enrich the curriculum for children. For instance, they have plans to develop children's knowledge and understanding of the community they live in by planning trips outside of the setting. Leaders ensure that staff have regular supervision and training to help maintain the good quality of teaching and keep children safe.

Children with SEND and those who may need extra support are promoted well.Leaders work with professionals and use strategies recommended by them to support children. They work closely with parents to ensure that there is good communication.

This ensures that all children make good progress.Staff are positive role models. They guide children's behaviour through gentle reminders, such as 'kind hands' when playing with others.

Children are willing to have a go at activities and eager to learn new skills. They have built positive relationships with their peers.Children learn that there are lots of fun ways to keep fit and healthy.

They have daily access to outdoor play, with plenty of space to run, climb and ride tricycles and scooters. Staff also provide activities, such as yoga sessions, to further promote children's physical strength and coordination. This helps children to become confident and skilled in using their large-muscle movements.

Staff teach children how to be independent in their self-care, such as washing hands regularly, putting on coats and shoes and using cutlery appropriately. Children enjoy the healthy, home-cooked meals and snacks, which helps them to understand how to make healthy choices about the food they eat.Partnerships with parents are strong at the setting.

They value the positive contribution the staff make to their children's lives and the progress their children have made in their development. Parents are given regular updates on children's progress and information on what children are learning and their next steps. This enables parents to support their children's learning at home.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: build on staff's interactions to further challenge children's learning support staff's understanding of children's language development and how to extend their learning.