URN 2781884 · Inspected 2026-05-14 · Published 2026-06-25 · Inspector: Fahmida Shah
Village Gan Unique reference number (URN): 2781884 Address: Hampstead Village Shul, 27 New End, London, NW3 1JD Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 19/03/2024 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: WERTON HAMPSTED VILLAGE LTD Inspection report: 14 May 2026 Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement Safeguarding standards met The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe. How we evaluate safeguarding When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes: Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met. Strong standard Expected standard Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard Leaders and staff consistently prioritise all children's welfare and wellbeing, including those who face additional barriers. They maintain high expectations for every child. Children are familiar with the well-embedded daily routines, supported effectively by the consistent use of visual cues. This proves to be a highly motivating tool that enables children to participate confidently in all activities. Children enjoy freshly cooked and nutritious meals. Older children eat independently, while babies receive sensitive support as they explore finger foods. This helps them to develop their early independence. Leaders extend children's understanding of healthy eating through purposeful conversations. This is evident when staff prompt children to eat their peas because they provide 'good...', and children confidently respond 'fibre'. This demonstrates children's secure recall of their prior learning. Staff manage sleep routines smoothly and highly effectively. They show an excellent understanding of each child's individual preferences. Children show a deep love of books and enthusiastically act out favourite stories, supported by highly engaging staff. In small groups, all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, remain focused reading for extended periods. They demonstrate an excellent capacity to sustain and extend their play. Children also display early humour, such as during pretend play, when children jokingly refuse to feed a toy monkey and continue eating with a smile. Achievement Expected standard Children show curiosity and motivation to take part in all learning opportunities. In general, they develop their skills in language and communication and physical mobility well. This enables most children to make secure progress in their essential learning and development. However, on occasion, they do not make consistent progress as teaching is not targeted to their individual needs. Children eagerly join the daily morning Jewish prayers and demonstrate clear familiarity. Typically, they are independent when seeking out activities. For example, at the arts and crafts table, children confidently access additional resources from storage, supported by patient staff who encourage their independence. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make steady progress from their starting points. They increasingly participate in group activities for short periods. All children are developing as confident communicators, from early babbling to emerging expressive language. They access a small free-flow outdoor area with confidence, engaging with the play kitchen and other equipment. To further support their physical development, staff take children on outings to access larger apparatus. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard Leaders and staff use a visual timeline throughout the day to help children understand their routines. This supports their positive behaviour, as children respond well and move smoothly between activities. Leaders actively promote regular attendance to establish lifelong good habits for all children, including those who face barriers to learning. Any early signs of poor attendance are addressed promptly through calls to parents and carers. If concerns continue, senior leaders intervene to identify the root cause and offer additional support. As a result, children develop positive habits of punctuality and consistent attendance. This enables them to benefit fully from learning opportunities. Staff consistently model polite language, using 'please' and 'thank you'. Children naturally mirror this in their interactions with peers and adults. The curriculum is thoughtfully designed, using Jewish prayer routines to promote patience, turn-taking and collaborative working. While this is generally effective, some activities occasionally run too long for the age group of children. This leads to children becoming restless, which can affect their behaviour. Children typically understand how to work together and take turns. For example, during a Sabbath-themed cooking activity, children add ingredients to chicken soup one at a time. When some children try to skip the queue, their peers remind them to wait, and they respond positively. Staff praise all children, reinforcing positive social behaviour. Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Leaders have an accurate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses within the curriculum and teaching areas. They are ambitious for all children, including those who face barriers to learning. A focus on developing children's communication and physical skills is evident across most activities. For example, during a foam activity, children squeeze foam using sponges and pipettes. Staff encourage expressive language using words such as 'squeezing', 'soft' and 'fluffy'. When children explore a stretch toy, staff extend their learning by modelling language such as 'stretch wide to make it longer'. However, at times, staff use language that exceeds children's age-related understanding. This limits some children's potential for developing their understanding. All children make steady progress from their starting points through each stage of development. Leaders have excellent knowledge of early years development, but not all staff are confident in identifying children's age-related next steps in learning to ensure all children thrive. Leaders have not yet consistently strengthened staff's knowledge of children's age-specific learning and development. Consequently, some teaching can lack individual child focus, which can distract them from learning. Leaders overall place an emphasis on children's communication and language. Children enjoy reading books with highly engaging staff who bring stories to life through role play and expressive vocal tones. Children join in enthusiastically by copying actions. Staff weave mathematics through their interactions. They reinforce vocabulary such as 'big', 'tall', 'wide' and 'short' as children engage with stories. Inclusion Expected standard Leaders have a secure understanding of assessment processes used to identify emerging needs for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and others who may face other barriers. The setting is part of a larger group of nurseries with established support structures, including access to senior leaders responsible for SEND. Typically, staff receive timely guidance to implement learning strategies based on children's identified needs. On occasions, assigned time for larger group activities is too long for younger children and children with specific needs. As a result, they are not always engaged throughout the learning experience. The nursery is located in an affluent area of Camden. Regardless of that, the leaders remain committed to reducing barriers for disadvantaged children. As a Jewish nursery, leaders are highly aware of the different cultural traditions and Hebrew language dialects within the community. They ensure these are reflected and valued in daily practice. Children confidently sing prayers in both Hebrew and English. Morning prayer during circle time promotes children's sense of community, reinforcing messages of respect, kindness towards neighbours and charity. Children also learn about other faiths and cultures through activities linked to religious festivals and visits to museums. Senior leaders take pride in having a workforce made up of staff who are Jewish and staff who are not. Staff consistently praise senior leaders for fostering an inclusive and respectful culture. Leadership and governance Expected standard Senior leaders listen carefully to parents' and carers' feedback. They have a clear understanding of the nursery's strengths and areas for development. Leaders remain ambitious for all children. They take swift and purposeful action to maintain high standards of care and education. Senior leaders provide effective support to the nursery leaders, enabling them to drive necessary improvements effectively. Parents praised the positive impact that leaders and their team have made since joining the setting, and the warm and caring relationships they have built with parents and children. Leaders prioritise developing close partnerships with parents and external agencies to ensure all children, including those who face barriers to learning, receive targeted support for their individual development. Parents speak positively about the support their children receive and the progress they make from their starting points. Leaders have a secure knowledge of the early years foundation stage curriculum. They have successfully aligned this with the essential Jewish religious and cultural requirements. For example, children successfully learn the core principles of British Values through daily Jewish practices. Leaders support staff wellbeing well. They encourage staff to be ambitious in their professional development. Staff interactions with children are typically of high quality. However, leaders must focus on further training to strengthen staff's knowledge on age- specific child development and to ensure that targeted next steps have a greater impact on children's learning. Compulsory Childcare Register requirements This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Compulsory Childcare Register When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes: Met Not met Voluntary Childcare Register requirements This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register. How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Voluntary Childcare Register When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes: Met Not met What it's like to be a child at this setting All children are settled and happy in this small and homely nursery, including those who have only recently joined. They are greeted with warmth and affection by all staff. Parents and carers feel reassured by the high-quality care and attention their children receive. Children start the day with breakfast and engaging conversations about the activities planned for them. Meals and snacks are nutritious and children receive encouragement to stay hydrated. Babies explore finger foods with close support, while older children eat independently. Children learn moral values and a sense of community through daily morning Jewish prayers led by enthusiastic staff, which promotes inclusiveness and charity. All children participate eagerly, and many can repeat key words with confidence. Weekly Sabbath group activities further reinforce children's understanding of their faith. Children wait with anticipation to take an active role in lighting the candle, drinking fruit juice and eating challah bread. Each week, 2 children are selected as 'parents' to lead the rituals. Through these experiences, children develop skills in listening, taking turns and respecting one another. All children make rapid progress from their starting points as they move through each stage of their learning journey. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive timely and effective early intervention. This enables them to make effective progress in reaching their targets. Babies have many opportunities to develop their physical strength. They explore the learning environment with support from enthusiastic and responsive staff. Older children receive consistent encouragement and praise. This helps them to become confident and independent explorers. Consequently, children show high levels of self- esteem and motivation to participate actively in the rich learning opportunities provided by the thoughtful team. Children demonstrate a clear love of reading, showing huge enthusiasm as they act out scenes to bring stories to life. Children visit the local heath regularly to develop their physical agility and confidence as movers. Trips to the library and museums are a routine part of their experience in the setting. Leaders monitor children's attendance closely to establish secure routines. This helps to promote healthy habits that support children's school readiness. Next steps Leaders should better support children's behaviour so that all children can remain fully engaged with learning, such as by ensuring the length of time allocated to children's larger group activities is sharply focused and age related. Leaders should support staff to develop deeper knowledge of child development so that next steps in children's learning are more precisely age specific to individual children. About this inspection The inspector spoke with the nursery manager, the nominated individual and staff during the inspection. 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 Inspector: Fahmida Shah About this setting Unique reference number (URN): 2781884 Address: Hampstead Village Shul 27 New End London NW3 1JD Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 19/03/2024 Registered person: WERTON HAMPSTED VILLAGE LTD Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday : 08:00 - 18:00,Friday : 08:00 - 14:00 Local authority: Camden Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 14 May 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 24 to 35 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. Total number of places 20 Our grades explained Exceptional Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it. Strong standard The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them. Expected standard The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them. Needs attention The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements. Urgent improvement The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care. The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspects services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence, write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk. This publication is available at https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk. Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn. Piccadilly Gate Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted © Crown copyright 2026 © Crown copyright