Ihsan Nursery

A mud kitchen where calculators became part of play gives a useful glimpse of Ihsan Nursery’s character in June 2023: practical experiences carried learning, rather than sitting apart from it. In Stoke Newington, Ihsan operates within the North London Muslim Community Centre, linking nursery education with a wider family-support context. At its 21 June 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated it Outstanding overall.

Ihsan has capacity for 70 children aged two to five. Its term-time calendar makes it a practical prospect for families whose childcare needs follow school holidays, rather than those seeking care throughout the year. The educational picture is grounded in June 2023, when activities connected conversation, independence and early number work with children’s interests.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children’s learning, development and care: in everyday terms, education and wellbeing belong together. In June 2023, planning at Ihsan took account of children’s interests, what they had already experienced and their individual learning needs. Children could develop ideas through play, with adults joining in to introduce a further challenge.

In June 2023, an interest in instruments became an exercise in listening and describing: younger children explored differences in volume using homemade shakers containing beans and beads. Making the instruments gave them something concrete to investigate, linking creative play with careful listening.

Other June 2023 activities brought learning into ordinary routines. Leaf printing prompted discussion about shape and texture; a snack-time timer gave children something concrete to follow while talking about time. Counting songs and conversations about measurement connected early mathematics with play. These examples show how a familiar activity could carry several opportunities to think and talk.

Outdoor and Community Life

In June 2023, older children used electronic calculators in the mud kitchen, matching the digits on their screens with numbers hanging nearby on a washing line. Number recognition therefore had a practical setting and a way for children to check their answers themselves.

The outdoor space also contained equipment for balancing and climbing. During June 2023 preparations for sports day, races gave children opportunities to practise waiting, following instructions and applying rules fairly. Movement and social learning shared the same activity.

Books and writing materials added another strand to the June 2023 day. Book areas supported time spent reading, while opportunities to make marks gave children ways to experiment with early writing. Mixed-age play also brought older and younger children together, with adults helping them take turns and consider one another’s ideas.

At the June 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and judged support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities outstanding, with staff understanding individual learning targets and using additional resources and professional advice to support progress. Those are dated findings, rather than a guarantee about an individual child’s experience today.

During June 2023, nursery managers and children’s centre staff shared information to coordinate help for families. That connection mattered because support could address the family’s circumstances alongside the child’s learning. Funding was used for extra resources, additional staffing and enrichment through trips and visits.

School preparation included space for feelings as well as skills. In June 2023, children approaching the move to school discussed their worries in circle time, and adults offered reassurance and practical ways to manage their emotions. The transition was treated as something children could talk through, rather than only a change of routine.

Parents’ accounts in June 2023 described being kept informed about their children’s development. Alongside the individual learning targets used by staff, that gave families a connection between what happened at nursery and their understanding of their child’s next steps.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8.30am to 3.30pm, Monday to Friday, during term time. Ihsan closes for school holidays. The afternoon finish and holiday closures are therefore central to whether its timetable fits a family’s working arrangements.

Getting There

The address is 66-68 Cazenove Road, London N16 6AA, within the North London Muslim Community Centre. General enquiries can be made through the centre’s contact form, by email to admin@nlmcc.org.uk or by telephone on 020 8806 1147.

Funding and Paid Extras

In June 2023, Ihsan received funding for free early education for children aged two, three and four. This describes its position at that time, rather than establishing a current entitlement or charge arrangement for a particular family.

• Term-time timetable. The weekday opening window ends at 3.30pm and school holidays are closures. Families needing later afternoons or holiday care should weigh that calendar against their regular commitments.
• Individual support. The June 2023 findings described targeted learning and coordination with children’s centre staff. On a visit, how would that support translate into an individual plan and communication for your child?
• Funding and everyday costs. Ihsan received early-education funding in June 2023. Which funded arrangement would apply to your child now, and how would meals and non-food consumables be handled within it?

Ihsan suits families with children aged two to five who want a term-time nursery and can work with a mid-afternoon finish. Its June 2023 educational examples are persuasive because they are concrete: homemade shakers, number play in the mud kitchen and conversations about the move to school. The strongest reason to consider it is that combination of practical learning and attention to individual needs. The timetable is the clearest practical constraint.