Artisans Kindergarten

Artisans Kindergarten

Unique reference number (URN): EY376536 Address: Crabtree Fields The Scout Hut HQ, Waldegrave Park, HARPENDEN, Hertfordshire, AL5 5SF Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 07/11/2008 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Tasty Tales Limited

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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.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

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.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children achieve extremely well and make excellent progress from their starting points. For example, the children receiving support to develop their social skills are now able to teach other children how to use certain resources with confidence. Children develop considerable confidence and independence. They busily select resources that interest them, returning them to their place on the shelf before selecting something else to do. Children ably take responsibility for every part of the daily routine, such as setting the table or organising their belongings. They use new vocabulary with increasing accuracy, including mathematical language to compare size or describe what they are building. Many children show pride in their achievements and seek adults out to share what they have done.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children collaborate effectively, for example when constructing rocket ships together outdoors or designing complex train tracks indoors. Children with additional needs make sustained progress, resulting in accelerated confidence and depth of knowledge and skills. Across the setting, children read, explore, imagine and think deeply, enabling them to solve problems and engage in meaningful play with their peers.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children's behaviour and attitudes are exemplary. Children thrive in a respectful, incredibly calm and purposeful culture where routines are well established, expectations are clear and adults consistently model kindness, patience and empathy. Staff know each child incredibly well and create a nurturing environment where emotional needs are understood. From the moment they arrive, children are visibly excited to begin their day. They know exactly what to do, confidently finding their name peg, organising their belongings and settling into activities with enthusiasm. Children show a deep sense of responsibility, helping at snack time, tidying resources and supporting their peers without being prompted. Children behave beautifully, feel valued and develop strong foundations for lifelong learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Leaders prioritise punctuality and regular attendance, reinforcing with families how consistent routines support children's progress, wellbeing and belonging. Children show remarkable motivation and engagement throughout the day. They concentrate for sustained periods, follow instructions carefully and take pride in their achievements. During a paint marbling session, for example, children wait patiently for their turn, gasping with excitement as the colours spread on the water and recalling that oil floats. They demonstrate curiosity, self-regulation and genuine enjoyment of learning.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children's welfare and wellbeing are at the heart of practice. The nursery is safe, calm and welcoming, helping children to settle quickly and develop a strong sense of security and belonging. Staff know each child extremely well and respond sensitively to their individual needs, offering reassurance, close support or space as needed. Secure relationships ensure children feel emotionally safe and confident to explore. Healthy habits are embedded throughout the day. Children independently wash their hands, manage self-care routines and learn about balanced food choices through a well-planned menu that reflects a variety of cultures and encourages children to try new foods. Physical development and wellbeing are prioritised through a wide range of movement experiences, including yoga sessions that promote strength, balance and calm breathing, alongside daily outdoor play that builds resilience and confidence. Children are supported to recognise and

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

manage their emotions, developing strategies that help them regulate and express how they feel. Parents value the clear, daily communication, personalised induction and settling-in process and feel well informed about their child's care. Robust procedures, vigilant staff and regularly reviewed risk assessments ensure children are protected and able to thrive.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The curriculum is ambitious, thoughtfully designed, fully embedded and highly effective. A real strength of the setting is the clear vision of what leaders and staff want children to learn, fully rooted in child development and the Montessori approach. The curriculum is underpinned by the setting's values, which all experiences stem from, ensuring children's learning is based on their contentment, grit and inquisitiveness. Leaders and managers give expert guidance to staff so that every interaction has purpose and supports children's next steps in learning. Teaching is consistently calm, precise and responsive to children's interests and needs. Staff address misconceptions quickly and skilfully, helping children deepen their understanding and build secure knowledge over time.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Children experience a rich blend of explicit teaching and meaningful play. Staff model language extremely well. They confidently introduce new vocabulary to children and spark curiosity through well-planned experiences, such as flower arranging, music and rhythm sessions, nature walks and role-play projects. These activities are designed to build secure learning behaviours, including perseverance, focus, independence and collaboration. Staff use high-quality questioning to extend children's thinking, encourage problem-solving and help them make connections in their learning across the curriculum. They plan opportunities for children to develop important life skills, such as preparing snack, caring for pets and contributing to the nursery community. Staff teach children to value the natural world and begin to understand their role as global citizens.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The setting demonstrates a highly consistent, skilled and proactive approach to inclusion that goes beyond expected practice. Leaders and practitioners know all the children who face barriers to their learning exceptionally well and identify additional needs early on. This ensures children receive timely interventions and personalised targets that are sharply focused on helping them make secure and sustained progress from their starting points. Detailed information is gathered from parents at the earliest opportunity. Staff use this information, alongside their precise tracking of children's progress, to plan and adapt support with accuracy. Progress is reviewed continuously, and adaptations are adjusted systematically so children can participate fully in all aspects of nursery life.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders take swift, rigorous action when barriers are identified. They seek specialist advice promptly and work closely with outside agencies. All professional guidance is fully embedded into everyday practice rather than treating it as an add-on. This results in focused individual and small-group support and carefully chosen strategies that address specific needs, such as speech development, social interaction or fine motor control. These adaptations are consistent across the team, ensuring children experience continuity and security.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Parents are active partners in the decision-making regarding the support for their children. Regular meetings and open communication help families feel informed, reassured and confident in the support provided. As a result of this sustained, well-monitored approach, those who face barriers to their learning access the same rich experiences as their peers, build confidence, develop independence and make meaningful progress over time.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leadership and governance are significant strengths of the setting. Leaders are ambitious, inspirational and deeply reflective, with robust systems firmly in place that drive continuous improvement. Monitoring and evaluation are rigorous. Leaders maintain a detailed continuous improvement plan, demonstrating clear progress over time, and they already have plans in place for future developments, such as deepening children's love of books and stories. Recruitment procedures are robust to ensure that staff are suitable, with a well- structured induction programme followed by all newly appointed staff. Regular and meaningful supervision arrangements and in-the-moment coaching ensure staff continue to be suitable and rapidly develop their confidence and skills. Leaders provide expert modelling and guidance to staff so that they develop a deep understanding of child development and are able to deliver consistent, high-quality teaching. Leaders' curriculum ethos is woven

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders and staff know the children's families well and use induction meetings and detailed handbooks to ensure that every child receives the highest standard of care. Partnerships with parents and the community are a priority. Parents cannot speak more highly of the unique setting, where their children are cherished and the joy of childhood is celebrated. Leaders promote charitable work to help children understand citizenship, and they hold sessions to support parents' confidence at home. Staff commend the inspirational leadership, the supportive team culture and the clarity of systems that help them excel. As a result, the setting maintains high standards and achieves sustained positive outcomes for children.

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Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

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Register

When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

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Voluntary Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register.

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Register

When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children thrive in this calm, nurturing and inspiring environment where they show they feel safe, valued and heard. From the moment they arrive, staff greet children warmly and show a genuine interest in their wellbeing. This helps every child to settle quickly and feel a secure sense of belonging. The thoughtfully designed indoor and outdoor spaces spark children's curiosity, imagination and a love for learning. Children confidently choose from rich, stimulating activities that promote their independence and build important lifelong skills. Relationships flourish because staff know children extremely well. They notice the small details, such as what motivates each child, where they may need reassurance and what they are ready to learn next. Carefully planned experiences ensure every child, including those who may need extra support, make meaningful progress and feel proud of their achievements. Children demonstrate excellent behaviour. Boundaries and expectations are

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

embedded, and children know how to be caring and show kindness, cooperation and respect for one another. Children talk excitedly about their learning. They have fun and feel confident knowing that the adults around them believe they can achieve amazing things.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children benefit enormously from the rich and purposeful experiences on offer, which help them grow into confident, independent learners. From arrival, children are trusted to make choices, deciding whether to begin their day indoors or outdoors, and this sense of autonomy continues throughout the day. The balance of experiences ensures that all children, regardless of their starting points, can explore freely and take part in learning in their own way and enjoy success. Some children choose to paint a giant elephant on the floor, fully immersed in colour and creativity. Others create their own stories in the puppet theatre, developing imagination and language through play. Every experience is thoughtfully planned to support children's development and prepare them for the next stage of education. Children are consistently calm, motivated and deeply engaged. As a result, children flourish in an environment where learning is joyful, meaningful and perfectly suited

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Next steps

Leaders and those responsible for governance should sustain their work to ensure continued improvement and high standards. They should focus on creating a transformational impact on the outcomes and experiences of disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who are known (or previously known) to children's social care, and those who may face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the nominated individual, members of the senior leadership team, the special educational needs coordinator and nursery teachers.

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About this 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 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.

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About this inspection

A quality assurance visit by an additional inspector was carried out at this inspection.

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Address:

Crabtree Fields The Scout Hut HQ Waldegrave Park HARPENDEN Hertfordshire AL5 5SF

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday : 08:30 - 16:00,Friday : 08:30 - 12:00

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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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.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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 .

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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