Tiddley Tots Nursery

Tiddley Tots Nursery

Unique reference number (URN): 2788493 Address: 84-86 Fore Street, Hertford, SG14 1AA Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 12/04/2024 Registers: EYR, CCR Registered person: Tiddley Tots Childcare Ltd

p.1

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.

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

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

p.1

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.

p.1

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Staff model kindness and respect. Children copy this in their play and quickly develop friendships across the nursery. For example, they give a cheery wave to their friends who pass through the room on their way to the garden. They play alongside one another and interact well. Staff know children well and meet their individual needs. Children demonstrate a genuine love of learning. They are eager to share their ideas and explore the environment. Daily routines provide structure and support children as they move between different parts of the day, such as preparing for snack or getting ready to play outdoors, helping them develop confidence and independence.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Staff notice quickly when children become unsettled and step in with calm voices and effective strategies that help them to manage their feelings. This consistent approach ensures that behaviour remains positive and that children feel safe and confident to join in. Staff consider each child's age, stage and circumstances when supporting behaviour. Adjustments are made when children have barriers to their learning to ensure that all children are supported appropriately.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Leaders actively engage with families to highlight the importance of consistent attendance, ensuring that children benefit from regular participation in the setting's routines.

p.2

Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children's wellbeing is at the heart of this nursery. Leaders and staff provide a safe, warm and welcoming environment where children feel secure and valued. Each child is allocated a key person, which supports their continuity of care and emotional support. Staff know children well and understand how to support their individual needs. Effective settling-in sessions help children to feel safe, and detailed information is gathered from parents to support a smooth transition. Staff teach older children to recognise and talk about their feelings through consistent conversations during daily routines. Additional funding has been used to create quiet spaces for children to access when they need to. This builds their emotional awareness, self-esteem and sense of belonging.

p.2

Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders place strong emphasis on promoting healthy lifestyles. Children benefit from daily outdoor play and walks in the local community, which support physical development and wellbeing. Staff involve children in self-care routines, such as washing their hands and making healthy choices at mealtimes. Staff also help children learn about personal safety, for example by teaching them to remain seated while eating to reduce the risk of choking. Children enjoy nutritious meals, further supporting their understanding of healthy eating. Children enjoy visiting the local farmers market to gather ingredients for cooking activities, building their knowledge of where our food comes from.

p.2

Achievement Needs attention

Leaders have not yet considered the curriculum for communication and language for the youngest children and, as a result, they are not making progress in their language development. Therefore, children do not achieve well enough across this area of the early years foundation stage to prepare them for the next stage of their learning. Older children communicate their thoughts and ideas clearly and are developing language and reasoning skills well. For instance, children experiment with ice, recalling prior learning about habitats. However, due to weaknesses in teaching across the setting, all children are not yet typically supported to deepen their learning or extend their thinking further. As a result, not all children make the best possible progress they are capable of.

p.3

Achievement Needs attention

Children develop their physical skills well through a wide range of engaging activities. Babies have consistent opportunities to crawl, pull themselves up and take their first steps. Older children benefit from daily outdoor play, where they confidently run, balance and climb. These experiences support children to become physically confident and well prepared for future learning.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

There are some inconsistencies in the quality of the teaching of the curriculum. For example, staff do not always know when to use their interactions with children to extend their learning or talk through activities to develop children's language. This means that, at times, staff cannot support children to achieve to the best of their abilities. Leaders have created a curriculum that focuses on building children's knowledge and skills over time. However, strategies in place to enhance communication and language are not used consistently, and therefore there is not as much of an impact as leaders expect.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Personal, social and emotional development is a priority. Children play alongside each other and share resources. Staff join children in their play, role modelling how to play together and encouraging children to develop friends. Pancake Day activities across the setting provide opportunities for children to practise their counting skills. Staff count the number of scoops of flour younger children transfer into a pot while the oldest children predict the number of scoops needed for the mixture.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Curriculum information is shared with parents regularly. Using an online app, photos of activities children complete during the day are shared. For children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, leaders work with professionals to ensure next steps are appropriate and consistent strategies are put into place for children. Staff complete regular assessment of children's learning and development to look for gaps in their learning.

p.3

Inclusion Needs attention

Staff show varying levels of confidence in adapting the curriculum to meet children's individual needs. As a result, activities are not always planned or adapted well enough to ensure they are accessible to all children. For the youngest babies, activities are not planned to support their next steps, and as a result, they miss opportunities to build on what they already know and can do. In the garden area, resources and equipment are not suitable for all children, and staff do not have the skills or knowledge to adapt the environment so all children can learn.

p.3

Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders and staff are committed to supporting all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They work closely with parents and external professionals to ensure accurate assessments capture children's emerging needs. Leaders ensure referrals are completed in a timely manner, gathering supporting evidence from professionals. This means children have plans in place ready for their move to the next stage of their education. Leaders support families to access any additional funding available and make suitable use of this to purchase specific resources that reflect the needs of the children it is intended for.

p.4

Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders are not aware of the weaknesses in the quality of teaching across the setting. Leaders have not reflected accurately on the quality of the provision. They have not made changes to the curriculum or ensured that staff have the appropriate skills to support the needs of the children attending the setting. Leaders are not aware that staff are not able to differentiate activities to ensure all children are able to access learning opportunities. Leaders have not reflected on how the garden provision supports the needs of the children who prefer to learn outdoors. Leaders have not identified gaps in the youngest children's communication and language development. This hinders the progress that this group of children makes.

p.4

Leadership and governance Needs attention

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive appropriate support to help them access guidance from other professionals. Leaders promote partnership working with parents and other professionals to provide children with consistency. Staff have access to a wide range of training opportunities; however, these do not always impact on the quality of teaching in the setting.

p.4

Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders encourage staff to share learning with each other to provide consistency in practice for all. Regular one-to-one sessions support staff's ongoing development and wellbeing. Staff comment on how they feel fully supported by leaders. The provider has created a positive culture that is embedded throughout this setting.

p.4

Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

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

p.5

Register

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

p.5

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

Children form positive, warm and trusting relationships with staff. Babies are reassured by staff's close contact and seek them out for comfort. Staff know the care routines that parents and carers follow at home and use this information to understand and respond to babies' needs and wants.

p.5

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

Children are happy and behave well, responding quickly to gentle reminders from staff about behaviour expectations. For instance, when minor conflicts arise, staff support children by modelling appropriate interactions, and help children work through their disagreements. As a result, children understand appropriate behaviour and learn to cooperate and empathise with others.

p.5

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

Staff have secure procedures in place to identify and support children who may have barriers to their learning. These children benefit from tailored care and targeted support plans. This helps ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well prepared for their next stages of learning.

p.5

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

Staff form positive relationships with families, and they take the time to get to understand children's lived experiences. Staff are aware that children have differing starting points. Information gathered when children begin at the setting forms the start of baseline assessments, alongside staff's own observations. Children demonstrate a feeling of belonging, settling well and showing familiarity with the setting's routines. Children receive support to gain independence in their self-care skills, ready for the move to school. Children are kind to each other. As they move through the setting, children develop their play skills

p.5

About this setting

Unique reference number (URN): 2788493 and friendships. Children progress from playing alongside each other to playing with other children. Attendance at the setting is a high priority for leaders.

p.6

Next steps

To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must take the following actions by the assigned date:

p.6

Action Completion Date

ensure the curriculum focuses on communication and language development to ensure all children make expected progress 17/05/2026

p.6

Action Completion Date

ensure staff have the skills and knowledge to differentiate activities and ensure high-quality teaching across the setting 17/05/2026

p.6

Action Completion Date

improve oversight of the setting's curriculum to ensure all children develop skills and knowledge for the next steps in their learning 17/05/2026

p.6

About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the manager, the deputy manager, staff and parents during the inspection.

p.6

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.

p.6

Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

p.7

Address:

Registered person: Tiddley Tots Childcare Ltd

p.7

Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00

p.7

Facts and figures used on inspection

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

p.7

Exceptional

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

p.7

Strong standard

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

p.7

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.

p.8

Needs attention

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

p.8

Urgent improvement

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

p.8

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.

p.8

Urgent improvement

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 .

p.8

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 .

p.8

Urgent improvement

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Urgent improvement

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

p.8