Lottie & Ollie

Lottie & Ollie

Unique reference number (URN): 2862951 Address: 1458 London Road, LEIGH-ON-SEA, SS9 2UW Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 08/09/2025 Registers: EYR Registered person: Lottie & Ollie 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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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children are cared for in a warm and calm environment, where effective key-person relationships help them to feel secure. Staff use gentle and reassuring interactions that support children when they are unsettled and help them to grow in confidence. Children form trusting bonds with staff and show they feel at ease. For example, they cuddle on their laps or giggle as staff follow their lead in play.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children generally behave well. Staff act as positive role models and show children how to use resources safely. During group times, staff and children sing a welcome song that greets each child by name. Most children join in with enthusiasm and enjoy being part of the group. Staff encourage turn-taking and cooperation, which helps children to develop early social skills.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children benefit from predictable daily routines, such as getting ready for snack or moving between activities. Staff know children well and help them to settle quickly during transitions. Leaders work with parents and carers to promote the importance of regular attendance. They explain how consistent routines help children to build positive habits that support their learning. At times, some children lose focus in structured activities, when these are not fully matched to their stage of development. Leaders recognise that clearer curriculum sequencing will help staff to plan activities that sustain children's interest more consistently.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children are generally happy and settled in the setting. Leaders offer settling-in sessions and agree on simple and bespoke approaches with parents and carers before children start. This helps children to adjust and supports their wellbeing. Care practices are gentle and nurturing. Staff sing songs to children during nappy changes, and children enjoy these interactions. Older children invite staff into their play, showing that they feel secure and valued. Children enjoy their time in the outdoor area, where they dig, explore and transport water between activities. These experiences give them space to move, investigate and follow their interests.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

When children become unsettled, staff make thoughtful adaptations to meet their needs and work closely with parents to understand what may help. There are consistent routines, such as offering healthy snacks and home-cooked meals. This supports children's wellbeing and helps them to feel comfortable and secure in the setting. Staff use simple language and reassurance to help children begin to understand their feelings, when they become unsettled.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff place a focus on building warm and trusting relationships from the moment children start. Key persons stay close to children, who are new or who find separation difficult. They offer calm comfort and respond quickly to their needs. This sensitive approach helps children to form secure attachments and explore the environment with growing confidence.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders have established an inclusive culture, where they identify and respond to children's individual needs with care. They work closely with parents and carers to understand what may help each child feel secure. This, in turn, supports children to settle and participate confidently. Although no children currently receive additional funding or have identified special educational needs and/or disabilities, leaders and staff take appropriate steps to recognise emerging needs and reduce potential barriers to children's learning and wellbeing.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Where children experience difficulties, such as separating from their parents, leaders work closely with families and implement effective strategies. For example, staff encourage children to bring familiar items from home. This provides comfort and reassurance, and helps them settle more quickly. As a result, children are beginning to feel more secure. Staff use daily interactions and time spent playing alongside children to get to know them well and notice early signs of emerging needs. Through ongoing observation, staff assess children's emerging needs and follow a simple assess, plan, do and review process to decide on and evaluate the support that helps children to take part with confidence.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Typically, children receive the help they need to engage confidently in routines and activities. Staff respond promptly when children may require additional guidance and adapt their approach sensitively. Leaders are developing the curriculum further so it gives staff clearer guidance on how children's learning builds over time. This ongoing work will help staff to continue refine how they support children's individual needs.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The new leadership team has taken appropriate steps to address the actions raised. They have strengthened their risk assessment processes and now review these routinely with staff. Leaders have replaced equipment, where needed, to keep the environment safe. In addition, they have improved how accidents are recorded and shared with parents and carers, so records now contain clearer and more accurate information.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders understand that the curriculum requires further development and have begun to refine its design and sequencing. They have clear plans in place to support this work. Leaders have chosen to prioritise personal, social and emotional development. This focused approach is already having a positive impact, particularly for children who needed greater emotional support. Staff now help children to feel more secure, and children are becoming more confident and settled as a result. Although the wider curriculum development is ongoing, leaders' actions show purposeful direction and are contributing to steady improvement.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders ensure staff have access to relevant training to develop their knowledge and skills, which is helping them to gain confidence in their roles. As many staff are new, leaders are mindful of staff's workload and provide ongoing support. Staff say they feel valued and well supported. This contributes to a positive and improving culture across the setting.

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Achievement Needs attention

Children do not make the progress they are capable of in some areas of learning because planned activities are not consistently matched to children's ages and stages of development. For example, during some group activities, younger children lose interest quickly because the task is too demanding for their stage of development. Some activities are not always matched well to what children already know and can do, which limits how securely they build their learning over time.

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Achievement Needs attention

Despite this, children generally make progress in their personal, social and emotional development. Children enjoy joining in with songs and rhymes and show clear delight as they sing and dance. They are beginning to develop early independence in their self-care routines, such as washing their hands before eating. Children hear numbers used naturally and begin to develop an early awareness of counting. As they play, children benefit from staff commenting on what they are doing, which supports their early communication.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The new leadership team has begun reviewing and adapting the curriculum. However, it does not yet give staff the guidance they need to plan learning that connects clearly to children's ages and stages of development. Staff are not yet confident in deciding what children need to learn next. As a result, activities do not always reflect what children are ready for. For example, during a sensory activity linked to a story about a bear hunt, staff continue reading even when children lose interest because the story was too long. Children who were keen to practise emerging walking skills were placed in the group but moved away quickly, showing that the activity did not meet their needs or interests.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders have strengthened some aspects of the curriculum, particularly in personal, social and emotional development. This early work is helping staff to support children's emotional security more effectively. Staff introduce early concepts naturally through routines and play, such as using songs and rhymes to support simple counting. They model how to explore musical instruments and using positional language, such as 'under' and 'over', to develop children's early understanding. Leaders know the curriculum needs clearer sequencing so staff can plan learning that ensures children's knowledge and skills develop securely over time, and they have begun work to address this.

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

Children enjoy a range of experiences at this setting. However, the curriculum is not yet clearly sequenced or rooted in what children need to learn next. This means that children are not always supported to build their knowledge securely. Despite this, children develop early independence, communication and problem-solving skills as they explore their environment and interact with staff.

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

Children experience a calm start to their day. They arrive to familiar staff and a calm and friendly welcome. Most children settle quickly because staff take time to understand what helps each child feel secure. Before children start, leaders meet with parents and carers to agree on simple and personalised approaches. This helps children to settle smoothly. Children form deep bonds with their key persons, who stay close, offer reassurance and respond gently to their needs. Children show growing confidence in daily routines, such as joining in with the morning hello song and enjoying being part of the group.

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

Throughout the day, children move confidently between spaces that feel homely and inviting. Babies enjoy unhurried nappy changing routines, where staff sing softly or chat to them. This helps babies to feel relaxed and content. Older children show their trust by seeking out staff, sharing toys with them or inviting them into their play. These interactions show that children feel valued and emotionally safe.

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

Children spend time outdoors daily. They dig in soil, explore natural materials and transport water between activities. Indoors, children explore musical instruments and cosy areas, where they can rest or enjoy sensory experiences. For example, children explore coloured sand linked to a space theme. They investigate a variety of sensory materials, such as mud, sand, artificial grass, leaves and shaving foam. These activities give them rich opportunities to experiment with different textures and use their senses to explore.

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Next steps

To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage the provider must take the following action by the assigned date:

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Action Completion Date

leaders should strengthen the curriculum so it is clearly sequenced and rooted in children's developmental needs, ensuring it identifies what children need to learn next and builds securely over time 17/04/2026

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Lottie & Ollie Limited

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Address:

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

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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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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, the special educational needs coordinator, children and parents and carers during the inspection.

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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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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

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 .

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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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