Summary
What we read, and from where
Click a reading to see it highlighted in the report.
- Achievement verified
Expected standard
- Behaviour, attitudes and routines verified
Expected standard
- Children's welfare and wellbeing verified
Expected standard
- Curriculum and teaching verified
Expected standard
- Inclusion verified
Expected standard
- Leadership and governance verified
Expected standard
- Framework verified
Report card
- Group verified
Milland Valley Nursery School Ltd
- Inspection datesingle source
18 Mar 2026
- Inspectors verified
Tara Naylor
- Postcode verified
GU30 7NA
- Name on report verified
Milland Valley Nursery School Ltd
- Safeguarding verified
Met
- URN verified
2752386
Deep dive
What this report says
In plain English
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Grade profile
Each judgement on its scale, weakest to strongest.
- AchievementExpected
- Behaviour, attitudes and routinesExpected
- Children's welfare and wellbeingExpected
- Curriculum and teachingExpected
- InclusionExpected
- Leadership and governanceExpected
Tone of the report
How positive or critical the inspectors' language is, from the words they chose. No AI involved.
Reads more warmly than most reports of this type.
How the report reads, start to finish
Every paragraph in order, sized by length. Tap one to see it on the page.
Strengths
Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.
- Children are polite, respectful and caring. p.4
- This successfully supports children to receive a consistent approach to periods of transition, and to engage positively with their peers. p.3
- Staff are positive role models, teaching children the importance of caring for each other. p.2
- They play cooperatively, enjoy learning and feel safe in this welcoming nursery. p.4
Concerns
Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.
No strong criticism found.
Next steps
Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.
- Leaders should strengthen their analysis of the provision so they can accurately identify strengths and areas for development, enabling them to make focused improvements that enhance children's experiences and raise the overall quality of the provision even further. p.5
- Leaders should design a programme of professional development with even greater focus on strengthening staff's skills to meet the needs of children who attend, particularly in relation to children's communication and language skills. p.5
- Leaders should support staff to strengthen their teaching practice, so that children consistently benefit from opportunities to build on what they already know and can do. p.5
What the report dwells on
Topics by how often they come up, coloured by how they are described. Open one for an example.
Anatomy of the report
How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.
- Pages
- 8
- Words of findings
- 1,535
- about usual (typical 1698)
- Reading level
- Hard
- Flesch 46, typical 43
- Average sentence
- 17 words
- Next steps
- 3
- typical 3
- Hedged sentences
- 3%
- “some”, “not always”, “most”…
Where the words go
Full report text
Milland Valley Nursery School Ltd
Unique reference number (URN): 2752386 Address: Milland Memorial Hall, Iping Road, Milland, West Sussex, GU30 7NA Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 05/10/2023 Registers: EYR Registered person: Milland Valley Nursery School Ltd
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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.
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
Achievement Expected standard
All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make typical progress from their starting points. Children enjoy learning. This enthusiasm helps to prepare them for the next stage of learning, including school. Children develop confidence in mathematics as they play. For example, they estimate how many apples the caterpillar has eaten. They count out the number of apples to ensure they have the correct amount. Children measure water as they fill jugs and recognise that these get heavier as they add more liquid. Children develop an early love of literacy, learning about how authors write books and illustrators draw pictures within the stories. Children sustain concentration in activities that interest them, such as following the narrative of stories.
p.2
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Leaders and staff help parents and carers to understand the benefits of timely and regular attendance. This helps children to benefit from opportunities to meet and play with peers and develop the social skills they need. This has a positive impact on all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning.
p.2
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Leaders and staff focus on helping children develop skills that underpin positive behaviour, kindness and respect. Children recognise and value the differences between themselves and their friends. Staff are positive role models, teaching children the importance of caring for each other. Children build secure friendships across differing age groups. They play together, recognising the importance of fairness with toys and resources, so that everyone has a turn. Staff understand the differing ages and stages of development of children. They adapt their approach to ensure that where children need extra help in responding to each other, they receive this in sensitive ways.
p.2
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Leaders and staff get to know children well and use tailored care practices, according to children's needs. Their key-person approach supports relationships with families so that staff get to know children well. This helps children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning, settle into new routines. Children develop a sense of belonging as staff recognise the importance of this. Staff ensure children are welcomed, valued and respected. Children learn to understand how they feel and ways to express themselves positively, Staff use strategies to minimise frustrations that help children in key routines. For instance, staff recognise when children need extra time to move to mealtimes and use visual supports to help children with these changes of routines successfully.
p.2
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Children develop secure routines and habits that promote their physical health and overall wellbeing very successfully. Staff embed positive hygiene practices, such as teaching older children the importance of washing their hands before meals. Staff promote children's understanding of personal safety and healthy lifestyles through active play and nutritious foods. Staff work with families to support children in understanding how fruits and vegetables grow and helping children taste new foods. For instance, staff encourage children to try fruits at snack time and talk about textures and tastes. This helps children build confidence in making healthy choices and broadens their understanding of how to look after their bodies.
p.2
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Leaders create a broad curriculum that supports children to make typical progress. Staff use regular assessments to identify what children need to learn next. They use this knowledge to plan purposeful learning experiences that support and promote children's physical, personal, social and emotional development. Staff focus on building children's mathematical skills well. They teach children how to count in order, to work out and check their estimations. However, sometimes staff do not consider how they can adapt their teaching practice, so that they can respond effectively in the moment, to extend children's learning beyond what they already know.
p.3
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Children, including those in receipt of additional funding, receive experiences that are tailored to their needs. Typically, staff model language during conversations with children. They introduce new language and help children use and pronounce words correctly. Staff help older children learn the meaning of new words, such as cocoon, and illustrate this well to help children link new words with ideas. This helps to broaden children's vocabulary skills. Where children need extra help with their speaking skills, staff adapt their teaching to help them communicate, such as through visual supports. However, leaders recognise there is more that can be done to extend children's communication skills, to help them fully share their wants, needs and wishes.
p.3
Inclusion Expected standard
Leaders and staff are passionate about providing an inclusive setting for all children. They work closely with parents and carers to get to know children well. Staff quickly identify children's interests and what support they can put in place to help them reach their full potential. For instance, staff share strategies with parents to support children's self- regulation and their communication and language skills, to reduce frustrations. This successfully supports children to receive a consistent approach to periods of transition, and to engage positively with their peers.
p.3
Inclusion Expected standard
Leaders acknowledge that further work and enhancements to professional development are needed to help extend some children's communication skills. Additional funding is used thoughtfully, based on the needs of children and how leaders and staff can best support children. For instance, resources are purchased to support sensory play, which ignites children's curiosity, attention and focus. Leaders and staff work well with other professionals to promote a shared approach to meeting children's needs. Ongoing assessments are used to check children's progress, evaluate the effectiveness of strategies and adapt plans for children, based on their needs. Staff understand the importance of timely referrals to ensure that support is in place to help with children's transition to school.
p.3
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders and staff work well together. They share the same vision for ensuring all children, including those who are disadvantaged, have special educational needs and/or disabilities, are known or previously known to children's social care, or who may face barriers to learning and wellbeing, benefit from the best possible experiences. Staff say that they enjoy working at the nursery. Leaders are mindful of staff wellbeing, workload and promote open communication, where staff feel valued in their roles. Staff benefit from training, supervision and support. Overall, staff are qualified and experienced in their roles. They understand how children learn and continue to reflect on their own knowledge through team discussions and some training. However, there is more scope for leaders to target the professional development of staff to help them to reflect on their practice, identify areas for development
p.4
Leadership and governance Expected standard
and enhance teaching to enable children to achieve at even higher levels.
p.4
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders reflect on the care they provide. They understand what they want children to learn and how they can help support this through the curriculum they provide. Leaders have focused on improving mathematics in the provision, which impacts positively on how children are able to use mathematics in activities, purposefully. However, leaders recognise that a more perceptive evaluation of their strengths and areas of development would help to focus improvement that drives excellence.
p.4
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children form positive relationships with staff and their peers. They play cooperatively, enjoy learning and feel safe in this welcoming nursery. Leaders promote consistent attendance, which supports children to achieve well and make progress from their starting points. Staff play alongside children, building secure relationships and supporting all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For example, staff sit with children as they explore musical instruments and experiment with the sounds they make. Children learn to create loud and quiet noises and take turns with their friends. They build friendships and welcome others into their play. Children are polite, respectful and caring.
p.4
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Leaders ensure that children access a curriculum to support their individual needs. Children who face barriers to learning achieve well from their starting points. Children enjoy learning because staff plan experiences that motivate them and, overall, maintain their attention. For instance, as staff read stories, children confidently recall parts of the book and remember what happens to the caterpillar as it transforms into a butterfly. Staff use resources alongside their reading to bring stories to life. Children delight in holding 'Eric' the caterpillar and choose which foods are healthy for him. Staff encourage children to think about why
p.4
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2752386 some foods may not be healthy choices. Children respond and say 'Lollipops are not good for Eric's teeth or his tummy because they have lots of sugar.'
p.5
About this setting
Children benefit from plentiful opportunities to develop their physical skills. Older children build a pathway using low-level beams, stepping stones and arrows to show the direction of travel. Staff help younger children to navigate the path and celebrate older children's success as they carefully balance on the beam. Staff use innovative approaches to strengthen children's hand muscles and develop their dexterity. Children build structures and balance small bears on top and use tweezers to transfer pom-poms between bowls, developing their coordination, control and perseverance.
p.5
Next steps
Leaders should strengthen their analysis of the provision so they can accurately identify strengths and areas for development, enabling them to make focused improvements that enhance children's experiences and raise the overall quality of the provision even further. Leaders should design a programme of professional development with even greater focus on strengthening staff's skills to meet the needs of children who attend, particularly in relation to children's communication and language skills. Leaders should support staff to strengthen their teaching practice, so that children consistently benefit from opportunities to build on what they already know and can do.
p.5
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, the special educational needs coordinators and children during the inspection.
p.5
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.5
Address:
Milland Memorial Hall Iping Road Milland West Sussex GU30 7NA
p.6
Address:
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
p.6
Address:
Registered person: Milland Valley Nursery School Ltd
p.6
Address:
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday : 08:30 - 15:00
p.6
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
p.6
Exceptional
Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.
p.6
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.7
Needs attention
The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.
p.7
Urgent improvement
The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.
p.7
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.7
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.7
Urgent improvement
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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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