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
Little Nest Nursery Ltd
- Inspection datesingle source
14 May 2026
- Inspectors verified
Yemi Afolabi
- Postcode verified
SE8 4EG
- Name on report verified
Little Nest Nursery Ltd
- Safeguarding verified
Met
- URN verified
2819176
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.
In line with other 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 develop warm and trusting relationships with staff. p.3
- Leaders create a welcoming environment and set high expectations for children's behaviour. p.2
- Staff build warm and caring relationships with children. p.2
- Parents and carers speak positively about the nursery and value the warm relationships staff build with their children. p.4
- They separate confidently from their parents and carers with the support of warm greetings from familiar staff. p.5
Concerns
Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.
Next steps
Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.
- Leaders should strengthen staff confidence and consistency in helping children fully understand the expectations for their behaviour and how their behaviour affects others. p.6
- Leaders should continue to evaluate practice and provide targeted coaching and support for staff to strengthen the quality of teaching across the setting. p.6
- Leaders should support staff to consistently implement targeted strategies and activities to maximise outcomes for children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. p.6
What the report dwells on
Topics by how often they come up, coloured by how they are described. Open one for an example.
Leadership & governance22
“Leaders create a welcoming environment and set high expectations for children's behaviour.” p.2Wellbeing & mental health6
“Children feel emotionally secure and develop close attachments to staff.” p.5
Anatomy of the report
How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.
- Pages
- 8
- Words of findings
- 1,828
- about usual (typical 1698)
- Reading level
- Hard
- Flesch 34, typical 43
- Average sentence
- 16 words
- Next steps
- 3
- typical 3
- Hedged sentences
- 3%
- “some”, “not always”, “most”…
Where the words go
Full report text
Little Nest Nursery Ltd
Unique reference number (URN): 2819176 Address: 43 Albyn Road, London, SE8 4EG Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 22/11/2024 Registers: EYR Registered person: Little Nest Nursery 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
Achievement Expected standard
Typically, children make positive progress from their starting points across the curriculum, particularly in communication and language. Children learn new skills through their play and meaningful interactions. Children who face barriers to their learning develop increasing confidence in expressing themselves and communicating their needs and ideas. For instance, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) use progressively longer sentences to communicate their needs and ideas. During group activities, children confidently talk about their experiences, answer questions and use a growing range of vocabulary.
p.2
Achievement Expected standard
Children, including those who experience barriers to learning or wellbeing and those with SEND, demonstrate sustained focus and concentration during play and activities. For instance, children ride wheeled toys outdoors and correctly identify and count vegetables, such as carrots, cucumbers and broccoli. Children demonstrate growing independence in daily routines. They dress themselves before going outdoors, feed themselves at mealtimes and wash their hands after using the toilet. Children develop the skills they need for the next stages in their learning, including school. However, inconsistencies in the quality of teaching mean that children's achievements are not always fully maximised.
p.2
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Leaders create a welcoming environment and set high expectations for children's behaviour. Staff build warm and caring relationships with children. This helps children to feel safe, secure and valued. For instance, children invite staff to join in their play and seek reassurance from familiar adults. Overall, children follow instructions and behave well. Staff act as positive role models and generally support children's behaviour through rules, praise and gentle reminders. However, they do not consistently help children fully understand the impact of their behaviour on themselves and others. For example, staff remind children to walk indoors, but they do not always explain the reasons linked to safety and consideration for others. This does not help children to understand the reasons for the expectations on their behaviour.
p.2
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Key-person arrangements support children to develop secure attachments and positive attitudes towards learning. Children work collaboratively with their peers. For example, children take turns using paint to print different shapes on card and proudly display their artwork in the classroom. Staff praise children's efforts and achievements, which develops their confidence and sense of belonging.
p.2
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Leaders promote the importance of regular attendance and work closely with parents and carers to reduce barriers to their children attending. For example, leaders offer flexible attendance arrangements for children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning. This helps children to settle quickly and fully benefit from the experiences provided by the nursery.
p.2
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Leaders and staff implement procedures effectively to meet all children's individual needs. For example, snacks and meals are healthy, balanced and nutritious. Children wash their hands after using the toilet and before eating their meals. Staff sit with children during mealtimes to supervise and keep them safe. They encourage children to feed themselves and pour their own water. Staff generally talk to children about how healthy foods help their bodies grow and stay healthy. This supports children's understanding of healthy lifestyles.
p.3
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Children develop warm and trusting relationships with staff. For instance, staff follow hygienic procedures during personal care routines and encourage children to participate in the process. This helps children to feel respected and increasingly independent in managing their own personal care needs. Staff help children to recognise and manage their emotions through warm interactions, reassurance and predictable routines. This supports children's emotional wellbeing and sense of self.
p.3
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Leaders and staff know children's interests and use this knowledge to provide stimulating learning experiences for children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning. Children access outdoor play daily and enjoy physical activities such as using climbing equipment, playing ball games and planting seeds. These experiences help children to develop their muscles, coordination, confidence and an understanding of nature.
p.3
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Leaders and staff demonstrate a secure understanding of child development. Staff observe children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning, to identify the next steps they want children to achieve in their learning and development. Leaders provide a broad and engaging curriculum that offers children stimulating learning experiences. For example, children visit parks, shops and museums. Staff use these experiences to help children to learn about their local and wider communities. These experiences support children to develop self-confidence and an understanding of the world around them.
p.3
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Staff recognise the importance of promoting children's language skills. They encourage a love of stories by providing fiction, non-fiction and bilingual books. They use expressive intonation during storytelling sessions to capture children's attention and engagement. Children are confident communicators. Staff introduce mathematical language and concepts progressively. Babies count blocks while building towers, and toddlers sing counting rhymes. Pre-school children learn vocabulary linked to shapes, such as 'sides' and 'corners'.
p.3
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Leaders prioritise children's communication, physical development, and personal, social and emotional development throughout the curriculum. For example, children participate in weekly sports sessions. They follow instructions, move in different ways, navigate around obstacles and kick balls. This helps to develop their coordination, spatial awareness and stamina.
p.3
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Overall, children progress well across all areas of learning in the early years foundation stage. However, staff do not consistently demonstrate a precise understanding of the intended learning outcomes of planned activities. As a result, opportunities to extend children's learning even further through questioning and purposeful interactions are not consistent, which limits how fully children build on what they already know and can do.
p.3
Inclusion Expected standard
Leaders create a welcoming and inclusive culture in which staff identify and support children's individual needs. Staff gather information from parents and carers during enrolment through discussions and forms. This helps them to understand children's interests, developmental needs and any emerging concerns. Staff generally adapt activities and routines to help children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those with barriers to learning. This helps these children to access learning experiences and make progress from their starting points. For example, staff support children with communication needs through gestures, visual prompts and one-to- one support. Leaders adapt the learning environment to provide a quieter and calmer space for children who are sensitive to noise. This supports children's wellbeing and engagement in learning.
p.4
Inclusion Expected standard
Leaders provide staff with training to enhance their understanding of how to support children with SEND and those who face barriers to learning. Leaders work with families, the local authority inclusion team and other external professionals to secure support and funding for these children. Leaders typically review children's progress through discussions with staff and parents to assess the impact of support strategies. However, sometimes, staff do not implement targeted strategies and activities across all age groups. Consequently, although children make positive progress, inconsistencies in practice mean that children's learning and development are not always extended further.
p.4
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders work proactively to strengthen and maintain high standards of education and care for children and their families. They demonstrate a clear understanding of the setting's strengths and areas for development. Staff typically engage in professional development opportunities to help them implement a step-by-step approach to promote children's learning, including for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face other barriers to learning. However, leaders do not consistently provide targeted coaching and support for staff to help them implement high-quality teaching and maximise outcomes for all children.
p.4
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders implement robust recruitment and induction procedures to ensure that adults working with children are suitable and understand their roles and responsibilities. Staff report that they feel valued, supported and work collaboratively as a team.
p.4
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Parents and carers speak positively about the nursery and value the warm relationships staff build with their children. They report that children settle well and make positive progress. Parents say they benefit from regular communication through discussions, parents' evenings and the online childcare app. This supports continuity of learning between home and the nursery. Leaders also work with staff, families and external professionals to identify children's individual needs and help them to overcome any barriers to their learning.
p.4
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children arrive happily at the nursery. They separate confidently from their parents and carers with the support of warm greetings from familiar staff. Family photos displayed at the entrance help children to feel welcomed and valued as part of the close-knit nursery community. Children know the routine well. They take off their coats, hang them on their individual pegs, put on their indoor shoes and choose resources that capture their interests. Children quickly settle into play and explore the stimulating environment. Babies freely explore sensory resources and climb safely on age-appropriate equipment. They engage in meaningful interactions with caring staff who respond sensitively to their needs. For example, staff reassure children through cuddles, conversations and familiar routines. Children feel emotionally secure and develop close attachments to staff.
p.5
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Staff know children well and implement activities that reflect their individual needs and stages of development. In addition, they adapt activities appropriately to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning. Children enjoy a broad range of learning experiences within the nursery and the local community. Staff naturally weave songs and storytelling sessions into daily routines to promote children's communication skills and understanding of early mathematical concepts. Babies enthusiastically sing nursery rhymes. Toddlers listen to stories and correctly identify pictures and characters. Pre-school children talk about the life cycle of a butterfly and use vocabulary such as 'egg', 'caterpillar', 'chrysalis' and 'butterfly'. Children make positive progress from their starting points, particularly in their communication and language development.
p.5
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children learn to share and take turns during collaborative play with their peers. For instance, they use natural materials such as soil, sticks and leaves during imaginative play in the mud kitchen. Children demonstrate high levels of concentration and attention as they describe their play and experiences. Children are confident, generally well behaved and demonstrate well-developed physical skills.
p.5
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Leaders work with parents to promote the importance of regular attendance. They generally share information well and value parents' contributions to their children's care and learning. This collaborative approach supports children's wellbeing, development and overall progress.
p.5
Address:
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
p.6
Address:
Registered person: Little Nest Nursery Ltd
p.6
Address:
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00
p.6
Next steps
Leaders should strengthen staff confidence and consistency in helping children fully understand the expectations for their behaviour and how their behaviour affects others. Leaders should continue to evaluate practice and provide targeted coaching and support for staff to strengthen the quality of teaching across the setting. Leaders should support staff to consistently implement targeted strategies and activities to maximise outcomes for children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
p.6
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, the special educational needs coordinator, staff, parents and carers and children 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. Local authority: Lewisham
p.6
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.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. 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
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p.8
Urgent improvement
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p.8
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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