Summary
What we read, and from where
Click a reading to see it highlighted in the report.
- Achievement verified
Strong standard
- Behaviour, attitudes and routines verified
Expected standard
- Children's welfare and wellbeing verified
Expected standard
- Curriculum and teaching verified
Expected standard
- Inclusion verified
Strong standard
- Leadership and governance verified
Expected standard
- Framework verified
Report card
- Group verified
Edseco Ltd
- Inspection datesingle source
23 Jun 2026
- Inspectors verified
Kelly Hawkins
- Postcode verified
BR8 7BT
- Name on report verified
Oaks Day Nursery
- Safeguarding verified
Met
- URN verified
2502386
Deep dive
What this report says
In plain English
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Grade profile
Each judgement on its scale, weakest to strongest.
- AchievementStrong
- Behaviour, attitudes and routinesExpected
- Children's welfare and wellbeingExpected
- Curriculum and teachingExpected
- InclusionStrong
- 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 are well supported to thrive by staff who continue to enhance practice. p.2
- Children with SEND are settled and well supported to regulate their emotions, and feel happy and safe. p.3
- Children are happy and staff have successfully established an effective key-person system. p.5
- All children are extremely well supported to make progress from their initial starting points and staff provide individual teaching and learning opportunities and experiences. p.2
- Therefore, all children make rapid progress in relation to their starting points and staff support children to develop skills in all areas of learning. p.2
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.
What the report dwells on
Topics by how often they come up, coloured by how they are described. Open one for an example.
Parents & families8
“All staff have strong links with outside agencies and families.” p.2
Anatomy of the report
How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.
- Pages
- 8
- Words of findings
- 1,798
- about usual (typical 1698)
- Reading level
- Hard
- Flesch 45, typical 43
- Average sentence
- 16 words
- Next steps
- 2
- typical 3
- Hedged sentences
- 5%
- “some”, “not always”, “most”…
Where the words go
Full report text
Oaks Day Nursery
Unique reference number (URN): 2502386 Address: The Willows, Hilda May Avenue, Swanley, BR8 7BT Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 26/03/2019 Registers: EYR Registered person: Edseco 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.
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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 are well supported to thrive by staff who continue to enhance practice. This includes being proactive in completing training on specialised areas, such as strengthening mathematics even further. Staff implement a highly successful curriculum to minimise barriers to children's learning and make the plans individualised to children who attend. Therefore, all children make rapid progress in relation to their starting points and staff support children to develop skills in all areas of learning. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those in receipt of additional funding.
p.2
Achievement Strong standard
Children develop impressive skills which support them in preparing for their next stage of learning. For instance, all children confidently communicate their needs, including those with SEND. All children are highly independent, including the youngest children. They complete tasks with high levels of maturity, such as washing up their utensils after snack time.
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Inclusion Strong standard
Leaders and staff expertly identify the needs of all individual children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those in receipt of additional funding. Additional funding is used effectively to support children's individual needs. This includes providing additional resources to support their individual development, such as the tree swings to support physical development. Staff rigorously assess individual children's progress and ensure they meet their individual needs. Staff make effective adaptations to ensure all children reach their full potential and achieve. For example, staff adapt activities so all children can get the most out of their learning experiences. This includes providing different resources to help children reach the same intended goal.
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Inclusion Strong standard
All children are extremely well supported to make progress from their initial starting points and staff provide individual teaching and learning opportunities and experiences. This supports all children to make progress and achieve. Staff complete training specifically to meet the needs of and benefit children who attend the nursery. This includes learning about different ways to communicate with children, such as sign language. All staff have strong links with outside agencies and families. They share and implement useful and effective ideas and strategies. For example, they use a range of techniques to help children communicate and manage their feelings, as well as managing changes in routines. This includes using sign language and visual aids. Staff purchase equipment to give to parents to help provide children with a high level of consistency to care and learning between home and the nursery.
p.2
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
All staff are positive role models and most children behave well and follow instructions maturely. However, on occasion, staff do not consistently help children to fully understand why they are being asked to stop a particular action, such as throwing an object. Therefore, although children typically behave well, they do not always fully understand the expectations of their behaviour. Children are kind and caring towards each other and are understanding of each other's differing needs.
p.3
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
All staff are skilful in swiftly identifying how to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) during all activities. This is evident when staff engage children in more individual interactions instead of larger group activities, which they find overwhelming. Children with SEND are settled and well supported to regulate their emotions, and feel happy and safe. Leaders and staff establish positive relationships with children. Even the youngest children are happy and settled. Staff know children's routines and meet their needs well. This includes ensuring that mealtimes and toileting practices are effective and safe.
p.3
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Staff closely monitor children's attendance and ensure they follow up any unexplained absences. They help parents understand the importance of being punctual to help with routines for school. This enables staff to highlight any concerning patterns that may need further attention.
p.3
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Children of all ages are settled and confident, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff have successfully created spaces where children can feel safe and learn happily. This is demonstrated when children with SEND independently access tree swings when they feel overwhelmed. Staff deploy themselves well during activities and during transitions, such as moving between the indoor and outdoor learning environments to ensure that they supervise children effectively and keep them safe. All children know the routines and follow these with maturity.
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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Children learn about the importance of following thorough hygiene practices. They talk about the importance of washing away germs during handwashing routines. Staff teach children how to support their physical health and wellbeing. This includes having discussions about healthy eating and how to remain safe during the sun. Children talk about ensuring they wear sun protection and the need to remain hydrated. Staff support all children and families to feel included and children learn to respect and understand other people's similarities and differences outside of their own communities and experiences. This includes other cultures and language. For example, children listen to music from around the world, such as Italian songs.
p.3
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Leaders and staff have a clear knowledge of the curriculum they have embedded which covers all areas of learning successfully. Staff know all children well, including what they have achieved since they started and what they are helping children to learn next. The curriculum is precise for individual children. However, at times, staff do not consistently build on spontaneous ideas from children to extend on what they already know, such as building on children's interest of mathematics as they play even further. On the whole, children have opportunities to develop their mathematical skills. This includes counting activities and discussing colour and shape. Staff are undertaking further training to develop their confidence in supporting children's mathematical development even further.
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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Leaders and staff support all children to develop their communication and vocabulary skills well. This includes those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. All staff use effective ways to communicate with children. For instance, staff ask children thought- provoking questions and give them time to think and then respond. All children communicate with confidence and staff use visual prompts and sign language confidently. All staff ensure all children have a wide range of opportunities to develop their physical skills. This includes children using safe and age-appropriate climbing and balancing equipment, such as climbing walls and tree swings.
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Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders are evaluative and reflective. They are skilful in identifying areas to develop further, and celebrate the changes they have made. They are proud to have strengthened the learning between home and the nursery. They have provided children with a library and this has encouraged families to read together and instil a love of books at home. Staff successfully provide a consistent link between home and the nursery.
p.4
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Staff establish positive relationships with parents and keep them fully informed. This includes sharing children's achievements and next steps in their learning regularly. Staff share helpful ideas with parents, such as sharing tips on how to keep children safe online.
p.4
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders prioritise staff wellbeing and ensure that their workload is manageable. Staff have time to complete regular training to keep their knowledge current, and build on their skills even further. This includes developing their knowledge on how to support children to communicate, and they plan to enhance their skills in supporting children's ongoing mathematical development.
p.4
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders carry out regular observations on staff practice to monitor the quality of staff's teaching and interactions with children. This enables leaders to support staff in helpful ways for continuing to develop their practice.
p.4
Leadership and governance Expected standard
There are thorough risk assessments in place which are reviewed regularly to ensure the ongoing safety of children. Leaders and staff fully understand and take their roles and responsibilities seriously to ensure they meet all requirements and help keep children safe.
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What it's like to be a child at this setting
All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are confident, settled and engaged in the safe and welcoming nursery. Children are happy and staff have successfully established an effective key-person system. This helps staff support all children through individualised plans and individual knowledge, such as what children like, dislike and what they need to help them thrive and develop in their learning. Children are engaged and challenged during interesting learning opportunities that staff carefully plan for them. This is demonstrated when children use tweezers to 'save' animals from a 'web' of tape. Children, who are expected to find a snail, go on to look at nature through a magnifying glass and learn facts about the snail.
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What it's like to be a child at this setting
Staff know children well; including knowing what makes them unique and fully understanding their needs. This helps staff provide resources and experiences that they know will motivate children to learn, including those with SEND. For example, staff adapt activities, such as providing sensory equipment for children who require additional support and encouragement to sit with their friends during group times. All children, make high levels of progress in relation to their starting points, and develop new skills to support their future learning. This is evident when all children are very independent. They are confident in choosing their own play and completing their own tasks. This includes even the youngest children applying their own sun cream with close supervision from staff.
p.5
What it's like to be a child at this setting
All children are challenged as leaders and staff have high expectations of children's abilities. Therefore, staff plan activities that they know will engage and challenge them. For instance, children use different equipment to transfer water and use water runs, discussing directions and speed. All children have a positive attitude towards their learning, including those who are in receipt of additional funding and those with SEND. All children behave well and follow the rules. For example, they help tidy up during changes in routine and are keen to help each other to complete tasks. Children play happily together and enjoy each other's company. They are understanding of each other's differing needs, and are kind and compassionate towards each other. This is demonstrated when children kindly remind each other that others are in the tree swing as it helps them to feel calm and happy.
p.5
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Leaders and staff regularly monitor children's attendance to help to keep children's routines and learning consistent. Staff share the importance of regular attendance with parents, and support them to understand the expectations of school. Any absences are recorded and followed up accordingly.
p.5
Address:
The Willows Hilda May Avenue Swanley BR8 7BT
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Address:
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
p.6
Address:
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 17:00
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Next steps
The provider should support some staff to develop confidence in building on children's interests and what they already know, particularly during spontaneous conversations. The provider should help staff to strengthen children's understanding of the expectations of their behaviour.
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About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, the special educational needs coordinator, parents and children 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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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. 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
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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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