Little Hummingbird Nursery

Little Hummingbird Nursery

Unique reference number (URN): 2862282 Address: 2 High Street, Hoddesdon, EN11 8BL Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 29/08/2025 Registers: EYR, CCR Registered person: Little Wonderland 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 Expected standard

Children make progress from their starting points and become increasingly confident in themselves and their abilities. They feel valued within this caring, homely nursery and are proud of what they achieve, celebrating their successes and enjoying praise from the adults around them.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children communicate confidently, listen attentively to stories and follow instructions well throughout the day. They develop secure friendships and strong attachments with familiar adults, helping them move confidently between rooms and approach the next stage of learning with excitement.

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Achievement Expected standard

By the time children leave for school, they are independent, confident and keen to learn. Most children, including those with barriers to learning, make progress from their starting points. However, more targeted interventions and personalised strategies would help children with special educational needs to build on their achievements even further and continue to narrow gaps in their learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children behave positively and generally understand what is expected of them. They are reminded to use kind hands, share resources, take turns and use good manners throughout the day. Children collaborate well with their peers, whether they are matching dominoes on the floor or celebrating teamwork during group activities. They seek each other out and play together.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children follow instructions well, move confidently through familiar routines and enjoy positive relationships with the adults who care for them. They develop secure attachments from the moment they join the nursery through carefully planned settling-in sessions and positive relationships with familiar adults. They confidently seek out staff for support, reassurance and shared play, benefiting from a small, homely environment where all practitioners know them well.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Staff generally take time to stop, explain behaviour and reinforce expectations. Leaders have established effective partnerships with families and robust procedures to promote good attendance and punctuality, recognising the importance of children attending regularly. However, behaviour management strategies are not yet embedded consistently enough across the whole nursery, which means staff do not always feel confident in using the most effective approaches to support all children, particularly those who need additional support to regulate their behaviour and remain engaged in learning.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children's welfare and wellbeing are prioritised throughout the nursery, particularly within the baby room where staff provide warm, attentive and nurturing care. Babies develop secure attachments from the very beginning and staff know their individual routines, preferences and developmental needs well. Sleep, weaning and feeding routines are implemented with secure procedures that ensure children are comfortable, safe and well cared for.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Generally, children with barriers to learning benefit from familiar routines, sensitive support and calm spaces, including the sensory room, helping them regulate their emotions and engage positively in learning.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Most children develop healthy habits through sociable mealtimes, exploring different foods, staying hydrated and managing their own self-care routines. Children also benefit from regular outdoor play where staff provide opportunities to develop their physical skills through obstacle courses, push bikes and cars. However, further enhancements to the outdoor environment would maximise children's opportunities for physical development and extend learning even further.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff respond sensitively to children's emotional needs and help them recognise and manage their feelings. Warm relationships, secure routines and consistent care help children feel safe, valued and confident throughout their day.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have a clear vision for the curriculum and have broadened children's experiences through forest school, baby sensory sessions, cooking and local visits. Staff generally know what they want children to learn and use children's interests well when planning experiences. Children become familiar with favourite stories, such as a book about a hungry caterpillar before extending their learning by tasting the foods, creating their own caterpillars and confidently retelling the story. Children choose books independently, listen attentively and develop a growing love of reading.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff are positive role models for language and generally extend children's vocabulary through conversations and play. Children confidently describe the 'big bubbles' they have made, while older children create repeating patterns using counters. Babies enjoy exploring sand, ice, shaving foam and different textures that encourage early language and curiosity. They have a well-resourced space where they can select quality resources that interest them. Staff foster children's imagination well and guide their play through quality interactions. For example, they pretend to travel on a bus together and collect sticks, leaves and fir cones during Forest School to create their own artwork.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff know children well and respond warmly to their individual needs, adapting their interactions and support so that all children feel included, valued and able to succeed.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders know their children well and identify barriers to learning at an early stage. They gather detailed starting points, work closely with parents and carers and seek advice from outside professionals where appropriate to help children receive the support they need. Staff generally adapt experiences and routines to meet children's individual needs, helping most children with additional needs or barriers to learning make progress from their starting points. Children benefit from resources such as the sensory room, where they can regulate their emotions, engage in focused activities and return to learning when they are ready. Leaders review children's progress and generally put appropriate support in place to help reduce barriers to learning.

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Inclusion Expected standard

However, targeted support is not always planned or reviewed precisely enough to ensure children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those facing other barriers to learning, consistently receive the individual strategies needed to build on their progress and narrow gaps in their learning.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have a clear vision for the nursery and understand its strengths and the areas they want to continue developing. They are reflective and continually seek ways to improve children's experiences, carefully considering how the curriculum, environment and resources can be enhanced.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff speak positively about the support they receive and benefit from regular supervisions, appraisals, inset days and wellbeing initiatives that help them develop professionally and feel valued. Leaders have created an open culture where staff work well together, communicate effectively and share responsibility for providing consistent care for children.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders place partnerships with parents at the heart of the nursery. Parents speak highly of the warm, homely environment and how confidently children settle, develop independence and transition smoothly through the nursery and on to school.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Robust systems are in place to safeguard children, including secure recruitment procedures and effective risk assessments. Leaders are present in the setting and monitor safety and risk effectively to ensure children remain safe. Overall, leaders have a clear vision for the future of the nursery. However, leaders have not yet provided sufficiently targeted training to further develop staff's knowledge and skills in behaviour management. As a result, staff do not always use consistent strategies to support children's behaviour and engagement in learning.

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Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

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

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Register

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

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

Children are warmly welcomed into this caring, homely nursery where they quickly develop a sense of belonging and security. Children form close relationships with nurturing staff who know them well, value their ideas and ensure they feel safe, listened to and included. Children enjoy learning alongside their friends, confidently joining in with familiar routines, songs and shared experiences that help them build positive relationships and develop social skills. In the morning group time children sing the hello song and learn their friends' names.

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

Families are welcomed as partners and value the caring relationships, consistent communication and support they receive throughout their child's time at the nursery. Children enjoy a broad curriculum and a range of motivating experiences that encourage curiosity, adventure and confidence from using the sensory room to riding the pony in the garden. Children are celebrated every step of the way from babies' wow moments and milestones to older children enthusiastically working together during forest school and collaborative play. Children are encouraged to have a go, use their own ideas and take pride in their achievements.

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

Staff recognise children's individual strengths and support them to thrive while developing their confidence, resilience and positive attitudes needed for future learning.

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

Children develop increasing independence through everyday routines, confidently managing self-care, making healthy choices and helping one another. Generally, children behave positively and make progress from their starting points. All children, including those with barriers to wellbeing and learning are beginning to demonstrate more positive attitudes and

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registration date: 29/08/2025 are well prepared for the next stage of their education through meaningful experiences and warm encouragement.

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Next steps

Leaders should strengthen staff's knowledge and confidence in supporting children's behaviour by providing focused professional development that promotes a consistent approach and high expectations across the nursery. Leaders should continue to develop the outdoor environment so that it provides richer opportunities for sustained child-initiated play, physical development and learning that meets the differing ages, stages and interests of all children. Leaders should strengthen the graduated approach for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities by ensuring targeted strategies and personalised interventions are planned, reviewed and implemented consistently, so that children with barriers to learning continue to make the best possible progress.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke to leaders, managers, practitioners and parents/carers.

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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. Registered person: Little Wonderland Ltd

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About this inspection

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 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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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

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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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