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Early years · Report card

The Honey Bee Day Care

Inspected 29 Jun 2026 · URN 2508530

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Summary

No overall grade in this frameworkSafeguarding met

Melissa Cox

What we read, and from where

Click a reading to see it highlighted in the report.

  • Achievement verified

    Needs attention

  • Behaviour, attitudes and routines verified

    Needs attention

  • Children's welfare and wellbeing verified

    Expected standard

  • Curriculum and teaching verified

    Needs attention

  • Inclusion verified

    Needs attention

  • Leadership and governance verified

    Needs attention

  • Framework verified

    Report card

  • Group verified

    Prima Edu Limited

  • Inspection datesingle source

    29 Jun 2026

  • Inspectors verified

    Melissa Cox

  • Postcode verified

    RG1 3PA

  • Name on report verified

    The Honey Bee Day Care

  • Safeguarding verified

    Met

  • URN verified

    2508530

Page 1 of 8
Page 1 of the report

Deep dive

What this report says

In plain English

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Grade profile

Each judgement on its scale, weakest to strongest.

  • AchievementNeeds attention
  • Behaviour, attitudes and routinesNeeds attention
  • Children's welfare and wellbeingExpected
  • Curriculum and teachingNeeds attention
  • InclusionNeeds attention
  • Leadership and governanceNeeds attention

Tone of the report

How positive or critical the inspectors' language is, from the words they chose. No AI involved.

+42Positivemore positive than 17% of reports of this type

In line with other reports of this type.

Praisepositiveeffectivelyconfidentlyconsistentlywarmnurturingsecurefeel safe
Criticismnot consistentlyweaknessesvariablegapsconcernsinconsistentlacknot secure

How the report reads, start to finish

Every paragraph in order, sized by length. Tap one to see it on the page.

FindingsSafeguardingAbout the inspectionLeadershipWhat needs to improve positive critical
  • Findings1266w+49
  • Leadership187w+12
  • Safeguarding51w−11
  • What needs to improve127w−33

Strengths

Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.

Concerns

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Next steps

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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
1,631
about usual (typical 1698)
Reading level
Hard
Flesch 38, typical 43
Average sentence
17 words
Next steps
2
typical 3
Hedged sentences
9%
“some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 63%Leadership 9%Safeguarding 3%What needs to improve 6%About the inspection 19%

Full report text

The Honey Bee Day Care

Unique reference number (URN): 2508530 Address: Tilia Lodge, London Road, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 3PA Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 06/12/2018 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Prima Edu 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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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders ensure a commitment to promoting children's health and welfare. A key strength in the nursery is the warm and nurturing relationships that staff establish with babies and young children. Staff know children well and provide sensitive and responsive care. They take account of individual routines from home, including stages of weaning. This ensures consistency and comfort for babies and young children. When staff identify children's additional health needs, they respond promptly. They ensure a healthcare plan is put in place without delay and staff are briefed quickly so that appropriate support is implemented. As a result, children's health is assured.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders prioritise healthy eating. They provide a wide selection of healthy and balanced meal options that are reflective of children's dietary requirements. Staff make sure that children are offered drinks frequently throughout the day to support their continued positive health. All children relish the opportunity to be outside and be physically active. Staff use planned outings into the local environment to support older children's understanding of how to stay safe beyond the nursery. For example, during a walk in the park, children learn to follow instructions, remain close to adults and consider their own safety when moving through public places.

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Achievement Needs attention

Children's achievement is inconsistent across the nursery. Older children, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, do not make the progress of which they are capable. Some children do not develop sufficient independence or learn to sustain their attention. They find it difficult to follow familiar routines, participate in group activities or manage changes throughout the day. As a result, some children do not consistently develop learning behaviours they need to participate confidently in school life.

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Achievement Needs attention

In contrast, babies and younger children make secure progress, particularly in their communication and language development. These children confidently express their needs, join in conversations and respond enthusiastically to stories, songs and rhymes. They understand and respond well to familiar routines and group expectations, taking turns and following simple instructions. Babies and younger children achieve well and develop a secure foundation of knowledge, skills and behaviours for their future learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

Leaders do not ensure that expectations for behaviour and routines are consistently clear or effectively implemented across the nursery. The lack of consistency means the older children do not understand or follow daily routines well. Transitions between activities are at times disorganised and children are required to wait for extended periods of time. Children struggle to manage this waiting time. This has a negative impact on their behaviour and ability to regulate their emotions overall.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

Predictable routines are well established for younger children. Staff ensure expectations are clear and consistently reinforced, which helps younger children to feel safe, settled and confident. Children respond well to routines. They line up to go outside when asked, readily take turns and enjoy the company of their friends. They develop positive attitudes to learning and show a keenness to try new things. Leaders ensure they monitor children's attendance and work with families to address any patterns in absence.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

Across the nursery, staff are kind and nurturing in their interactions with children. Despite weaknesses in the consistency of practice, particularly for older children, relationships remain positive and caring. Children seek support from familiar adults who place a suitable focus on their emotional wellbeing overall. However, some children find setbacks challenging and do not receive support to develop the resilience needed to persevere or find solutions when difficulties arise. This impacts on their confidence and ability to engage positively in learning when they encounter difficulties.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders do not ensure that the curriculum is implemented consistently through high-quality teaching across the nursery. This results in variability in children's learning experiences. Some staff demonstrate effective knowledge and interact effectively with children. They support children's learning through warm and responsive interactions. However, the support for older children and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is variable. Staff do not fully support all children to build on what they know and can do. This means gaps in children's learning do not close quickly enough.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders have designed a curriculum that broadly sets out what they want children to learn across the nursery. This includes a focus on children's communication and language, physical development and early personal and social skills. Staff in the baby room support early communication effectively. They ensure sensitive responses to children's attempts to communicate. For example, staff encourage early turn-taking and consistently acknowledge children's voices, helping babies to feel heard and understood. This ensures a foundation for children's learning. Toddlers benefit equally from well-planned song time routines. Children participate enthusiastically, shaking instruments in time with the music, showing enjoyment in the activity. Staff provide clear guidance, including signals for when to start and stop. Children respond well to these instructions, demonstrating their ability to listen and follow routines.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders do not ensure that expectations for inclusive practice are implemented consistently across the nursery. Although they have identified children's needs and staff understand the support that many children require, this is not embedded in day-to-day practice. Staff do not consistently adapt their approach to enable all children, including those who are nonverbal, to express their needs, make choices and participate fully in learning. As a result, some children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are not consistently supported to communicate effectively or engage meaningfully in activities.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders do, however, work constructively with parents and carers and external professionals to secure appropriate advice and support. This helps to ensure that children's needs are understood in the context of their families and that appropriate external support is sought when required. Leaders use early years pupil premium and additional funding to reduce barriers to children's learning. This includes the provision of additional resources and coaching that broaden children's experiences and support their physical skills overall.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Staff meet children's additional health needs well. Effective arrangements ensure they are not disadvantaged and can participate safely and confidently in daily routines. However, the quality of support for children's learning is variable and barriers are not reduced quickly enough.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders have a clear understanding of the difficulties faced by some children and recognise that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have experienced delays in their learning and development. They are committed to improving outcomes for all children and work effectively with parents and carers, external agencies and the local authority to secure appropriate advice and guidance to support children's needs. While this is having some impact, it is too soon to see any sustained improvement in outcomes for children with SEND, as a result of leaders' recent action to date.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders, including those in key roles, demonstrate knowledge and confidence, which has a positive impact overall on children's experiences. They ensure an ongoing programme of training that supports staff's knowledge of safeguarding and ensures qualifications such as first aid remain in date. However, overall, leaders do not ensure that a programme of professional development is targeted to address identified variations in staff knowledge and practice. As a result, they do not secure consistent improvement in the quality of practice across the nursery. Staff workload is managed well and regard is given to their wellbeing.

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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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Voluntary Childcare Register requirements

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

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Register

When we check if settings meet the Voluntary 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's experiences at this nursery are variable across age groups and individual needs. Most children are cared for in a safe and supportive environment where they develop positive relationships with staff who know them well. Babies and younger children, in particular, benefit from warm and nurturing interactions that help them to feel secure and confident. However, experiences are less consistent for older children, where weaknesses in routines, expectations and the support provided for their behaviour and learning affect how well they engage in their learning overall.

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

Older children and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are not consistently included in all aspects of nursery life. They do not routinely receive the support and adaptions they need to participate fully. Consequently, children do not experience the same quality of provision or achieve the same outcomes as other children. Despite this, all children generally develop positive relationships with staff and each other.

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

Children's health and welfare are promoted effectively. They receive support to make healthy choices, with access to nutritious food, regular drinks and opportunities to be physically active indoors and outdoors. Toddlers relish opportunities to play outside. They confidently develop their physical skills as they run, kick balls with increasing control and enthusiastically celebrate their achievements with their friends. Babies confidently explore the outdoor area. They show delight in opportunities to crawl through tunnels and discover the environment around them.

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Address:

Tilia Lodge London Road Reading Berkshire RG1 3PA

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Next steps

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

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Action Completion Date

take action to ensure that staff provide targeted support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities based on what they need to learn next, to ensure that gaps in their learning close promptly and they catch up with their peers 01/09/2026

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the provider, staff, the special educational needs coordinator, parents and carers 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. Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR

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About this inspection

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 09:00 - 15:00

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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

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

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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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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