Epsom Downs Day Nursery

Epsom Downs Day Nursery

Unique reference number (URN): 2841513 Address: Epsom Downs Primary School & Childrens Centre, St. Leonards Road, Epsom, KT18 5RJ Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 06/05/2025 Registers: EYR Registered person: Epsom Downs Day Nursery 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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Achievement Strong standard

Children are making significant progress in their development from their initial starting points. They demonstrate a high level of independence and tackle tasks with enthusiasm. The children are happy and sociable, engaging in cooperative play with their peers. They thrive in a language-rich environment, effectively using visual aids alongside staff to communicate their needs, which is particularly beneficial for those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those facing barriers to learning.

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Achievement Strong standard

The children exhibit a firm sense of independence and are confident in managing their personal hygiene. They understand the importance of washing their hands before meals and use mirrors to check that their faces are clean after eating. During mealtimes, they enjoy serving themselves and are learning to make healthy food choices, gaining an understanding of which foods can aid their growth. This awareness is supporting their ability to lead a healthy lifestyle. As a result, children are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Staff teach children the values of kindness and respect. Through daily activities, they are encouraged to collaborate and play together, sharing resources and demonstrating consideration for their peers. Staff act as positive role models, providing praise for accomplishments and good manners. Consequently, children exhibit excellent behaviour, creating a calm and harmonious environment. Staff encourage children to persevere with tasks and acknowledge their achievements. For example, children concentrate on filling a bucket with sand, and staff celebrate when they successfully make a sandcastle. This helps to motivate children and develop a positive attitude towards learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The staff maintain secure relationships with parents and establish consistent routines. Leaders prioritise and monitor attendance to ensure that children are safe and benefit from the educational opportunities available to them. Staff provide enriching activities and new experiences designed to enhance children's life skills. For instance, children have the chance to help at the school farm, where they learn to care for living things and treat animals with kindness. Staff use visual prompts to help children follow the daily routine and understand what activity will happen next. This approach is particularly beneficial for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities as it helps them move smoothly to their next activity.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Staff prioritise children's welfare and wellbeing. There is an emphasis on fostering independence and helping children develop personal hygiene skills, such as handwashing and toileting. Staff show children how to apply sun cream before going outside. They encourage them to wear hats and drink water to stay hydrated. Consequently, children acquire self-care skills and learn how to stay safe during hot weather. Staff implement robust systems to ensure children have the correct food at mealtimes. This includes following charts that indicate children's allergies and intolerances. As a result, children consume the right food and remain safe.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Staff have established secure connections with the children and their families. Their partnerships with parents are highly effective, with a focus on building these relationships from the outset. For instance, staff gather pertinent information prior to children starting to ensure appropriate support is in place, whether through routine settling sessions or targeted assistance for those who require it. This practice ensures that disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, children known to social care and those facing barriers to learning and wellbeing can settle in successfully. Leaders provide regular newsletters and staff share valuable information with parents, such as tips on limiting screen time and guidelines for keeping children safe online. This contributes to a protective environment where children are safe and flourish.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Staff provide an ambitious curriculum that encompasses the 7 areas of learning and follows children's interests. Staff carry out assessments to find out what children already know and what they need to learn next. They expertly organise learning to support each child's age and stage of development. Staff adapt activities to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, enabling them to progress and succeed. A variety of outdoor activities are offered to enhance children's physical skills and promote adventurous play, such as using a rope swing and climbing a mound. There is a focus on developing communication and language throughout the setting, especially since many children require additional support in these areas.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Children are taught the values of kindness and ethics. The on-site farm allows them to practise these values by caring for the animals and assisting with feeding and collecting eggs. This helps them develop an understanding of the living world. Staff use resources such as mirrors to help children observe their expressions and talk about their feelings. Mathematics is woven into various activities and play. For example, staff count objects and use descriptive language, including terms like big, more and less, as children fill a wheelbarrow with wet sand. Staff use a range of resources to help children understand differences as well as the various cultures represented within the setting. Consequently, children have ample opportunities to make significant progress across the curriculum. Staff prepare children extremely well for the next stage of their education.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Staff have high expectations for all children, fostering a culture of inclusion and actively working to eliminate barriers to learning. They are committed to never turning a child away, consistently seeking ways to ensure every child is included by making the necessary adjustments. This commitment enables all children to have the opportunity to achieve and progress effectively. Additional funding, including early years pupil premium, is utilised to provide extra resources, enrichment activities and experiences that support children's learning and wellbeing. This includes forest school sessions, bus trips and library visits, all of which offer new opportunities for learning and development. There is a commitment that every child will benefit from these experiences.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Through a comprehensive cycle of observations and assessments, staff quickly identify children who may require additional support. They promptly implement plans to address any gaps in their learning to help children catch up. For example, they use a tool to assess and monitor children's speech development, gathering evidence for targeted help. Staff collaborate closely with other professionals and employ highly effective strategies to facilitate children's progress and achievement. By establishing secure relationships with children and their families, staff gain a deeper understanding of individual needs, allowing them to create effective plans to support progress and achievement. This approach ensures that disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who are known or previously known to children's social care, as well as those facing barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing feel safe and develop a firm sense of belonging.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders are passionate about their role and inspire the team to deliver high-quality care, enabling children to flourish and thrive. The day nursery is set within a vibrant school community and benefits from access to various on-site facilities, such as a mini farm, forest school and a music room. These resources offer children enriching experiences that enhance their understanding of the world. For instance, children thoroughly enjoy exploring the forest and collecting eggs from the farm.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders have robust policies in place and provide staff with high levels of support. Staff are committed to their professional development and regularly attend training that enhances their focus on the curriculum. This includes learning sign language to support children's communication skills. Leaders are highly reflective and constantly evaluate their practice and review the learning environment to identify areas for improvement. As a result, the sensory room, foyer and sleeping area have been renovated, and plans to enhance the outdoor toddler area have been approved. These initiatives contribute to creating a wonderful environment for children to explore and learn. Leaders also focus on reducing staff workload, enabling them to concentrate on engaging with the children. Staff wellbeing is supported well, with spaces provided for comfortable working and relaxation during breaktimes. Parents provide positive feedback regarding the warm welcome and support

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

they receive from all the staff in the setting.

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

Nurturing children's wellbeing is at the heart of the nursery curriculum. Children flourish and thrive, learning the skills they will need for the next stage of their education. Children have a wealth of opportunities to practise and refine skills to become confident, independent learners. For example, children use tongs to serve food, which helps to strengthen their hand muscles in preparation for future writing tasks. Children enjoy having the opportunity to make choices, such as selecting activities and choosing the foods they wish to eat during mealtimes. This helps to develop children's decision-making and problem-solving skills.

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

Children are building positive relationships and playing cooperatively with their friends while engaging in role-play games. They kindly share resources and wait to take their turn during group games, demonstrating their emotional awareness. Additionally, children are active and enjoy engaging in physical activities such as climbing on equipment and swinging on a rope. Children have a positive attitude towards learning and are keen to join in with activities. For example, they relish painting using a variety of tools to create their masterpieces. Children persevere at tasks, such as rebuilding a tower when it falls over, which helps to develop their resilience. Children delight in listening to stories, enthusiastically participating by copying actions and repeating familiar phrases. They benefit from taking books home to share with their parents, fostering a love for reading that supports their early literacy

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

Children have secure attachments with their key workers, which particularly benefits disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, children who are known or previously known to children's social care, and those who may face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing. This solid foundation helps children settle in and feel safe and ensures their individual needs are met. Effective systems are in place to monitor and promote attendance, ensuring that children are safe and can fully benefit from the enriching educational experiences available to them.

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Next steps

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure continued improvement in the setting's successful work to deliver high standards and enriching experiences that will have a transformational impact on all children.

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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

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Address:

Epsom Downs Primary School & Childrens Centre St. Leonards Road Epsom KT18 5RJ

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Epsom Downs Day Nursery Limited

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:45 - 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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1 to 4

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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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

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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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