Snowdrop House Montessori Nursery

Snowdrop House Montessori Nursery

Unique reference number (URN): 2876864 Address: Snowdrop House Nursery, Franklands Village, Haywards Heath, RH16 3RS Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 21/11/2025 Registers: EYR Registered person: Happy Days Day Nurseries 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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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children arrive at the nursery ready to learn. They settle quickly and become busy and highly engaged in their play. They show curiosity and sustained focus during activities, such as searching in sand for photos of their peers and experimenting with water. These experiences help to develop positive attitudes to learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. Children are supported to understand the nursery's boundaries through clear explanations and consistent routines. Staff use praise and encouragement to reinforce expectations, helping children to understand what is required of them. Children follow instructions well and respond positively when staff help them to understand the consequences of their actions. For example, staff show children how to roll balls to each other indoors rather than throw them, supporting them to make safe and considerate choices.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Staff adapt their approach to meet the needs of individual children. Children who speak English as an additional language are supported through picture cards and visual cues, helping them to understand routines and expectations. This ensures that all children can participate confidently and feel secure in the environment.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Attendance is monitored closely for all children. Leaders work with parents to help them to understand the importance of consistent routines, supporting children to attend regularly and benefit fully from the learning opportunities on offer.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children are well prepared for their next stage in learning. They develop the skills they need as they move through the nursery, including independence, social skills and communication. These foundations help children feel secure, capable and ready for new challenges when transitioning on to the next room.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children show that they are ready to learn. They listen well to instructions, follow routines and eagerly participate in activities. Children independently choose the materials they want to use, demonstrating autonomy and a growing ability to make decisions about their learning.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children demonstrate resilience in their learning. For example, when building a tower of blocks that should descend in size, children notice when a block is out of order and correct it independently. Children enjoy looking at books and listening to stories. They predict what might happen next and talk about what they see in the illustrations, showing confidence in expressing their ideas. Children develop self-care skills that progress as they move through the age groups. Babies and toddlers learn to feed themselves and make simple choices, while older children wash their hands, wipe their own noses and manage simple routines independently. These skills support children to be ready for their transition on to school.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children are safe, happy and well cared for in this nursery. Staff supervise children well, ensuring they have the support and reassurance they need throughout the day. However, leaders have identified some inconsistencies in staff practice and have put plans in place to strengthen and embed greater consistency across the team, ensuring that procedures are robustly followed. As a result, children benefit from increasingly reliable routines and interactions that promote their wellbeing.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff know the children well and respond to them with respect and sensitivity. Interactions reflect an understanding of children's feelings and preferences. For example, staff ask children before wiping their faces or taking them for nappy changes, helping them to feel secure, respected and involved in their own care.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Sleep routines are well organised. Children are gently soothed to sleep, and staff monitor them regularly to ensure they remain safe and comfortable. The sleep environment is calm, helping children to rest and drift off to sleep. Transitions are managed effectively. When children start at the nursery, they are offered settling-in sessions that are tailored to their needs. As children move through the nursery, staff share information to ensure continuity of care and smooth transitions.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff understand children's individual needs well. Care plans for children with medical needs are shared with relevant staff, ensuring they know what action to take to keep children safe. This careful communication supports children's welfare and ensures that their needs are met.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have a clear understanding of the differences in staff's teaching skills and levels of interaction across the nursery. They have reviewed staffing deployment to ensure there is a balanced mix of strengths in each room. This work is still in its early stages and some staff are continuing to build their confidence and consistency in teaching.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Although staff interactions vary in quality, they generally support children well. For example, staff count with children as they play in the sand, extend children's sentences to model more complex language and help children to learn new vocabulary by breaking tricky words down into syllables. Children enjoy a varied and engaging curriculum, enriched by the nursery's incorporation of Montessori teaching methods. These approaches are woven throughout each day, supporting children to follow their interests, make independent choices and engage in purposeful learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, with barriers to their learning and those known to social care, are supported to engage in activities that help them to progressively learn new skills as they move through the nursery. Staff understand the importance of sequencing learning and provide opportunities for children to build on what they already know and can do.

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Inclusion Expected standard

All children are included in every aspect of the day. Staff know children well and ensure that each child can participate meaningfully in routines, activities and learning experiences. Children who use wheelchairs or standing frames are supported sensitively so they can join in alongside their peers. Staff adapt spaces and resources, ensuring that all children have opportunities for exploration and interaction.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Children with barriers to their learning are supported through high-quality interactions and teaching. Staff build children's communication skills through songs, stories and rhymes, modelling language clearly and providing repeated opportunities for children to listen and respond. Strategies such as now-and-next boards help children to understand routines, manage transitions and develop self-regulation skills.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff use ongoing observations and targeted assessments, particularly for communication and language, to identify when children may need additional help. Where children require more tailored support, leaders work with staff to identify activities that would close gaps in learning. More individualised targeted interventions would further support children to learn and develop the skills they need for their next steps in learning and ensure that support is precisely matched to each child's needs.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Visual cues are placed around the room to help children who speak English as an additional language to communicate their needs. Key words in children's home languages are displayed for staff, enabling them to communicate more effectively with children. As a result of this inclusive practice, all children make steady progress from their starting points and are supported to participate fully.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have evaluated the provision effectively and identified clear areas where practice can be improved. They have developed plans to ensure these improvements take place and although these are in the early stages of implementation, positive development is beginning to become evident across the nursery.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff feel well supported in their roles and their professional development. They report that they have seen improvements in the consistency of policies being applied which has improved teamwork and morale. Leaders provide regular opportunities for staff to share their views through supervisions, making them feel valued within the team.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff access training through an online platform, which helps them to develop their knowledge and keep up to date with early years practice. In addition, leaders offer opportunities for staff to gain professional qualifications and complete specialist training, such as forest school, supporting the development of effective teaching skills across the nursery. These opportunities help staff to strengthen their practice. Communication with parents is managed effectively. Parents share that they receive regular updates about their children's development and feel well informed. When gaps in learning are identified, leaders engage parents to gather relevant information and strategies to support children's progress at home. Leaders work closely with other professionals, such as speech and language therapists and physiotherapists, to ensure that children can participate fully in activities.

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

Children arrive at this welcoming nursery ready to play, greeted by staff who know them well and create a positive start to the day. Children settle quickly, moving confidently towards the wide range of activities on offer. This helps children to become absorbed in purposeful play from the outset.

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

Younger children benefit from nurturing bonds with their key persons, who provide sensitive guidance to help children to play alongside others, develop early social skills and feel reassured as they explore new experiences. Older children demonstrate increasing independence, selecting resources for themselves and engaging in cooperative play with their peers. They show growing confidence in expressing their ideas, negotiating roles and sustaining shared play.

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

Babies benefit from a dedicated garden area where they can safely explore age-appropriate resources and practise their physical skills. Older children choose to climb, run, balance and engage in water play, developing coordination and strength.

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

Children's safety is prioritised through detailed risk assessments that are communicated to staff well. For example, in extremely hot weather, staff ensure that children drink enough water frequently, wear sun hats and apply sun cream. Outdoor play is adapted to ensure there is enough shade and children remain indoors during the hottest parts of the day.

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

A well-planned curriculum underpins children's steady progress. They learn about the people around them, practise sharing and taking turns and develop communication skills through meaningful interactions. Children confidently talk about what they know and staff extend their thinking, encouraging curiosity and the want to learn more.

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Address:

Snowdrop House Nursery Franklands Village Haywards Heath RH16 3RS

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Happy Days Day Nurseries Limited

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Next steps

Leaders should continue to develop the consistency of teaching to further support children to learn and develop. Leaders should further strengthen the implementation of policies and procedures to ensure that all staff effectively support children during their routines.

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About this inspection

The inspectors spoke with leaders, staff, children and parents 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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About this inspection

We carried out this inspection as a result of a risk assessment, following information we received about the provider. The provider will be able to give parents further information about this. Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 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

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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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