Ivy House TotsOfsted report card, 15 Sept 2026

Ivy House Tots

Unique reference number (URN): 2797259 Address: 69, St. Mary Graces Court, Cartwright Street, London, E1 8NB Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 23/07/2024 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Ivy House Tots 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 achieve well across all areas of learning and development. They build essential knowledge and skills through a curriculum that is carefully organised and rich in opportunities for exploration, talk and purposeful play. Younger children develop confidence, independence and early communication through sensory experiences, shared stories and warm interactions with staff. Older children show growing readiness for school as they practise early phonics, mark making and mathematical ideas in meaningful contexts. Children sustain concentration in activities, such as construction, creative work and play dough. They demonstrate problem-solving, persistence and pride in what they produce.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children revisit familiar stories and songs during group times. This helps them remember and apply what they have learned. Children who speak English as an additional language and those with emerging speech and language needs develop increasing confidence in communicating with others and expressing their ideas. All children, whatever their starting points, make purposeful progress because they are included, encouraged and supported to participate fully in the setting's daily life.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Leaders think carefully about how behaviour, attitudes and routines support children's wellbeing and learning. They set clear expectations for calm, respectful conduct and model these consistently. Daily structures, such as morning carpet time, the register, days of the week and weather discussions, give children a predictable start to the day. This helps them understand what will happen next. Leaders review routines regularly so that they work for the current group of children, including those who are new or still settling.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Relationships between staff and children are warm, trusting and respectful. Adults greet children kindly, offer reassurance when they are upset and celebrate their efforts. This helps children feel secure enough to explore, join in and take part in group activities. Staff notice when children need extra support and respond sensitively. For example, they allow parents and carers to stay for settling-in sessions and adapt expectations for children, who are new to the setting.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children show positive attitudes to learning. They engage for sustained periods in activities, listen during group times and move around the room calmly. Leaders promote the importance of attendance. They follow up absences promptly and offer home visits where needed. This ensures families understand the impact of regular attendance on their child's progress. Approaches to behaviour and routines are inclusive. Staff adjust support so that younger children, those with emerging needs and those who are anxious about separating from parents can participate fully and feel part of the group.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children's wellbeing is promoted effectively through a combination of physical activity, healthy lifestyle education and emotional support. Children enjoy daily access to outdoor experiences, including regular visits to the local park, helping them develop confidence, coordination and physical stamina. Leaders actively engage families in promoting healthy habits through parent workshops and guidance around nutrition.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children are developing a secure understanding of their feelings and emotions. They talk confidently about being happy, angry or worried and make connections between their learning and real-life experiences. As a result, children demonstrate high levels of wellbeing, feel safe and secure and are well supported to develop healthy lifestyles and positive emotional health.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders have a clear vision for what they want children to know and be able to do, and they use this to shape a coherent curriculum. They plan themes for the term ahead and refine weekly plans to reflect the needs and interests of children in the setting. This means that activities are purposeful rather than incidental, and staff understand how daily experiences build towards children's next steps, including starting school.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The curriculum is thoughtfully designed to cover all areas of learning. Indoors, children access a wide range of well-organised spaces, including creative, sensory, construction, early phonics, mathematics and role play. Resources and displays are carefully chosen to promote language, thinking and independence. Group times are used well to revisit stories, songs and key concepts. This helps children to remember and apply what they have learned. Teaching is consistently attentive and responsive. Staff model language, ask open questions and narrate play to extend children's ideas. They demonstrate and scaffold new skills, such as measuring ingredients for play dough, or using tools in the water and sand areas. This allows children time to practise and experiment.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The curriculum is inclusive. Leaders adapt activities and routines so that younger children, those new to the setting and those with emerging needs can participate fully. This is evident in the sensitive support provided for new children during settling sessions and in the way visual prompts, practical demonstrations and adult scaffolding enable all children to access learning alongside their peers. Staff respond flexibly to children's individual circumstances while maintaining high expectations for engagement and participation.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders place children's individual needs at the centre of their work. They identify emerging needs promptly through careful observation, baseline assessments and ongoing dialogue with parents and carers. When concerns arise, leaders gather information systematically and plan appropriately to ensure children receive the right support at the right time. This approach reduces barriers early and helps children make purposeful progress from their starting points. Leaders understand the needs of disadvantaged children well. They use early years pupil premium funding thoughtfully. They direct it towards additional staffing, language-rich resources and staff training that strengthens communication and interaction. They monitor the difference this makes and adjust their approaches so that children benefit from targeted support that reflects their circumstances. Although no children currently receive special

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Inclusion Strong standard

educational needs and/or disabilities support, leaders are alert to emerging needs. They work closely with families, advise on referrals and adapt daily routines to ensure children can participate fully. Leaders draw on external guidance, when needed, and are developing staff confidence further through specialist training. Children from all backgrounds are welcomed, included and supported to flourish. Leaders' inclusive culture ensures that every child experiences a sense of belonging and is able to participate confidently in all aspects of the setting.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders have established a clear and purposeful direction for the setting. The recent change in leadership has brought renewed focus to evaluating practice, strengthening systems and ensuring that children's experiences remain central to decision-making. Leaders work closely together, using their combined expertise to review provision, identify priorities and plan improvements that are realistic and well considered. This strategic approach is evident in the development of the curriculum, the focus on inclusion and ongoing developments to the outdoor area.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Governance arrangements are effective. Leaders have introduced tools that support oversight, such as a digital system for recording concerns and incidents, which enables patterns to be identified and acted upon promptly. Regular supervision, termly planning meetings and annual appraisals help leaders maintain a clear view of staff performance and professional needs. Staff describe a supportive culture, where their wellbeing is valued and workload is manageable. Leaders adjust expectations when needed. They ensure that staff have access to relevant training, including specialist courses that strengthen communication and early language practice.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Professional learning is purposeful. Leaders use a skills matrix to identify areas for development and tailor training accordingly. They work collaboratively with other provisions that the proprietor owns to plan themes and share ideas. They adapt weekly plans to reflect the needs of children in this community. Parents and carers speak positively about the setting's communication and the support they receive. Leaders' engagement with families, including workshops and home visits, helps build trust. This ensures that children's experiences are understood in the context of their home lives and community.

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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 experience a nurturing, language-rich environment, where they feel safe, valued and eager to learn. They arrive to warm greetings and calm routines that help them settle quickly. This includes highly flexible arrangements for new starters. Children show deep trust in staff. They confidently seek comfort, when needed, and quickly return to play. This secure sense of security enables them to explore the environment with curiosity and independence. Children enjoy a thoughtfully planned curriculum that offers rich opportunities to develop knowledge and skills across all areas of learning. They sustain concentration in activities,

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About this setting

Unique reference number (URN): 2797259 such as play dough making, creative work, sensory exploration and construction, and show pride in their achievements. Older children demonstrate readiness for school through early phonics, mark making and mathematical reasoning. Younger children build secure foundations in communication, social interaction and emotional understanding. Vocabulary is embedded throughout the provision and children use new words purposefully in their play.

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About this setting

Children learn alongside their peers remarkably well. They collaborate, share resources, support one another and model positive behaviour and kindness. Staff interactions are consistently warm, skilled and intentional. Adults extend children's thinking. They encourage problem-solving and sensitively guide turn-taking. Children's uniqueness is celebrated, and they are encouraged to express their feelings, ideas and cultural identities through play and conversation. Children thrive because routines are well established and behaviour expectations are clear. They move calmly around the room, follow instructions confidently and show high levels of engagement. Outdoor learning further promotes resilience, physical development and enjoyment. Children and families feel a secure sense of belonging. Parents and carers speak highly of communication, support and the progress their children make. Children benefit from an inclusive culture, where barriers to learning are identified

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About this setting

early and addressed swiftly. This enables all children to flourish.

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Next steps

Leaders should continue to develop the outdoor learning environment so that children can consistently access the same breadth and depth of learning outdoors as they do indoors.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the proprietor, manager, staff 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

The setting has a new proprietor since May 2026.

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Address:

St. Mary Graces Court Cartwright Street London E1 8NB

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Ivy House Tots Limited

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:30 - 15:45

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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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