Daisy Chain Children's NurseryOfsted report card, 24 Sept 2026

Daisy Chain Children's Nursery

Unique reference number (URN): 2835341 Address: Units 8-9, Swan Yard, Whetstone, Leicestershire, LE8 6LQ Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 20/03/2025 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Mrs Amanda Donkin & Mr Ian Donkin Partnership

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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 effective communicators who use signs, gestures and words to share their interests and needs. Babies express how much they love books as they smile and chuckle during stories. They snuggle up with staff and babble while they look at the illustrations together. Babies delight in joining in with actions for songs, sway to the tunes and bang instruments, such as drums, to accompany them. Children across the age groups develop impressive communication and language and early literacy skills. They make free choices in their play and are wholly engaged and excited during their learning. For example, they recall recent experiences while baking. They use these recollections in their role play as they mix natural ingredients, soil and water to create pretend meals for each other.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children delight in drawing circles with chalk on the ground and making marks with water and brushes. They confidently pour water from jugs and fill buckets with sand. This helps them to develop their muscle strength and fine motor control. Children gain a wealth of skills for future learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Leaders are committed to creating a nursery community where children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or who face other barriers to learning, and staff, develop as happy and capable individuals. Leaders and staff ensure that all children and families benefit from trusting, caring relationships. They have high expectations for children's behaviour across the nursery, including using polite manners. Staff help children to understand the impact of their actions on others. They are positive role models who demonstrate respect for children, each other, and the environment in the nursery and the wider community.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children mirror the strong values shown by leaders and staff. These are embedded at the nursery from babyhood onwards. Children confidently follow clear routines which staff adapt to encompass everybody, whatever their needs. For example, staff help toddlers to recognise their sleep mats by attaching their photographs to them. Children help their friends with tasks, such as tidying up resources, showing a strong sense of belonging. They wait patiently and calmly when needed, for example, after washing their hands ready for lunch. Staff offer plenty of specific praise for children's efforts which encourages them to continue to 'have a go' during activities and routines.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Leaders promote good attendance so that children benefit fully from their time at the nursery. Their effective communication with parents ensures that they have a shared understanding of the importance of good attendance. This helps children to develop positive attitudes to learning in readiness for the next stage of their learning.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders prioritise supporting the emotional wellbeing of children and staff. They provide opportunities for babies and children to manage their feelings and remain relaxed. These include practising simple yoga moves and strategies for self-regulating. Babies and children spontaneously embrace staff when seeking comfort and reassurance which helps them to feel secure. The key worker role is firmly established. Attentive staff who look after babies know about different ways to soothe them. For older children, they focus on building self- esteem and independence to promote their self-care skills, including toileting.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders ensure balanced, inviting meals meet appropriate guidance for all age groups. Children draw their favourite foods on paper plates. This is an example of the opportunities staff provide for children to discuss making healthy choices. Furthermore, their views help to inform new menus, showing that children's voices are heard. Staff closely supervise babies and children while eating. They follow robust procedures regarding allergens and avoiding choking hazards. Children learn about oral health. For example, children practise brushing the teeth of dinosaur models. They talk with staff about why clean teeth are important. Children follow good hygiene procedures, such as wiping their noses and washing their hands.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children benefit from fresh air and vigorous exercise daily. Staff promote children's physical development, for example, encouraging babies to become mobile by placing toys just out of reach. They rigorously implement safe sleeping policies, including frequent checks during naps.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders and staff provide an ambitious curriculum that is thoughtfully tailored to meet each child's recognised needs and interests across the areas of learning. There is a consistently high quality of teaching across all age groups. Staff know when to intervene and when to stand back and observe. They understand the impact of positive, and appropriately adapted, interactions with children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with other barriers to learning. For instance, staff demonstrate skilful questioning to engage all children and encourage their creative thinking. They use simple questions, such as 'More?' while babies turn the pages of books about animals. Staff ask what sounds animals make, giving children plenty of time to think and respond. They involve older children in predicting what will happen next, such as when they add soil to water while 'cooking' in the outdoor kitchen.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Staff listen to children's thoughts and ideas carefully and use these to extend conversations. They introduce new words and repeat these clearly for babies and younger children. They playfully take part in older children's role play, introducing rich vocabulary and mathematical language. Staff ensure that all children access the curriculum and make significant progress from their starting points.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders ensure that the nursery is highly inclusive. Every child, and every adult, is valued for their unique qualities. Staff get to know children and families extremely well from the onset. They identify children's support needs rapidly, such as through exchanges of detailed information with parents and other professionals, and their own careful observations. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those with other barriers to their learning, are supported to take part in routines and activities to the fullest. For example, staff use signs for 'please', 'thank you' and 'more' with babies. They sing while carrying out tasks, such as tidying away resources, which helps young children to understand and remember what to do. Staff use gestures and simple language to help young children to participate fully. Children who are non-verbal point to pictures on a

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Inclusion Strong standard

lanyard to indicate their needs, such as toileting. Staff present objects, for example, nappies to explain to babies and toddlers what will happen next.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders are extremely proactive and effective in securing interventions for children with SEND. They support families tirelessly to secure the help and support that they need. They are committed to ensuring the best possible outcomes for each child. Leaders ensure staff monitor children's progress, including those with SEND, very carefully, so that they continue to make necessary adaptations that meet their changing needs. They welcome advice and guidance from other agencies and apply this to everyday staff practice.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders are passionate and determined to provide the very best care and learning opportunities for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) or those with other barriers to their learning. There is a culture of continuous reflection which supports the achievement of these aspirations at the nursery. Leaders value the individual strengths of staff. For example, staff are encouraged to use their skills and interests, such as providing baking activities with children, teaching them yoga moves or researching ways to support children with SEND. Leaders provide high levels of care for staff wellbeing in recognition of their importance to the nursery community. In addition, the targeted professional development programme enables staff to gain knowledge and skills that benefit children in their care. This includes through induction for new staff and ongoing mentoring and peer observations, as well as training courses.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders are proud of the partnership working that is firmly embedded with parents and with other agencies. This helps to support a continuity of approach to children's care and education. Parents comment that communication between staff and themselves is highly informative about children's experiences and progress. Their contributions about home life help inform staff planning to individualise learning for each child. Leaders and staff are immensely proud of the significant difference they are making for children and their families.

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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

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face other barriers to learning, settle quickly to their play. They thrive in the welcoming and nurturing nursery. Babies and children demonstrate that they feel part of the nursery community where they consistently experience kindness and consideration from staff and each other. One example of this is, when children collect water to mix with soil, they ask their friends to give them a hand to turn the tap. Children are eager to help each other. They benefit from consistently positive interactions and bonds with staff who know them very well.

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About this setting

Unique reference number (URN): 2835341 Babies help to hand out beakers of water to their friends. Babies and children seek out staff for cuddles and reassurance and to share what they have discovered while they explore a wealth of exciting, age-appropriate resources. Children's exemplary behaviour reflects the high standards of staff, who give gentle reminders of their expectations when required. Children take a lead in their learning, choosing what interests them. For instance, they delight in imaginative play, such as when they pretend to be pirates and sail away on adventures.

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About this setting

Babies and children benefit from a broad curriculum that includes new, exciting experiences in the community around them, such as taking bus trips for the first time. Some examples of other outings include visits to dental surgeries, churches, parks, libraries and residential homes where they explore the wider world. Children plant flowers, fruits and vegetables in the garden area and a local allotment. Their efforts in watering and tending the plants help them to understand about how these grow. They discover where food comes from. Children taste the ingredients during baking sessions and in their home-cooked, nutritional meals. The nursery is committed to a wide range of environmentally friendly activities, such as safely picking up litter. Children learn about the dangers to animals when rubbish is left in the natural environment.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure continued improvement in the setting's successful work to remove barriers for children who need extra help to realise a transformational impact on all children's achievement and wellbeing.

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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 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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Address:

Units 8-9 Swan Yard Whetstone Leicestershire LE8 6LQ

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Mrs Amanda Donkin & Mr Ian Donkin Partnership

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:45 - 17:45

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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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