Fir Trees NurseryOfsted report card, 29 Jul 2026

Fir Trees Nursery

Unique reference number (URN): 2853487 Address: 5 Micklefield Road, High Wycombe, HP13 7EJ Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 27/06/2025 Registers: EYR Registered person: Countryside Nurseries (UK) 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 Expected standard

Children typically behave in line with the expectations of the setting. They show positive attitudes towards learning. They enthusiastically engage in the experiences offered to them.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children form warm, trusting relationships with staff who treat them with respect and kindness. Children beam with pride as staff frequently praise them, which promotes positive behaviour. As a result, they are comfortable sharing their experiences or any concerns with staff. Children generally reflect the respectful behaviours modelled to them. This helps them build positive relationships with their peers as they develop their play collaboratively. For example, children listen to each other's ideas and discuss the different roles they will play. They then laugh and squeal with excitement as they chase each other around the garden in a friendly game.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Leaders take active steps to promote the importance of regular attendance and punctuality. In particular, they provide targeted support for children who face barriers to attendance, such as making adaptations to the routines based on individual circumstances.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children know the routines of the day, and typically follow these, often anticipating what is coming next. This provides a predictable structure and supports children to feel secure. They typically understand and follow the behavioural expectations.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders and staff create a welcoming and inclusive environment. Staff respect children's individual circumstances and understand that children develop at different rates. They adapt and adjust the environment and activities to ensure all children can access the same learning.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders and staff identify and respond to children's individual needs. They consider how to reduce barriers to learning and/or well-being. Staff understand the importance of supporting disadvantaged children and work closely with families. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities typically receive appropriate support that has a positive impact on their development. Leaders also provide appropriate support for children who are known, or have previously been known, to children's social care.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders find out key words in children's home language. Staff use this information to help understand what children want or need, but do not consistently consider ways that they can use this to support children's language skills.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders and staff have created an inclusive environment where children are respected, and their individual characteristics are considered. They work with families and external partners to ensure all children can access the same learning and experiences.

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Achievement Needs attention

Children do not always make the progress that they are capable of. This is due to weaknesses in the delivery of the curriculum. They do not consistently develop the knowledge and skills they need across all areas of learning.

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Achievement Needs attention

Children do not consistently have the chance to practice their individual next steps and build upon their current skills. They do not demonstrate that they have acquired the skills and knowledge needed across all areas of learning to ensure that they are well prepared for their next stage of learning. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make suitable progress.

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Achievement Needs attention

Children develop important social skills. They collaborate with others, build positive relationships with staff and peers, and grow in confidence throughout these interactions. Children have access to a broad range of resources and experiences, which help them to develop a variety of skills.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

There are weaknesses in supervision and staff responses to incidents. These weaknesses sometimes have a negative impact on children's welfare and wellbeing. Children are not always supervised closely enough during some activities. This means that they can access resources or make choices that are not safe or healthy without staff noticing quickly enough. For example, children eat play dough and use scissors without effective adult oversight. Children are not consistently taught the skills they need to understand why these choices are unsafe and how to make safer choices. When incidents do occur, staff do not always provide purposeful support to help children understand or learn from the experience. This means that children miss out on important opportunities to develop their understanding of how to keep themselves safe and healthy.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

Leaders have clear expectations and intentions for supporting every child's welfare and wellbeing, and staff know the policies and procedures. However, these are not yet consistently reflected in practice. Leaders recognise that consistent supervision and practice across the staff team is a key priority for improvement.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

Leaders and staff provide an inclusive environment where all children are warmly welcomed, valued and respected. Children develop secure attachments with staff and enjoy the opportunities they are provided with. Staff encourage children to develop their social skills throughout snack and mealtimes. They sometimes provide children with opportunities to develop their independence, though this is inconsistent.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Staff do not always use children's next steps to plan effective ways to support their learning. Leaders and staff accurately identify what each child needs to learn next. However, staff do not consistently offer opportunities to achieve the next steps that have been planned for children. Consequently, children do not develop all the skills they need for their future learning. For example, staff do not always extend children's language skills effectively because they do not focus specifically on children's stage of development in communication and language. Staff know the curriculum intentions, but do not yet consistently translate this into effective teaching. Leaders and staff recognise that children develop at different rates. However, they do not take action to sequence learning in practice so that it is specifically targeted at building upon each child's individual knowledge and skills.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders have appropriate ambitions for the curriculum and generally provide children with a range of experiences and resources to support their learning. They know children well and gather useful information about their starting points. Leaders are resourceful in creating and offering learning opportunities, such as repurposing resources to enrich children's experiences. For example, they use soil in the mud kitchen and logs from cut trees to create a bug garden.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Staff follow children's interests and make reasonable adjustments for children who face barriers to their learning so all children can access the same opportunities.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders do not swiftly identify and address weaknesses in practice. They have not ensured that curriculum intentions, policies and procedures are consistently understood and implemented by all staff. As a result, there are inconsistencies in teaching, supervision and support for children. This affects their learning, progress and welfare. Leaders have not identified these areas as key priorities for improvement through their own evaluation. Leaders have developed positive partnerships with parents and relevant external partners.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders have ambitious intentions for the setting and have appropriate ideas about how the curriculum should support children. They have a broad awareness of strengths and areas for development. They make effective use of available resources. The nominated individual provides support and challenge to help leaders develop their vision and strategy.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Staff feel well supported and that their workload is manageable. Leaders promote the importance of staff's professional learning and wellbeing. They work with staff to identify broad professional targets for them to work towards and provide professional learning opportunities to meet their goals.

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

Children are not typically given every opportunity to extend their vocabulary, thinking and understanding because staff use repeated phrases rather than introducing new words, ideas and information. Children are not always supervised closely enough. At times, children use resources without effective adult oversight. Leaders recognise this as an important priority for improvement. Children's experiences are not always consistent. For example, at some meal and snack times, children are encouraged to serve themselves. At other times, staff do not offer children the opportunity to be independent. For example, by feeding babies who are able to feed themselves.

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

Children form positive relationships with staff and their peers. They are confident and know that their voices are heard and valued. Children benefit from caring staff who show a genuine curiosity in children's interests. They become engaged in activities alongside children. Children are warmly welcomed, settle well and know what to expect from familiar routines. They eagerly participate in a range of enjoyable experiences. For example, in the mud kitchen, children mix ingredients, use their imagination and build on each other's ideas. They enjoy riding the bikes around the outdoor area, scooping and pouring water, and exploring a range of sensory experiences.

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

Children typically understand and follow familiar routines and enjoy playing alongside others. They collaborate and support each other's play. Typically, their behaviour is aligned with leaders' and staff expectations. Children are sometimes encouraged to make healthy choices and develop their independence by staff.

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

Children are happy, settled and enjoy many positive experiences. They benefit from caring, enthusiastic staff in a welcoming environment. However, greater consistency in teaching and supervision would help children to securely learn, develop and achieve.

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Next steps

To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage the provider must take the following actions by the assigned date:

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Action Completion Date

ensure that staff supervise children appropriately at all times throughout the day 28/08/2026

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Action Completion Date

ensure that staff effectively implement the curriculum and planning intentions 29/01/2027

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Action Completion Date

ensure that there are effective arrangements for supervision of leaders and staff to provide support, coaching and training to ensure that children receive quality learning and development experiences 29/01/2027

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Address:

5 Micklefield Road High Wycombe HP13 7EJ

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Countryside Nurseries (UK) Limited

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Address:

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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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, the special educational needs coordinator, the designated safeguarding lead, 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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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

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

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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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