Strawberry Fields Nursery

Strawberry Fields Nursery

Unique reference number (URN): 2837644 Address: 24 Grange Park Road, London, E10 5EP Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 19/03/2025 Registers: EYR Registered person: Strawberry Fields 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 Expected standard

Most children form warm, trusting relationships with staff and their peers. They enthusiastically participate in group singing and dancing activities. The youngest children step forward with confidence to choose a musical instrument or colourful handkerchief and dance to the music. Children listen well and follow instructions, such as putting resources away before moving on to the next activity. They swiftly inform an adult if they notice a broken toy on the floor. Overall, children learn to respect their environment and are mindful of risks to safety.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children demonstrate age-appropriate levels of independence in eating and self-care. Older children use a knife and fork to eat their lunch, supporting their readiness for school. All children move around the nursery with ease, and early walkers begin to take first steps to keenly keep up with older peers. Children thoroughly enjoy group reading sessions, using resources and expressive visual actions to bring the stories to life. They repeat phrases and key words with enthusiasm. Younger children are equally excited by the reactions of their older peers as they are by the story itself.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children are generally supported well to develop positive attitudes to learning and to engage confidently with both indoor and outdoor activities. They mostly move smoothly between tasks and demonstrate sustained independent play. Staff's calm, gentle and kind approach helps children feel safe, secure and ready to learn. Children show kindness towards one another and enjoy playing cooperatively. Staff typically understand children's individual preferences and adapt routines accordingly. For instance, children who do not wish to sleep at nursery are offered alternative engaging activities, such as spending time in the garden. As a result, children benefit from learning both independently and within group activities.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Incidents of poor behaviour are generally managed well. Staff teach children the consequences of their actions. For example, when children step on toys, they are promptly reminded that the toys may break. Staff recognise when children are feeling anxious and respond swiftly, offering appropriate distractions that help them regulate and continue positively with their day. Overall, children participate well in planned activities. However, on occasion, some children are not consistently supported to remain focused, which limits deeper involvement and learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Leaders have established a culture of punctuality and regular attendance. Daily attendance is closely monitored, and parents and carers understand the expectations for reporting absence or late arrival. Staff contact parents promptly if they have not notified the setting of their child's absence.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff greet children warmly each morning, creating a calm and welcoming start to the day. Their flexible and sensitive approach means that even children who feel emotional when separating from their parents and carers settle quickly. As a result, parents feel reassured that their children are safe, cared for and well supported. Staff use visual aids effectively to help children understand daily routines and to express their emotions when they feel upset. This is particularly beneficial for younger children and those who face additional learning barriers. Leaders promote regular attendance and work closely with parents to emphasise the importance of consistent routines for children's learning and future success. The positive impact of this approach is evident in the progress made by children with additional needs and those who face other barriers.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff manage allergens and dietary requirements through clear procedures, including the use of separate utensils and clear labelling to help when serving meals. All staff demonstrate secure knowledge of children's individual dietary needs, ensuring they remain safe. Staff sit strategically among children at mealtimes to maintain close supervision. Children are mostly supervised well to self-serve their food and drink, although the level of oversight varies at times. Older children develop school readiness skills by using a knife and fork to eat their lunch, while younger children practise eating independently with a spoon. Staff remind children about choking hazards and encourage them to take small bites. Sleep routines are managed safely and consistently, with all staff adhering to clear procedures to keep children safe during rest times.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have thoughtfully designed a curriculum, selecting a carefully considered topic each term. This helps guide staff in planning the environment and engaging activities. For example, the topic 'all about me' has led staff to create an effective sequence of routines and activities to support children with toilet training. They use dolls and potties to model toileting for new starters, while providing more advanced creative experiences that teach older children about self-care skills. As a result, children sustain their interest in developing independence and are well prepared for their transition to school. However, recent staff changes mean that not all staff know their key children's developmental needs well enough to plan focused, purposeful experiences. This reduces the consistency and impact of some teaching and learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Expressive vocabulary and mathematical language are seamlessly embedded within planned activities and daily routines. During a cutting activity using coloured spaghetti, children choose whether they want to create 'long' or 'short', 'wavy' or 'straight' hair. This helps them make meaningful connections to real-life experiences and prompts rich conversation about what happens to cut hair. Staff demonstrate creativity in their planning. However, they are not consistently clear about how activities link to their key children's next steps in learning. The outdoor curriculum meets the age-specific needs of all children. Children engage for extended periods in the outdoor play kitchen, pretending to bake, gathering ingredients and using imaginative language such as 'mixer' to describe preparing their mixture. Staff typically extend learning purposefully by suggesting different flavourings children could add, deepening children's understanding and creativity.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders have secure knowledge of assessing children's emerging needs and are proactive in working with external professionals to ensure they receive timely and appropriate support. Parents and carers express genuine appreciation for the guidance they receive and frequently highlight the progress they observe at home since their children joined the nursery. Children who speak English as an additional language are supported effectively to develop key vocabulary that helps them settle and begin their learning journey. All staff wear lanyards displaying keywords and visual cues to represent daily routines and basic phrases that children can use to express their needs. Most staff use this inclusive strategy consistently, which typically helps children feel secure and understand what to expect throughout the day.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders design a curriculum that celebrates cultural diversity and promotes children's understanding of British values. Staff plan activities that encourage children to recognise similarities and differences through self-reflection, such as looking in the mirror and discussing variations in skin tone. However, some staff are more confident than others in extending these concepts in meaningful ways, which reduces their overall learning impact for all children. The nursery organises events where parents are invited to share how they celebrate cultural festivals at home. Parents' feedback highlights their children's growing enthusiasm for a wider range of foods, such as chicken curry, since joining the setting. As a result, children develop mutual respect and tolerance for one another and demonstrate polite, kind behaviour.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The nursery has experienced challenges in recruiting staff, which has created uncertainty about its future. Parents and carers are aware of the difficulties the setting faces but praise the positive changes introduced in recent months. With the addition of new management and room staff, the beginnings of greater stability have been noted. Leaders actively seek the views of parents and staff to identify the nursery's strengths and some areas for development. They have planned a series of actions, including additional professional development for the whole team, to address some identified weaknesses.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders prioritise providing high-quality care and learning for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those facing other barriers to learning. Parents and carers are particularly complimentary about the progress their children have made, especially children with SEND and those who speak English as an additional language. However, parents are not always aware of their children's next steps for development, and communication from staff and leaders is not always clear.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders prioritise staff wellbeing and have made progress in helping staff manage their workload while identifying areas for individual professional development. Regular staff meetings and supervision have raised morale, and staff describe feeling part of a supportive team. All staff have completed a series of training sessions on recent changes to statutory early years guidance. However, some weaknesses in practice remain, particularly in setting clear next steps for key children and communicating these effectively to parents to support learning at home.

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

Children arrive happily and separate from their parents and carers well, including those who experience separation anxiety. Warm, caring staff provide sensitive support and remain flexible, allowing parents to accompany children into the nursery when additional reassurance is needed. Children understand the familiar routine of hanging their bag on their peg and removing their shoes before entering. The day begins with breakfast, where children choose toast or cereal. Staff are deployed thoughtfully around the breakfast table and wider room to engage children who prefer to play before eating. This free-flow start enables children to relax and choose when they are ready for breakfast and for play. Children remain calm and move smoothly between activities.

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

Mixed-age interactions are common, particularly during mealtimes and shared activities, helping children build secure relationships and make confident use of the learning environment. For instance, even the youngest children navigate confidently among older children to choose a musical instrument during adult-led activities. Children develop an early love of reading, supported by enthusiastic staff who bring stories to life through resources and expressive storytelling. Staff extend children's vocabulary and embed mathematical language seamlessly. Children know familiar books well and begin to successfully predict what will happen next. They also enjoy looking at books independently in the cosy area for sustained periods. Children engage positively in group activities and independent play. They use the outdoor play area, which is well resourced with equipment that stretches children's physical skills. They also develop their imagination in an outdoor play kitchen, pretending to

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

Attendance is closely monitored, and parents are typically encouraged to maintain consistent routines to build a solid foundation for learning. The 2-year progress checks are completed and leaders work effectively with parents to identify emerging needs and secure early support. As a result, children with specific needs make steady progress at home and the nursery. To support school transitions, children are taken to schools to develop familiarity. Children also receive visits from school teachers in the nursery to get to know them better prior to starting. This helps children to have smooth transitions to their new setting.

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Strawberry Fields Nursery Limited

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:15

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Address:

Local authority: London Borough of Waltham Forest

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure all staff have a thorough understanding of using planned activities to address children's next steps in learning. Leaders should ensure staff communicate children's next steps with parents and carers to extend learning at home for a greater impact on their development. Leaders should strengthen the key-person system to enhance consistency of care and learning for all children.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, children, parents and carers 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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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. 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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