N Family Club Bushey: Read the full Ofsted report

N Family Club, based at 73 Bushey Hall Road, opened in summer 2023 and received plenty of praise from the education watchdog after last month's visit.

It was rated 'good' in all categories, in what was one of the area's first inspections under the new system where 'single-word' Ofsted ratings were scrapped. 

Schools are now given a judgement in five categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management and early years provision.

Bushey N Family Club Nursery (Image: Bushey N Family Club) Nursery manager Sara Fleischer told the Watford Observer that she is "so proud" of the report, describing it as "a testimony to the commitment" of her staff.

Read the full report below:

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff have a strong knowledge of the children they work with. Bonds between children and their key person are kind and warm. Staff support children's needs extremely well and show high levels of respect to children.

Children behave well. Staff ensure that the nursery values are embedded in children's learning experiences. 

 Staff speak respectfully to children, constantly modelling and promoting positive interactions. They adapt activities instantly in response to children's interactions with others.

 For instance, they talk to children about how they could cut dough to share between their friends. This helps children to form kind and meaningful friendships with others. 

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Curriculum

There is a strong curriculum in place that focuses on providing children with the key skills they need to become successful learners. The curriculum is carefully sequenced to build on children's knowledge and skills steadily.

Staff have appropriate methods in place to identify children's initial starting points. There is a clear system across the nursery for tracking their progress and identifying appropriate next steps for children to build on what they already know and can do. As a result, all children make good progress. 

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

Children become effective communicators. Staff consistently use strategies across the nursery to communicate with children. For instance, they use Makaton signs to help children build their vocabulary.

Toddlers communicate confidently with visitors, naming the toys they play with. The oldest children speak to their friends as they interact with one another, sharing their thoughts and ideas as they build on the games they are playing.

Leaders and staff promote an inclusive environment. They help children to learn about other cultures that are important to those around them. They share recipes from their own cultures with families, giving them an opportunity to create these at home.

Staff ensure that they develop the knowledge they need to meet all children's needs, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. 

Overall, staff engage well with children and have a positive impact on their learning. During structured times of the day, adult-led activities are carefully planned and delivered to support each child's individual stage of learning.

However, occasionally during transitional times of the day, staffing arrangements and the routine in place do not fully benefit the oldest children.   For instance, a number of children become less engaged and focused during the transition after lunch. Some staff become busy completing tasks and not all children receive the support they need to deeply engage with activities.

Leaders have good oversight of the staff team. They observe staff interacting with children regularly. This helps them to identify the strengths in the staff team and where staff may need further support. Leaders recognise the importance of staff well-being, and they gather the thoughts and views of their staff team regularly. 

Opportunities for staff to progress are strong. They receive a range of training and professional development opportunities. This positive support and encouragement helps them to feel valued and provides a positive environment for everyone. 

Staff provide children with explanations throughout their learning experiences. For instance, they speak to children about what the word 'knead' means as they mix and manipulate the dough mixture.

They explain to the children how using their hands to mould the dough helps them to strengthen the muscles in their hands in preparation for writing. This helps children to understand the purpose of the activities they complete. 

Parents are very happy with the nursery. They speak highly about how staff gather information about children. For instance, they value the video call that staff complete with parents before children start attending. 

Parents are grateful for the advice and suggestions that staff provide to them to help their children develop at home. Staff encourage parents to share information about what children do at home, so that they can build on this when children return to the nursery.

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.