URN 2507294 · Inspected 2026-02-09 · Published 2026-06-15 · Inspector: Jenny Hardy Keiley Pedro Lisa Smith
Partou Ware Day Nursery & Pre-School Unique reference number (URN): 2507294 Address: Park Road, Ware, Hertfordshire, SG12 0AJ Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 11/12/2018 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Langley Gorse Day Nursery Limited Inspection report: 9 February 2026 Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement 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. How we evaluate safeguarding When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes: 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. Strong standard Expected standard Inclusion Strong standard Leaders have established a highly inclusive culture where all children thrive and receive superb support. Staff have a deep understanding of children's individual needs and implement highly targeted strategies to enable all children to make secure progress. Staff observe and track children's progress continually, and leaders monitor this with real focus. Those with oversight of children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, or who face other barriers to their learning, passionately share their knowledge and expertise with the wider staff team. This makes a clear difference to the knowledge and skills of staff, who consistently provide highly focused support for children who face barriers to their learning. Leaders have a seamless flow of conversation with families and external professionals. Timely and robust assessments inform appropriate support for all children, ensuring that they access the education to which they are entitled. Children are at the heart of decisions made, and leaders carefully consider children's attendance patterns to ensure that they make the most of their time at nursery. Leaders actively promote inclusion, not only for children and their families but also the staff team. Parents and carers are included in decisions about how additional funding is used to swiftly address identified gaps in children's learning and development. For instance, enhancements have been made to the sensory space for older children. Children seek out this space independently, learning to recognise when they need time away from the busier environment to self-regulate. This gives them autonomy in their decision-making and positively impacts their wellbeing. Achievement Expected standard All children progress well from their starting points. Children demonstrate increasing independence in managing tasks for themselves as they move through the nursery. Their communication skills develop well, and they successfully communicate with others in a variety of ways. Children with barriers to their learning receive effective support to make progress. For instance, they respond well to objects of reference and understand what part of the routine is happening next. All children develop resilience and the ability to follow instructions and join in with their friends. Children are well prepared for their move on to school. They concentrate and join in with play enthusiastically. They form secure relationships with staff and feel safe and secure in their surroundings. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard Staff create a warm and welcoming environment where all children feel safe and secure. Relationships between children and their key person are well established, and all staff who work with children know them well. Children demonstrate a sense of belonging at the nursery. For instance, as they arrive, they excitedly exclaim when they see their friends in the welcome video playing in the lobby, even when those friends left some time ago to go to school. Children typically behave well and show positive attitudes to learning. Staff support children to manage their emotions, take turns and resolve minor conflicts through calm and thoughtful interactions. Clear routines are established across the nursery, including sociable mealtimes and collaborative tidy-up times. Staff support children who face barriers to their learning to work collaboratively through carefully considered opportunities. For instance, they use quieter spaces to hold small-group sessions, supporting children to build friendships with others. Children generally understand expectations, such as using 'indoor feet', and respond appropriately to staff's guidance. Staff promote children's emotional literacy and self- regulation effectively. Staff deployment generally ensures that children remain engaged and settled. Leaders support attendance and talk to parents and carers about the importance of their children being punctual and attending regularly and the impact this has on their learning and development. Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard Children of all ages form secure attachments with their key person and demonstrate that they feel safe and emotionally secure. Settling-in arrangements are flexible and responsive to individual needs. Staff work closely with parents and carers to gather information and tailor children's routines appropriately. Children enjoy healthy meals and develop independence in their self care. Nappy-changing arrangements maintain children's dignity and safety. Staff speak to children about the healthy food they eat and how this affects their bodies. Staff are responsive to children's individual needs, adapting their interactions to support each child. They follow children's cues when they cannot yet communicate verbally, recognising when they show an interest in something another child is doing. For instance, when children see their friends try on hats, staff help them to join in, showing them their reflection in the mirror. Children smile with delight and pride as they see themselves. Leaders support staff and children's wellbeing, which contributes to a stable and positive environment. Children typically recognise how to keep themselves safe. Younger children follow staff's instructions, and older children help with tasks such as cleaning up spills around the water tray so they do not slip. Children learn to regulate their feelings and emotions, including those who face barriers to their learning. Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Leaders and staff typically deliver a sequenced curriculum, adapting their interactions to meet the needs of individual children. Leaders recognise that some staff are less experienced and act as positive role models, along with more established staff. However, on occasion, some staff do not respond to younger children's cues and emerging interests to extend their learning further and build on their levels of engagement. Staff regularly assess progress to develop children's next steps. Leaders reflect on any changes they need to make to improve the provision. In some rooms, the learning environment is not organised as effectively as possible to enable children to focus and engage deeply in their learning. For instance, in some areas, there are too many resources to choose from, and babies struggle to negotiate spaces as they develop their walking skills. Staff support communication effectively through modelling language, using visual cues and reinforcing vocabulary in context. They repeat numbers while supporting toddlers with puzzles. Teaching promotes independence, such as through self-serving at mealtimes. Children of all ages keenly engage with staff to share stories. Babies develop physical skills and are closely monitored by staff as they practise. For instance, they negotiate indoor climbing equipment carefully, following staff's instructions. Children develop a sense of pride in their achievements, building friendships and bonds with those around them. Leadership and governance Expected standard Leaders are passionate about their roles, and children are at the heart of the decisions they make. They use their knowledge and experience to ensure that all children are able to access the curriculum. They work tirelessly with other professionals, parents and carers to access help and support to enable children who face barriers to their learning to thrive. Staff wellbeing is a priority, and leaders strive to ensure that all staff succeed in their roles. Professional development opportunities are sourced and implemented well, through a range of methods. Staff share learning with their colleagues to ensure that training has a positive impact for all children. The established leadership team has sound oversight, and a vision for the future, of the nursery. Leaders recognise the challenges of managing a large and evolving staff team. They understand the need to support newer staff and apprentices to meet expectations to help raise staff practice to a consistently high standard. Overall, leaders are reflective of the provision. However, further evaluation around the learning environment is needed, particularly in areas where younger children learn and play to support their engagement and ability to move freely around the spaces to develop their physical skills even more successfully. Following the initial inspection visit, additional information was reported. Ofsted returned to the provider to gather additional evidence. Ofsted found that the provider did not always follow the setting's policies and procedures in relation to accidents and injuries, which meant that, at the time, they were not meeting some requirements. The provider has now taken action to put this right. Compulsory Childcare Register requirements This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Compulsory Childcare Register When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes: Met Not met Voluntary Childcare Register requirements This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register. How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Voluntary Childcare Register When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes: Met Not met What it's like to be a child at this setting All children enjoy their time at the nursery and are well prepared for their move on to school. This is thanks to a well-constructed curriculum that is tailored to meet the individual needs of children. Leaders have secure oversight of the nursery and passionately advocate for every child to ensure that they can access the full curriculum. Babies form deep attachments to their key persons, who respond to their individual needs calmly and sensitively. Younger children enjoy exploring their surroundings, and staff are always close by to ensure that they are safe. Older children know that staff will help them if they need support, and children develop the ability to regulate their own emotions and behaviour. This includes children who face barriers to their learning, who successfully take themselves to quieter spaces when they need time away from the busy room. Children form friendships with one another, and staff embed an inclusive approach throughout the setting. Children learn about their differences, and staff sensitively hold discussions with them. For instance, children speak about the differences in the dolls they play with. Staff extend these conversations to talk about people who are close to children and the differences in their families. This promotes children's understanding that everyone is different but equally as important. Staff support children to build on their existing skills as they move through the nursery. Babies begin to feed themselves with spoons, with support, while older children serve themselves at lunchtime. The oldest children help staff to keep the learning environment safe, wiping up spills so that their friends do not slip over, for example. Families engage positively with leaders, who invite their views and opinions frequently. Parents and carers comment that they feel a part of the nursery family. They contribute to their children's learning, sharing what children have achieved at home. Attendance is promoted well, and, as a result, there are minimal instances where attendance is low or needs to be addressed. Next steps Leaders should embed high-quality practice, supporting staff to respond to children's emerging interests and help them develop their focus and engagement in learning further. Leaders should work with staff to reflect on the learning environment for babies and younger children to help them make even more rapid progress in their development and learning. About this inspection The inspectors spoke with leaders, staff, special educational needs coordinators, children and parents and carers during the 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. The inspection started on 9 February 2026. Inspectors returned on 24 April 2026 to gather additional evidence in line with Ofsted inspection and visits: Deferring, pausing and gathering additional evidence policy. Inspectors: Jenny Hardy Keiley Pedro Lisa Smith About this setting Unique reference number (URN): 2507294 Address: Park Road Ware Hertfordshire SG12 0AJ Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 11/12/2018 Registered person: Langley Gorse Day Nursery Limited Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:30 Local authority: Hertfordshire Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 9 February 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 0 to 4 Total number of places 120 Our grades explained Exceptional Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it. Strong standard The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them. 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. Needs attention The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements. Urgent improvement The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care. The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspects services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. 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