Canopy, Frogmore House Nursery

Canopy, Frogmore House Nursery
Unique reference number (URN): 2853377
Address: Canopy, Frogmore House, 273 Lower High Street, Watford, WD17 2HU
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 11/08/2025
Registers: EYR, CCR
Registered person: Frogmore Nursery Ltd
Inspection report: 16 April 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.

Expected standard
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Staff model kindness and respect and children reflect this in their play and the ways they
interact with their friends. For example, children ask if their friends would like some help
while completing a difficult flower-threading activity. Staff build a positive environment with
clear expectations for children's behaviour and structured routines. As a result, children
typically demonstrate positive attitudes to their learning and generally behave well.
Staff generally notice when children become unsettled and help them to manage their
feelings and emotions with effective strategies. This keeps behaviour positive and helps
children feel safe. However, this is not consistent across all activities. Staff understand and
have appropriate expectations for children's behaviour, including those with special
educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional
language. They know how to support children to understand their expectations.
In group activities, older children practise sharing, taking turns and working with friends. For
example, during a bug hunt, some children use binoculars to search, others collect bugs in
containers and some work with staff to identify the bugs in a book.
Leaders promote attendance and punctuality, follow up promptly when children are absent
and inform parents of the importance of regular attendance and arriving on time.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Leaders typically build positive relationships with parents and carers from when they first
join the nursery. They work closely with families to gain a clear understanding of each child's
needs. Key persons are allocated after observing which adults babies bond with and familiar
staff complete personal care routines, such as nappy changing. Staff build trusting
relationships with older children, helping them feel secure and confident to engage in
learning. These bonds give children a sense of safety and belonging.
Leaders place an emphasis on promoting healthy lifestyles. Children benefit from nutritious
meals, inspired by a range of different cultures and prepared by an on-site chef. Children
have daily access to the outdoor garden. They climb steps, practise kicking balls and
carefully hunt for bugs. These experiences generally help them to build their coordination,
balance and physical confidence.
Children learn how to keep themselves safe. For example, during lunch, they are reminded
why they need to stay seated while eating. Daily care practices support children's
developing independence. They wash their hands and are supported with toileting,
developing their self-care skills.
Leaders have strengthened staff's awareness of risk assessment and the control measures
needed to keep children safe. This includes reinforcing expected procedures and

Needs attention
introducing clear signage to support safe practice. This helps to ensure that staff
consistently understand and follow routines that keep children safe.
Achievement Needs attention
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as
an additional language do not always make sustained progress. Leaders do not adequately
monitor their progress, which leads to the learning gap between these children and their
peers widening. They do not consistently receive the support they need to reach
developmental goals. On occasion, children's next steps in learning are not specific and
some staff do not have the knowledge to sequence learning to support children to make
progress.
Children take part in a range of activities across all areas of learning and some are
becoming curious learners. Younger children develop a love for books and show increasing
engagement during story time and when exploring sensory experiences. Older children
develop some of the skills needed for their next stage in their learning, including for school.
They independently put their shoes on and they offer their friends support when attempting
a difficult activity.
Curriculum and teaching Needs attention
Leaders have not established a clear curriculum for all children across the nursery and there
are inconsistencies in the quality of teaching. For example, staff do not always adapt
activities so that all children are able to access learning. This means that, at times, some
children who face barriers to their learning do not receive the support they need. The
curriculum for communication and language does not always meet the needs of children
who speak English as an additional language. For example, during painting activities, staff
do not recognise that some children are overwhelmed or need more time to respond.
Staff assess children's learning and plan activities. However, these activities are not planned
to consider children's next steps in learning and development. Therefore, teaching is not
always focused on what children need to learn next. Babies who are learning to walk are not
encouraged to move around and explore different levels and are occasionally left sitting,
looking around for what they can do next.
Staff have conversations with older children throughout the day, developing their vocabulary.
They talk about what is going on around them, introducing new words, such as pollen and
petal. Older children explore the outdoors independently, as they search the bushes for
bugs and collect flowers and leaves for an activity that they will complete later in the day. At
lunchtime, children are given the ingredients from the dish of the day to explore. They
discuss the smells of the spices, the feel of the raw aubergine and listen to the sound of the
lentils in a plastic container. This helps children to develop their vocabulary, confidence in
speaking and curiosity about the world around them.

Inclusion Needs attention
Leaders do not have sufficient oversight of the identification, assessment and monitoring of
the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) or children
who speak English as an additional language (EAL). Children's needs are sometimes
missed when staff leave, for instance, which does not enable a seamless continuation of
support for these children.
The curriculum is not always planned or adapted well to support the needs of babies with
SEND. For example, staff do not have the knowledge to adapt activities or the environment
when they realise that the garden is not accessible enough to enable some babies to get
involved.
Leaders do not provide sufficiently effective training on how to support children with SEND
or EAL, so approaches to inclusion are inconsistent. Some staff have the knowledge and
experience to put support in place to close gaps in children's learning, but this is not
consistent across the nursery. Leaders do not consistently work with parents, carers and
outside agencies, who can offer advice and support. This delays the progress that some
children make.
Older children with SEND generally make steady progress. Staff typically know these
children well and adapt the curriculum effectively to support their developing needs. Leaders
make effective use of additional funding to support the individual needs of vulnerable
children.
Leadership and governance Needs attention
Since the nursery opened, there have been changes in leadership and staffing, leading to a
period of instability. This has disrupted staff practice and staff do not consistently provide
children with thoughtfully designed, purposeful learning experiences. Although leaders offer
support and guidance, high staff turnover has slowed progress in strengthening the
provision. As a result, leaders did not identify quickly enough how staffing changes and
increased workload affected staff confidence and morale.
Leaders have since recognised a number of the challenges created by leadership and
staffing changes and have begun implementing improvements. Staffing has started to
stabilise and leaders have introduced more in-depth staff supervision meetings across the
nursery. However, this work is at an early stage and it is too soon to determine whether it is
having a positive and sustained impact on children's outcomes.
Leaders do not have a clear enough understanding of the weaknesses in their oversight.
They do not always have an accurate understanding of the quality of the provision and are
not consistently aware of gaps in children's learning and development. As a result, staff do
not always have the knowledge and skills needed to support all children or to plan learning
that builds on what children already know and can do. This includes for children with special
educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional
language.

Leaders work with the local authority to make improvements. For example, staff in the baby
room have completed training around how babies develop and learn. However, professional
learning is not yet focused enough to improve practice consistently across the nursery.
Leaders have begun to take steps to strengthen partnerships with parents. They gather the
views of parents and have reviewed how effectively they engage with families. They have
introduced a monthly newsletter, created a parent information board and started hosting
stay-and-play events. Meetings with parents and regular updates are beginning to help
families feel more informed about changes within the nursery.
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
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as
an additional language are not always supported well. As a result, their needs are not
always met and this slows their progress. Their development is not monitored closely
enough, so next steps are sometimes unclear or not focused on individual needs. This
means gaps in learning are not addressed quickly, and some children are not as well
prepared as they could be for the next stage in their learning.
At times, children are not fully engaged in purposeful learning. Differences in teaching mean
that some children are not supported well enough to build on what they already know and
can do. Improvements are underway and staff are beginning to support babies' physical
development more in the outdoor environment. Older children take part in activities such as

cutting fruit and caring for the nursery pet snail. Toddlers explore sensory materials linked to
stories, such as a book about a whale, which supports their enjoyment. However, these
experiences are not always used well enough to extend children's learning.
Most children form positive relationships with staff and their friends. This helps them feel
safe and secure. They show kind and considerate behaviour, such as sharing, taking turns
and helping each other. Children enjoy many parts of their day, especially when they are
outdoors. For example, they enjoy looking for bugs and collecting natural materials. Children
enjoy freshly prepared meals. Staff use mealtimes well to support children's learning and
development. They talk with children about the ingredients in their meals and encourage
them to explore and describe different textures. This helps to develop children's vocabulary
and communication skills.
Leaders promote the importance of regular attendance and punctuality from when children
first join the nursery. Most families are positive about the care their children receive and
have developed appropriate relationships with leaders. Leaders are taking steps to
strengthen communication with families and improve how they keep them informed about
changes.
Next steps
To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the
provider must take the following actions by the assigned date:
Action Completion Date
improve staff knowledge of child development and how
to plan and implement an effective curriculum, so that
all children, including babies and those with barriers to
their learning, are supported through consistently high-
quality teaching that builds on what they already know
and can do
31/07/2026
target professional development to improve staff's
knowledge of how to support children with special
educational needs and/or disabilities and children who
speak English as an additional language
31/07/2026
improve supervision for staff so they understand roles
and expectations and are supported effectively to
develop consistent practice
31/07/2026
improve systems for monitoring children's development
so that concerns are identified quickly, and appropriate
support is put in place
31/07/2026

Inspectors:
Keiley Pedro
Shelly McDougall
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2853377
Address:
Canopy
Frogmore House
273 Lower High Street
Watford
WD17 2HU
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 11/08/2025
Registered person: Frogmore Nursery Ltd
Register(s): EYR, CCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:30
Local authority: Hertfordshire
About this inspection
The inspectors spoke with leaders, staff, children, parents and carers during the inspection.
We carried out this inspection as a result of a risk assessment, following information we
received about the provider. The provider will be able to give parents further information
about this.
The inspection started on 16 April 2026. Inspectors returned on 4 June 2026 to gather
additional evidence in line with Ofsted inspections and visits: Deferring, pausing and
gathering additional evidence policy.
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.

Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 16 April 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
1 to 3
Total number of places
75
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.
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