Larchfield Day Nursery Limited

Larchfield Day Nursery Limited
Unique reference number (URN): 2777882
Address: The Old Library, Hardwick Road, Woburn Sands, Milton Keynes, MK17 8QH
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 23/01/2024
Registers: EYR, CCR
Registered person: Larchfield Nursery Limited
Inspection report: 24 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.

Strong standard
Expected standard
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard
Children behave extremely well. They listen carefully to adults and follow instructions. Staff
support children to share resources and consistently model and teach good manners. This
means children throughout the setting wait their turn patiently and show a good awareness
of the rules. For example, in the garden, children count and check how many children are in
the sandpit at one time. They do this independently, confidently monitoring the number of
children allowed and redirecting their attention when the space is full. Children develop self-
regulation skills through these everyday interactions.
Routines are well established but adapted in each classroom, according to the needs of the
children. For instance, babies wash hands with staff help, while toddlers do so
independently. Children respond well to requests for help and consistently strive to do their
best. Leaders have supported parents in improving attendance. They adjust children's
schedules, adding or changing days, to increase participation. Leaders have trained staff on
behaviour strategies and emotional wellbeing. This has created a culture of kindness and
cooperation.
Achievement Expected standard
Children are well prepared for the next stage in their education. The nursery places an
emphasis on developing independence. Children practise skills and take on more
responsibilities as they progress. This helps them grow in confidence and become more
self-reliant. For instance, toddlers learn to put on their own shoes before going outside, with
staff guiding them on what to do.
Children interact well with their friends, share ideas, and sustain play together. They can
explain what they are learning and talk confidently about past experiences, such as visits to
the doctor. Children are familiar with books and enjoy retelling stories using familiar refrains
from stories they know. The outdoor area effectively promotes children's physical
development. All children spend time outside every day and often play together in the
garden, regardless of their age. Children have opportunities to develop their own projects
and ideas, which helps them build cooperation and social skills alongside their physical
development. Children also build fine motor skills through a clear progression of activities.
Babies enjoy painting, toddlers collaborate during construction play, and older children
engage in mark making and early writing. These experiences help children to develop the
control, coordination and independence needed for the next stage in their education.

Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Leaders have created a welcoming, homely atmosphere. Partnerships with parents are
effective, with opportunities for everyday chats with staff at drop off and pick up times. Staff
build relationships with children that are kind and caring. Staff teach children to talk about
their feelings and help them to understand why they may feel this way. This helps children to
recognise that feelings can change and supports them to develop strategies to manage their
emotions. For example, children independently use the calming corner set up with beanbags
and soft toys. As a result, they are beginning to build emotional resilience, independence
and confidence.
Well-planned caring routines encourage learning. For example, children in the toddler room
regularly use potties even while still wearing nappies, allowing them to practise toilet
training. Children sit together to eat. They are provided with freshly cooked hot meals. While
these are typically healthy, there are occasions when meals are not nutritious or well
balanced. When this happens, children do not learn how to make healthy food choices.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
The curriculum is well planned. Leaders have provided exciting experiences that stimulate
interest and enthusiasm in all the children. For instance, children are fascinated as they
watch caterpillars turn into butterflies and take their first flight. Older children in the pre-
school room are encouraged to make connections in these activities by planting seeds and
talking about how to look after them. These experiences help children to notice growth and
change over time, to talk about what they see happening and predict what may happen
next.
The toddler room is a busy and engaging space. It has many opportunities for children to
learn through various activities. They can role play as doctors, explore a jungle full of small
world animals, and build with construction blocks. The teaching in the room is especially
effective, with exciting and interactive storytelling and spontaneous songs and rhymes to
help children with transitions. Staff use their knowledge of children's interests to plan
activities that spark curiosity and make learning fun. Babies have a warm and safe space
where they freely explore and are happy. Staff make effective choices about what to teach
and tailor this to each child's stage of development. However, teaching is not consistent
across the setting. Support for the youngest children in their development of early language
is less effective. For example, there is less focus on creating a language-rich environment
with frequent use of back-and-forth interactions during play.
Inclusion Expected standard
Leaders understand children's needs and provide immediate support so each child can
access the curriculum. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are happy
and calm, making the most of their experiences at nursery. Although staff have the
knowledge to support children's needs, they are not consistently using it to support all
children's learning. For example, staff know children respond well to visual prompts, yet they
are not consistently using visual aids to help them. Staff identify the next steps in children's
learning. For example, they teach children to use tweezers to pick up seeds, which improves

their fine motor skills. They break down skills into small, achievable steps to support future
learning.
Leaders use early years pupil premium funding to buy resources such as sensory toys and
storybooks that support emotional resilience, and children can freely access these
resources. They have moments to calm and self-regulate before joining back in with more
energetic play. Leaders ensure that all children, including children who experience
disadvantage, have access to extra activities such as forest school, French lessons and
ballet. This broadens children's experiences, boosts their confidence, and makes sure they
have the same chances to learn and succeed.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders have a good understanding of their strengths and weaknesses. They continually
reflect and successfully adapt their practices to improve children's learning and wellbeing.
For example, they rearranged the toddler room, which has made resources more accessible
for the children, encouraging independence and free choice. Professional development
offered for staff on behaviour and emotional strategies is effective. This has had a positive
impact on children's sense of self and other people's feelings. Leaders have their staff's
wellbeing at the forefront of their decision-making. Workload is proportionate, as leaders
have reduced the need for unnecessary paperwork. They focus on the importance of daily,
face-to-face communication with children and their parents. Staff are happy and content in
their roles.
Leaders support and monitor staff practice. However, they have not consistently identified
staff weaknesses in teaching across the setting. Staff working with the babies do not
consistently use interactions to promote progress. Partnerships with parents work well.
Leaders help children settle quickly when they start by adapting routines and responding
flexibly to parents' needs. They identify children needing extra support and make suitable
adaptations for them to join in activities. However, plans and targets for children that the
setting are currently monitoring, are not always recorded or monitored well enough to
ensure they receive targeted support.
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 arrive highly motivated and keen to learn from the moment they arrive. They love
exploring the environment that has been well organised and prepared for them. The
relationships between staff and children are particularly warm and caring. This leads to
children's confidence in their surroundings and children to have a go with new things. Staff
know when to step in and help so children are supported but not frustrated. This includes
children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Children participate
enthusiastically in stimulating activities, such as watching the hatching of ducklings and
caterpillars. These moments captivate them. They watch with joy and eagerly share what
they have learned. Staff create chances to build on this knowledge and deepen
understanding. For instance, children decorate butterflies and discuss their symmetry.
Forest school sessions help older children develop a level of risk taking and resilience as
activities take place regardless of the weather.
Children are kind and considerate to each other. Staff model good manners well. Children
understand rules and follow them independently. Children enjoy hearing stories and sharing
books, and the toddlers and older children have regular singing and rhyme time, building up
their repertoire of songs and vocabulary. Children love role-play activities, especially when
dressing up as doctors and hairdressers. They act out past experiences and develop their
conversational skills. The garden is fun and well organised. It provides children with
excellent opportunities to enhance their physical skills. Children use slides, swings and
climbing walls to build strength and confidence. The gravel pit, with its construction vehicles,
is particularly popular. It reflects children's interests and supports imaginative and
cooperative play.
Next steps
Leaders should ensure all staff use inclusive strategies to support and consistently
support children's ongoing learning.
Leaders should strengthen teaching, particularly communication and language for the
youngest children, so they learn to speak and listen with increasing confidence.
Leaders should consistently provide a healthy diet to ensure children make healthy
choices about food.

Inspector:
Julie Manning
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2777882
Address:
The Old Library
Hardwick Road
Woburn Sands
Milton Keynes
MK17 8QH
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 23/01/2024
Registered person: Larchfield Nursery Limited
Register(s): EYR, CCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday : 07:45 - 18:00,Friday : 07:45 -
17:00
Local authority: Milton Keynes
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
About this inspection
The inspectors spoke with leaders, staff, the special educational needs coordinator, parents
and children 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.
A quality assurance visit by an additional inspector was carried out at this inspection.

This data is from 24 April 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
0 to 4
Total number of places
61
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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