URN 2809694 · Inspected 2026-06-15 · Published 2026-08-03 · Inspector: Lisa Smith
N Family Club Bishop's Stortford Unique reference number (URN): 2809694 Address: Thorley Wash Barn, London Road, Thorley, Bishop's Stortford, CM23 4AT Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 17/09/2024 Registers: EYR Registered person: N Family Chobham Manor Ltd Inspection report: 15 June 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 Achievement Expected standard Children are generally active, motivated learners who make steady progress from their starting points. Children are curious, enthusiastic and eager to take part in activities. Babies develop physical skills as they crawl and move around. They explore the toys and resources set out on surfaces at differing heights. This encourages children to stand and acquire the physical skills needed for their next stage. Toddlers build on their language as they take part in song time. They enjoy taking turns in choosing which song they will sing next. This supports children to remain interested in the activity. Pre-school children build on their skills in readiness for school, developing their understanding of taking turns and managing situations for themselves. Children are becoming increasingly independent in their self-care skills. Babies learn to feed themselves, while older children serve themselves at lunchtime. Children steadily develop communication and language skills throughout their time at the setting. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard Leaders typically establish a positive environment where children feel happy and secure. Children build warm relationships with staff and other children. They are encouraged to work together and get along as they play and learn. Staff model expectations for behaviour and use effective strategies to support children in understanding what is expected of them. However, this is not always consistent, which means at times children begin to demonstrate some unwanted behaviour. Children typically demonstrate positive attitudes to learning and follow routines well. For example, younger children understand hygiene practices they need to complete before lunch time. Children sit together and learn good manners and conversational skills. Staff ensure that children are fully supported to eat well and feel included in this important part of the routine. Ensuring children eat and sleep well supports positive behaviour overall at the nursery. Staff encourage children to play together, take turns and cooperate during activities and outdoor play, such as working together to take turns to put balls down the ramps. Children confidently invite staff into their play and respond positively to the praise and encouragement they receive. Staff celebrate children's achievements and this promotes children's confidence and self-esteem. Attendance is rigorously monitored. Leaders promote punctuality and regular attendance to help families establish good habits that support children's learning. Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard Leaders and staff typically prioritise children's welfare and wellbeing across the setting. They implement clear policies and procedures to support children's care and ensure that staff follow consistent practices. Staff carry out robust risk assessments and daily checks to maintain a safe and secure environment for all children. Staff have successfully created a safe and welcoming space, where they support all children to feel secure and make progress in their learning. Staff ensure that, upon arrival, all children are engaged in something they enjoy. Leaders prioritise children's wellbeing through effective care routines. Key persons build secure bonds and work closely with families to mirror the feeding and weaning routines from home, helping children transition to new textures at their own pace. Staff follow strict and safe procedures for sleep times, such as regular monitoring, ensuring children remain safe and settled. This approach typically ensures children's needs, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are met. Key-person relationships support children's emotional wellbeing and sense of security. For example, when babies feel unsettled at drop-off time, staff respond sensitively. They offer reassurance and comfort and focus closely on children's emotional needs. This consistent focus on supporting children's emotions continues throughout the setting. However, where staff changes are in place, this is not always typical and means that staff do not always meet all children's needs in a timely manner. Parents say that staff go above and beyond to support not only their children but also their specific family needs. Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Leaders design an ambitious curriculum that builds on what children already know. They identify clear learning goals across all areas of development, ensuring skills build in a step- by-step sequence. However, staff do not always know how to adapt activities to support the differing needs of the children taking part in an activity. Not all staff are clear on how to tailor the curriculum to meet the learning goals for the children in their room. Staff use observations to plan activities that build on children's interest and help to cement skills children already have. During interactions, staff typically talk to children and narrate their play, exposing them to a wide range of language. However, this is not consistent across the staff team which means children are not always exposed to high-quality interactions. Mathematics is generally woven into daily routines to develop early number and shape skills. Children develop their number skills as they sing different number songs, using their fingers as they count from 1 to 5. Older children use pipettes to transfer water between cups, discussing the number of pipettes needed to fill it to the top. Staff support social development by encouraging cooperation and turn-taking. They ensure group games are inclusive for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who face barriers to learning, such as less-confident children. For example, staff encourage quieter children to choose which song the group will sing next using a bag of props. This helps children to build positive relationships and confidence. Inclusion Expected standard Staff ensure children's individual needs are identified swiftly and accurately when they start at the setting, through observation and gathering information from parents. Leaders and staff consider every child's individual needs and think about these when planning for children's learning. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported with tailored plans designed to ensure all staff know how best to provide precise support. This means staff have the relevant information they need to meet children's individual needs from the outset. Staff update children's plans as they progress and, overall, implement these effectively within the setting. Leaders seek professional advice if required and they work in partnership with parents and carers to ensure continuity of care for every child. Leaders use any additional funding effectively to provide support for individual children to access all areas of the curriculum. This includes welcoming other professionals into the setting, including speech and language therapists, to work with children and share ideas. This ensures strategies put in place to support children are used consistently, which enhances the progress made by children at the setting. Leaders are in the process of enhancing the way in which they support children who speak English as an additional language to ensure their home language is celebrated and they are able to make progress in their English language too. Leadership and governance Expected standard Leaders are keen to raise the quality of the provision further. They have identified areas for improvement that they would like to develop, particularly building on children's communication and language development further. There is a clear plan in place to ensure change is effectively implemented. Leaders support staff to increase their knowledge and skills through training opportunities and team meetings. Leaders work closely with newer staff and are working to ensure they understand how to embed the curriculum at the setting. At times, staff do not have the skills and knowledge to be able to adapt activities to meet the differing needs of the children who are present at the activity. Leaders are confident to work in partnership with parents, carers and other professionals. They gather appropriate information to ensure ongoing communication regarding children's learning and progress results in targeted plans and timely intervention, if required. This includes additional support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders understand the needs of the community in which they operate, and they help families to understand how they can take an active role in their child's care and learning. Staff say they feel supported regarding their wellbeing and managing their workload, which they can discuss during regular supervision sessions. What it's like to be a child at this setting Children are happy and enjoy their time at this setting. They settle well and arrive keen to get involved in the range of fun and interesting activities and experiences that staff plan for them. The settling-in approaches are flexible and thorough, allowing staff to get to know each child as an individual and ensuring that they are ready to welcome the children. Key persons know children well and develop bonds with them. This enables children to take risks in their play. Children's personal, social and emotional development is nurtured in the nursery. The youngest babies thrive from the safe environment created by the staff team. They are happy to move around the room, accessing a wide range of activities and seeking support from all staff within the room. Children behave well. They listen to instructions and have positive manners. Children socialise well with adults and their peers and they make friends easily. Staff support children in developing effective social skills, which helps them get on well with others. Children know how to engage in conversation and enjoy back-and-forth conversation around the meal table, telling one another about their lives outside of the setting. Children understand how to follow routines confidently and move calmly between activities. Children attend regularly and develop a strong sense of belonging. Overall, children thrive in an inclusive environment where their individuality is recognised and supported. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those with other barriers to their learning are supported well to access the curriculum. Leaders and staff work closely with parents to identify, and put support plans in place to meet, these children's needs. This ensures children make progress in their learning and development. All children enjoy accessing the garden area, which allows for children to have both their individual and shared space. Children demonstrate that they enjoy accessing this space. Next steps Leaders should develop staff's understanding of how the curriculum supports children's individual development to ensure they achieve their potential. Leaders should build on the staff's interactions to ensure all children have consistent access to high-quality teaching and learning and experiences. About this inspection The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, special educational needs coordinators, parents, carers 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 Inspector: Lisa Smith About this setting Unique reference number (URN): 2809694 Address: Thorley Wash Barn London Road Thorley, Bishop's Stortford CM23 4AT Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 17/09/2024 Registered person: N Family Chobham Manor Ltd Register(s): EYR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00 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 15 June 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 1 to 4 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. Total number of places 79 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. 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