URN 2805693 · Inspected 2026-07-06 · Published 2026-08-11 · Inspector: Andrew Clark
Handsworth Community Nursery Unique reference number (URN): 2805693 Address: Handsworth Community Nursery, Richmond Park Drive, SHEFFIELD, S13 8HH Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 30/09/2024 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Blossom Learning Tree Ltd Inspection report: 6 July 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 Children are typically courteous, friendly and well-behaved throughout the nursery. Leaders have prioritised and established clear routines and expectations for staff to listen to and support children's emotional and personal needs. Staff are consistent in their positive attitudes and caring approach to all children and parents appreciate this. As a result, babies and children settle quickly into the pattern of the day and feel safe and reassured. Leaders and staff are positive role models. For example, they join with children as they tidy away and purposefully praise them for their teamwork and care. As a result, children are generally proud of their efforts and eager to work and play together. Staff help children to recognise and manage their emotions and feelings. For example, staff work closely with parents to understand daily sleeping and eating routines to support babies to feel relaxed, refreshed and eager to learn. Older children learn to listen to each other and to understand the importance of being patient and taking their turn. Leaders set clear expectations for children's attendance and punctuality from the start of their relationship with the families and carers. As a result, children attend regularly and parents know procedures for reporting and managing absences. Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard Leaders and staff have a clear focus on promoting children's welfare and wellbeing needs overall. This starts with the children's key workers establishing positive relationships with parents to understand all children's personal needs well. As a result, children settle effectively into the daily routines and care of the staff. Staff ensure that children who have additional concerns, including, for instance, those known or previously known to social care, receive timely support to engage in nursery life. Leaders and staff work together to ensure children are safe indoors and out. They are vigilant when children travel and play in the open spaces and woodlands. They generally involve the children in considering their own safety and encourage them to follow instructions and consider each other's needs. Staff follow nationally agreed safe-sleeping routines to ensure babies and young children get the rest they need in a caring and secure environment. They support children's personal hygiene and toilet training ensuring children have the privacy and protection they need during nappy changes both indoors and out. Children are supported and encouraged to recognise their own needs. For example, they wash their hands thoroughly and regularly after activities and before eating. Children learn to use cutlery, drink from open cups and serve themselves as they progress through the nursery. Staff help children to understanding about healthy lifestyles as they plant their own vegetables and enjoy the nutritious and balanced meals the nursery prepares for them. Needs attention Inclusion Expected standard Leaders prioritise the needs of children who are in any way vulnerable and need additional support. Staff complete generally accurate assessments of children's learning when they start at the nursery. This helps staff to promptly identify any children who may need further help, such as children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or those that face other barriers to their learning. Staff work closely with parents to understand children's immediate and longer-term needs including, for example, medical concerns, and identify the support and guidance needed. The nursery's special educational needs coordinator supports staff to monitor children's progress and identify the next steps for their learning. These are regularly reviewed and adjusted to secure and build on children's achievement. Staff act in consultation with other professionals, such as speech and language therapists and local authority advisors, to secure the best advice to support children with additional needs and others who have gaps in their learning or development. Staff analyse the use of additional funding children receive to support the areas of greatest need including, for example, helping develop their physical control and sensory awareness. Leadership and governance Expected standard Leaders provide a generally clear and focused direction for the development of the nursery. Since it opened, the leadership team has enriched several aspects of provision. They have worked with the local authority, making effective use of grants, to improve the physical environment for children's learning. They have supported staff to establish clear routines and an overall curriculum. These developments have raised staff morale and had a positive impact on children's wellbeing and the views of parents. Leaders support staff's professional development through training days, a range of courses and staff meetings. Although, they regularly monitor staff's practice to inform their future training needs, this in not always sharply focused on the impact they have on children's learning. This limits its full effectiveness. Leaders and staff have built very positive relationships with parents. They engage in frequent communication with parents about aspects of children's progress and provide useful guidance to promote learning at home. Parents, including those of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, appreciate the warm and caring relationships. Achievement Needs attention All children make progress through the nursery in preparation for the next stage in their learning. However, this is not as consistent as it could be as staff do not always deepen and embed children's achievements. For example, staff do not systematically model and further encourage children to develop their mathematical vocabulary and understanding as they fill and empty containers in their water play. Babies learn to keenly explore their environment and feel comfortable with staff and other children. They learn to listen to favourite stories and match actions to songs and nursery rhymes. Older children learn about the months of the year and days of the week as they sing songs in group time, and share a favourite book with staff and their friends in the extensive and well-organised grounds. Children learn to share and take turns as staff guide them to play memory and matching games about the jungle animals they are finding out about. They are physically active and learn to climb and balance safely on climbing frames or ride trikes and other ride-on toys. Curriculum and teaching Needs attention The leadership has established a curriculum framework to support children's overall progress through the nursery. Staff are enthusiastic and committed to the caring and positive ethos the setting promotes. They make some use of observations and assessments to understand what children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, need to learn next. However, the planning sometimes lacks the depth and focus to drive the quality of teaching to the highest levels and consistently embed children's skills, knowledge and understanding across all areas of the curriculum. For example, staff miss opportunities to reinforce children's early learning about shapes through all their activities, such as snack times, mark-making and parachute games. Staff generally interact with children in a friendly and open manner. However, they do not consistently make effective use of listening and questioning strategies to help children confidently develop and use their emerging vocabulary and language skills. Leaders place a positive emphasis on supporting all children's independence and confidence, particularly those who are vulnerable, such as those who are known or previously known to social care. Staff develop clear routines that help children understand what happens during the day in order to build their confidence in creating positive relationships and working and playing together. 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 Children and babies enjoy their time in this caring and friendly nursery. Children typically settle smoothly into nursery life and build positive relationships with staff and their peers. However, inconsistencies in the quality of curriculum planning and teaching mean staff and leaders do not always ensure children make the best progress they could in all aspects of their learning. Babies learn to control their hand and arm movements as they lift and flap a small parachute together. Older children explore their climbing and balancing skills on the climbing frame and obstacle course in their outdoor area. Children learn to build their understanding of the world around them through the stories, rhymes and songs they listen to and join in with, indoors and out. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and other children who face barriers to learning are supported to address gaps in their learning and begin to build the skills they need for their later education. Babies and children are supported to follow safe routines for healthy eating and sleeping. They enjoy the nutritious meals the nursery prepares or healthy packed lunches parents provide. They participate in growing their own salad vegetables and other plants. Children become increasingly independent in learning to look after themselves through the clear routines staff establish. They typically learn to take turns and be patient in response to staff's guidance and calm approach through games and role play. Children attend regularly and leaders and staff support parents' understanding of the importance of communicating any absences promptly. There has been a positive growth in the number of children on roll since the nursery registered. Parents welcome the frequent Inspector: Andrew Clark About this setting Unique reference number (URN): 2805693 Address: Handsworth Community Nursery Richmond Park Drive information sharing that helps to support children's learning at home and keep them safe and engaged. 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 strengthen the curriculum planning to ensure the intent for every child is clear, purposeful and challenging to build on their earlier learning 01/11/2026 improve the quality and consistency of staff's interaction with children, to the highest levels to deepen and embed all aspects of learning. 01/11/2026 About this inspection The inspector spoke with leaders, including the special educational needs coordinator, staff 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. SHEFFIELD S13 8HH Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 30/09/2024 Registered person: Blossom Learning Tree Ltd Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00 Local authority: Sheffield Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 6 July 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 1 to 4 Total number of places 110 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. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence, write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk. 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