URN EY385378 · Inspected 2026-06-23 · Published 2026-08-24 · Inspector: Keiley Pedro Jenny Hardy
Bright Horizons Chigwell Day Nursery andPreschool Unique reference number (URN): EY385378 Address: Eton Manor, Roding Lane, Chigwell, Essex, IG9 6BJ Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 23/10/2008 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Bright Horizons Family Solutions Limited Inspection report: 23 June 2026 Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement Expected standard 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. Achievement Expected standard Children make good progress from their individual starting points. Staff know them well and use their observations to understand what each child is ready to learn next. They provide a range of enjoyable experiences that build on children's existing knowledge and help them develop new skills over time. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive the support they need, helping them grow in confidence, become more independent and strengthen their communication skills. Staff work with parents and other professionals to provide a consistent approach between home and the nursery. This gives children the reassurance they need to develop new skills and prepares them well for the next stage of their learning, including the move to school. Children approach learning with confidence. They enjoy exploring, stay engaged in activities that capture their interest and are happy to have a go at new experiences. Children achieve well because they benefit from a broad curriculum, caring relationships and staff who know them well. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard Children behave well and form warm, trusting relationships with the staff, who care for them and their friends. From the moment they start at the nursery, they are helped to understand what is expected through clear, consistent guidance and positive role modelling. Children learn to be kind to one another, share resources and take turns. They become increasingly independent as they make choices in their play, solve simple problems and take responsibility for everyday tasks, such as serving their meals, tidying away resources and looking after their belongings. Staff support children to recognise and talk about their feelings and gently help them work through minor disagreements with their friends. As a result, children play cooperatively, show respect for one another and develop positive attitudes towards learning. Familiar routines and well-planned transitions help children feel safe and secure as they move through the nursery. Leaders place a strong emphasis on good attendance and work closely with families to encourage children to attend regularly. This helps children establish consistent routines, settle quickly, build secure relationships and benefit fully from the experiences and learning opportunities the nursery provides. Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard Children form secure relationships with caring staff, who know them well and help them feel safe, settled and confident. Effective key-person arrangements support children's emotional wellbeing, particularly when they first start at the nursery or move between rooms. These relationships promote a strong sense of security and belonging for children. Babies receive warm, responsive care and develop trusting relationships with familiar adults. Leaders promote healthy lifestyles through nutritious meals and snacks and regular physical activity. Children enjoy daily opportunities to play outdoors, develop their independence and explore their surroundings safely. Parents value the care their children receive and appreciate the regular communication about their child's day, including accidents, injuries and achievements. The quality of learning is not consistently effective enough to help every child reach their full potential. During busier parts of the day, such as lunchtime, some opportunities to deepen children's learning are missed because interactions are not consistently extended. As a result, some children do not always benefit from the same high-quality interactions throughout the day. Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Leaders have created a broad and ambitious curriculum that reflects the interests, experiences and developmental needs of the children who attend the nursery. Staff have a clear understanding of what they want children to learn and use their observations to plan the next steps in each child's learning. They follow children's interests well, adapting activities as ideas develop. For example, children explore natural events, such as thunderstorms, and develop early mathematical understanding through meaningful, hands- on play. Forest school sessions and outdoor learning provide valuable opportunities for children to build confidence, curiosity and resilience. Staff use questions, conversations and modelling effectively to help children develop their language and understanding. Children enjoy a wide variety of experiences that encourage them to explore, investigate and solve problems for themselves. Leaders work alongside staff, sharing good practice and encouraging regular reflection so that teaching continues to develop. On the whole, activities and learning opportunities are enticing and engaging for children. Some staff do not consistently consider the resources that they provide for adult-led activities and whether they are suitable for the age and stage of children's development. This does not fully promote children's learning and provide consistently suitable opportunities for children to build on their previous knowledge appropriately. Inclusion Expected standard Leaders have created a warm and inclusive nursery, where every child is welcomed, valued and encouraged to take part in all aspects of nursery life. Children who face barriers to learning receive thoughtful, well-planned support that helps them make good progress. Key persons know their children well, forming secure relationships and responding sensitively to their individual interests, needs and stages of development. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, receive support at an early stage. Leaders work closely with parents and other professionals to identify children's needs promptly and put appropriate strategies in place to help them make progress and narrow any gaps in their learning. Staff adapt activities so that children can take part confidently alongside their friends. In the baby rooms, visual prompts and Makaton are used effectively to support early communication. In the older children's rooms, staff use real objects and photos to help children process information and communicate more confidently. Parents speak warmly about the support they receive. They appreciate the information that staff share to help continue their children's learning at home and value the careful planning that supports children as they move between rooms. As a result, children settle quickly, develop secure relationships with familiar adults and grow in confidence. Children are fully included in nursery life and make good progress from their individual starting points. Leadership and governance Expected standard Leaders have created a positive and supportive nursery, where they strive for children's welfare and safeguarding to be at the heart of everything they do. They have a clear understanding of what the nursery does well and where improvements are still needed. They regularly reflect on practice and take action, when they identify areas for development. Staff speak positively about the support they receive from leaders. They value having an approachable leadership team and appreciate the opportunities to develop their knowledge and confidence. Regular supervision, training and day-to-day guidance help staff understand their responsibilities and continue to improve their practice. Leaders work alongside staff, modelling good practice and offering support when needed. Parents also speak highly of the nursery. They value the open communication with staff and appreciate the support their children receive to settle well, make progress and move confidently between rooms. Leaders have developed a broad curriculum that reflects the needs and interests of the children who attend the nursery. They encourage staff to reflect on children's experiences and share ideas to help improve the provision. Leaders review practice regularly and respond promptly when they identify areas for development. They understand the nursery's priorities and have identified the need to strengthen staff deployment and oversight to ensure every child benefits from consistently high-quality care, supervision and learning experiences. Although leaders have begun to address these areas, resources used for some adult-led activities are not always appropriate for children's age and stage of development. 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 enjoy attending this warm and welcoming nursery. They form trusting relationships with caring staff, who know them well and help them feel safe, secure and valued. Effective settling-in arrangements and strong key-person relationships help children build confidence from the outset. Babies quickly develop close bonds with familiar adults and happily explore their surroundings, enjoying books, favourite toys and shared experiences. Children benefit from a wide range of interesting experiences that reflect their interests and encourage them to explore the world around them. They investigate nature, grow vegetables, care for wildlife and take part in forest school sessions that help develop their confidence, curiosity and resilience. Older children proudly talk about what they have planted and explain how they made the nursery's bug hotel. Throughout the nursery, staff support children's communication through meaningful conversations, stories, songs, signing and visual prompts. For example, children talk about how the thunderstorm the previous night made them feel. They share that they felt scared and discuss the strategies they use to help themselves feel better. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported and are fully included in all aspects of nursery life. As they move through the nursery, children become increasingly independent. They confidently choose their own activities, develop self-care skills and take responsibility for everyday tasks, such as serving meals and tidying away resources. Staff encourage children to share their ideas, solve simple problems and build positive relationships with others. For example, during a disagreement between older children, staff encouraged children to express what had made them feel sad, while supporting them to think about how they could help their friends feel better. Parents speak highly of the nursery and value the partnerships they have with staff, as well as the guidance they receive to support their children's learning at home. Next steps Leaders should continue to support staff to consider the resources that they are using when planning and delivering adult-led learning opportunities, to ensure that these are always appropriate for the age and stage of the children. Leaders should further evaluate routines and transitions in the rooms, and strengthen the deployment of staff at key times to enable staff to provide children with consistently purposeful interactions at all opportunities. About this inspection The inspectors spoke with leaders, staff, the special educational needs coordinator, parents and children during the inspection. Inspectors: Keiley Pedro Jenny Hardy About this setting Unique reference number (URN): EY385378 Address: Eton Manor Roding Lane Chigwell Essex IG9 6BJ Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 23/10/2008 Registered person: Bright Horizons Family Solutions Limited Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:30 Local authority: Essex Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 23 June 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of 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. 1 to 4 Total number of places 108 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. This publication is available at https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk. Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn. 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