Pumpkin Lane Day Nursery Limited

Pumpkin Lane Day Nursery Limited
Unique reference number (URN): 2864306
Address: Windsor House, 9-15 Adelaide Street, LUTON, LU1 5BJ
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 12/11/2025
Registers: EYR
Registered person: Pumpkin Lane Day Nursery Limited
Inspection report: 16 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
Achievement Expected standard
All children achieve well from their starting points, particularly in the prime areas of learning.
They are motivated to learn and persevere in their chosen play, such as learning to balance
weighing scales in the garden, practising shared skills and playing cooperatively. Children
confidently explore the range of resources and experiences available to them. For example,
children work together during sand play as they pour, scoop and experiment with funnels,
developing early problem-solving skills, cooperation and communication. Children build
secure relationships with staff, which helps them to feel safe, settled and ready to learn.
They develop communication, language and social skills through conversations, stories,
play and interactions with adults and peers. Children with barriers to their learning are well
supported to make progress from their starting points. Early identification of needs allows for
plans to be put into place quickly so that all children are able to access all parts of the
setting.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Staff encourage children's positive behaviour. Where needed, staff remind children of the
rules of the setting and encourage children to play cooperatively together, praising children
when they do. In the main, children treat each other with kindness and care. Staff are good
role models, supporting children to use good manners and be polite. As such, children begin
to develop positive attitudes to each other and staff. Leaders have created routines in the
setting which meet the needs of the children in each room. However, these are not always
followed by staff and as a result children do not always know and understand what is
expected of them, which impacts their behaviour.
Leaders have high expectations for all children's behaviour. They promote a positive attitude
to learning and consistent attendance. They are flexible in their approaches and have
effective procedures should children be absent. Leaders and staff work closely with families
to support children's individual routines. Parents are supported with flexible sessions to
ensure that children's attendance is regular. This helps them to build positive habits in
preparation to start school.
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive highly effective
support during transitions. Practitioners use objects of reference, visual supports and
consistent routines. They help children transition from play to snack time and to whole-group
sessions successfully. Practitioners provide sensitive support to help children regulate their
emotions and behaviour. As a result, children with SEND participate increasingly well in daily
routines and experiences.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Children show that they feel safe and content as they play in a safe and secure environment
that meets their individual needs. Staff deploy themselves well to supervise children and
successfully minimise accidents. They carefully assess resources, ensuring these are

suitable for the age and stage of development of each child. Children form lovely
relationships with caring staff. Staff are responsive and sensitive, giving reassurance and
hugs when needed.
Staff know all children well, particularly their key children. They gather information from
parents and carers when children first start, enabling them to learn about each child's
individual needs and follow routines from home. This includes following babies' sleep
routines. This approach helps children to feel emotionally secure. Children are offered
flexible sessions to help them feel included and to meet their individual needs effectively.
This promotes children's welfare and wellbeing.
Children are supplied with hot meals while at the nursery. Leaders communicate daily with
the chef to ensure that any changes to children's dietary requirements are communicated
effectively. Leaders share information with parents about healthy options and alternatives
they can provide their children with. Staff talk with children about their healthy meals and
snacks, which helps to build healthy habits for the future.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Leaders design a well-balanced curriculum that considers children's interests and what they
need to learn at each stage of their development. Staff know their children well. They
complete robust baseline assessments based on their initial observations and information
shared by parents during the settling-in process.
Leaders support staff to plan the curriculum for all children as they move through the setting
and ensure it is age- and stage-appropriate. For example, staff working with babies focus on
supporting them to feel secure and settled, as well as promoting their early language
development. Staff enjoy sharing books with children, making animals noises and
encouraging children to repeat sounds back to them before moving on to discuss animal
names. Leaders are aware of the impact of joining children's rooms together due to only
recently opening. However, staff are not always quick to recognise when activities do not
meet the needs of all children or the impact that this has on their ability to join in. As a result,
children flit between activities and do not engage for long periods of time.
Staff support all children, including those who speak English as an additional language and
those with emerging special educational needs and/or disabilities, to access the curriculum
alongside their peers. Staff work with parents and external professionals where necessary to
adapt support and help children engage in learning. Activities are planned with consideration
of children's individual interests, needs and next steps.
Inclusion Expected standard
Leaders work with other professionals and parents to ensure children receive consistent
care. Staff know all the children well and monitor their development regularly. They share
children's progress with parents, as well as any identified gaps in their learning. Staff share
ideas with parents on things they can do at home to help their children progress.
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive targeted support to help
them access the curriculum and take part in nursery life alongside their friends. Staff know

their children well and skilfully plan targeted support for those with identified needs. They
are sensitive and flexible, giving children and parents time to settle into nursery life. They
complete ongoing assessments, which are regularly reviewed to enable the curriculum to be
adapted so that all children are fully included. Staff are adept at identifying emerging needs.
Leaders work closely with the local authority to provide additional training to ensure staff are
confident in recognising and supporting children with barriers to their learning.
Leaders recognise when children or families may need additional help and work with other
agencies where appropriate. Leaders use additional funding robustly and for the benefit of
each child. For example, they provide additional resources to support children to build on
their turn-taking and social skills. This means that children access the curriculum and their
full entitlement.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders are dedicated to their roles and are committed to providing a welcoming and
inclusive environment for children and their families. Leaders want the best for the children
and families who attend the nursery. Leaders are reflective and regularly look for ways to
improve the service they provide and how they can work with the local community to support
families even further. The setting is new and leaders have worked hard to get the setting to
its current standard. Leaders are aware that the setting is on a journey and are highly
committed to ensuring positive outcomes for all children who attend.
Leaders place importance on staff wellbeing and staff are valued highly. Staff speak
positively about leaders and feel well supported in their roles. Regular supervision meetings,
appraisals and staff meetings take place. Leaders provide staff with access to online and in-
house training opportunities. Leaders are approachable and provide support to staff when
needed. Leaders have recognised some weaknesses in staff practice and are already
working to support them.
There are positive relationships with parents. Parents value the information provided in
handovers and the communication they have with their key person and the management
team. Staff are very supportive in times of change and adapt their practice in the best
interests of each family. Leaders work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure
that children with barriers to learning and development are suitably supported.

What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children are happy, settled and emotionally secure in this welcoming nursery. They build
positive relationships with caring staff who know them well and who respond sensitively to
their individual needs. Babies and young children confidently seek reassurance from familiar
adults, while older children move independently between activities and routines. Children
benefit from positive relationships that help them feel safe, develop a sense of belonging
and build confidence. Children begin to build friendships from a young age, starting by
playing alongside their peers before they play together. Staff support this by playing games
with groups of children and encouraging them to take turns and talk with each other.
Children make progress from their starting points. They begin to develop mathematical
understanding as they count, explore numbers and use language such as 'heavy' and 'light'
during play. For younger children, staff count as the children move sand into containers
using different utensils. Activities are created based on children's interests and are used to
build on what children already know and can do.
All children enjoy sharing stories and are developing a love of books. Staff use books
alongside children's play to help them make connections in their learning. For example,
children explore books about farm animals while they play with finger puppets. Older
children enjoy filling in the gaps on repetitive refrain books which are familiar to them.
Children's physical development is promoted well. Children have access to a wide range of
equipment in the garden, where they climb, bike and play ball games. Younger children
develop their fine motor skills as they use scoops and spoons to transfer sand between the
sand pit and different moulds and containers. Children spend long periods of time focused
on this activity.
Next steps
Leaders should support staff's confidence to identify how and when they can extend
activities to further children's learning and engage children for longer periods of time.
Leaders should ensure routines are robust and embedded into practice, particularly at
mealtimes, so that children know and understand what is expected of them.
About this inspection
The inspectors spoke with managers, deputies, leaders, practitioners and the special
educational needs coordinator 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): 2864306
Address:
Windsor House
9-15 Adelaide Street
LUTON
LU1 5BJ
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 12/11/2025
Registered person: Pumpkin Lane Day Nursery Limited
Register(s): EYR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00
Local authority: Luton
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 16 July 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
0 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
60
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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