Hearts Day Nursery

Hearts Day Nursery
Unique reference number (URN): 2819218
Address: 34 Halton Street, Dudley, DY2 0PJ
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 19/12/2024
Registers: EYR
Registered person: Hearts Day Nursery Ltd
Inspection report: 4 August 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 typically make steady progress from their starting points and develop skills across
key areas of learning. For example, babies develop communication through repeated
exposure to simple words. Younger children confidently sing songs and use actions. Older
children hear new and unfamiliar words in context to develop their understanding of the
world.
Children develop their independence and show increasing confidence through daily
routines. For example, babies feed themselves, helping them to prepare for their next stage
in learning. Toddlers are encouraged to pour their own milk and help to clean spillages to
ensure that their friends do not slip and fall. Older children self-serve their lunch, judging
how much pasta to spoon onto their plate. Children play happily together and show
confidence in collaborative activities. They demonstrate enjoyment as they fully participate
in social-play opportunities, which builds relationships with friends.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Children typically develop positive attitudes and engagement towards their learning. They
are happy and settled. Children are keen to attend the setting each day and engage in their
activities with enthusiasm. Leaders promote regular attendance through ensuring their
attendance policy is clear and shared early on with parents and carers. Leaders
communicate with parents the positive impact that nursery is having on their children, to
encourage regular attendance. Routines are generally well embedded across the setting,
and children demonstrate a secure understanding of what to do at key points of the day. For
example, children know to wash their hands before mealtimes and choose their seat at the
dinner table. Staff use inclusive approaches to establish routines, helping children, including
those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, or those with additional barriers to
learning, to understand expectations and participate confidently in daily activities.
Children generally behave well. This is promoted by staff who are positive role models and
regularly use praise and reinforcement. Staff use inclusive strategies to support children's
behaviour and emotional wellbeing, taking individual needs into account. Children are
encouraged to use 'kind hands', and staff are there to support them where there are any
minor conflicts. This helps children to understand expectations and manage their feelings.
Children develop positive relationships with each other and benefit from the praise staff
offer, which supports and builds their self-esteem.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Leaders create a safe, welcoming environment where children are typically happy and
settled. Leaders and staff gather detailed information from parents and carers before
children start and they benefit from flexible settling-in sessions. Staff promote healthy habits
as they embed hygiene practices into daily routines. For example, children wash their hands
before eating and after playing outside. Healthy habits are further promoted by staff as they

provide lots of outdoor learning experiences. Children develop a range of physical skills.
They enjoy the fresh air and spend time learning in the outdoor environment. For example,
babies are encouraged to push themselves up and walk from one activity to another.
Younger children show enjoyment as they develop their smaller physical skills, by carefully
attaching train pieces to each other. However, at times, staff do not consistently encourage
children to take responsibility for tasks they are capable of managing themselves. As a
result, opportunities to further develop children's independence are not always maximised.
Children are provided with healthy choices. For example, they can choose to add yoghurt to
their fruit at snack time. Children eat healthy, freshly-cooked meals. Mealtimes are used
effectively to develop children's social skills. For example, staff make conversation with
children about their meal as they eat. Mealtimes are also used to promote positive manners.
For example, children are praised for saying 'thank you', when they are given their bowls
and cutlery.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Recent changes in how leaders and staff plan and deliver the curriculum have been effective
in supporting the development of children's knowledge and skills. The curriculum is
designed so that all children benefit from learning through their interests, as well as ensuring
that all areas of learning are typically covered. Staff generally implement this appropriately
through positive interactions. However, staff do not always provide consistently high-quality
interactions with children. This means that sometimes, valuable learning is not always
embedded to a greater depth.
Staff conduct regular observations and assessments of children's progress. This supports
them to plan activities that allow children to meet the purposeful next steps that have been
set for them. These next steps are tailored to each child's stage of development, due to
staff's in-depth knowledge of the children they teach. Children benefit from a focus on
communication and mathematical language skills. For example, babies enjoy playing in the
sandpit as they are encouraged to pour more sand into their buckets. Younger children are
exposed to numbers and counting, as staff count the amount of small water pots it takes to
fill the large container. Older children learn about how many more scoops of sand are
needed as they work together to fill their bucket.
The environment is optimised to enhance learning, and staff use exciting resources and
equipment to provide engaging activities. For example, children's balance and core strength
are developed as they take risks to safely walk along wooden planks. Staff encourage and
support babies to walk along the planks independently. This develops children's confidence
and coordination.
Inclusion Expected standard
Leaders and staff have effective systems in place to identify and support children with
special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those with additional barriers to
learning. For example, they work collaboratively alongside parents and carers to create and
implement support plans for each child with SEND, to ensure that they target significant
areas for their development. Children's progress is closely monitored through regular
reviews and thorough tracking. For example, every child who follows an individualised

support plan is assessed, and targets and interventions are amended appropriately to suit
their progress. This is managed at the pace of the child's individual progress and is reviewed
on a personal basis when necessary.
Leaders use funding appropriately to provide resources, staff training and additional adult
support through targeted interventions. This helps eligible children to regulate their
emotions, develop their communication skills and enables learning. As a result, children with
SEND or additional barriers to learning make progress and are well supported to access all
aspects of the curriculum. Staff benefit from leaders' knowledge and their support to help
meet the range of children's individual needs.
Staff are aware of how to effectively meet children's needs and generally make suitable
adaptations for them. For example, they use visual cards and physical objects to refer to
activities and to support communication. However, practitioners do not always adapt
activities and interactions to meet the needs of children with SEND or those with additional
barriers to learning. As a result, some children do not engage fully, access learning
effectively, or make the best possible progress.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders have a sound understanding of the context of the setting, and of the families and
children who attend. Leaders have a broad awareness of the nursery's strengths and areas
for development. Through careful analysis, they make changes to increase positive
outcomes for children and staff. This is evident through the recent changes made to the
curriculum planning, and the positive impact this has made. Leaders and staff work
collaboratively with parents and carers and external agencies to ensure that children receive
the most appropriate support. This includes for children with special educational needs
and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who have additional barriers to learning. However,
leaders do not ensure that learning experiences are consistently adapted and responsive to
the individual needs of children with SEND or those with additional barriers to learning. As a
result, these children do not always access learning that fully supports their ongoing
progress and development.
Staff benefit from working with caring leaders. Leaders create a supportive work
environment, which enhances staff's mental health and wellbeing. Staff enjoy working at the
setting, and are happy with the opportunities for training and career development. However,
leaders do not consistently ensure that staff interactions with children are of a high quality
across the setting. This means that children do not always benefit from interactions that
deepen their understanding and build on what they already know and can do. Leaders
dedicate time to conduct regular supervisions with staff. Parents value staff's communication
and the work that the setting does to support their children. Leaders have plans in place to
offer more workshops for families to further enhance parental engagement.

What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children are happy, settled and enjoy attending this welcoming, purpose-built setting. They
confidently explore the learning environment, and benefit from a broad curriculum that
supports their development, through play and using their interests. Children develop positive
relationships with caring staff, who know them well and generally provide meaningful
interactions that support their learning and wellbeing. They are encouraged to become
independent through daily routines, such as serving their own food, pouring drinks and
tidying up after themselves. This helps children prepare for the next stage in their learning.
Children benefit from an inclusive environment where staff work closely with parents and
carers, and other professionals, to meet their individual needs. Children with special
educational needs and/or disabilities, and those with additional barriers to learning, receive
appropriate support. This helps them to access the curriculum and make appropriate
progress from their starting points. Staff use strategies, such as visual prompts and adapted
resources, to support communication and participation in activities.
Children enjoy spending time outdoors, where they develop their physical skills, confidence
and resilience, as they take appropriate risks in their play. They enthusiastically join in with
activities that promote their communication, mathematical understanding and curiosity about
the world around them. Children behave well and understand the setting's routines and
expectations. They show kindness towards their friends and enjoy sharing experiences
together, which helps them to develop friendships. Children learn important social skills
through play and everyday experiences. Overall, children make steady progress in their
learning and development. They benefit from positive relationships in a safe and nurturing
environment. Leaders are committed to continually improve the quality of the education and
care they provide.
Next steps
Leaders should provide opportunities for staff to develop consistently high-quality
interactions across the setting.
Leaders should strengthen opportunities for children to develop independence
consistently across the setting.
Leaders should enhance the learning experiences of children with special educational
needs and/or disabilities and those with other barriers to their learning.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, children, parents and carers during the inspection.

Inspector:
Grace Kleanthous
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2819218
Address:
34 Halton Street
Dudley
DY2 0PJ
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 19/12/2024
Registered person: Hearts Day Nursery Ltd
Register(s): EYR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:30
Local authority: Dudley
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 4 August 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
1 to 4
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.

Total number of places
45
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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