Little Hummingbird Nursery

Little Hummingbird Nursery
Unique reference number (URN): 2862282
Address: 2 High Street, Hoddesdon, EN11 8BL
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 29/08/2025
Registers: EYR, CCR
Registered person: Little Wonderland Ltd
Inspection report: 30 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 make progress from their starting points and become increasingly confident in
themselves and their abilities. They feel valued within this caring, homely nursery and are
proud of what they achieve, celebrating their successes and enjoying praise from the adults
around them.
Children communicate confidently, listen attentively to stories and follow instructions well
throughout the day. They develop secure friendships and strong attachments with familiar
adults, helping them move confidently between rooms and approach the next stage of
learning with excitement.
By the time children leave for school, they are independent, confident and keen to learn.
Most children, including those with barriers to learning, make progress from their starting
points. However, more targeted interventions and personalised strategies would help
children with special educational needs to build on their achievements even further and
continue to narrow gaps in their learning.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Children behave positively and generally understand what is expected of them. They are
reminded to use kind hands, share resources, take turns and use good manners throughout
the day. Children collaborate well with their peers, whether they are matching dominoes on
the floor or celebrating teamwork during group activities. They seek each other out and play
together.
Children follow instructions well, move confidently through familiar routines and enjoy
positive relationships with the adults who care for them. They develop secure attachments
from the moment they join the nursery through carefully planned settling-in sessions and
positive relationships with familiar adults. They confidently seek out staff for support,
reassurance and shared play, benefiting from a small, homely environment where all
practitioners know them well.
Staff generally take time to stop, explain behaviour and reinforce expectations. Leaders
have established effective partnerships with families and robust procedures to promote good
attendance and punctuality, recognising the importance of children attending regularly.
However, behaviour management strategies are not yet embedded consistently enough
across the whole nursery, which means staff do not always feel confident in using the most
effective approaches to support all children, particularly those who need additional support
to regulate their behaviour and remain engaged in learning.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Children's welfare and wellbeing are prioritised throughout the nursery, particularly within the
baby room where staff provide warm, attentive and nurturing care. Babies develop secure

attachments from the very beginning and staff know their individual routines, preferences
and developmental needs well. Sleep, weaning and feeding routines are implemented with
secure procedures that ensure children are comfortable, safe and well cared for.
Generally, children with barriers to learning benefit from familiar routines, sensitive support
and calm spaces, including the sensory room, helping them regulate their emotions and
engage positively in learning.
Most children develop healthy habits through sociable mealtimes, exploring different foods,
staying hydrated and managing their own self-care routines. Children also benefit from
regular outdoor play where staff provide opportunities to develop their physical skills through
obstacle courses, push bikes and cars. However, further enhancements to the outdoor
environment would maximise children's opportunities for physical development and extend
learning even further.
Staff respond sensitively to children's emotional needs and help them recognise and
manage their feelings. Warm relationships, secure routines and consistent care help
children feel safe, valued and confident throughout their day.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Leaders have a clear vision for the curriculum and have broadened children's experiences
through forest school, baby sensory sessions, cooking and local visits. Staff generally know
what they want children to learn and use children's interests well when planning
experiences. Children become familiar with favourite stories, such as a book about a hungry
caterpillar before extending their learning by tasting the foods, creating their own caterpillars
and confidently retelling the story. Children choose books independently, listen attentively
and develop a growing love of reading.
Staff are positive role models for language and generally extend children's vocabulary
through conversations and play. Children confidently describe the 'big bubbles' they have
made, while older children create repeating patterns using counters. Babies enjoy exploring
sand, ice, shaving foam and different textures that encourage early language and curiosity.
They have a well-resourced space where they can select quality resources that interest
them. Staff foster children's imagination well and guide their play through quality
interactions. For example, they pretend to travel on a bus together and collect sticks, leaves
and fir cones during Forest School to create their own artwork.
Staff know children well and respond warmly to their individual needs, adapting their
interactions and support so that all children feel included, valued and able to succeed.
Inclusion Expected standard
Leaders know their children well and identify barriers to learning at an early stage. They
gather detailed starting points, work closely with parents and carers and seek advice from
outside professionals where appropriate to help children receive the support they need. Staff
generally adapt experiences and routines to meet children's individual needs, helping most
children with additional needs or barriers to learning make progress from their starting
points.

Children benefit from resources such as the sensory room, where they can regulate their
emotions, engage in focused activities and return to learning when they are ready. Leaders
review children's progress and generally put appropriate support in place to help reduce
barriers to learning.
However, targeted support is not always planned or reviewed precisely enough to ensure
children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those facing other barriers to
learning, consistently receive the individual strategies needed to build on their progress and
narrow gaps in their learning.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders have a clear vision for the nursery and understand its strengths and the areas they
want to continue developing. They are reflective and continually seek ways to improve
children's experiences, carefully considering how the curriculum, environment and resources
can be enhanced.
Staff speak positively about the support they receive and benefit from regular supervisions,
appraisals, inset days and wellbeing initiatives that help them develop professionally and
feel valued. Leaders have created an open culture where staff work well together,
communicate effectively and share responsibility for providing consistent care for children.
Leaders place partnerships with parents at the heart of the nursery. Parents speak highly of
the warm, homely environment and how confidently children settle, develop independence
and transition smoothly through the nursery and on to school.
Robust systems are in place to safeguard children, including secure recruitment procedures
and effective risk assessments. Leaders are present in the setting and monitor safety and
risk effectively to ensure children remain safe. Overall, leaders have a clear vision for the
future of the nursery. However, leaders have not yet provided sufficiently targeted training to
further develop staff's knowledge and skills in behaviour management. As a result, staff do
not always use consistent strategies to support children's behaviour and engagement in
learning.

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
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children are warmly welcomed into this caring, homely nursery where they quickly develop
a sense of belonging and security. Children form close relationships with nurturing staff who
know them well, value their ideas and ensure they feel safe, listened to and included.
Children enjoy learning alongside their friends, confidently joining in with familiar routines,
songs and shared experiences that help them build positive relationships and develop social
skills. In the morning group time children sing the hello song and learn their friends' names.
Families are welcomed as partners and value the caring relationships, consistent
communication and support they receive throughout their child's time at the nursery.
Children enjoy a broad curriculum and a range of motivating experiences that encourage
curiosity, adventure and confidence from using the sensory room to riding the pony in the
garden. Children are celebrated every step of the way from babies' wow moments and
milestones to older children enthusiastically working together during forest school and
collaborative play. Children are encouraged to have a go, use their own ideas and take pride
in their achievements.
Staff recognise children's individual strengths and support them to thrive while developing
their confidence, resilience and positive attitudes needed for future learning.
Children develop increasing independence through everyday routines, confidently managing
self-care, making healthy choices and helping one another. Generally, children behave
positively and make progress from their starting points. All children, including those with
barriers to wellbeing and learning are beginning to demonstrate more positive attitudes and

Inspector:
Sara Vincent
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2862282
Address:
2 High Street
Hoddesdon
EN11 8BL
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 29/08/2025
are well prepared for the next stage of their education through meaningful experiences and
warm encouragement.
Next steps
Leaders should strengthen staff's knowledge and confidence in supporting children's
behaviour by providing focused professional development that promotes a consistent
approach and high expectations across the nursery.
Leaders should continue to develop the outdoor environment so that it provides richer
opportunities for sustained child-initiated play, physical development and learning that
meets the differing ages, stages and interests of all children.
Leaders should strengthen the graduated approach for children with special educational
needs and/or disabilities by ensuring targeted strategies and personalised interventions
are planned, reviewed and implemented consistently, so that children with barriers to
learning continue to make the best possible progress.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke to leaders, managers, practitioners and parents/carers.
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.

Registered person: Little Wonderland Ltd
Register(s): EYR, CCR
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 30 June 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
0 to 4
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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