Bright Horizons Eddington Nursery

Bright Horizons Eddington Nursery
Unique reference number (URN): EY562870
Address: Eddington Nursery, Eddington Avenue, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 1AA
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 24/07/2018
Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR
Registered person: Bright Horizons Family Solutions Limited
Inspection report: 7 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.

Strong standard
Achievement Strong standard
High levels of confidence are demonstrated by all children across the nursery. They actively
engage in free play and adult-led activities. Children are highly responsive to staff's
spontaneous teaching moments and consistent support. As a result, they seamlessly
develop their understanding as they play and problem-solve. For example, in the toddler
room, the children dress as doctors and look after their peers by checking their temperature
and asking them if they are okay. In the older babies' room, they confidently take their baby
dolls to the water tray to bath and take care of them.
Children confidently move through the nursery towards the next stage in their development,
supported by a clear transition process at each room move. This is carefully planned with
full parental involvement, ensuring that children have all the skills they require to succeed at
the next level.
Children are extremely well prepared for starting school. The development of their social
and independence skills is nurtured right from when they are babies, when they begin to
learn the foundations of friendships and make choices in their play. Children hear and
engage enthusiastically in stories, singing and rhymes throughout the nursery, helping to
consistently develop their communication and language skills. Local schools comment very
positively on children's high levels of development when they enter the Reception Year
class.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard
Children thrive in this harmonious and nurturing environment, where staff establish clear,
consistent expectations for behaviour and model inspiring levels of kindness and respect.
Staff greet children warmly, helping them separate confidently and settle quickly into
purposeful play. Warm and trusting relationships quickly develop between staff and children.
Staff role model for children constantly, in all areas of the setting. For instance, they promote
collaborative play to children who face barriers to their learning. They do this frequently and
celebrate in the moment when children can play collaboratively without support. Staff's
perseverance and determination results in children becoming highly sociable, kind and
helpful individuals.
Babies and toddlers play harmoniously. For example, toddlers stack containers and talk to
each other about whether the toy car will fit inside the container at the top. Babies enjoy play
in the sandpit as a group and sit together to listen to a story. Children are comfortable with
staff and expertly follow the routines that they are familiar with. For example, when room
leaders announce that there are 5 minutes left to play before lunchtime, children
immediately dust their hands and head indoors to tidy the resources and toys around them.
Children benefit from consistent strategies to support their emotional and behavioural
needs. For example, in pre-school, children successfully transition through the day, referring
to their 'Now and Next' cards so that they feel prepared for activity changes.

Leaders rigorously monitor and actively encourage regular attendance and punctuality.
Clear systems are in place to address any delays in children's arrival. Discussions with
parents about the benefits to children's learning and development are meaningful.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard
Leaders and staff are highly effective in providing care practices that meet each child's
unique needs as they have a comprehensive knowledge of the children in their care.
Children form very secure attachments to staff at the setting because staff are highly
responsive and have built trusting relationships with them. As a result, children demonstrate
a sense of security, emotional stability and wellbeing. They arrive each morning full of
enthusiasm. Children confidently settle and immerse themselves in a chosen activity.
Adults are very attentive to children's wellbeing and safety. For example, they remind
children who want to play outdoors that they must put their shoes back on to avoid getting
hurt. Babies have been taught that they must wear a hat in warm weather. They take these
from the box and attempt to put one on themselves. Children confidently seek the support of
adults when appropriate. For example, in pre-school, children look to staff for reassurance
and comfort when they are sad or tired.
Staff are attentive to the risks that children might be exposed to during mealtimes. There is a
comprehensive handover from the chef to the lunchtime leader to ensure children receive
the correct foods. Older babies interact and develop friendships with older children because
leaders have set up the outdoor environment to support interaction between cohorts. This
further helps to provide a smooth transition between rooms.
To enable children to make the best possible progress, leaders support families to reinforce
healthy habits at home. This helps children develop their independence in managing their
personal care. For example, staff and families work together to complete children's potty
training. They openly share tested strategies to secure successful outcomes for children,
which are appropriate to their unique stages of development. As a result, children develop
their awareness and ability to manage and take care of their personal needs.
Inclusion Strong standard
The identification of children's needs is swift. Leaders gather a wealth of information from
parents and carers when their children start at the nursery. For example, they implement
effective strategies for children who speak English as an additional language to help them to
settle in and communicate effectively from the very first day. A hugely diverse staff team at
the setting means that many children can communicate in their home language during their
early days, ensuring they make the very best possible start.
Culture and difference are celebrated. Children and staff share their customs and traditions
openly at the nursery. For example, leaders prioritise and embrace the diversity of the
nursery. Babies recognise songs sung in other languages by staff and independently begin
putting the actions they have learned to the words. Staff consistently look for opportunities to
share experiences that make children feel loved and staff feel valued.

Expected standard
Staff monitor and evaluate children's progress rigorously to ensure that targets are focused
and help children to make quick, measurable progress. This is particularly beneficial to
children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) or who face other barriers
to their learning. Tailored support packages, backed by relevant research in modern
childcare and SEND practice, provide focus for children who need help so that they thrive
and successfully progress to the next stage of their learning. Regular reviews include
parents to ensure that aspirations for children are realised.
Leaders ensure that staff have a robust understanding of how to support children's differing
needs, including medical requirements and strategies to support children with SEND.
Professional relationships with other agencies provide rich support for staff and children.
Leadership and governance Strong standard
Leaders are passionate and highly reflective, making sustained changes to the provision
when needed that benefit staff's wellbeing and the children who attend. Leaders are fully
aware of their strategic priorities to improve the consistency of high-quality teaching across
all rooms. Their commitment to supporting staff development is evident from the broad
range of training and development opportunities that staff request and complete.
Leaders consistently and extensively engage with families. Ongoing and meaningful
engagement with parents and carers ensures that they are aware of their children's
experiences. This results in trusting and open communication to help children to succeed.
Parental feedback is overwhelmingly positive. They are very complimentary about the
environment that leaders have created and the wholehearted support that they give to
families and children at the setting. Leaders show initiative and provide a strong sense of
community to many families who have a limited support network in this country. For
example, leaders, together with their Parent Partnership group, create community events to
provide opportunities for families to get together and sustain the strong nursery community.
Leaders are highly responsive to children's needs. They work with all parents to ensure the
best outcomes for children, including those with special educational needs and/or
disabilities. They are proactive in looking at approaches that suit children's needs. For
example, they assess children's unique needs so that they can offer and support children
who are settling into the session. The pace of leaders' processes means that children are
supported and feel safe in the care of leaders and practitioners. Leaders support staff's
workload. Continuous discussions and reflection between staff and leaders result in the best
possible experiences for children.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
A well-designed curriculum allows staff to adapt activities to suit and extend children's
interests. Open-ended resources invite children to apply recent learning and demonstrate
their care for others. Experienced staff carefully plan their teaching so that it is relevant to
children's developmental milestones. For example, they explicitly plan how they will extend

children's language development and include key phrases and vocabulary that they want all
staff to model for children.
Staff seamlessly support children to develop their learning and problem-solving skills. Staff
recognise the value of giving praise promptly, providing reassurance and using opportunities
to seamlessly extend children's learning. For example, in the toddler room, when children
identify a toy car, staff then describe how fast or slow it moves. Consistent reassurance
builds children's confidence, and, as a result, children remain engaged and motivated.
On occasion, some teaching practice does not meet the high expectations of leaders. For
example, some staff engage the children in meaningful conversation over the course of the
lunchtime as they recognise that this time is a valuable teaching moment, but this practice is
not consistent. This means that some children benefit from more opportunities to develop
their communication and language skills than others.
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 arriving at the setting quickly settle into conversations with familiar adults and their
peers. The setting has a very warm and welcoming atmosphere that staff and leaders work
tirelessly to create. All staff are passionate about the welfare of children and securing the
best outcomes for them. Children quickly become deeply engaged in the learning
opportunities on offer. They collect and use the setting's huge variety of imaginative and
open-ended resources to create their own ideas for play. This contributes to children's high
levels of confidence and their development of self-sufficiency.
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or who face other barriers to their
learning are a true focus for leaders and staff. The learning environment and curriculum are
expertly tailored to children's individual needs, providing them with highly enjoyable
experiences. Leaders focus on children's safety and welfare, adapting the opportunities on
offer to ensure that everything is fully inclusive and accessible to all children. This helps all
children to feel highly valued and included at the setting.
Staff enthusiastically praise and thank children for their assistance and the things that they
do well. Children are evidently proud and motivated to continue helping, keep trying and
complete tasks for themselves. Barriers to children's independence are swiftly and
compassionately minimised by staff and leaders. Staff deploy themselves very well. They
consistently and sympathetically support children who face barriers in developing their
independence. Children persevere and develop these skills to the very best of their abilities.
Children form strong bonds with one another, instinctively supporting their friends when they
need to. Parents trust staff with their children and feel fully included at the setting, with
leaders valuing their contributions and feedback. Leaders empower parents to prioritise their

Inspectors:
Claudia Lambert
Carly Mooney
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): EY562870
Address:
Eddington Nursery
Eddington Avenue
Cambridge
Cambridgeshire
CB3 1AA
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 24/07/2018
Registered person: Bright Horizons Family Solutions Limited
Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR
children's wellbeing, and this has resulted in children who feel extremely safe, secure and
happy at the setting.
Next steps
Leaders should continue to support staff to embed the highest quality teaching practice
across the nursery that consistently meets expectations.
About this inspection
The inspectors spoke with parents, leaders, the special educational needs coordinator and
practitioners 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.

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00
Local authority: Cambridgeshire
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 7 July 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
0 to 4
Total number of places
125
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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