URN 2699448 · Inspected 2026-07-07 · Published 2026-09-01 · Inspector: Anahita Aderianwalla
First Years Pre School Ltd Unique reference number (URN): 2699448 Address: Trinity Church, Hindes Road, Harrow, HA1 1RX Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 21/11/2022 Registers: EYR Registered person: First Years Pre School Ltd 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. Expected standard Achievement Expected standard Children typically make expected progress from their individual starting points because practitioners use assessment information to build on what children already know and can do. Learning is adapted appropriately to meet the needs of different groups, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, children learning English as an additional language, disadvantaged children and those receiving additional support. Children typically develop the knowledge and skills needed across the areas of learning through experiences that generally build on previous learning. For example, during bug hunt activities, they recall earlier learning about the life cycle of a caterpillar while using magnifying glasses to observe insects and discuss their discoveries. Younger children develop increasing physical control through sensory experiences, while older children generally become more independent as they manage everyday routines and resources. Overall, children typically acquire the age- and stage-appropriate knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to make expected progress and are generally prepared for the next stage in their learning. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard Leaders generally promote positive behaviour through clear expectations, well-established routines and regular support for practitioners. They monitor practice and provide guidance to help practitioners use consistent approaches that support children's emotional wellbeing, behaviour and relationships. The importance of regular attendance is promoted through ongoing communication with families, helping children establish secure routines and participate consistently in the curriculum. Practitioners typically build warm, respectful relationships with children, helping them feel secure and understand what is expected. Children generally respond positively to familiar routines, showing increasing independence during everyday activities, including self-care and mealtimes. They typically respond positively to established routines and remain engaged in their play, cooperate with their friends and usually persevere when trying new experiences. Older children generally share resources, take turns and use agreed strategies, such as sand timers, to manage minor disagreements. Practitioners support children to recognise and express their emotions through visual prompts, planned activities to support their wellbeing and sensitive interactions. Children are encouraged to develop simple strategies to help regulate their emotions and build positive relationships with others. Overall, children typically behave appropriately, develop positive attitudes to learning and are generally supported through inclusive routines that help them feel safe, valued and ready to learn. Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard Practitioners are kind, caring and attentive to meeting children's individual needs. Children develop close and trusting relationships with their key persons and readily seek comfort and reassurance when needed. These warm interactions help children to feel emotionally secure. Practitioners support children sensitively as they settle into the nursery each day and when they make larger transitions, such as moving between rooms. As a result, children feel safe, settled and confident in the setting. Practitioners work with small, consistent groups of children, which enables them to know the children they care for well. This supports children to form secure attachments with practitioners and positive relationships with their peers. Children benefit from a calm and nurturing environment where practitioners prioritise their emotional needs. Practitioners provide children with healthy meals and snacks and sit with them to encourage positive social interactions and support their developing independence. Leaders place emphasis on supporting children to develop independence in their personal care routines, including toileting, in a sensitive and respectful manner. When children are not yet able to communicate verbally, due to their age or special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), practitioners ensure they are supported effectively using visual boards or prompts. This reduces children's frustration and ensures that all children's needs and preferences are understood and responded to appropriately. Children who have SEND or face other barriers to their learning or wellbeing benefit from the nurturing relationships they establish with practitioners, leading to them feeling safe, valued and cared for in the nursery. Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Leaders have designed a broad curriculum that generally reflects children's interests, builds on what they already know and can do and prepares them for the next stage of learning. Practitioners use observations and assessment information to plan experiences that develop children's knowledge and skills across all areas of learning. The curriculum is adapted appropriately to meet the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, children learning English as an additional language and other children who may require additional support. Practitioners generally engage children well through meaningful experiences, including gardening, bug hunts, sensory play, cooking and visits that encourage children to explore, investigate and revisit previous learning. They typically support children's communication through modelling language, introducing new vocabulary and responding to children's interests during play. However, opportunities to extend younger children's mathematical understanding are not maximised because practitioners do not consistently use mathematical language and purposeful questioning during child-led play. Older children generally enjoy adult-supported activities and are encouraged to collaborate and participate. However, on occasion, practitioners direct aspects of older children's play, reducing opportunities for older children to follow their own ideas or make independent decisions in their play. Purposeful questioning is also not consistently used to challenge older children to think critically, solve problems and explain their thinking. Overall, the curriculum is generally well planned and enables children to make expected progress from their starting points. Inclusion Expected standard Leaders generally create an inclusive culture by ensuring practitioners gather detailed information from parents when children join the setting and use ongoing assessment to identify, assess and meet children's individual needs. They regularly review children's progress and adapt support where required to reduce barriers to learning and wellbeing. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, disadvantaged children, children who are known or previously known to children's social care and those learning English as an additional language or facing other barriers to learning. Practitioners generally adapt activities, routines and communication to help children participate alongside their peers. They use visual timetables, choice boards, objects of reference, communication boards and simplified language to support children's understanding, communication and independence. Calm spaces, sensory resources and targeted adult support help children remain engaged in learning and daily routines. Leaders work closely with parents and external professionals, including the local authority special educational needs coordinator, speech and language therapists and occupational therapists, to review support and implement agreed strategies consistently. Additional funding is used appropriately to provide targeted resources and interventions that support disadvantaged children and those requiring additional help. Overall, children typically experience an inclusive environment where they feel they belong, participate fully in the curriculum and generally make expected progress from their individual starting points. Leadership and governance Expected standard Leaders demonstrate a clear understanding of the children, families and wider community they serve and use this knowledge to shape the curriculum and provision. They regularly review children's progress, evaluate the impact of the curriculum and adapt support where required to meet the needs of different groups, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, children learning English as an additional language, disadvantaged children and those who may face additional barriers to their learning. Leaders have also responded to local priorities by strengthening the promotion of oral health and healthy lifestyles through partnerships with health professionals and families. Since the previous inspection, leaders have strengthened the monitoring of practice through regular room audits, coaching, peer observations and supervision. These arrangements generally help leaders identify areas for development and provide timely support for practitioners. Staff report that they feel well supported, value the regular opportunities to reflect on their practice and feel able to discuss their wellbeing and professional development. Leaders have also expanded training opportunities, helping practitioners continue to develop their knowledge and skills. Leaders maintain productive partnerships with parents, external agencies and local schools, supporting continuity in children's learning and successful transitions. Parents value the regular communication, workshops and opportunities to participate in nursery life, helping to strengthen learning between home and the setting. Leadership and governance generally ensure that the setting continues to improve and that children and families receive appropriate support. What it's like to be a child at this setting Children are generally happy, confident and eager to learn in this welcoming setting. They arrive, warmly greeted by familiar practitioners, separate from their families with reassurance and quickly settle into the day's routines. Children develop trusting relationships with practitioners, who help them feel safe, valued and included. They play alongside their friends, share resources and increasingly learn to cooperate with one another. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those learning English as an additional language typically participate fully in daily experiences because practitioners adapt activities, communication and routines to meet their individual needs. Children generally enjoy a broad range of experiences that reflect their interests and encourage them to explore the world around them. Following a visit from a mobile farm, they enthusiastically recreate their experiences through small-world play, confidently naming animals, recalling feeding and brushing them and sharing what they have learned about caring for them. Outdoors, children work together to transform a large cardboard box into a pretend house, exchanging ideas as they draw windows, flowers and furniture. They remain engaged for sustained periods, taking pride in their creations and celebrating one another's contributions. Children also enjoy caring for fruit, vegetables and herbs in the garden, recalling what plants need to grow and showing excitement as they observe changes over time. Children typically develop increasing confidence and independence through familiar daily routines. They help prepare for snack and mealtimes, manage many self-care tasks and make choices from the activities available. Positive relationships with practitioners help children understand expectations, develop friendships and begin to resolve minor disagreements appropriately. Families are welcomed into the life of the setting through regular communication, workshops and opportunities to share in children's learning, helping to strengthen continuity between home and the setting. Children benefit from regular attendance, which helps them establish secure routines, build positive relationships and participate fully in the curriculum. Overall, children enjoy coming to the setting, generally make expected progress from their starting points and are appropriately prepared for the next stage in their learning. Inspector: Anahita Aderianwalla About this setting Unique reference number (URN): 2699448 Address: Trinity Church Hindes Road Harrow HA1 1RX Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 21/11/2022 Registered person: First Years Pre School Ltd Register(s): EYR Next steps Leaders should develop the mathematics curriculum for younger children to ensure practitioners consistently provide high-quality teaching that extends children's mathematical understanding. Leaders should consider supporting practitioners to provide older children with greater opportunities to lead their own play and make independent decisions during adult- supported activities. Leaders should consider supporting practitioners to use more purposeful questioning to challenge older children and extend their critical thinking and problem-solving during play. About this inspection The inspector spoke with leaders, staff and children and took account of parents' views 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: Harrow 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 1 to 4 Total number of places 89 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. 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