URN EY275595 · Inspected 2026-08-05 · Published 2026-09-11 · Inspector: Holly Smith
Hugo and Holly Day Nursery Unique reference number (URN): EY275595 Address: 3 Brunswick Square, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, GL1 1UG Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 23/06/2004 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Hugo and Holly Day Nursery Partnership Inspection report: 5 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 secure progress from their individual starting points. As they move through the nursery, they develop the knowledge, skills and confidence expected for their age. Babies become increasingly confident in communicating their needs and feeding themselves. Older children recognise colours, count and solve simple problems. They manage everyday routines with increasing independence. These achievements prepare children for the next stage in their learning. Children who receive additional support, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who speak English as an additional language and children who receive early years pupil premium funding, typically make secure progress. They develop increasing confidence, communication and independence, enabling them to participate alongside their peers. Although children generally achieve well, variations in the implementation of the curriculum mean that they do not consistently build on their existing knowledge and skills across all rooms. Consequently, children do not consistently make the progress they are capable of. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard Leaders establish clear expectations for behaviour, attendance and daily routines across the nursery. They monitor children's attendance carefully and follow up absences promptly with families. They work in partnership with parents and carers to promote regular attendance. Practitioners understand children's individual needs and implement agreed strategies to support positive behaviour and emotional regulation. This helps children with differing needs to participate successfully alongside their peers. Children behave well and demonstrate positive attitudes to learning throughout the day. They cooperate with their friends, take turns, share resources and respond positively to practitioners' guidance. Children confidently follow familiar routines. They move calmly between activities, wash their hands before meals, help to tidy away resources and remain settled during mealtimes. Children wait patiently for their food, respond positively to familiar expectations and demonstrate increasing responsibility for everyday routines. Practitioners respond calmly when children need support with their behaviour, helping them to re-engage positively in play. However, they do not consistently use these interactions to help children recognise and talk about their feelings or understand how their behaviour affects others. As a result, practitioners do not consistently implement leaders' intended curriculum through these everyday interactions. Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard Leaders promote a nurturing culture, where children's welfare and wellbeing are central to nursery life. They know children's individual care needs well. Leaders work closely with parents and carers and other professionals to understand their health, care and developmental needs. Leaders ensure that practitioners have appropriate information to support children's care throughout the day. For example, leaders review children's individual support regularly and adapt strategies as needs change. Practitioners provide warm and responsive care that reflects children's individual circumstances. They respond sensitively when children become upset. Practitioners use familiar and personalised approaches to help children settle and communicate. They support babies' health and wellbeing by ensuring drinks are accessible and encouraging them to recognise their own bottles and drink throughout the session. Practitioners encourage children to develop independence through feeding and personal-care routines, and they promote healthy habits through nutritious meals, outdoor play and appropriate rest. As a result, children develop secure relationships with familiar adults and confidently seek reassurance and support when needed. Practitioners adapt care appropriately for children with differing health, care and developmental needs. This helps children to participate fully in daily routines and experiences. Consequently, children are well cared for and experience positive emotional wellbeing throughout their time at the nursery. Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Leaders have designed a curriculum that helps children to build knowledge and skills progressively across the early years. They have identified strengthening children's mathematical development as a current improvement priority. Curriculum planning reflects this focus and supports children to build on previous learning as they move through the nursery. Leaders monitor curriculum implementation through observations, professional discussions and regular supervision sessions. Practitioners generally use questioning, mathematical vocabulary and well-chosen resources to support children's thinking and extend learning. They encourage children to solve problems, test their ideas and work collaboratively. Practitioners generally adapt their teaching so that children with differing needs can participate fully in learning alongside their peers. Where teaching is most effective, practitioners scaffold children's learning effectively and use interactions to build on children's responses. However, practitioners do not implement the curriculum consistently through their teaching and interactions across the nursery. Although they know children's starting points, interests and next steps, they do not consistently use this information alongside their understanding of children's existing knowledge and skills to adapt teaching precisely enough. As a result, children do not consistently benefit from teaching that builds securely on what they already know and can do, or extends their knowledge and skills. Inclusion Expected standard Leaders typically identify children who require additional support through assessment, including when completing progress checks for children aged between 2 and 3-years-old. They review children's progress with families, and plan, review and adapt support as children's needs change. Leaders work closely with speech and language therapists, health services and receiving schools to reduce barriers to learning. For example, children receive timely referrals for additional support, while reviews ensure support reflects their changing needs. Practitioners know children well. They understand children's interests, communication needs and the strategies that help them to regulate their emotions. Practitioners adapt communication to help children who speak English as an additional language, participate fully in nursery life. They use familiar strategies to support children who become overwhelmed. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who receive early years pupil premium funding, receive support tailored to their needs. This helps children who face barriers to learning and wellbeing, including communication, language and emotional regulation, to participate fully and typically make secure progress from their starting points. Leaders typically prepare children well for the next stage in their learning. They share assessments, support plans and relevant information with receiving schools. Leaders invite teachers to visit children with identified needs where appropriate. This helps children to move on with increasing confidence and supports continuity in the care and learning they receive. Leadership and governance Expected standard Leaders provide clear strategic direction. They have established an ambitious vision, centred on children's communication, independence and emotional wellbeing. Leaders have an accurate understanding of the nursery's strengths and areas for improvement. They use self-evaluation, quality assurance, observations and professional discussions to identify priorities for development. Leaders have introduced positive changes to the curriculum and learning environment to strengthen children's experiences. The provider maintains effective oversight of the nursery and supports leaders' ongoing improvement work. This helps to sustain a clear focus on continuous improvement. Leaders support practitioners through regular supervision sessions, professional learning and opportunities for reflection to develop their knowledge and skills. They promote staff wellbeing through an open-door culture, with wellbeing discussed through supervision and informal check-ins. Leaders monitor practice through observations and professional discussions. They use this information to identify strengths and areas for further development. However, professional learning has not yet secured consistently high-quality teaching and interactions across all rooms. Consequently, practitioners do not consistently implement leaders' intended curriculum or build systematically on children's existing knowledge and skills. Leaders establish positive partnerships with parents and carers. They work effectively with health, education and other professionals to meet children's individual needs. Leaders value families' contributions, and work closely with them to support children's progress and wellbeing. These collaborative partnerships help to ensure that children and families receive coordinated and responsive support. This improves children's experiences as they move through the nursery. 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 are happy, confident and enjoy coming to this welcoming nursery. They make choices about their play from an early age, selecting books, resources and activities that capture their interests. Babies enjoy songs, stories and sensory experiences. They begin to communicate their preferences and explore the world around them. As they grow, children become increasingly curious and build on their own ideas. Older children sustain their interest in water play, as their exploration develops naturally from filling and emptying containers to investigating colour mixing. They readily share their own experiences during Inspector: conversations, talking about family holidays and the world around them. Children build on their ideas through play. They celebrate their achievements with the encouragement of familiar adults. Children build warm relationships with practitioners who know them well as individuals. They confidently seek reassurance from familiar adults, celebrate their achievements and happily play alongside their friends. Practitioners understand children's interests, personalities and individual needs. This helps children to take part in nursery life, develop alongside their peers and make progress from their individual starting points. Children become increasingly confident communicators, solve simple problems and grow in independence. Babies learn to feed themselves and older babies proudly put on their own bibs and aprons. Toddlers begin to manage everyday self-care, while older children wash their hands before meals and collect their belongings when needed. Children behave well and demonstrate that they feel safe and secure. They enjoy healthy meals, daily outdoor play and familiar routines that help them to understand what happens next. Children develop friendships, learn to cooperate with others and show pride in their growing independence. Children seek out practitioners for support and encouragement. This helps them to feel valued and secure throughout the day. Children leave the nursery as confident and curious children. They develop the knowledge, skills and independence they need for the next stage in their learning. Next steps Leaders should strengthen practitioners' knowledge and skills to ensure they consistently implement the intended curriculum through high-quality teaching and interactions across all rooms. Leaders should ensure that children's next steps are precise, measurable and consistently used to inform teaching so practitioners build systematically on children's existing knowledge and skills. About this inspection The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, the special educational needs coordinator, children and parents and carers 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. Holly Smith About this setting Unique reference number (URN): EY275595 Address: 3 Brunswick Square Gloucester Gloucestershire GL1 1UG Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 23/06/2004 Registered person: Hugo and Holly Day Nursery Partnership Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 17:30 Local authority: Gloucestershire Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 5 August 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 1 to 4 Total number of places 55 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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