The Honey Bee Day Care

The Honey Bee Day Care
Unique reference number (URN): 2508530
Address: Tilia Lodge, London Road, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 3PA
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 06/12/2018
Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR
Registered person: Prima Edu Limited
Inspection report: 29 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
Needs attention
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Leaders ensure a commitment to promoting children's health and welfare. A key strength in
the nursery is the warm and nurturing relationships that staff establish with babies and
young children. Staff know children well and provide sensitive and responsive care. They
take account of individual routines from home, including stages of weaning. This ensures
consistency and comfort for babies and young children. When staff identify children's
additional health needs, they respond promptly. They ensure a healthcare plan is put in
place without delay and staff are briefed quickly so that appropriate support is implemented.
As a result, children's health is assured.
Leaders prioritise healthy eating. They provide a wide selection of healthy and balanced
meal options that are reflective of children's dietary requirements. Staff make sure that
children are offered drinks frequently throughout the day to support their continued positive
health. All children relish the opportunity to be outside and be physically active. Staff use
planned outings into the local environment to support older children's understanding of how
to stay safe beyond the nursery. For example, during a walk in the park, children learn to
follow instructions, remain close to adults and consider their own safety when moving
through public places.
Achievement Needs attention
Children's achievement is inconsistent across the nursery. Older children, particularly those
with special educational needs and/or disabilities, do not make the progress of which they
are capable. Some children do not develop sufficient independence or learn to sustain their
attention. They find it difficult to follow familiar routines, participate in group activities or
manage changes throughout the day. As a result, some children do not consistently develop
learning behaviours they need to participate confidently in school life.
In contrast, babies and younger children make secure progress, particularly in their
communication and language development. These children confidently express their needs,
join in conversations and respond enthusiastically to stories, songs and rhymes. They
understand and respond well to familiar routines and group expectations, taking turns and
following simple instructions. Babies and younger children achieve well and develop a
secure foundation of knowledge, skills and behaviours for their future learning.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention
Leaders do not ensure that expectations for behaviour and routines are consistently clear or
effectively implemented across the nursery. The lack of consistency means the older
children do not understand or follow daily routines well. Transitions between activities are at

times disorganised and children are required to wait for extended periods of time. Children
struggle to manage this waiting time. This has a negative impact on their behaviour and
ability to regulate their emotions overall.
Predictable routines are well established for younger children. Staff ensure expectations are
clear and consistently reinforced, which helps younger children to feel safe, settled and
confident. Children respond well to routines. They line up to go outside when asked, readily
take turns and enjoy the company of their friends. They develop positive attitudes to learning
and show a keenness to try new things. Leaders ensure they monitor children's attendance
and work with families to address any patterns in absence.
Across the nursery, staff are kind and nurturing in their interactions with children. Despite
weaknesses in the consistency of practice, particularly for older children, relationships
remain positive and caring. Children seek support from familiar adults who place a suitable
focus on their emotional wellbeing overall. However, some children find setbacks
challenging and do not receive support to develop the resilience needed to persevere or find
solutions when difficulties arise. This impacts on their confidence and ability to engage
positively in learning when they encounter difficulties.
Curriculum and teaching Needs attention
Leaders do not ensure that the curriculum is implemented consistently through high-quality
teaching across the nursery. This results in variability in children's learning experiences.
Some staff demonstrate effective knowledge and interact effectively with children. They
support children's learning through warm and responsive interactions. However, the support
for older children and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is variable.
Staff do not fully support all children to build on what they know and can do. This means
gaps in children's learning do not close quickly enough.
Leaders have designed a curriculum that broadly sets out what they want children to learn
across the nursery. This includes a focus on children's communication and language,
physical development and early personal and social skills. Staff in the baby room support
early communication effectively. They ensure sensitive responses to children's attempts to
communicate. For example, staff encourage early turn-taking and consistently acknowledge
children's voices, helping babies to feel heard and understood. This ensures a foundation for
children's learning. Toddlers benefit equally from well-planned song time routines. Children
participate enthusiastically, shaking instruments in time with the music, showing enjoyment
in the activity. Staff provide clear guidance, including signals for when to start and stop.
Children respond well to these instructions, demonstrating their ability to listen and follow
routines.
Inclusion Needs attention
Leaders do not ensure that expectations for inclusive practice are implemented consistently
across the nursery. Although they have identified children's needs and staff understand the
support that many children require, this is not embedded in day-to-day practice. Staff do not
consistently adapt their approach to enable all children, including those who are nonverbal,
to express their needs, make choices and participate fully in learning. As a result, some

children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are not consistently supported to
communicate effectively or engage meaningfully in activities.
Leaders do, however, work constructively with parents and carers and external
professionals to secure appropriate advice and support. This helps to ensure that children's
needs are understood in the context of their families and that appropriate external support is
sought when required. Leaders use early years pupil premium and additional funding to
reduce barriers to children's learning. This includes the provision of additional resources and
coaching that broaden children's experiences and support their physical skills overall.
Staff meet children's additional health needs well. Effective arrangements ensure they are
not disadvantaged and can participate safely and confidently in daily routines. However, the
quality of support for children's learning is variable and barriers are not reduced quickly
enough.
Leadership and governance Needs attention
Leaders have a clear understanding of the difficulties faced by some children and recognise
that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have experienced
delays in their learning and development. They are committed to improving outcomes for all
children and work effectively with parents and carers, external agencies and the local
authority to secure appropriate advice and guidance to support children's needs. While this
is having some impact, it is too soon to see any sustained improvement in outcomes for
children with SEND, as a result of leaders' recent action to date.
Leaders, including those in key roles, demonstrate knowledge and confidence, which has a
positive impact overall on children's experiences. They ensure an ongoing programme of
training that supports staff's knowledge of safeguarding and ensures qualifications such as
first aid remain in date. However, overall, leaders do not ensure that a programme of
professional development is targeted to address identified variations in staff knowledge and
practice. As a result, they do not secure consistent improvement in the quality of practice
across the nursery. Staff workload is managed well and regard is given to their wellbeing.
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's experiences at this nursery are variable across age groups and individual needs.
Most children are cared for in a safe and supportive environment where they develop
positive relationships with staff who know them well. Babies and younger children, in
particular, benefit from warm and nurturing interactions that help them to feel secure and
confident. However, experiences are less consistent for older children, where weaknesses in
routines, expectations and the support provided for their behaviour and learning affect how
well they engage in their learning overall.
Older children and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are not
consistently included in all aspects of nursery life. They do not routinely receive the support
and adaptions they need to participate fully. Consequently, children do not experience the
same quality of provision or achieve the same outcomes as other children. Despite this, all
children generally develop positive relationships with staff and each other.
Children's health and welfare are promoted effectively. They receive support to make
healthy choices, with access to nutritious food, regular drinks and opportunities to be
physically active indoors and outdoors. Toddlers relish opportunities to play outside. They
confidently develop their physical skills as they run, kick balls with increasing control and
enthusiastically celebrate their achievements with their friends. Babies confidently explore
the outdoor area. They show delight in opportunities to crawl through tunnels and discover
the environment around them.

Inspector:
Melissa Cox
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2508530
Address:
Tilia Lodge
London Road
Reading
Berkshire
RG1 3PA
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 06/12/2018
Registered person: Prima Edu Limited
Next steps
To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the
provider must take the following action by the assigned date:
Action Completion Date
take action to ensure that staff provide targeted support
for children with special educational needs and/or
disabilities based on what they need to learn next, to
ensure that gaps in their learning close promptly and
they catch up with their peers
01/09/2026
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with the provider, staff, the special educational needs coordinator,
parents and carers and children 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.

Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 09:00 - 15:00
Local authority: Reading
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 29 June 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
0 to 5
Total number of places
72
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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