Little Skippers Nursery

Little Skippers Nursery
Unique reference number (URN): 2863036
Address: Springs Christian Fellowship, New Road, Ware, SG12 7BU
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 10/11/2025
Registers: EYR
Registered person: Phinn, Tedessa
Inspection report: 29 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.

Needs attention
Achievement Needs attention
There are inconsistencies in the frequency and quality of interactions between staff and
children. This means that not all children achieve as well as they could across all areas of
learning. Children who face barriers to learning do not consistently receive the targeted
support they need. For example, staff do not routinely adapt their interactions and teaching
strategies to reflect children's individual needs and interests. Consequently, these children
do not make the progress they are capable of.
Children develop some skills that help to prepare them for the next stage in their learning.
They build independence through daily routines. For example, babies independently access
resources stored at low levels, enabling them to make their own choices. Older children
develop appropriate self-help skills during mealtimes, where they are encouraged to wash
their hands independently, pour their own drinks and serve their own food.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention
Leaders have established clear expectations for children's behaviour. However, they do not
ensure that all staff consistently implement these expectations across the setting or use
positive behaviour management strategies effectively. As a result, children receive mixed
messages about expectations, which limits their understanding of boundaries and their
ability to make positive behaviour choices.
Leaders have identified the need to strengthen routines across the nursery and have started
to introduce changes to improve children's experiences. Some routines successfully support
children's independence. For example, children relish the responsibility of serving their own
food and pouring their own drinks, and work collaboratively together to help to tidy away. In
addition, regular story times in the toddler and pre-school room support children to engage
with books, and help them to develop a love of reading from an early age. However, leaders
do not ensure that staff establish and maintain consistent routines throughout the day.
Consequently, staff do not always use daily routines as opportunities to support children's
behaviour, independence and learning. Children do not always understand what is expected
of them, which limits their ability to develop positive attitudes to learning. Although leaders
have taken steps to improve practice, these changes have not yet become embedded
enough to demonstrate a sustained difference to children's experiences.
Staff work with parents to help them to ensure their children attend regularly and benefit
from the routines on offer.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention
Leaders have identified the need to strengthen the thoroughness of risk assessments to
ensure they consistently support effective practice. They recognise that they do not always
identify environmental hazards during routine checks, meaning some risks require
inspectors to bring them to leaders' attention. However, leaders respond swiftly when risks

are identified and take appropriate action to address them, ensuring that potential hazards
are removed and children remain safe. Children build warm and trusting relationships with
their key people. Staff, particularly in the baby room, respond sensitively to children's needs
and provide prompt reassurance and support when children become upset. Children
comfortably seek out familiar adults, helping them feel secure and valued.
Staff create a welcoming environment that generally meets children's needs. Children have
access to some resources that engage their interests and supports independent play. While
interactions between staff and children are inconsistent in quality, children feel comfortable
and secure with familiar adults. They are confident to express their emotions and let the staff
know how they feel.
Staff follow safe sleep procedures effectively, ensuring that children rest safely and
comfortably. They recognise that some babies use a dummy for comfort while sleeping, and
work in partnership with parents and carers to support this appropriately, particularly when
discussing children's communication and language development. The nursery provides
nutritious meals and snacks that promote healthy lifestyles and positive eating habits. Staff
manage children's dietary needs effectively and consistently sit with children as they eat,
ensuring they remain safe.
Curriculum and teaching Needs attention
Leaders understand what high-quality teaching and an ambitious curriculum should look like
in practice. However, they do not yet ensure that staff deliver this effectively across the
nursery. Although leaders have begun to take action to strengthen the curriculum and
teaching, this work remains at an early stage and has not yet brought about the
improvements needed.
Staff provide some age-appropriate learning opportunities and assess children's learning
and development to identify areas where children may need further support. They use this
information to inform planning. Older children enjoy building towers with interlocking bricks.
Staff encourage them to count the bricks and see which tower is the tallest. Younger
children use mirrors to explore facial expressions and develop their hand-eye coordination
as they select and move the blocks. However, staff do not consistently adapt activities and
interactions to meet the individual needs, interests and abilities of all children, including
those who face barriers to learning. They do not always use children's interests to plan
experiences that motivate and sustain their engagement. For example, when children show
an interest in making marks in the sand, staff do not use this interest to move their learning
forward. Instead, they watch children, but do not interact with them to build on their
emerging interest to make marks and inspire further learning.
Inclusion Needs attention
The curriculum, teaching and learning environment do not consistently support children's
learning effectively. The quality of teaching and staff interactions varies across the nursery.
At times, staff adopt a supervisory role rather than using interactions to extend children's
thinking, develop their vocabulary and build on their individual needs. Staff do not adapt the
curriculum consistently to ensure that activities and children's next steps reflect their
individual learning needs. As a result, children, particularly those who face barriers to

learning, do not have positive attitudes to learning and do not consistently make the
progress they are capable of across the curriculum.
Leaders demonstrate a clear understanding of the importance of working in partnership with
other professionals, agencies and parents to meet children's individual needs. They value
professional advice and support staff to implement some recommended strategies within the
nursery. For example, staff introduce activities using contrasting colours to support children
with visual impairments, and, at times, provide targeted group times to support children's
individual needs. This helps ensure that children receive appropriate, targeted support which
matches their individual needs.
Leadership and governance Needs attention
Leadership and governance require further development. Since the nursery opened, there
have been changes in the leadership and staffing team, leading to a period of instability.
This has affected staff morale and the consistency of practice across the nursery.
Consequently, staff do not always provide well-planned learning experiences or deliver the
curriculum effectively.
Leaders undertake a wide range of operational responsibilities, which limits the time
available to maintain effective oversight of practice and to further develop the knowledge
and skills needed for their roles.
Leaders demonstrate a strong commitment to improving the quality of provision and creating
an environment where children, families and staff can thrive. They have identified several
priorities for improvement and have introduced appropriate actions to strengthen practice.
However, leaders do not consistently identify all areas requiring further development
independently, including some aspects of the learning environment that would benefit from
closer review. However, they respond positively to professional challenge and support, and
quickly implement advice and recommendations. This enables them to address potential
environmental risks promptly and strengthen practice where needed. Although changes are
being implemented, they remain at an early stage, and it is too soon to determine whether
they will secure sustained improvements in practice and children's outcomes.
Leaders follow safer recruitment procedures and complete appropriate suitability checks
before staff begin work. However, the organisation of recruitment records does not always
enable leaders to access and review information efficiently when required. Leaders provide
staff with regular training to develop their knowledge and skills. They have appropriate plans
to strengthen supervision and arrangements so they can identify individual development
needs and target professional development more precisely.

What it's like to be a child at this setting
The quality of children's learning experiences requires further development. Although
children take part in some activities, these are not always planned carefully enough to reflect
children's individual needs, interests and stages of development. At times, children move
between activities without becoming fully engaged or developing deeper learning. As a
result, they do not consistently benefit from opportunities to build on what they already know
and can do. Staff do not always respond to children's behaviour in clear and consistent
ways. This means that children do not always develop a secure understanding of
expectations, positive relationships and how to manage their own behaviour effectively.
Children experience a warm and nurturing environment where they are welcomed positively
by staff, who are attentive to their welfare and emotional wellbeing. Leaders ensure familiar
adults are available to support smooth transitions between home and the nursery, helping
children to feel safe, settled and secure. As a result, children show growing confidence in
separating from their parents and are comfortable exploring the environment.
Children appear to enjoy their time at the nursery and develop positive relationships with
adults and other children. They seek reassurance and comfort from trusted adults when
needed, demonstrating secure attachments. Children begin to build friendships with peers,
often playing alongside one another, sharing resources and joining in with familiar routines
and activities. For example, children enjoy exploring woodland creatures in soil and help to
sweep up loose soil as it falls on the floor.
Children are beginning to develop independence through familiar daily routines. Older
children enthusiastically join in with tidying away when singing the 'tidy-up song', helping to
care for their environment and follow established expectations. Children benefit from
opportunities to be physically active and enjoy regular access to outdoor play. Younger
children explore a range of natural materials and textures through sensory experiences,
supporting their curiosity and early exploration skills. Older children use their imagination
during pretend play, creating simple role-play scenarios with their peers, negotiating roles
and sharing ideas. Experiences such as these, support children's physical, social and
creative development.
Next steps
To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage the provider must take the
following actions by the assigned date:
Action Completion Date
strengthen risk assessment arrangements to ensure
that they are implemented consistently and continue to
support a safe and suitable environment for all children
13/08/2026

Inspector:
Carly Parkinson
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2863036
Address:
Springs Christian Fellowship
New Road
Ware
SG12 7BU
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 10/11/2025
Action Completion Date
ensure better oversight of the quality of staff
interactions to further support staff practice, particularly
for those children who may face barriers to learning
20/08/2026
ensure that managers have sufficient time and capacity
to fulfil their roles effectively, so that they can provide
consistent oversight of the quality of provision and drive
continuous improvement
20/08/2026
About this inspection
The inspectors spoke with the general manager, site manager, staff, children and parents
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.
We carried out this inspection as a result of a risk assessment, following information we
received about the provider. The provider will be able to give parents further information
about this.

Registered person: Phinn, Tedessa
Register(s): EYR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:30
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 29 July 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
0 to 4
Total number of places
30
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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