Amelia House Nursery — Ofsted Nursery Tracker

Grades by area

Children's welfare and wellbeing

Strong standard

Staff work closely with parents, carers and external professionals to identify children's needs and adapt care accordingly. They provide highly effective care that consistently reflects children's individual needs. Staff accurately assess children's needs and use specialist advice, including recommendations from speech and language therapists, to provide prompt, well-coordinated support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning. Staff respond sensitively to children's emotional needs and skilfully help them recognise, express and manage their feelings. This support helps children develop a secure sense of emotional wellbeing, enabling them to participate fully and confidently in learning experiences. Effective settling-in procedures enable staff to get to know children well and understand their emotional needs. This supports a smooth transition between home and nursery. Key persons respond warmly to children's needs, helping them develop secure attachments, feel safe and develop a secure sense of belonging from the outset. Staff consistently promote children's health and wellbeing through carefully planned daily routines. For example, they teach children the importance of washing their hands before and after meals. Children enjoy nutritious, freshly prepared meals and snacks that meet their individual dietary requirements and allergies. Staff supervise children closely throughout mealtimes to ensure they eat safely and receive prompt support when needed. Pre-school children confidently discuss the benefits of healthy eating. For example, they explain how different foods give them energy to play with their friends in local parks and playgrounds.

Inclusion

Strong standard

Leaders consistently ensure that every child, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning, receives highly effective support to achieve their next steps in learning. They identify children's individual needs promptly through accurate assessments, careful observations and purposeful discussions with parents, carers and external professionals. For example, staff skilfully implement strategies recommended by speech and language therapists to support children's communication and language development. Staff know children extremely well. They rigorously monitor their progress, carefully review the impact of the support they provide and adapt strategies when children's needs change. Staff make thoughtful adaptations that remove barriers to learning and promote children's emotional wellbeing. For example, staff respond sensitively when children become overwhelmed by high noise levels in the classroom and support them to regulate their emotions in a quieter space. Leaders demonstrate a secure understanding of how early years pupil premium funding can be used strategically to strengthen children's outcomes through staff training, purchase of specialist resources and targeted interventions. Their highly inclusive practice enables all children, regardless of their backgrounds or individual needs, to participate in stimulating well-organised indoor and outdoor learning experiences. Leaders collaborate with parents and external professionals to ensure children are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

Achievement

Expected standard

Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning, generally make progress from their starting points. Babies build towers using blocks, begin to feed themselves, drink from beaker cups and gradually learn to use open cups. They communicate through gestures, babbling and single words. Toddlers use spoons independently, follow simple instructions and express their needs using phrases. Pre-school children use forks and knives safely, pour their own drinking water and manage their personal care with increasing independence. They recall past experiences using full sentences. Children draw pictures with recognisable features, such as eyes, noses and mouths, and proudly explain that their artwork represents members of their family. They count accurately, compare the lengths of the nursery's snails and identify which are longer and shorter. Children identify flags of America and New Zealand, recognising the stars and other distinctive features. Children show interest in their learning and choose resources that capture their attention. They follow instructions well during group activities and engage positively in conversations with staff and their peers. However, variations in the quality of teaching and periods of high noise levels affect children's concentration and focus. As a result, children do not always sustain their engagement in learning, which limits how well they achieve across the curriculum.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines

Expected standard

Leaders have high expectations for children's behaviour. Staff are caring and patient, which helps them build warm trusting relationships with children. Children demonstrate that they feel safe, secure and valued. Staff consider children's age, stage of development and individual needs, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning. Staff typically adapt their approaches to help children understand expectations, regulate their emotions and participate in learning experiences. For example, during group time, children identify and discuss emotions, such as feeling happy, sad and scared. Staff use stories and conversations to help children understand their feelings and develop appropriate strategies to manage them. This supports children to behave respectfully, cooperate during play and develop positive attitudes towards learning. Staff typically plan group activities that reflect children's interests and next steps in learning. Children take turns, share resources and cooperate well with their peers. However, staff do not always use effective strategies to gain and maintain children's attention during transitions throughout the day. At times, staff raise their voices and children copy this behaviour by raising their own voices. Consequently, increased noise levels affect children's ability to maintain focus and concentration, limiting their engagement in learning. Leaders work with parents and carers to promote consistent attendance. They monitor attendance and follow up absences promptly. For example, leaders respond flexibly when families experience unexpected changes in circumstances, making appropriate adjustments to support children's continued attendance. This helps children benefit from the nursery's well-sequenced curriculum.

Curriculum and teaching

Expected standard

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum that meets the learning and development requirements of the early years foundation stage. The curriculum meets the needs of all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning. The curriculum places a priority on children's communication and language alongside their physical, personal and emotional development. Children develop secure relationships with their key person through warm, responsive interactions that help them feel safe, valued and confident. Daily opportunities to explore the outdoor environment strengthen children's spatial awareness, coordination and balance. Teaching typically reflects the nursery's curriculum and responds to children's interests and stages of development. Staff use ongoing assessment to identify what children know and can do and use this information to plan learning experiences that support their next steps. Babies explore sensory resources, join in with familiar nursery rhymes and communicate through gestures, facial expressions and emerging words. Toddlers build on these foundations through role play, storytelling and conversations during everyday routines. Pre-school children extend their vocabulary by linking past experiences to daily routines. For instance, children carefully cut cucumbers into small pieces to feed the nursery's snails, count how many there are and name them after popular children's television characters. Children communicate confidently and share their ideas with adults and their peers. Staff generally promote learning across all areas of the curriculum through daily routines and planned activities. However, teaching varies across the nursery. Staff do not always use effective questioning or explanations to build on children's language and ideas and deepen their understanding.

Leadership and governance

Expected standard

Leaders generally understand the nursery's strengths and areas that require further development. Leaders ensure newly qualified staff receive a thorough induction. All staff engage in continuing professional development through online courses, team meetings and supervision. However, teaching is not consistently effective across the nursery. Consequently, children do not consistently receive high-quality learning experiences. Leaders make appropriate decisions that support the wellbeing and development of all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning. They work with parents, carers and external professionals to ensure children receive the support they need. Leaders understand how early years pupil premium funding can be used strategically to support eligible children. Leaders work in partnership with parents and use a range of approaches to promote family engagement. They personalise the settling-in process to help children settle smoothly into the nursery and collaborate with parents to understand each child's individual needs. In addition, leaders invite parents to events such as Father's Day, Mother's Day and parent workshops. Parents generally speak positively about the support they receive and report that their children make progress from their starting points. However, leaders do not consistently engage parents who are harder to reach. For example, they do not always provide personalised suggestions to extend children's learning and development beyond the nursery. Consequently, leaders do not always maximise opportunities to work in partnership with parents to further strengthen children's learning and development.

What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children enjoy attending this safe and inclusive nursery, where staff prioritise their wellbeing. Caring staff welcome children when they arrive at the nursery. Children confidently separate from their parents and carers and are familiar with the daily routines. For example, they hang up their coats on their named pegs and eagerly choose from a broad range of stimulating activities and toys. Children develop secure attachments with their key person, who responds warmly to their individual needs. For example, they provide reassurance through comforting words and cuddles. This helps children feel emotionally secure and ready to learn. Staff know children well and provide engaging experiences that reflect their interests and stages of development. Babies enjoy singing familiar songs and joining in with actions. Toddlers turn pages of books during interactive storytelling sessions. Pre-school children use their imagination to create and share their own stories. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to their learning, benefit from positive interactions with staff and their peers. Children develop a growing vocabulary and communicate confidently with adults and one another. Typically, children make progress from their starting points. Children behave well and are kind towards one another. They invite staff to join their play and develop secure friendships with their peers. Children enjoy regular outings and visits in the local and wider community. They visit playgrounds, parks, farms and museums. Toddlers enjoy listening to sounds during local walks and excitedly point to an aeroplane in the sky and say 'aeroplane'. Pre-school children learn to identify birds, including swans, coots, moorhens and mallards. This broadens their understanding of the world around them. Leaders encourage regular attendance so that children benefit from consistent learning experiences and continue to build on what they already know and can do. Children generally develop the knowledge, skills and independence they need for a successful transition to school.

Next steps

Leaders should support staff to use effective strategies consistently to gain and maintain children's attention during transitions so that children remain focused and engaged in their learning. Leaders should ensure consistently high-quality teaching across the nursery to further extend children's language, thinking and learning. Leaders should continue to develop and embed strategies to engage parents who are harder to reach to help them support their children's learning and development.

About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, parents, 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.

About this setting

URN: 2813642
Address: 31 Hopewell Square London E14 0SY
Type: Childcare on Non-Domestic Premises, Full day care
Registration date: 13/11/2024
Registered person: City Island Daycare LTD
Register(s): EYR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00
Local authority: Tower Hamlets

Facts and figures

Age range at inspection: 0 to 4
Total places: 75

Data from 23 July 2026

Amelia House Nursery Unique reference number (URN): 2813642 Address: 31 Hopewell Square, London, E14 0SY Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 13/11/2024 Registers: EYR Registered person: City Island Daycare LTD Inspection report: 23 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 Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard Staff work closely with parents, carers and external professionals to identify children's needs and adapt care accordingly. They provide highly effective care that consistently reflects children's individual needs. Staff accurately assess children's needs and use specialist advice, including recommendations from speech and language therapists, to provide prompt, well-coordinated support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning. Staff respond sensitively to children's emotional needs and skilfully help them recognise, express and manage their feelings. This support helps children develop a secure sense of emotional wellbeing, enabling them to participate fully and confidently in learning experiences. Effective settling-in procedures enable staff to get to know children well and understand their emotional needs. This supports a smooth transition between home and nursery. Key persons respond warmly to children's needs, helping them develop secure attachments, feel safe and develop a secure sense of belonging from the outset. Staff consistently promote children's health and wellbeing through carefully planned daily routines. For example, they teach children the importance of washing their hands before and after meals. Children enjoy nutritious, freshly prepared meals and snacks that meet their individual dietary requirements and allergies. Staff supervise children closely throughout mealtimes to ensure they eat safely and receive prompt support when needed. Pre-school children confidently discuss the benefits of healthy eating. For example, they explain how different foods give them energy to play with their friends in local parks and playgrounds. Inclusion Strong standard Leaders consistently ensure that every child, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning, receives highly effective support to achieve their next steps in learning. They identify children's individual needs promptly through accurate assessments, careful observations and purposeful discussions with parents, carers and external professionals. For example, staff skilfully implement strategies recommended by speech and language therapists to support children's communication and language development. Staff know children extremely well. They rigorously monitor their progress, carefully review the impact of the support they provide and adapt strategies when children's needs change. Staff make thoughtful adaptations that remove barriers to learning and promote children's emotional wellbeing. For example, staff respond sensitively when children become overwhelmed by high noise levels in the classroom and support them to regulate their emotions in a quieter space. Leaders demonstrate a secure understanding of how early years pupil premium funding can be used strategically to strengthen children's outcomes through staff training, purchase of specialist resources and targeted interventions. Their highly inclusive practice enables all children, regardless of their backgrounds or individual needs, to participate in stimulating Expected standard well-organised indoor and outdoor learning experiences. Leaders collaborate with parents and external professionals to ensure children are well prepared for the next stage of their education. Achievement Expected standard Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning, generally make progress from their starting points. Babies build towers using blocks, begin to feed themselves, drink from beaker cups and gradually learn to use open cups. They communicate through gestures, babbling and single words. Toddlers use spoons independently, follow simple instructions and express their needs using phrases. Pre-school children use forks and knives safely, pour their own drinking water and manage their personal care with increasing independence. They recall past experiences using full sentences. Children draw pictures with recognisable features, such as eyes, noses and mouths, and proudly explain that their artwork represents members of their family. They count accurately, compare the lengths of the nursery's snails and identify which are longer and shorter. Children identify flags of America and New Zealand, recognising the stars and other distinctive features. Children show interest in their learning and choose resources that capture their attention. They follow instructions well during group activities and engage positively in conversations with staff and their peers. However, variations in the quality of teaching and periods of high noise levels affect children's concentration and focus. As a result, children do not always sustain their engagement in learning, which limits how well they achieve across the curriculum. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard Leaders have high expectations for children's behaviour. Staff are caring and patient, which helps them build warm trusting relationships with children. Children demonstrate that they feel safe, secure and valued. Staff consider children's age, stage of development and individual needs, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning. Staff typically adapt their approaches to help children understand expectations, regulate their emotions and participate in learning experiences. For example, during group time, children identify and discuss emotions, such as feeling happy, sad and scared. Staff use stories and conversations to help children understand their feelings and develop appropriate strategies to manage them. This supports children to behave respectfully, cooperate during play and develop positive attitudes towards learning. Staff typically plan group activities that reflect children's interests and next steps in learning. Children take turns, share resources and cooperate well with their peers. However, staff do not always use effective strategies to gain and maintain children's attention during transitions throughout the day. At times, staff raise their voices and children copy this behaviour by raising their own voices. Consequently, increased noise levels affect children's ability to maintain focus and concentration, limiting their engagement in learning. Leaders work with parents and carers to promote consistent attendance. They monitor attendance and follow up absences promptly. For example, leaders respond flexibly when families experience unexpected changes in circumstances, making appropriate adjustments to support children's continued attendance. This helps children benefit from the nursery's well-sequenced curriculum. Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum that meets the learning and development requirements of the early years foundation stage. The curriculum meets the needs of all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning. The curriculum places a priority on children's communication and language alongside their physical, personal and emotional development. Children develop secure relationships with their key person through warm, responsive interactions that help them feel safe, valued and confident. Daily opportunities to explore the outdoor environment strengthen children's spatial awareness, coordination and balance. Teaching typically reflects the nursery's curriculum and responds to children's interests and stages of development. Staff use ongoing assessment to identify what children know and can do and use this information to plan learning experiences that support their next steps. Babies explore sensory resources, join in with familiar nursery rhymes and communicate through gestures, facial expressions and emerging words. Toddlers build on these foundations through role play, storytelling and conversations during everyday routines. Pre- school children extend their vocabulary by linking past experiences to daily routines. For instance, children carefully cut cucumbers into small pieces to feed the nursery's snails, count how many there are and name them after popular children's television characters. Children communicate confidently and share their ideas with adults and their peers. Staff generally promote learning across all areas of the curriculum through daily routines and planned activities. However, teaching varies across the nursery. Staff do not always use effective questioning or explanations to build on children's language and ideas and deepen their understanding. Leadership and governance Expected standard Leaders generally understand the nursery's strengths and areas that require further development. Leaders ensure newly qualified staff receive a thorough induction. All staff engage in continuing professional development through online courses, team meetings and supervision. However, teaching is not consistently effective across the nursery. Consequently, children do not consistently receive high-quality learning experiences. Leaders make appropriate decisions that support the wellbeing and development of all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning. They work with parents, carers and external professionals to ensure children receive the support they need. Leaders understand how early years pupil premium funding can be used strategically to support eligible children. Leaders work in partnership with parents and use a range of approaches to promote family engagement. They personalise the settling-in process to help children settle smoothly into the nursery and collaborate with parents to understand each child's individual needs. In addition, leaders invite parents to events such as Father's Day, Mother's Day and parent workshops. Parents generally speak positively about the support they receive and report that their children make progress from their starting points. However, leaders do not consistently engage parents who are harder to reach. For example, they do not always provide personalised suggestions to extend children's learning and development beyond the nursery. Consequently, leaders do not always maximise opportunities to work in partnership with parents to further strengthen children's learning and development. What it's like to be a child at this setting Children enjoy attending this safe and inclusive nursery, where staff prioritise their wellbeing. Caring staff welcome children when they arrive at the nursery. Children confidently separate from their parents and carers and are familiar with the daily routines. For example, they hang up their coats on their named pegs and eagerly choose from a broad range of stimulating activities and toys. Children develop secure attachments with their key person, who responds warmly to their individual needs. For example, they provide reassurance through comforting words and cuddles. This helps children feel emotionally secure and ready to learn. Staff know children well and provide engaging experiences that reflect their interests and stages of development. Babies enjoy singing familiar songs and joining in with actions. Toddlers turn pages of books during interactive storytelling sessions. Pre-school children use their imagination to create and share their own stories. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to their learning, benefit from positive interactions with staff and their peers. Children develop a growing vocabulary and communicate confidently with adults and one another. Typically, children make progress from their starting points. Children behave well and are kind towards one another. They invite staff to join their play and develop secure friendships with their peers. Children enjoy regular outings and visits in the local and wider community. They visit playgrounds, parks, farms and museums. Toddlers enjoy listening to sounds during local walks and excitedly point to an aeroplane in the sky and say 'aeroplane'. Pre-school children learn to identify birds, including swans, coots, moorhens and mallards. This broadens their understanding of the world around them. Leaders encourage regular attendance so that children benefit from consistent learning experiences and continue to build on what they already know and can do. Children generally Inspector: Yemi Afolabi About this setting Unique reference number (URN): 2813642 Address: 31 Hopewell Square London E14 0SY Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 13/11/2024 Registered person: City Island Daycare LTD develop the knowledge, skills and independence they need for a successful transition to school. Next steps Leaders should support staff to use effective strategies consistently to gain and maintain children's attention during transitions so that children remain focused and engaged in their learning. Leaders should ensure consistently high-quality teaching across the nursery to further extend children's language, thinking and learning. Leaders should continue to develop and embed strategies to engage parents who are harder to reach to help them support their children's learning and development. About this inspection The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, parents, 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 Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00 Local authority: Tower Hamlets Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 23 July 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 0 to 4 Total number of places 75 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. You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence, write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk. This publication is available at https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk. Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn. Piccadilly Gate Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted © Crown copyright 2026 © Crown copyright