URN 2812479 · Inspected 2026-07-23 · Published 2026-09-08 · Inspector: Joanna Wilkinson
Harvey House Nursery Willow Unique reference number (URN): 2812479 Address: 1 Hainault Road, London, E11 1ED Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 13/09/2024 Registers: EYR Registered person: Harvey House Nursery Limited 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. Needs attention Achievement Needs attention Children's achievement is variable across the nursery. Babies develop confidence as they explore independently and benefit from secure attachments with their key persons, seeking them out for reassurance and support. Younger children enjoy exploring and investigating their environment. However, they do not consistently develop the knowledge and skills expected for their age because they are not fully engaged in purposeful learning. Older children make progress across the areas of learning and demonstrate developing knowledge and skills. However, opportunities for them to build on what they already know and can do are not consistently well matched to their individual developmental stage. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefit from targeted support and additional funding. This enables them to participate alongside their peers and make progress from their individual starting points. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention Daily routines, including transitions to the garden and mealtimes, are not always organised effectively. As a result, some children spend too long waiting and become bored or unsettled. At other times, staff interrupt younger children who are highly engaged in their learning to follow established routines. This reduces children's levels of involvement and limits opportunities for sustained learning. Leaders have established clear expectations for behaviour and respectful relationships. They recognise that routines need to be more effectively organised to ensure they support children's engagement, independence and sustained learning. Children generally behave well and benefit from positive and respectful relationships with staff. Staff support children sensitively to manage their emotions and resolve minor conflicts. Children are supported to share and cooperate during play. Staff encourage children to develop independence. For example, children tidy away their toys before mealtimes. Sleep routines are well established within the setting. Staff understand how to place babies down to sleep in line with government safety guidelines. They undertake checks to ensure babies' continued safety and comfort while sleeping. Older children behave well, work cooperatively and demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. Attendance and punctuality are promoted effectively, and children enjoy attending the nursery. Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention Care routines are not always organised well enough to consistently support children's care and wellbeing. Staff deployment during key routines, including nappy changing and lunchtime, is less effective than in other areas of practice. As a result, some children wait for extended periods. This affects their engagement and emotional wellbeing. Hygiene routines are not consistently followed. For example, some younger children's hands are washed before meals, while others are not. Leaders have clear policies and procedures for mealtimes. However, these are not consistently understood or implemented by all staff. During observations of mealtimes and routine changes, leaders identified inconsistencies in how staff organised transitions, communicated expectations to children and supported children to remain engaged. Leaders provided immediate coaching and recognise that further support and monitoring are needed to ensure practice is consistently embedded across the team. Children establish close relationships with their key person. They teach children about different emotions. They use stories and discussions to help children recognise feelings and understand behaviour. The nursery provides nutritious, home-cooked meals and healthy snacks. Children with allergies are well supported. Leaders work closely with parents and external professionals to ensure children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive targeted support, feel included and make some progress from their starting points. Curriculum and teaching Needs attention Leaders demonstrate a passionate commitment to improve the curriculum for all children, including those where there are barriers to learning. They have designed a broad curriculum that focuses on learning through play. There is a focus on providing opportunities to cover all areas of learning. However, younger children do not yet benefit from a consistent, motivating and sequenced curriculum. In other rooms, weaknesses in staff deployment and activity planning mean that teaching does not accurately reflect children's individual developmental stages. Staff do not consistently use their knowledge of what children already know and can do to plan opportunities for them to build on their skills and knowledge. Staff promote children's communication and language skills. They introduce vocabulary during play and regularly share books to support early language development. Staff introduce early mathematical concepts, such as counting, singing number rhymes and opportunities to explore shapes in the environment. Staff provide children with lots of opportunities to have fresh air and exercise. Older children enjoy practising their physical skills as they climb on the indoor climbing apparatus. Babies pull themselves up to stand and enjoy exploring their environment. Inclusion Needs attention There are weaknesses in the deployment of staff, particularly during routines and when children move across the nursery. For example, as children move from the inside to the outside, staff do not clearly communicate what is happening next, resulting in children becoming unsettled and unclear about what is expected of them. This results in children waiting for familiar staff to be available to meet their individual needs. Leaders and staff work in close partnership with parents and carers and other professionals to secure essential funding and support. They observe children closely so that they can identify individual needs and potential gaps in progress. Parents are complimentary of the support they have received from leaders and staff to help their child, for example to understand the education, health and care plan process. Leaders understand how to use additional funding to provide targeted support and resources for disadvantaged children. They consider what is in the best interests of all children. Leaders quickly follow up on any absence and recognise the importance of regular attendance. Leadership and governance Needs attention Leaders have a broad understanding of the setting's strengths and areas for improvement. During the inspection, leaders recognised that further development is required across several aspects of the provision. They identified the need to strengthen oversight of children during mealtimes to ensure safer eating practices, improve the quality of teaching and interactions, and enhance staff deployment. Leaders also recognised the need to organise routines and transitions more effectively and to implement the curriculum consistently so that all children make the progress of which they are capable. Professional learning is now a priority. Staff are beginning to benefit from frequent online training, coaching and modelling that is closely linked to their needs and the identified priorities for improvement. Leaders are committed to supporting staff wellbeing. They make reasonable adjustments where appropriate and encourage open communication. Staff report they feel listened to and valued. Leaders engage with parents and other professionals thoughtfully and in a way that supports children, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Parents and carers comment positively on the effective support they receive from leaders. They find the advice and guidance useful to prepare their children for school. What it's like to be a child at this setting Although children enjoy their time in the nursery, children's experiences are inconsistent across the nursery. There are weaknesses in the arrangements to supervise children at certain times of the day, including at mealtimes to ensure children remain safe while eating. This is partly due to ineffective staff deployment and inconsistencies in the implementation of policies and procedures. Some children are not always supported well enough during routines. They do not consistently have familiar staff or their key person with them to provide individual care or reassurance. This limits children's ability to understand and anticipate what is coming next when daily routines change, which can leave them feeling unsettled and less secure. The curriculum is not yet embedded consistently across the nursery. This leads to an inconsistent learning environment for younger children. Younger children do not consistently make progress from their starting points. For instance, planned activities for younger children do not always build on what children already know and can do. As a result, children become unmotivated, frustrated and disengaged in the learning experiences. Older children engage well and explore as they play. They offer staff a smile as they excitedly talk about what they will do next. Babies show secure attachments to their key person. This helps them to feel safe and secure. Children behave well, take turns and play alongside one another. For example, children work together to share dough as they create safari animal models. On occasion, children with barriers to their learning do not receive consistent support to help them make the progress they are capable of. Children receive a warm and friendly welcome from all staff. A thorough settling-in period allows staff to get to know children well and put plans in place to help them progress. Children's attendance is promoted. Parents and carers are aware of the importance of their children coming to nursery every day and attending regularly. 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 monitoring to ensure that all staff understand and consistently implement the safe eating policies 28/08/2026 improve the deployment of staff, in particular at times during the daily routine when children are required to wait, such as mealtimes or when moving to the outside, to ensure that children receive the attention they need 28/08/2026 ensure that the curriculum is implemented consistently to support learning and progress for all children 28/08/2026 improve the quality of teaching and interactions so that all children make better and sustained progress from their individual starting points 28/08/2026 About this inspection The inspector spoke with the leaders, the nominated individual, the special educational needs coordinator, staff, 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 Inspector: Joanna Wilkinson About this setting Unique reference number (URN): 2812479 Address: 1 Hainault Road London E11 1ED Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 13/09/2024 Registered person: Harvey House Nursery Limited Register(s): EYR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00 Local authority: London Borough of Waltham Forest 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 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. 59 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? 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