The Old Barn Day Nursery

The Old Barn Day Nursery
Unique reference number (URN): 2810842
Address: 140 High Street, Banstead, SM7 2NZ
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 19/12/2024
Registers: EYR
Registered person: Bright Stars Nurseries UK Limited
Inspection report: 17 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.

Strong standard
Achievement Strong standard
Children benefit from well-planned and thought through transitions to support their next
stage of learning. Children receive home visits before they start. This information guides
planning and makes staff aware of individual likes, dislikes and preferences. Children's
individual needs are consistently met by every member of the team.
Children are happy and enthusiastic learners who make consistent progress from their
individual starting points. They demonstrate high levels of independence as they confidently
explore, investigate and cooperate with friends and adults. Children make consistent
progress from their starting points, regardless of any barriers to learning. Children secure
essential developmental building blocks early, ensuring they achieve long-term success.
Children achieve well across all areas of learning. They start to build early social skills, as
they learn to play alongside one another and take turns. Children develop a range of
physical skills, such as using spoons independently and passing objects to one another
during sensory play. Children build early communication skills by copying adult gestures and
repeating animal sounds as they begin to learn their first words. Children are exposed to a
language-rich environment, where staff provide a constant running commentary to label
objects and emotions. Children are consistently well supported to become confident
communicators who are very well prepared for their next stage of learning.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard
Leaders have created a calm, respectful and caring environment, where staff model positive
attitudes to learning. Staff show high expectations for behaviour, and children behave
exceptionally well. Staff use positive strategies, such as praise and encouragement, to help
children understand expectations. Their calm approach creates a predictable environment
where children are ready to learn.
Staff continuously narrate what is happening to help children make sense of their world and
to demonstrate good manners. For example, at mealtimes, they model saying 'thank you'
alongside the corresponding Makaton sign.
Children build secure, trusting relationships with their key person and all other staff. They
play games and interactive activities collaboratively with their friends. For example, they
listen and interact during story time and follow peers to different areas of the room to share
preferred toys.
Leaders proactively monitor attendance and punctuality to keep children safe. They analyse
information well to spot emerging patterns. Leaders use this data to initiate prompt, direct
conversations with parents, ensuring children consistently attend their early years education.
For example, when children's attendance drops, leaders immediately talk with parents to
match nursery routines with home life. This practical help removes barriers and successfully
gets the children back into a steady, positive routine.

Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard
Children experience well-planned care that prioritises their welfare and builds healthy habits
from the start. Trusting positive relationships with their key person helps children feel safe
and enjoy frequent outdoor play. Children benefit from highly flexible routines when their
family circumstances change. For example, when starting, children receive tailored settling-
in schedules and personal show-arounds to protect their emotional wellbeing.
Children build independent self-care skills through thoughtful daily routines. They confidently
use portable, child-height sinks to practise washing their hands before meals. During
lunchtime, children develop small muscle control as staff encourage them to feed
themselves using the appropriate cutlery. Children are very at ease and show a secure
understanding of nursery routines, such as happily going to sleep without distress. There
are secure processes in place to ensure children are kept safe when eating and sleeping at
the nursery. Staff's calm, watchful presence supports children to independently fix problems,
such as picking up a knocked over chair and pushing it under the table.
Children make independent healthy choices at an age- and stage-appropriate level. They
have access to drinking water at all times. Staff help them to find their own personal picture
on their cup when they want a drink. Children learn social skills and early manners naturally
during shared activities and mealtimes. Staff tailor these routines carefully to match the
youngest children's age and stage of development. Children happily sit together with their
friends, try new things and copy actions to interactive songs while waiting for food. These
everyday experiences create the essential building blocks for physical and emotional health
before children transition to the next stage of their education.
Curriculum and teaching Strong standard
The quality of staff's teaching and interactions are a major strength of the nursery. Staff
understand young children's development and build a secure foundation for future learning.
They plan differentiated, inclusive activities around children's interests that are appropriate
for their age and stage of development. Staff do not force children to stay when they lose
interest. Instead, they follow the child's lead while keeping the same learning goal. For
example, staff planned a painting activity to practise passing brushes from hand to hand to
build hand-and-finger control. When children lost interest, staff followed them to a new area
and encouraged them to pass different items from hand to hand. This adjustment kept the
focus on the exact same skill.
The curriculum and teaching focuses on young children's early skills. Staff heavily prioritise
communication and language during interactions. They narrate children's actions using
clear, simple words. This language matches a thoughtful selection of age- and stage-
appropriate books available in all activities and areas. Staff firmly understand the importance
of personal, social, emotional and physical development. They interweave these prime
areas into planned and free-flow play to build essential learning foundations. For example,
children use garden slides for physical development. In addition, staff also provide secure
emotional attachments by comforting children when needed.

Inclusion Strong standard
Leaders use very clear systems to find all children's starting points quickly. Within six weeks
of starting, staff complete a baseline check using nursery observations and information from
parents. This helps leaders spot any additional needs early. Staff regularly assess children,
set targets, plan activities and review progress to track development. Staff work closely with
the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) to ensure their expectations for all
children, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make the best
possible progress. The SENCo uses specialist knowledge to guide staff and ensure these
targeted interventions make a positive difference. Staff then speak with parents to see if they
have noticed the same things at home.
Additional funding is used effectively to support each child's development. For example,
after consulting parents, targeted emotional wellbeing resources were bought, and staff
training for alternative communication was funded. This funding helped children improve
their conversation skills, manage their emotions, and transition smoothly between rooms.
Nursery practices change to ensure every child succeeds. For example, children who
struggle when starting receive highly targeted support. Staff provide these new children with
extra home visits and additional settling-in sessions. Staff collaborate closely with external
professionals. These include social workers, speech and language therapists, and the local
authority's early years special educational needs and disabilities team. Together, they share
ideas and implement targeted support for the children.
Leadership and governance Strong standard
Leaders have a detailed understanding of the nursery and the needs of the specific age
group of children that attend. The nursery is highly organised, and staff always conduct
themselves professionally. Rigorous recruitment and induction procedures ensure that staff
are suitable and well prepared for their roles.
Leaders have established strong partnerships with parents, including families who are
initially less engaged. They communicate regularly through a range of methods, including
digital platforms, daily discussions and regular parents' evenings. For most children, this
setting is their first educational experience with childcare. Leaders recognise this and
provide a well thought through, individualised and structured settling-in process to support
all families.
Leaders are highly committed to maintaining strong standards and demonstrate a clear
understanding of their responsibilities. They continually reflect on practice and use
monitoring systems, including supervision meetings, observations and audits, to support
continuous improvement. Leaders are proactive in identifying areas for development and
take effective action, such as strengthening the already strong transition procedures for
when children move on to the sister site.
Leadership continually review policy and practice. They ensure that new guidance and
emerging best practice is researched, understood and implemented. Staff feel supported by
leaders and play an important role in the culture of continuous improvement. For example,

staff ask for and receive training in specific areas of interest, and staff's individual strengths
are used to support ongoing improvements.
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children arrive happily at this nurturing setting, where wellbeing is prioritised. They are
welcomed into an environment full of opportunities to play and explore. Children benefit from
a wide range of personalised activities that broaden their understanding and help them
learn. For example, planned activities are based on children's interests and are adapted into
three distinct levels using assessment data. This allows every child to access the targeted
skills at their own level.
Children's communication and language development is heavily prioritised by staff during
regular daily interactions. For example, staff continuously narrate children's actions using
clear, simple words to help them make sense of their world. Children enjoy listening to
books that staff read to them. They lean into staff and explore the pictures and interactive
elements on pages as staff read with expression. Children have access to resources that
support their physical development. For example, they crawl through hollow cubes to
practise their gross motor skills. Children build strong emotional security through consistent
daily care routines that closely match their home life. For example, when children feel upset,
staff provide secure attachments by comforting them and checking in on their feelings.
Children explore the local community through regular visits to the library for rhyme-time
singing sessions and trips to a local field to explore nature. Throughout the year, they
experience cultural events at nursery, such as Chinese New Year and whole-family stay-
and-play events, including Grandparents' Day. Leaders understand the importance of
children's attendance to ensure they fully benefit from the full range of experiences on offer.
Staff interactions with children are warm and respectful. Staff know children extremely well.
Children play together and enjoy each other's company. For example, children willingly invite
friends into their play space and readily share resources to explore toys together. Children
are developing strong independence and self-help skills. For example, they confidently
access child-height stations to manage their personal hygiene, using adult support as they
work towards wiping their noses independently.

Inspector:
Rich LeRoy
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2810842
Address:
140 High Street
Banstead
SM7 2NZ
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 19/12/2024
Registered person: Bright Stars Nurseries UK Limited
Register(s): EYR
Operating hours: Monday : 08:00 - 18:00,Tuesday : 08:00 - 18:00,Wednesday : 08:00 -
18:00,Thursday : 08:00 - 18:00,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00
Local authority: Surrey
Facts and figures used on inspection
Next steps
Leaders should build on the setting's work to remove barriers for children who may need
extra help to realise a transformational impact on their achievement and wellbeing.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, parents and carers, and engaged with children
during the inspection.
We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the
quality and standards provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered
person must ensure that the provision complies with the statutory framework for children's
learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 17 August 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
0 to 1
Total number of places
12
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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