URN 2828450 · Inspected 2026-08-18 · Published 2026-09-17 · Inspector: Samantha Thorn
Tiny Treasures Nursery Unique reference number (URN): 2828450 Address: Winston House, Blackberry Court, Queen Mary Avenue, South Woodford, E18 2GF Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 28/04/2025 Registers: EYR Registered person: Alphabet Nurseries Ltd Inspection report: 18 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. Expected standard Achievement Expected standard In general, children make progress from their starting point. They typically develop through the curriculum and fine tune their ability to express themselves to their peers and a range of adults. Younger children gain important skills in personal, social and emotional development. A high emphasis is placed on developing secure attachments. Through these secure attachments, children are confident and motivated to try new experiences. They learn how to share and take turns with their peers, negotiating whose turn it is next. They play collaboratively, which is vital for learning. Older children show growing curiosity for learning. They are excited and proud of their achievements. They delight in showing staff what they can do. For example, when playing with rubber ducks and a pickup truck, children exclaim, 'Did it!', when arranging the ducks to fit on the back. They develop perseverance and resilience when facing challenges. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard Leaders have high expectations of behaviour and children are generally well behaved. Leaders regularly reflect on practice to identify patterns and prevent poor attitudes to learning. For example, leaders recognise the need to separate into small groups during circle time to ensure learning is developmentally appropriate. As a result, children develop a positive attitude towards learning. On occasion when children do display unwanted behaviours, staff do not always explain the reason why this behaviour is unacceptable. Consequently, children do not always have a deep understanding of behavioural norms. The key-person system is effective. Staff understand the importance of secure attachments. This is a priority for leaders, especially with the younger children. Staff work closely with families, so they know their key children well. The flexible settling-in procedures and detailed information shared when children first start enables staff to build warm, trusting and respectful relationships with the children. This, in turn, supports children to feel safe and secure. Leaders have robust policies and procedures for promoting punctuality and attendance. They record, monitor and evaluate attendance effectively. Where there are issues with attendance, leaders work closely with families to overcome these. As a result, children develop positive habits for their future success. Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard Staff typically use routines to support children's communication and language skills. During handwashing sessions, staff discuss the need to wash away the germs on our hands with soap. However, staff do not always use all routines to support learning. During intimate care routines, staff do not always engage in conversations with children. This means that children do not always hear the vocabulary they need to communicate well. As a result, children do not always make as much progress as they could. Policies and procedures for safer eating are robust. Staff ensure children are always supervised during mealtimes and food is prepared in a way to prevent choking. Leaders ensure children eat a healthy, balanced diet. Children enjoy tasting a variety of fruit and vegetables. Typically, mealtimes are a social occasion. They laugh as they challenge staff to guess how many pieces of fruit they have left in their bowl. Consequently, children know how to stay safe when eating. Generally, children's independence is fostered. Children learn about the importance of brushing their teeth. They learn about how certain foods cause 'cavities' and how our diet contributes to healthy bodies. Children enthusiastically brush their teeth at nursery. Staff are trained to support oral health and work closely with health professionals to raise the profile of oral health. Parents and carers speak positively about their children's improved attitude to tooth brushing. As a result, children learn how to take care of their teeth. Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Leaders are extremely reflective of their practice and welcome challenge to bring about improvements in teaching and learning. They understand child development. Leaders use this knowledge to create a blended curriculum based around the Montessori approach and the 7 areas of learning and development. Children's individual needs and interests heavily influence the curriculum. As a result, children are motivated to learn. Leaders place a strong focus on vocabulary, oral language and language comprehension. Children are encouraged to take a book home from the nursery library and share it with their families. Younger children select books independently and confidently approach an adult to share it with them. Staff sensitively interpret children's utterances and babbles and give meaning to their sounds. Older children engage in back-and-forth conversations with staff during their play. For example, children delight in digging in the sand to find insects. They squeal in mock horror when they find a spider and discuss the different types of insects they like and their habitats. However, on occasion, opportunities to extend children's vocabulary and deepen understanding are not fully maximised. This means that some children do not develop their language as quickly as they could. Maths is explicitly taught. Leaders ensure it is sequenced so that concepts are introduced over time. As a result, all children develop confidence in, and use mathematical vocabulary spontaneously in their play, including children who experience barriers to their learning. Inclusion Expected standard Leaders are passionate about ensuring all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are supported to make progress. Leaders and staff work tirelessly to identify children's emerging needs quickly and accurately. As a result, children who face barriers to learning have strategies put in place to help them make progress. For example, staff adapt their sentence structures, use pictures and Makaton to aid understanding and develop communication and language. On occasion, staff do not always use these strategies to support understanding. Consequently, some children do not always understand what is expected of them. Effective assessment procedures enable staff to create next steps to support children's learning. On occasion, these next steps do not precisely identify what steps need to be taken to ensure progress is made. Therefore, some children do not make sufficient progress rapidly. Leaders and staff have high expectations for all children. They have a secure understanding of the needs of disadvantaged children in the nursery. Leaders make changes to their fee structure and session times to support the needs of the children that attend. They work hard to engage with families and signpost them to additional support beyond the nursery that they can engage with. Leaders regularly consult with external specialists and implement their advice as necessary. For example, leaders invite the community nurse and physiotherapist into the nursery to support with nutrition and exercises to ensure children's physical development is supported. As a result, children typically have their individual needs met. Leadership and governance Expected standard Leaders are committed to ensuring every child receives high-quality care and education. Leaders are passionate about staff workload and wellbeing. Regular staff meetings and annual appraisals provide leaders with opportunities to have reflective discussions, leading to improvements in staff wellbeing and morale. Staff comment on how happy they are and how their professional development is supported. Leaders make adjustments to the working week to allow for staff to work 4 days on and 3 days off. As a result, staff comment on their increased motivation and ability to perform their best at work. Leaders establish a culture of continual improvement. They work closely with the local authority to evaluate their curriculum, making changes where necessary. Typically, staff are supported in their studies, with many continuing to build on their current qualifications. They continually seek to improve their expertise. Their most recent training has had a significant impact on practice, ensuring better outcomes for children. Leaders have a secure understanding of the needs of their families and the local community. They establish multiple ways to communicate with parents and carers. Through a communication application, and face-to-face formal and informal meetings, parents are able to share information about their children. They celebrate the dedication of the team and the progress their children have made. What it's like to be a child at this setting Children are welcomed into this small, friendly nursery by kind, approachable staff. They leave their parents and carers with ease and confidently join their friends. Older children independently serve their own breakfast and greet their peers. Younger children are greeted warmly and supported to choose what they want to eat. This helps children to feel like they belong. Children are keen to explore the learning environment. They have a positive attitude to learning and are eager to share information about their evening and who they have spent time with. Children confidently talk about family members and what is happening in their lives. Staff respond sensitively and with care. Children feel like they are listened to. Children with barriers to their learning are given extra support to help them catch up. For example, children who speak English as an additional language are supported with pictures, Makaton signs and the spoken word. This helps children to give meaning to what is being said and develops their understanding. Typically, children make progress from their starting points. Parents comment positively about the progress their children have made. Children play cooperatively with others. They share, take turns and negotiate in their play. When they struggle to play co-operatively, some staff skilfully support them to manage their emotions and offer solutions. Staff use simple repeated phrases such as, 'my turn, your turn', as a reminder that their turn will come again. Children feel supported and have a positive relationship with their peers and the staff. Children celebrate their successes alongside their peers, staff and families. During the recent graduation ceremony, parents comment on how welcome they feel and how their contributions are valued. Children delight in sharing their nursery experience with their friends and families. They understand the importance of coming to nursery regularly, which is promoted by leaders and staff. Next steps Leaders should strengthen their assessment processes so that children's next steps, especially where there are concerns about development, are shared effectively so that all children get the targeted support they need. Leaders should strengthen their strategies for supporting communication and language by ensuring everyday routines are used as learning experiences, particularly during intimate care routines. Leaders should continue to develop their strategies for supporting children to manage their behaviour by ensuring children are given age-appropriate explanations as to why certain behaviours are unwanted. Inspector: Samantha Thorn About this setting Unique reference number (URN): 2828450 Address: Winston House Blackberry Court Queen Mary Avenue South Woodford E18 2GF Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 28/04/2025 Registered person: Alphabet Nurseries Ltd Register(s): EYR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00 Local authority: Redbridge Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 18 August 2026 About this inspection The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, parents and carers, children, the special educational needs coordinators and designated safeguarding leads 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. Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 0 to 3 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. 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. 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