URN 2799878 · Inspected 2026-08-28 · Published 2026-09-28 · Inspector: Emily Woodhead
Armadillo's Nursery - Hemel Hempstead Unique reference number (URN): 2799878 Address: Unit B, Peacock Court, Ringlet Road, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP2 7DP Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 05/11/2024 Registers: EYR, CCR Registered person: Armadillos Nursery And Preschool Ltd Inspection report: 28 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 All children, including those who face barriers to learning, make continuing progress from their starting points. Children develop rich and expressive language as they describe the fruits they eat at mealtimes. They enjoy stories such as 'Tickly Octopus' and confidently count the octopus's legs on the front cover, developing their communication and early mathematical skills. Children develop their physical skills and confidence through regular opportunities to be active. At the park, they practise kicking a football towards the goals, use climbing equipment and slides, and run, jump and skip across the grass. Children are well prepared for their transition to school. They explore stories, photos and picture books about their new school, helping them understand what to expect and become familiar with their new environment. Children develop the independence and confidence they need for this next step through practical experiences and discussions. They benefit from consistent support between settings, their families and receiving schools, helping them feel secure and positive about starting school. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard Children behave exceptionally well and are familiar with the routines and expectations of the setting. They confidently understand what is happening now and next and respond positively to consistent boundaries. During circle time, children recall the setting's golden rules, including using 'walking feet' and 'kind hands'. They use good manners and demonstrate positive behaviours, such as sharing and taking turns. Sand timers support children to understand turn-taking and manage transitions. Children develop a strong sense of responsibility for their environment. They willingly tidy resources after playing and help clean up, such as sweeping spilt flour. Staff explain the importance of these routines, helping children understand their responsibilities and respect their surroundings. Younger children receive appropriate support to understand daily routines, including the use of objects of reference, such as a nappy to indicate nappy- changing time. Children benefit from secure relationships through a highly effective key-person system. They quickly develop trusting attachments, helping them feel happy, settled and confident. Staff consistently praise and encourage children, supporting positive attitudes towards learning. Leaders recognise the importance of regular attendance and work closely with families to support consistent routines. They monitor attendance and respond promptly to concerns, helping children attend regularly and benefit fully from learning opportunities. Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard Leaders prioritise children's welfare and wellbeing through robust policies, procedures and effective oversight. Staff know children's individual needs and treat them respectfully during personal care, explaining what they are doing before changing nappies or wiping faces. Well-established settling-in arrangements help children develop secure relationships and feel comfortable in the setting. Staff support children to manage difficult emotions effectively, which supports their wellbeing. Leaders promote healthy lifestyles throughout the day. Children confidently follow hygiene routines, such as handwashing, and learn to pour their own milk, developing independence. Staff use mealtimes to extend children's understanding of healthy choices, encouraging them to smell and taste foods and describe their experiences. Children identify apples as 'sweet' and bread sticks as 'crunchy'. Staff discuss where food comes from, including how apples grow on trees, how vegetables change colours as they ripen and how calcium helps bones grow strong. Leaders promote oral health through a dental health scheme and opportunities to learn from a dental professional. Leaders manage children's safety effectively. Staff follow safer sleep practices and monitor sleeping children. Before park visits, leaders check UV levels, provide sun cream and sun hats and complete risk assessments. Staff supervise closely, hold children's hands and talk about crossing roads safely. These arrangements help children stay safe and develop their own safety awareness. Inclusion Strong standard Leaders and staff provide highly effective, individualised support that enables children who experience barriers to learning or delays in development make sustained progress. They know children well and swiftly identify gaps and assess what type of support children need to reduce barriers to their learning. Staff provide targeted activities and strategies that reflect individual needs, including word puzzles and focused communication activities. Adjusted settling-in sessions support children who transition to the nursery effectively. Leaders and staff work closely with parents and external professionals to identify and respond to children's emerging needs. Where appropriate, leaders make referrals for specialist support and provide parents with guidance about accessing additional services. Ongoing training further strengthens staff expertise. Leaders work closely with schools to share information about children's needs, progress and effective strategies, supporting continuity as children transition to their next stage of education. Staff provide effective support for children who speak English as an additional language, using visual cues, signing and key words from children's home languages to support communication and choice. Translation tools enable effective communication with parents and ensure important information is shared. Welcome words in different languages help children and families feel valued and included. This inclusive approach enables children to communicate their needs, participate fully and develop a strong sense of belonging. Expected standard Leadership and governance Strong standard Leaders follow robust safer recruitment procedures and complete suitability checks before staff begin working with children. Thorough induction, including for new managers, ensures staff complete mandatory training and understand the nursery's ethos. Leaders use quizzes to check staff understanding of key policies, and every staff member has a designated mentor. Leaders demonstrate a strong commitment to developing staff knowledge and skills. Staff access dedicated training days and external training tailored to identified needs. Staff have completed extensive training in inclusion and communication and language, which contributes to a sustained and positive difference to children's learning. Leaders use observations to monitor practice and identify development needs, which ensures practice remains consistently effective. Leaders prioritise staff wellbeing by supporting work–life balance, recognising contributions and maintaining high morale. Partnerships with parents are well established. They receive regular updates from an online platform and newsletters about children's experiences, learning and development. Home- learning packs, including activities such as 'What Can You Find?', help parents extend learning at home, while events such as the Christmas Fayre and Sports Day strengthen family engagement. Leaders demonstrate a highly reflective approach and clear commitment to ensure that children thrive and receive the very best care. They keep up to date with changes to guidance and ensure key information is shared with staff. Leaders regularly seek feedback from parents, staff and children and use this to inform an action plan that successfully supports continuous improvement. Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Children benefit from a rich and inviting curriculum that typically supports learning across all areas of development. Staff plan experiences thoughtfully around children's individual needs and next steps and provide opportunities for children to repeat and sequence learning, helping them to consolidate what they know and can do. Individual plans help staff target specific areas where children may have gaps in development. Staff purposefully develop children's communication, language and mathematical understanding throughout the day. For example, children confidently use vocabulary such as 'radish' during role play, while staff extend their learning through skilful interactions. During snack, staff introduce mathematical language by asking children to take 'one bread stick and two pieces of apple'. Staff prioritise children's physical and sensory development. During flour-based messy play, younger children explore textures with sensitive encouragement, while older children scoop and pour using different tools to develop hand strength and coordination. Although the setting has no direct free-flow access to outdoors, leaders provide regular physical activities and frequent park visits, supporting children's physical development. While teaching generally meets children's needs, sometimes staff do not always adapt interactions sufficiently for different ages. For example, some stories are not differentiated to ensure younger children engage meaningfully. Leaders recognise this and are taking steps to strengthen staff practice. Compulsory Childcare Register requirements This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Compulsory Childcare Register When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes: Met Not met What it's like to be a child at this setting Children are warmly welcomed and quickly develop a strong sense of belonging. They confidently follow familiar routines, such as finding their name and personal peg for their belongings. Children form secure relationships with their key person and transition happily into nursery. Staff work closely with parents to understand children's individual needs and respond sensitively to their emotional cues. When children feel unsure or tearful, staff provide gentle reassurance, helping them settle quickly, feel secure and begin their day positively. Children enjoy a rich range of experiences that reflect their interests and extend their learning. Staff make the most of current events, such as using the solar eclipse to spark children's curiosity and develop their understanding of the world. Children enjoy creating pictures with coloured pencils and eagerly take part in music and movement sessions. They stretch, march, jog and follow actions to familiar songs while dancing alongside their friends. Inspector: Emily Woodhead About this setting These experiences support children to develop their physical skills, confidence and positive relationships with others. Children show positive attitudes towards learning and behave extremely well. Staff model respectful and caring behaviour and use clear explanations and gentle reminders to help children understand expectations. Children respond positively to praise and encouragement, smiling with pride when their efforts are recognised and readily having a go at new experiences. This builds their confidence, independence and self-belief. Children benefit from frequent opportunities to learn within their local community. Staff organise visits to community centres, nature walks and parks and use everyday experiences to extend children's knowledge. For example, when children see a post van, staff encourage them to wave to the postman and talk about his role, helping children understand the people and jobs in their community. Children learn about and celebrate a range of cultures and traditions, including Chinese New Year and Ramadan. They are encouraged to share their own experiences and develop respect for different backgrounds. Staff encourage children to decide what they would like to explore and involve them in decisions, such as choosing trips. This ensures children feel listened to, valued and included in the setting. Next steps Leaders should continue to support staff to adapt and differentiate their teaching to ensure that all ages of children receive consistent support in their learning and development. About this inspection The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, the special educational needs coordinator, parents 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. Unique reference number (URN): 2799878 Address: Unit B, Peacock Court, Ringlet Road Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP2 7DP Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 05/11/2024 Registered person: Armadillos Nursery And Preschool Ltd Register(s): EYR, CCR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00 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 28 August 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 1 to 4 Total number of places 34 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. 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