URN 2828574 · Inspected 2026-07-09 · Published 2026-10-05 · Inspector: Becky Phillips Marisol Hernandez-Garn
Aspire Day Nursery Ltd Unique reference number (URN): 2828574 Address: 1a Howard Road, Surbiton, Surrey, KT5 8SA Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 31/01/2025 Registers: EYR Registered person: Aspire Day Nursery LTD Inspection report: 9 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 Expected standard Inclusion Strong standard All children demonstrate a strong sense of belonging at this warm and inclusive setting. Leaders and staff are highly committed to their work with children. They ensure all children, particularly those who face barriers to their learning, have the best possible start to their education. Staff closely monitor children's learning and development and quickly identify any gaps in their learning and seek support from leaders. Highly trained staff then observe and monitor children's development and provide a range of strategies and experiences to address and reduce any gaps. Staff work very closely with other professionals to meet children's individual needs and take part in research to enhance their practice and the outcomes for children, such as a programme to support children's speaking skills. As a result, all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make effective progress in their learning. The nursery currently does not have any children in receipt of additional funding, but leaders demonstrate a secure understanding of how to use this funding to best meet children's needs and reduce barriers to their learning. Leaders build positive relationships with families and take a flexible, responsive approach to working with parents. This helps families to feel supported and contributes to the positive experiences that children have while attending the setting. Achievement Expected standard All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make steady progress and are well prepared for the next stage in their learning. They enjoy their time at the nursery and demonstrate that they are happy and settled. With encouragement from staff, children develop effective levels of self-confidence and self-esteem. They confidently share their ideas with others, express their needs and manage their self-care. Children develop their large movements and coordination effectively in the garden as they ride on bikes, run around and move around obstacle courses. Children develop secure emotional wellbeing and build resilience and social skills through play. They develop problem-solving skills and independence through everyday routines, such as putting on their own shoes, helping to make the beds and clearing their bowls at mealtimes. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard Staff are kind and caring, and good role models for all children. They help children show care and kindness towards others, and children confidently demonstrate these skills with their friends. Staff manage behaviour well and support children in developing their self- regulation skills. For instance, when children are feeling overwhelmed, they are encouraged to sit in the new self-reflection areas. Staff encourage them to do breathing activities to help calm and regulate themselves, and children enjoy choosing a sensory toy to play with. Routines are managed effectively and fully embedded. Children know what is expected of them throughout the day and confidently move around the setting, making independent choices in their play. Children listen to and follow instructions well. They learn how to share and take turns from a young age. For example, in the garden, children happily share resources in the kitchen as they make potions and soups. Leaders promote attendance and punctuality. They work closely with all families, reinforcing expectations and offering support where barriers arise. This ensures that all children, including disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those known to social care, are supported to maintain routines. Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard Leaders provide a welcoming environment, where children feel safe and happy. Positive key-person relationships are highly effective in consistently meeting children's needs. Effective transition processes support children when starting at the nursery or moving rooms to settle in and build secure relationships with the staff. Staff work hard to build trusting relationships with parents and maintain ongoing communication with them when children arrive and leave. This helps to ensure that parents have up-to-date information about their children's needs and development. This is particularly effective for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders and staff have recently created self-regulation areas in all of the rooms to provide a safe and quiet space for children to reflect and have some calm time. This has had a positive impact on children's behaviour and their ability to identify their feelings. Effective procedures are in place for managing mealtimes. Staff sit with the children and engage in lovely conversations with them about their food while encouraging them to try new tastes and textures. Children's dietary requirements are well catered for, and children enjoy a range of healthy and nutritious meals. Children enjoy taking part in activities to support their healthy lifestyles, such as handwashing and tooth brushing. However, these activities could be extended further to fully embed children's understanding of healthy habits. Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Leaders and staff have a thorough understanding of their curriculum and how children learn. They know the children well and monitor their development effectively, planning a range of exciting and interesting activities to support and extend children's learning. Staff skilfully adapt their teaching to meet children's individual needs, including those of disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children learning English as an additional language. These adaptations help all children to take part in the curriculum. Overall, staff support children's communication well. Staff describe what young children are doing and introduce new words to extend their vocabulary. With older children, they ask questions to extend their learning. However, some staff need further support and training to do this consistently and encourage children to develop their thinking skills. Staff support children's early understanding of mathematics effectively. For instance, when children persevere in arranging blocks to make different shapes, staff encourage them to think about how they fit together and what shape they would need to fit in the correct space. Older children confidently use number language during play as they make pretend hot cross buns. Staff are teaching the children to become independent and ready for school. Children enjoy following instructions well and complete tasks to enhance their learning. For example, children enjoy helping to tidy up after activities and listen well to staff. Leadership and governance Expected standard Leaders are ambitious and dedicated to providing high-quality childcare. They effectively evaluate their setting continuously, highlighting their strengths and areas for development. For example, they have recently improved the garden area, providing more opportunities for children to develop their physical skills while also having other opportunities such as a book area, mark-making area and music area. Leaders value their staff team and are considerate of their wellbeing and workload. Staff are well supported through regular meetings, supervisions and peer observations and are encouraged to engage in professional and career development. Leaders role model this effectively, completing further training themselves. Staff attend regular training and inset days, and this has had a positive impact on their practice. For instance, staff have very recently completed training to enhance their interactions with children. This should be developed further to ensure consistency throughout the nursery. Staff work effectively with other professionals to support children's development and progress, particularly for those with additional needs. This collaborative approach helps ensure that children receive appropriate support and that transitions are managed suitably. Parents are highly complimentary of the staff and the service they provide. They are kept up to date with their children's learning effectively through an online application and feel involved in their children's learning. What it's like to be a child at this setting Children are well cared for and nurtured at this calm, happy nursery. They greet staff with beaming smiles when they arrive and are confident to separate from their parents and carers. Staff are highly responsive to children's needs and build strong relationships with them. As a result, children demonstrate that they feel safe and secure. Staff plan a wide range of exciting activities based around children's interests and what they need to do next to support children's continued progress. Children develop suitable physical skills. For example, children delight in exploring dough as they manipulate it with their hands, rolling, poking and squishing it together. They are encouraged to use different tools, such as cutters and rollers. Older children learn to use scissors and climb confidently over an obstacle course. Children enjoy playing outside and mix with other age groups. This creates a lovely family feel as older children support the younger ones and act as good role models. Children explore the outdoor living area as they work together to make soups and potions with petals, leaves and water. Children are well behaved and play together cooperatively. Staff step in to resolve any disagreements quickly and calmly and are positive role models for children. Children follow the embedded routines and rules well and understand what is expected of them. The introduction of the self-regulation areas has had a positive impact on enabling children to understand their feelings and emotions. All children, particularly those with any barriers to their learning, are included and supported to fully participate in all that is on offer. For example, all children take part in a range of extra-curricular activities, such as music and signing sessions. Staff skilfully adapt activities to meet children's needs to ensure all children make stable progress. Next steps Leaders should continue identifying staff's training needs to help them extend children's learning. Leaders should embed practice to develop children's knowledge and understanding of healthy habits to foster a solid foundation for long-lasting self-care. Inspectors: Becky Phillips Marisol Hernandez-Garn About this setting Unique reference number (URN): 2828574 Address: 1a Howard Road Surbiton Surrey KT5 8SA Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 31/01/2025 Registered person: Aspire Day Nursery LTD Register(s): EYR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:20 Local authority: Kingston upon Thames Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 9 July 2026 About this inspection The inspectors spoke with leaders, staff, the special educational needs coordinator 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. Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 0 to 4 Total number of places 130 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. 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