Once upon a time Nursery School

Once upon a time Nursery School
Unique reference number (URN): EY355999
Address: 170 Wroxham Road, Sprowston, Norwich, NR7 8DE
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 18/09/2007
Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR
Registered person: Once Upon A Time Nursery School Ltd
Inspection report: 28 January 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 demonstrate excellent listening and attention skills. They follow instructions and
become highly engaged in activities. They confidently share their ideas and solutions. For
example, pre-school children experiment with different methods to move feathers the
furthest by lying on the floor and blowing hard or standing up and throwing them. Toddlers
enjoy exploring how far cars go when they are rolled down a slope. Children make rapid
progress with their communication development. They learn and use new vocabulary to
express their understanding, such as which habitats animals live in. They thoroughly enjoy
listening to stories and retell the key sequences of events later in their play.
Children are fully prepared for the next stage in their learning. They develop independence,
confidence and social skills, such as feeding themselves and expressing themselves clearly.
All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make
consistently good progress with their learning and development.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard
Leaders and staff promote positive behaviour in an age-appropriate way. They know
children very well and identify and manage triggers that may affect their behaviour. Babies
form strong attachments with their key person and settle quickly because staff follow their
individual routines. Staff consistently reinforce the golden rules of the setting and act as
positive role models. They are kind, warm and supportive. They clarify babies' and children's
requests before responding, for instance asking if they would like help or reassurance. This
helps children feel respected.
Staff promote regular attendance to help children build relationships in the setting and feel
emotionally secure. They teach children to recognise and express their emotions effectively.
Staff in the pre-school room help children to resolve disputes by discussing their feelings.
Routines at mealtimes support children to develop their independence, social skills and
manners. They learn to be patient as they queue to wash their hands and wait for everyone
to sit down before they eat. Children show consistently positive attitudes to learning and are
fully engaged. They readily listen to staff, follow instructions and are curious and motivated
to learn.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard
Staff know their key children extremely well and share information with parents to ensure
that individual care needs are met. They build strong relationships with families and adapt
their approach as children's needs change. Staff are flexible when settling children into the
setting, making changes to ensure that children's wellbeing is promoted. They support
smooth transitions between rooms by sharing detailed information with other staff and
parents. Staff adapt their routines to ensure that children have their individual needs met.
Children enjoy nutritious home-cooked meals and develop independence as they serve and

feed themselves. Staff sit with children to discuss healthy food choices, which helps
encourage children to make positive choices about their own health and wellbeing.
Staff know their key children well, which enables them to observe how they are feeling. They
sensitively and respectfully respond to children's feelings, helping children label their
emotions and express these effectively. Leaders consistently prioritise children's safety and
welfare as they regularly review and update policies and ensure that all staff know how to
respond in an emergency. Staff continually assess risks and teach children how to keep
themselves safe, including knowing the emergency services number.
Curriculum and teaching Strong standard
Leaders have designed a bespoke curriculum based on a secure understanding of child
development that meets all learning and development requirements. Staff use detailed
assessments to plan and implement learning opportunities that meet children's needs. They
also ensure that children have plenty of time to practise and embed their new skills and
knowledge. Communication development is prioritised. Staff sing songs and read key
storybooks in an engaging way, which supports children's love of reading. In the baby room,
staff support babies to explore animals and make animal sounds, while pre-school children
learn Makaton signs and engage in rich conversations about topics such as Australian
animals. This helps all children, including those with special educational needs and/or
disabilities, to be fully included.
Children access outdoor learning regularly to develop their physical skills. Staff provide
activities that strengthen children's manipulative skills. For example, children in the toddler
room use a range of tools to squash, make patterns in and mould play dough. Staff skilfully
embed mathematical learning, for example by counting the number of blocks in a tower and
measuring how tall it is. Leaders and staff continually reflect on the effectiveness of their
curriculum and implement 'change projects' to further improve practice. They are currently
developing the mathematics curriculum.
Inclusion Strong standard
Staff complete thorough assessments to identify children's needs, and they develop
comprehensive play plans to support them. They work closely with parents and
professionals to monitor and review the effectiveness of plans to ensure that children make
the best possible progress. Staff provide highly tailored support for children, such as nurture
groups, to support their social and emotional development. They teach children Makaton
signs to help them communicate. Looked-after children make good progress with their
learning and development.
Staff who work with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well
trained in the graduated approach and take their responsibilities seriously. Leaders use
additional funding to make adaptations to staffing, routines and activities as required so that
children with special educational needs and/or disabilities can participate fully and make
rapid progress with their learning.
Staff encourage children to think about the differences between them as they discuss their
different family structures and backgrounds. They ensure that all children's voices are heard

and quickly support those who are less confident to participate, ensuring that they feel
involved and build their confidence. Staff teach children about different cultures and
countries, and they enjoy learning about Australia Day, including making and eating fairy
bread. This helps children understand and respect the differences between them.
Leadership and governance Strong standard
Leaders monitor the effectiveness of their setting closely. They identify strengths and areas
for development and set high expectations. They are currently enhancing the mathematics
curriculum and have appointed 2 staff members to champion this aspect of learning.
Leaders empower staff to reflect on their practice and lead 'change projects' to drive
continuous improvement, such as creating a literacy-rich environment in the garden to
further enhance children's learning. Leaders and staff are proud of the setting and the
support they offer to children.
Staff benefit from ongoing professional development. Leaders carry out regular peer
observations and supervision meetings, and staff contribute to decisions about their training.
Staff in the baby room receive bespoke training to strengthen their practice and skills. Staff
report feeling well supported by leaders, and there is excellent teamwork across the setting.
There are strong partnerships with parents, and parents praise the 'professionalism, warmth
and dedication' of the staff team. They value the advice and guidance they receive to
support their children's development as well as the preparation children receive to start
school. Leaders and staff work effectively with schools, other settings and professionals to
meet the needs of all children, including those with special educational needs and/or
disabilities.
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

Voluntary Childcare Register requirements
This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register.
How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Voluntary Childcare
Register
When we check if settings meet the Voluntary 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 kept safe and feel secure. Staff supervise children closely in the setting and
when out in the community, such as during visits to local care homes. They teach children
how to keep themselves safe, including knowing the number to call in an emergency.
Settling-in processes are highly effective, and staff adapt these to meet individual needs,
enabling children to settle quickly and form strong, trusting relationships with their key
person. Staff promote regular attendance, which helps them gather detailed information
about each child. They work closely with parents to ensure that children's individual care
needs are consistently met, and they are fully included in all aspects of the setting.
Children develop strong independence skills. Staff encourage them to manage their own
personal care and teach them strategies to put on their own coats. Staff are consistently
respectful, seeking children's consent before offering comfort and listening to their views.
This helps children grow in confidence and talk openly to staff about their experiences and
feelings. Staff value children as individuals and take a holistic approach to their learning and
development. They encourage children to fully explore materials and solve problems
together, for example experimenting with feathers and sharing ideas about how to use them
creatively.
Staff teach children well, using every opportunity to extend children's understanding of the
world in developmentally appropriate ways. They carry out detailed assessments to identify
children's needs and work effectively with parents and professionals to provide targeted
support. They review and adapt support to ensure that children with special educational
needs and/or disabilities can participate fully in learning activities and make progress. All
children are well prepared for the next stage in their learning.

Inspector:
Tracy Joyce
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): EY355999
Address:
170 Wroxham Road
Sprowston
Norwich
NR7 8DE
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 18/09/2007
Registered person: Once Upon A Time Nursery School Ltd
Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00
Local authority: Norfolk
Next steps
Leaders and those responsible for governance should sustain their work to ensure
continued improvement and high standards. They should focus on creating a
transformational impact on the outcomes and experiences of disadvantaged children,
those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who are known (or
previously known) to children's social care.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with the manager, deputy manager, special educational needs
coordinator, room leaders, practitioners, children and parents 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.

Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 28 January 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
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and regulates services that care for children and young people.
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