URN 2823531 · Inspected 2026-09-23 · Published 2026-10-22 · Inspector: Clare Walton
Claverdon Village Nursery Unique reference number (URN): 2823531 Address: Claverdon Village Nursery, Station Road, Claverdon, Warwick, CV35 8HF Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 28/11/2024 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Claverdon Village Nursery Limited Inspection report: 23 September 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 Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard Leaders and staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. The environment and routines consistently foster children's independence and confidence. For example, staff provide a photographic timeline of routines to support self-serve snack time and handwashing. This also ensures routines are fully inclusive. Children play collaboratively and share resources. They support each other as they complete tasks. For example, toddlers work together to build towers with large bricks, they balance them carefully and take turns. Leaders and staff are excellent role models who consistently demonstrate good manners and respect. Babies learn to use 'kind hands', and staff use calm and respectful voices as they ask children 'Would you like me to help you?' when they are struggling with a task. Staff consistently praise children for their achievements. Staff are highly responsive to children's changing emotions and skilfully recognise when children need additional support to regulate their feelings and behaviour. They use a range of effective, individualised strategies to help children manage their emotions and remain engaged in their learning. For example, staff provide movement breaks for older children during activities when they show signs that they need to regulate, enabling them to return to learning feeling calm and ready to participate. This approach helps children recognise and manage their own emotions and behaviour. Leaders promote regular attendance and punctuality through clear procedures. They quickly identify emerging patterns and work closely with families to understand and address any barriers to attendance. Inclusion Strong standard Leaders and staff proactively gather information quickly to identify children's starting points during the settling-in period. This helps them promptly identify learning gaps and assess children's needs. Leaders are highly effective at supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and other barriers to learning. The setting works with a wide range of professionals, including the local authority SEND provision, to ensure children receive the support they need, such as speech and language therapists. Staff also complete appropriate training to strengthen their skills, including training to support children's communication and language skills through a speech and language screening tool. They implement this consistently to ensure children receive high-quality interventions that support their individual needs. Leaders and staff use a range of strategies and familiar routines to support children's understanding and participation in the routine, for example, picture symbols, visual timetables, and signing. They use these approaches consistently to remove communication barriers, enabling children to access routines and activities successfully. Children's emotional wellbeing is a high priority and embedded throughout the curriculum. They take part in yoga stretches and movement breaks to help with self-regulation. Children also develop an understanding of their emotions through circle time activities. Staff are highly skilled in recognising when children need additional support and respond Expected standard appropriately. As a result, children are well supported to regulate their emotions and engage in learning, and, therefore, progress very well from their starting points. Achievement Expected standard Children are well prepared to transition from home, between rooms and eventually to school. They develop confidence and form secure relationships, with adults and other children supporting their progress across the areas of learning. Babies show increasing physical strength as they use spoons to eat yoghurt and stir gloop during messy play. They begin using their fingers to count and point to the correct farm animal when they hear its sound or name. Toddlers show their fine motor control as they use tongs to move objects between containers. Pre-school children confidently recall what they have learned about insects and life cycles as they explain, 'caterpillars crawl, bees fly, and ladybirds do both!' All children develop their independence through everyday routines and experiences. For example, they learn to pour water from a jug at mealtimes and to self-serve their food using appropriate cutlery. Children demonstrate their social skills at mealtimes by interacting with their peers and adults. The routines and experiences on offer support all children in making progress. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive timely support that helps them progress well from their starting points. They communicate their ideas, make choices about their play and learning and engage with their peers. These strategies help them strengthen their communication and language skills and their emotional wellbeing, preparing them for their next stage of learning. Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard Leaders provide a safe and inclusive environment for children. Children receive healthy, nutritious meals and snacks prepared by the on-site cook. They have opportunities to grow vegetables, which the cook uses in meals. Staff support children to develop healthy hygiene routines, such as washing their hands after using the toilet. However, staff do not always explain why healthy choices matter, which limits children's opportunities to develop a deeper understanding of healthy choices. Staff encourage children to manage everyday tasks independently, such as accessing drinking water and tissues, helping them develop skills for their next stage of learning. Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, form secure attachments with their key person. Staff respond sensitively to children's individual needs, including any barriers to learning. This helps to promote children's sense of belonging and wellbeing. Staff understand the importance of continuity of care when supporting babies. They follow individual care routines carefully and maintain regular communication with parents about babies' development and changing needs. All staff demonstrate their understanding of safe sleep practices and safe eating procedures, supporting children's health and safety. Staff encourage children to persevere and build confidence in their physical development, helping them become increasingly independent in managing their movements and taking appropriate risks. Children enjoy plenty of physical activity indoors and outdoors. For example, babies enjoy climbing steps and using an indoor slide, while older children navigate obstacle courses, building their strength and coordination. Regular opportunities for physical activity support children's development and contribute to their overall health and wellbeing. Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Leaders have developed an ambitious curriculum for all children. Staff understand what they want children to know and what their next steps in learning are. The curriculum embeds communication and language across all age groups. This helps to reduce barriers to learning, particularly for children who need additional support with communication and language. Staff interact with children, building and expanding their vocabulary. For example, staff narrate babies' play as they use spoons in gloop and then enjoy pouring it over farm animals. They model words such as 'scoop', 'pour' and 'sticky'. This helps to develop children's language skills. Staff incorporate mathematical language into their everyday teaching. Older children clap their knees as they count the number of days to correspond with the date. Toddlers are encouraged to count how many insects they can put on a 'caterpillar train' as they explore a themed imagination tray representing the well-known insect story. Staff develop children's listening skills through activities such as yoga. Children listen to and follow yoga instructions and staff support children with barriers to learning using visual cards. Children practise 'long arms' and copy 'big' stretches. Children develop a love of books and familiar stories as staff use opportunities to share books during play. However, nearby activities can sometimes disrupt children's engagement and distract their attention, which can impact learning experiences. Staff provide activities that help develop hand strength. They encourage children to use scoops and spoons to transfer pasta and dried rice into bowls, helping to develop hand-eye coordination and control. Children develop their grip by using tongs to pick up objects and pipettes to move liquids. Leadership and governance Expected standard Leaders and staff build positive, respectful relationships with parents and carers. They communicate effectively with parents to support children's needs, share strategies, and promote continuity of care between home and the setting. This is particularly important for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those children who face other barriers to learning. Parents receive regular updates about their child's day and progress through verbal communication and an online app. This helps parents to support children's learning at home. Parents praise the setting for its 'warm, nurturing environment'. Leaders work effectively with other professionals and agencies to ensure children receive appropriate support, including health visitors and speech and language therapists. They also support children and families during transitions to school, helping children move confidently to their next stage of learning. Leaders clearly understand the setting's strengths and can identify areas for development. They provide plenty of opportunities for staff to develop their knowledge and skills through online courses and local authority training. For example, staff have recently accessed training to strengthen their support for children's speech and language development. Leaders hold supervision and monitoring meetings with staff to discuss their practice and development. However, they do not consistently set clear, measurable targets to further strengthen staff's professional development. Staff report that they feel valued and appreciate the support they receive from leaders. 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 Staff warmly greet children as they arrive. Children settle quickly and show they feel secure in the daily routine. Leaders foster a calm, nurturing environment that effectively supports children's wellbeing and positive attitude to learning. Staff build positive relationships with children through the key-person system, which greatly supports children's emotional development. Children are kind to one another, share toys, and demonstrate excellent manners. Babies confidently seek reassurance, comfort and cuddles from their key person, demonstrating the positive and trusting relationship they have developed. Children develop a sense of belonging within the nursery. In the baby room, children are supported to develop a sense of identity and belonging. They are encouraged to recognise themselves through photographs which they use at registration time. All children sing 'hello' to their friends at the start of each day, providing an opportunity to build positive relationships. During this time, they discuss how they are feeling. This helps children to develop self-awareness, confidence and an understanding that they are valued and recognised as individuals within the setting. The curriculum follows the Montessori approach and encourages children to develop curiosity, independence and a love of nature. Children are keen to join in with engaging activities. The environment is well organised, and children can freely choose and complete activities at their own pace. The activities support children's stage of learning and interests. For example, children paint flowers they have grown and picked from the garden, with a choice of different-sized brushes and paper to express themselves. Babies and toddlers enjoy a range of sensory experiences, such as playing with play dough, gloop and feeling the texture of sand in a large outdoor sandpit. Older children enjoy a range of activities that enrich their learning and support their communication and language skills, such as French and visits from the 'Story Bear'. Babies enjoy 'rhythm time sessions' in which they learn new songs. These activities complement the curriculum and help children become confident communicators. Regular attendance is promoted effectively so that children benefit fully from the experiences available to them. Next steps Leaders should consider the environment when staff deliver activities to ensure that distractions do not impact children's learning and engagement. Leaders should strengthen opportunities during self-care routines for children to fully understand healthy choices. Leaders should strengthen supervision and monitoring so they can identify clear, individual targets for staff to drive consistent improvement and overall teaching quality. Inspector: Clare Walton About this setting Unique reference number (URN): 2823531 Address: Claverdon Village Nursery Station Road, Claverdon Warwick CV35 8HF Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 28/11/2024 Registered person: Claverdon Village Nursery Limited Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00 Local authority: Warwickshire Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 23 September 2026 Children numbers About this inspection The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, the special educational needs coordinator, the designated safeguarding lead, 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. Age range of children at the time of inspection 1 to 4 Total number of places 72 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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