Fir Trees Nursery

Fir Trees Nursery
Unique reference number (URN): 2853487
Address: 5 Micklefield Road, High Wycombe, HP13 7EJ
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 27/06/2025
Registers: EYR
Registered person: Countryside Nurseries (UK) Limited
Inspection report: 29 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.

Expected standard
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Children typically behave in line with the expectations of the setting. They show positive
attitudes towards learning. They enthusiastically engage in the experiences offered to them.
Children form warm, trusting relationships with staff who treat them with respect and
kindness. Children beam with pride as staff frequently praise them, which promotes positive
behaviour. As a result, they are comfortable sharing their experiences or any concerns with
staff. Children generally reflect the respectful behaviours modelled to them. This helps them
build positive relationships with their peers as they develop their play collaboratively. For
example, children listen to each other's ideas and discuss the different roles they will play.
They then laugh and squeal with excitement as they chase each other around the garden in
a friendly game.
Leaders take active steps to promote the importance of regular attendance and punctuality.
In particular, they provide targeted support for children who face barriers to attendance,
such as making adaptations to the routines based on individual circumstances.
Children know the routines of the day, and typically follow these, often anticipating what is
coming next. This provides a predictable structure and supports children to feel secure.
They typically understand and follow the behavioural expectations.
Inclusion Expected standard
Leaders and staff create a welcoming and inclusive environment. Staff respect children's
individual circumstances and understand that children develop at different rates. They adapt
and adjust the environment and activities to ensure all children can access the same
learning.
Leaders and staff identify and respond to children's individual needs. They consider how to
reduce barriers to learning and/or well-being. Staff understand the importance of supporting
disadvantaged children and work closely with families. Children with special educational
needs and/or disabilities typically receive appropriate support that has a positive impact on
their development. Leaders also provide appropriate support for children who are known, or
have previously been known, to children's social care.
Leaders find out key words in children's home language. Staff use this information to help
understand what children want or need, but do not consistently consider ways that they can
use this to support children's language skills.
Leaders and staff have created an inclusive environment where children are respected, and
their individual characteristics are considered. They work with families and external partners
to ensure all children can access the same learning and experiences.

Needs attention
Achievement Needs attention
Children do not always make the progress that they are capable of. This is due to
weaknesses in the delivery of the curriculum. They do not consistently develop the
knowledge and skills they need across all areas of learning.
Children do not consistently have the chance to practice their individual next steps and build
upon their current skills. They do not demonstrate that they have acquired the skills and
knowledge needed across all areas of learning to ensure that they are well prepared for their
next stage of learning. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make
suitable progress.
Children develop important social skills. They collaborate with others, build positive
relationships with staff and peers, and grow in confidence throughout these interactions.
Children have access to a broad range of resources and experiences, which help them to
develop a variety of skills.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention
There are weaknesses in supervision and staff responses to incidents. These weaknesses
sometimes have a negative impact on children's welfare and wellbeing. Children are not
always supervised closely enough during some activities. This means that they can access
resources or make choices that are not safe or healthy without staff noticing quickly enough.
For example, children eat play dough and use scissors without effective adult oversight.
Children are not consistently taught the skills they need to understand why these choices
are unsafe and how to make safer choices. When incidents do occur, staff do not always
provide purposeful support to help children understand or learn from the experience. This
means that children miss out on important opportunities to develop their understanding of
how to keep themselves safe and healthy.
Leaders have clear expectations and intentions for supporting every child's welfare and
wellbeing, and staff know the policies and procedures. However, these are not yet
consistently reflected in practice. Leaders recognise that consistent supervision and practice
across the staff team is a key priority for improvement.
Leaders and staff provide an inclusive environment where all children are warmly welcomed,
valued and respected. Children develop secure attachments with staff and enjoy the
opportunities they are provided with. Staff encourage children to develop their social skills
throughout snack and mealtimes. They sometimes provide children with opportunities to
develop their independence, though this is inconsistent.
Curriculum and teaching Needs attention
Staff do not always use children's next steps to plan effective ways to support their learning.
Leaders and staff accurately identify what each child needs to learn next. However, staff do
not consistently offer opportunities to achieve the next steps that have been planned for

children. Consequently, children do not develop all the skills they need for their future
learning. For example, staff do not always extend children's language skills effectively
because they do not focus specifically on children's stage of development in communication
and language. Staff know the curriculum intentions, but do not yet consistently translate this
into effective teaching. Leaders and staff recognise that children develop at different rates.
However, they do not take action to sequence learning in practice so that it is specifically
targeted at building upon each child's individual knowledge and skills.
Leaders have appropriate ambitions for the curriculum and generally provide children with a
range of experiences and resources to support their learning. They know children well and
gather useful information about their starting points. Leaders are resourceful in creating and
offering learning opportunities, such as repurposing resources to enrich children's
experiences. For example, they use soil in the mud kitchen and logs from cut trees to create
a bug garden.
Staff follow children's interests and make reasonable adjustments for children who face
barriers to their learning so all children can access the same opportunities.
Leadership and governance Needs attention
Leaders do not swiftly identify and address weaknesses in practice. They have not ensured
that curriculum intentions, policies and procedures are consistently understood and
implemented by all staff. As a result, there are inconsistencies in teaching, supervision and
support for children. This affects their learning, progress and welfare. Leaders have not
identified these areas as key priorities for improvement through their own evaluation.
Leaders have developed positive partnerships with parents and relevant external partners.
Leaders have ambitious intentions for the setting and have appropriate ideas about how the
curriculum should support children. They have a broad awareness of strengths and areas
for development. They make effective use of available resources. The nominated individual
provides support and challenge to help leaders develop their vision and strategy.
Staff feel well supported and that their workload is manageable. Leaders promote the
importance of staff's professional learning and wellbeing. They work with staff to identify
broad professional targets for them to work towards and provide professional learning
opportunities to meet their goals.

What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children are not typically given every opportunity to extend their vocabulary, thinking and
understanding because staff use repeated phrases rather than introducing new words, ideas
and information. Children are not always supervised closely enough. At times, children use
resources without effective adult oversight. Leaders recognise this as an important priority
for improvement. Children's experiences are not always consistent. For example, at some
meal and snack times, children are encouraged to serve themselves. At other times, staff do
not offer children the opportunity to be independent. For example, by feeding babies who
are able to feed themselves.
Children form positive relationships with staff and their peers. They are confident and know
that their voices are heard and valued. Children benefit from caring staff who show a
genuine curiosity in children's interests. They become engaged in activities alongside
children. Children are warmly welcomed, settle well and know what to expect from familiar
routines. They eagerly participate in a range of enjoyable experiences. For example, in the
mud kitchen, children mix ingredients, use their imagination and build on each other's ideas.
They enjoy riding the bikes around the outdoor area, scooping and pouring water, and
exploring a range of sensory experiences.
Children typically understand and follow familiar routines and enjoy playing alongside
others. They collaborate and support each other's play. Typically, their behaviour is aligned
with leaders' and staff expectations. Children are sometimes encouraged to make healthy
choices and develop their independence by staff.
Children are happy, settled and enjoy many positive experiences. They benefit from caring,
enthusiastic staff in a welcoming environment. However, greater consistency in teaching and
supervision would help children to securely learn, develop and achieve.
Next steps
To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage the provider must take the
following actions by the assigned date:
Action Completion Date
ensure that staff supervise children appropriately at all
times throughout the day
28/08/2026
ensure that staff effectively implement the curriculum
and planning intentions
29/01/2027
ensure that there are effective arrangements for
supervision of leaders and staff to provide support,
coaching and training to ensure that children receive
quality learning and development experiences
29/01/2027

Inspector:
Beth Wilson
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2853487
Address:
5 Micklefield Road
High Wycombe
HP13 7EJ
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 27/06/2025
Registered person: Countryside Nurseries (UK) Limited
Register(s): EYR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00
Local authority: Buckinghamshire
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 29 July 2026
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.

Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
1 to 3
Total number of places
39
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.
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