University Nursery Edwinstowe Close

University Nursery Edwinstowe Close
Unique reference number (URN): EY396228
Address: Edwinstowe Close, off Chaucer Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB2 7EB
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 28/07/2009
Registers: EYR, CCR
Registered person: Childbase Partnership Limited
Inspection report: 29 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 develop a deep sense of belonging and feel very secure. Consequently, they learn,
develop and achieve very well. Babies learn and practise focus during activities. For
example, they put items into a pot and take them out again repeatedly, reflecting their
vocabulary focus 'in' and 'out'. Older children are expressive with impressive language skills.
They use contextually appropriate language to describe and differentiate between different
birds. They enjoy stories and ask question about what they are listening to. Children
concentrate and listen carefully to adults giving guidance, then return to their tasks to follow
the instructions.
Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or other barriers
to learning, make rapid progress from their starting points. All children are very well
prepared for the next stage of learning, whether that is transition to another room or school.
They are confident to ask for help and demonstrate independence skills appropriate to their
age and stage of development.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard
Leaders and staff have created a nurturing and respectful environment, where children feel
safe to try new things and to play with others. They model gentleness, kindness and
enthusiasm for learning. Children respond positively to this and are keen to enjoy all the
exciting opportunities available. Behaviour throughout is generally exemplary. Activities are
engaging, interesting and children have access to the outdoors throughout the day. When
staff do need to step in they are gentle and kind, using distraction techniques and giving
children time to reflect on their behaviours. They work closely with parents and carers to
ensure a consistent approach. Children build extremely positive relationships with their key
staff, who are supportive and nurturing, adapting to each child's individual needs. Key staff
know children and their family circumstances extremely well.
Children are encouraged to play collaboratively and are explicitly taught how to respect each
other. For example, the intent of the pre-school room is to learn about personal boundaries
and space and to develop social skills. Children are kind to each other and respectful of
space, particularly at mealtimes. Leaders closely monitor attendance and swiftly implement
procedures to address any absences.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard
Children's welfare and wellbeing is of the highest priority for leaders and staff. Staff know
children and family circumstances very well. Parents and carers of children with special
educational needs and/or disabilities are fully involved in decisions about care and shared
strategies. Staff ensure that all children fully access routines by adapting resources. For
example, secure chairs and monitoring through careful observations help all children to stay
safe and included. This also helps children understand how to keep themselves, and their

friends with different needs, safe. Staff are skilled at building secure and positive
relationships with their key children and are sensitive to their unique characteristics.
Leaders and staff work tirelessly to ensure that children's emotional and physical health is
developed extremely well. All rooms have family books and photos to help support a
genuine sense of belonging. Children can play outdoors whenever they choose. A highlight
of the setting are the mealtime routines that ensure transitions between activities are
seamless and disruption to children's play is minimal. Staff are knowledgeable about the
benefits of the nutritious food on offer. They talk to children about how it helps their bodies
grow, stay strong and healthy. Uncooked versions of the vegetables in the meals are
displayed so staff can show children what the food they are eating looks like before
preparation. Staff follow families' routines for sleeping and weaning, supporting consistency
for children.
Curriculum and teaching Strong standard
Staff have a secure understanding about what they want children to learn, reflected in the
highly ambitious curriculum. Learning is incredibly well sequenced so that new knowledge
builds on previous learning. Each room has clear intents for learning and an inspirational
word. For example, pre-school children are learning about personal boundaries and social
skills, and their inspirational word is 'community'. This is reviewed on a regular basis by
leaders and staff. Changes are made to reflect the needs of children attending and their
interests.
Staff use every interaction as a teaching opportunity. High priority is placed on developing
children's language and communication skills, supported further by using sign language.
Children who speak English as an additional language particularly benefit from this and
quickly develop their communication skills. Children build independence skills through
consistent routines that are well sequenced. Consequently, older children are completely
independent in hygiene and mealtime routines. Children develop a firm understanding of
early mathematical skills, such as around shape and number. Children have continual
access to outdoor areas for physical play. Older children take part in programmes to help
them to learn to ride bicycles safely.
Inclusion Strong standard
The needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) or other
barriers to learning are rapidly identified at the start of their nursery journey. Staff work
extremely closely with parents and carers from their initial meetings to establish any extra
support required. Precise monitoring and assessment helps children to reach targets, which
are reviewed frequently. This means that they make swift progress from their starting points.
Staff use a range of interventions to ensure that children with SEND access the same
learning as their peers. For example, distraction techniques, visual support, such as
symbols or extra staff support, help to promote learning very well.
Leaders and staff fully support children with SEND and their families. Parents speak
glowingly of the dedication of staff and leaders to ensuring children feel heard, supported
and valued. Staff work with parents to ensure children receive the same high level of
support when transitioning to school. They work with outside agencies and the local

authority when necessary. The nursery uses extra funding extremely well. For instance,
children with SEND have one-to-one support, when needed, and resources that ensure they
have they same opportunities as their peers. Staff access training to support children with
SEND, which has a highly positive impact on their practice and on outcomes for children.
Leadership and governance Strong standard
The highly reflective leadership team have a detailed knowledge of the strengths of the
setting and a continual programme for improvement. For example, they have recently
introduced a rolling meal system and built up the links to home in all rooms to create a
sense of belonging. Decisions are always made with children's welfare at heart. Seamless
transitions ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are always
well supported.
Expectations that leaders place on themselves and for staff are extremely high. The nursery
has a high retention rate for staff, with many gaining qualifications through purposeful
training and becoming team leaders, for instance. Staff development and wellbeing is
paramount, and staff feel well supported and value the many benefits and training
opportunities offered to them. They visit other nurseries in the local area to develop their
practice. Leaders frequently reflect on the quality of teaching through supervisions and
observations. They have regular meetings with staff to ensure there is continual
improvement in practice. Leaders work extremely closely with parents and carers, who are
full of praise for the nursery as they see their children make excellent progress.
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 flourish and thrive in this nurturing and welcoming nursery. They develop warm and
trusting relationships with staff, who know them incredibly well. Children feel a solid sense of
security and belonging, which gives them high levels of confidence to explore all the
wonderful opportunities on offer. For example, babies investigate rolling cars down hills in
the sand and toddlers bravely attempt to walk over planks in the garden area. Staff are
enthusiastic and help children to make connections in their learning. For example, children
squirt warm water from bottles onto ice as staff encourage them to talk about what they see
and why it is happening. Children have an excellent attitude to learning and hugely enjoy
taking part in group singing activities. They learn to use percussion instruments in time to
the music, smiling and laughing as they play and learn.
Children behave very well and develop high levels of self-esteem. Staff model kindness and
respect and children reflect this well. Children learn to manage their emotions and
responses well. Staff recognise that children need time to reflect on actions to understand
the impact of their behaviour, on occasion. Children demonstrate extremely high levels of
independence, with older children being completely self-sufficient at mealtimes. Children
make rapid progress in their learning and development. There are secure procedures to
ensure children are well prepared for their next stage of learning, whether that be the next
room or school. The nursery's bespoke curriculum is fully embedded and all staff ensure that
every child achieves well. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or other
barriers to learning are supported by staff to ensure they are included in all learning
opportunities, for example, by providing visual symbols or adapting equipment. Leaders and
staff work closely with families to promote attendance to ensure that children build trusting
relationships to enable deeper learning.
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 and
those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, 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.

Inspector:
Clare Eyre
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): EY396228
Address:
Edwinstowe Close
off Chaucer Road
Cambridge
Cambridgeshire
CB2 7EB
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 28/07/2009
Registered person: Childbase Partnership Limited
Register(s): EYR, CCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00
Local authority: Cambridgeshire
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 29 January 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
0 to 4
Total number of places
79

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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