Olivers Lodge - Saffron Walden

Olivers Lodge - Saffron Walden
Unique reference number (URN): EY396540
Address: St. Marys Primary School, Castle Street, SAFFRON WALDEN, Essex, CB10 1BQ
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 16/07/2009
Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR
Registered person: Olivers Lodge 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.

Expected standard
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
All children build secure relationships with their key person. Young children welcome the
nurturing cuddles from staff as they wake from their sleep. This prepares them to resume
their play in their own time. Staff consistently value children's emotions and provide
nurturing reassurance if needed. Staff support children to develop an awareness of their
own emotions. They support children to place their personalised self-registration stick in the
coloured cup that represents how they are feeling. Older children enjoy dancing and moving
their body to music. Staff demonstrate different ways of moving. This motivates children to
copy. They stretch their arms up high in different directions, jump and persevere to balance
on one leg. Staff support younger children to carefully negotiate different terrains. For
example, they encourage children to walk on slippery mud in the forest area and climb in
and out of the sandpit independently.
Older children develop a secure understanding of the importance of good oral health. They
eagerly find their own toothbrush and know to brush their teeth after lunch for 2 minutes.
Children make independent decisions about which healthy snack they prefer. Staff remind
children to remain seated while eating to ensure their safety. Staff sit with children at
mealtimes and talk to them about the food they eat and how this promotes their good health.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
The setting now offers care for young children, including babies, in addition to the existing
out-of-school provision, although, at the time of inspection, no babies were present. Leaders
demonstrate highly reflective practice and maintain clear oversight of the setting, particularly
following recent changes to the provision. They accurately identify priorities for
improvement. Leaders take decisive and focused action guided by their action plan. They
work closely with the mainly new staff team to raise expectations and improve practice.
However, leaders have not yet had time to ensure that improved practice is consistently
embedded.
Robust arrangements to improve staff practice are in place. Leaders are strong role models
and invest significant time supporting staff, targeting their support precisely where it is
needed. This is complemented with the completion of training courses and visits from
external professionals. Leaders make positive adjustments to staff workload, and their
wellbeing is a high priority. Leaders identify that some children have barriers to their
learning. They work in partnership with parents and carers and outside agencies to swiftly
seek support. Leaders and staff keep parents fully involved in their child's time at the setting.
Parents welcome the many opportunities to attend events at the setting.

Needs attention
Achievement Needs attention
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers in
their learning do not always receive the targeted support they need to close gaps in their
learning. This means that some children make varied progress through the curriculum to
prepare them for the next stage in learning due to inconsistencies in teaching.
Generally, children are confident communicators. They begin to form sentences to express
their wants and needs and talk to staff about experiences from home. Children join in with
the actions and words to familiar songs. Older children enjoy chatting with their friends as
they share ideas about how to use the construction blocks to add features to the airport they
have created together. Younger children snuggle up in the cosy den to look at books and
name the characters on the pages. They learn new words, such as 'helmet', as staff use
photos to introduce them to the uniform that police officers wear.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention
Staff do not consistently implement daily routines for older children in ways that help all
children understand the expectations for their behaviour or support smooth daily transitions.
During whole-group times, staff invite confident children to share rules and safety messages
but do not adapt their teaching for children who have newly transitioned to the room or are
less engaged. When children display inappropriate behaviour, staff move them to an
alternative activity and do not use these moments to reinforce expectations. Therefore,
some children do not receive consistent messages or equal support to understand what is
expected of them. This means that transitions, such as moving from indoor to outdoor
environments, are generally disorganised. Children do not receive clear instructions or
appropriate support to put on their outer clothing. Some children become unsettled, and
opportunities to develop independence and a positive attitude to learning and engage in
meaningful learning are reduced.
Leaders and staff work hard to build positive relationships with children and their families.
Leaders take time to share information with parents and carers about the importance of
attending regularly and of the impact this can have on children's learning and development.
Staff recognise moments in children's play to praise them for their positive behaviour. This
motivates them to share resources, such as torches, with their friends.
Curriculum and teaching Needs attention
The quality of teaching is variable. Staff do not always adapt their teaching to meet the
needs of all children to support their engagement, progress and understanding of the
expectations for their behaviour. Leaders recognise some areas for improvement to help
staff consistently meet all children's learning needs. They are in the early stages of
embedding these with the newly formed team. Leaders implement a curriculum that
encompasses all areas of learning and development. This focuses on teaching children
important life skills. Staff complete regular observations and assessments of children.

Overall, they identify what children need to learn next to help prepare them for their next
stage of learning.
Staff share and celebrate children's 'wow' moments from home and in the setting with their
peers. This boosts children's self-esteem and informs future planning. Staff build children's
language skills through songs and careful repetition of words. They use visits to the local
park and access to the host school's grounds to support children to build strength and
stamina as they use large apparatus. Staff encourage young children to develop
perseverance as they squeeze and manipulate dough into different-shaped moulds. They
introduce them to shape and space as they eagerly complete puzzles. Staff support older
children to develop a concept of time with a sand timer and encourage them to count and
identify numerals.
Inclusion Needs attention
Leaders actively seek additional support from relevant professionals to support children with
special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to their learning.
However, in practice, staff do not typically implement targeted support. Staff know their key
children well and use interventions to help close gaps in these children's learning. However,
there are not effective arrangements in place to ensure that other staff understand what it is
that these children need to learn next or ensure that their interactions support their
development. Staff do not provide children who have transitioned to the room for the oldest
children with enough support to help them to understand new routines. This means that not
all children feel a sense of belonging and make the progress they are capable of to be ready
for their next stage in learning.
Leaders work in partnership with staff and parents and carers to ensure that children's
individual needs are swiftly identified through regular assessments. Leaders ensure that
they use additional funding effectively. For example, they ensure that children have
appropriate clothing to feel and be included in learning experiences that support their
development. Since the setting's last inspection, the setting offers care for babies and young
children. Leaders recognise the importance of specific care practices for this group of
children. All staff are trained to meet the needs of children under the age of 2 years.

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 identify appropriate interventions and support plans for children with special
educational needs and/or disabilities, including those children who face barriers to their
learning. However, all staff do not share or implement these effectively. This means that
these children are not consistently supported in their learning.
Children smile as they are greeted by name by the kind and caring staff. Children are happy
to leave their parents and carers as they enter the setting. The friendly environment helps
children to settle and feel relaxed and promotes positive attendance. Effective settling-in

arrangements support children's smooth transition into the setting. Key persons and leaders
know children well and develop secure relationships with children from the outset.
Children confidently move around the thoughtfully arranged environment, indoors and
outdoors, that reflects their interests and values the uniqueness of all children. This supports
children's sense of belonging and develops their awareness of the wider world. Children
make independent choices of what they would like to explore. However, children do not
receive clear guidance and support about what is expected of them during daily routines.
This results in some children not being engaged or supported to manage their behaviour,
particularly those who require additional support.
Outdoors, younger children use natural open-ended resources, such as twigs, to tap
suspended metal utensils. This stimulates their creativity and engagement as they explore
how tapping with different force and on different parts of the utensils creates a range of
sounds. Older children enjoy being immersed in nature. Staff support them to respect living
things, such as worms that they find. Children benefit from outings in the community and
visits from professionals. These provide meaningful real-life learning experiences that
strengthen their understanding of the world.
Next steps
To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage and Childcare register the
provider must take the following actions by the assigned date:
Action Completion
Date
ensure that daily routines are well organised to meet the individual
needs of all children to support them to understand the expectations
in place for their behaviour.
19/02/2026
support staff to implement identified strategies to ensure that children
with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face
barriers to their learning achieve the best possible outcomes.
19/02/2026
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, staff and the special educational needs and/or disabilities
coordinator 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:
Lorraine Pike
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): EY396540
Address:
St. Marys Primary School
Castle Street
SAFFRON WALDEN
Essex
CB10 1BQ
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 16/07/2009
Registered person: Olivers Lodge Limited
Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00
Local authority: Essex
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
1 to 10
Total number of places

30
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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