Matchbox Nursery Aberfeldy

Matchbox Nursery Aberfeldy
Unique reference number (URN): 2744942
Address: 12 Aberfeldy Square, London, E14 0XA
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 03/08/2023
Registers: EYR
Registered person: Matchbox Day Nursery 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
Achievement Expected standard
Children generally make appropriate progress from their starting points across the areas of
learning. Staff support children's communication and language well through stories, songs
and responsive talk in their play. Children confidently share ideas and name shapes. Some
children use descriptive vocabulary outdoors and join in conversations at mealtimes.
Children with medical needs participate safely. Children develop increasing confidence and
early mathematical language. Disadvantaged children benefit from enhanced adult
interactions that support turn-taking and communication.
Children develop some early independence through routines, such as tidying, scraping
plates and participating in hygiene routines. However, at times, children rely on adult
direction during transitions and large-group routines. Children engage in regular physical
play outdoors, but older children do not consistently extend their physical skills
progressively. These factors limit the consistency of children's achievement.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Children behave positively and show that they feel secure with staff. Staff build warm
relationships and notice children's needs quickly. They use calm and respectful approaches
to support children to regulate their emotions. Children learn to collaborate through shared
play, including role play and construction. Staff help children to reflect on the impact of their
actions when disagreements occur. Children respond well to clear reminders about safety,
such as not to run indoors, and they take responsibility during tidy-up routines.
Leaders promote a welcoming culture and work with parents and carers to support children's
regular attendance. Parents report that children are happy to attend and that staff
communicate promptly if a child does not arrive as expected. This strengthens routines for
families and supports children's wellbeing.
During large-group transitions and group times, staff do not consistently reinforce their
expectations. Some children become unsettled, distracted or disengaged. Staff sometimes
need to raise their voices to be heard. When staff reduce group size, younger children settle
more quickly and engage more positively. This does not support children consistently to
regulate their behaviour more independently and sustain attention during group routines.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Children's welfare and wellbeing sit at the centre of daily practice. Staff meet children's care
needs sensitively and maintain effective hygiene routines. Staff record nappy changes and
care routines and share information with parents and carers. This supports continuity
between home and the setting. Children wash their hands before meals, and staff support
them to wash their faces and brush their teeth after lunch, promoting children's
understanding of healthy routines. Staff supervise children closely at mealtimes and ensure

that babies eat and drink safely. Children with allergies and medical needs receive careful
and consistent support through clear care planning and staff awareness.
Children benefit from secure attachments and reassurance from their key persons. Staff
comfort babies and unsettled children, including through books and calm interactions. They
respond quickly when children need emotional support. Sleep arrangements meet children's
needs. Staff supervise children sleeping in a designated area, carry out regular checks and
record sleep routines.
Children increasingly manage aspects of their self-care, such as putting belongings away
and scraping plates. However, staff do not consistently enable children to manage parts of
routines independently, such as accessing water or organising themselves during
transitions. This does not further enhance children's confidence, emotional security and
wellbeing.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Leaders provide a broad curriculum that meets the learning and development requirements
of the early years foundation stage, Staff implement the curriculum through warm and
responsive interactions and a rich range of play-based experiences. They build children's
communication and language throughout the day. Staff read expressively, sing frequently
and extend children's vocabulary during their play. For example, children describe outdoor
sensory play as 'gloopy' and 'sticky'. Staff use purposeful questioning to support early
mathematics. They encourage children to count objects, match quantities to numbers and
use comparative language, such as taller and shorter.
Staff prioritise children's personal, social and emotional development. They model kindness
and help children to repair friendships after minor conflicts. Staff also promote children's
physical development through indoor soft play, puzzles, construction and outdoor riding and
balancing. Staff use assessment information and knowledge of children's interests to tailor
their teaching, including for babies and for children who need additional support to build their
confidence, mobility or language.
Teaching helps children to learn and enjoy a wide range of experiences. However, staff do
not embed children's independence consistently across routines. Also, some group activities
sometimes begin before children are calm and ready to engage. This does not increase
consistency and maximise the impact of teaching across the day.
Inclusion Expected standard
Leaders create an inclusive culture where they value and recognise children's uniqueness.
Staff know children well and use information from parents and carers, observations and
assessment to identify children's starting points and any barriers to learning or wellbeing.
Staff tailor support for babies, younger toddlers and older children in the mixed-age rooms,
ensuring that resources and spaces remain accessible and safe for all ages. Staff support
children with medical needs carefully. For example, they manage allergies through clear
care planning and regular review, ensuring that medication remains securely stored and
monitored.

Disadvantaged children benefit from targeted use of early years pupil premium funding.
Leaders use this to strengthen staff practice through training that improves the quality of
interactions and shared thinking. Staff use this training to support children's language, turn-
taking and confidence in small-group play. Leaders and staff work with families and, when
needed, external agencies to review support and sustain children's progress over time.
Parents value the setting's communication and the key-person approach, which helps
families to feel included and confident.
Children generally take part confidently alongside their peers. However, staff plan some
group routines that involve large numbers of children. This causes some younger and less-
confident children to become unsettled or less engaged. This does not strengthen children's
inclusion and participation during busy points in the day.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders understand the setting's context and maintain clear oversight of the quality of
education, care and safeguarding. Leaders' self-evaluation draws on staff reflection, parent
and carers' feedback and review of children's progress. Staff discuss children's learning
regularly and adapt planning to reflect children's interests and needs. However, leaders
have not consistently focused their support for staff on improving the organisation of groups
and transitions, embedding consistent expectations and strengthening children's
independence.
Leaders prioritise staff wellbeing and professional development. Staff describe supportive
supervision sessions, regular meetings and effective coaching from room leaders. This
typically helps to maintain consistency in day-to-day practice. Leaders use training
strategically, including using early years pupil premium funding, to strengthen staff's
interaction skills.
Leaders work in the best interests of children, including those who are disadvantaged, with
special educational needs and/or disabilities, are known (or previously known) to children's
social care or have medical needs. Leaders monitor children's attendance. They follow up
promptly when children do not attend as expected, strengthening safeguarding and family
support.
Leaders demonstrate a clear understanding of how their decisions impact children's daily
experiences. They have established systems that enable them to identify what is working
well and where greater consistency is needed. This enables leaders to sustain effective
practice and focus improvement activity on strengthening the quality and impact of
education and care for all children.

What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children arrive to a calm and welcoming environment. Staff greet children warmly, including
using greetings in children's different home languages, such as Russian and Thai. Children
confidently place their belongings on photo-labelled pegs. They settle quickly and
demonstrate that they feel a sense of belonging. Across the mixed-age rooms, children build
secure and nurturing relationships with staff. Babies and toddlers snuggle in close for
stories, while older children confidently talk with staff and their friends about their play and
experiences.
Children enjoy a wide range of learning opportunities that reflect their interests and stages of
development. They explore books in a cosy area, sing familiar nursery rhymes and join in
imaginative role play, including caring for baby dolls. Children investigate shapes through
mark making, proudly naming oval, square and rectangle. They use numbered logs and
small-world resources to count, match and develop early mathematical language. Babies
explore treasure baskets and sensory bottles, copying actions and words such as 'shake'.
Staff build children's language by responding to their ideas, for example when children hold
shells to their ears and talk about water.
Children stay safe and are well cared for. Staff supervise them closely, carry out hygiene
routines sensitively and share information about their care with parents and carers. Children
wash their hands before meals, scrape plates afterwards and brush teeth after lunch.
Outdoors, children choose bicycles, balancing equipment and construction resources.
Younger children practise pushing and balancing, while older children ride confidently and
take turns. Staff explain routines clearly, such as wearing coats when it is cold. This helps
children to understand how to keep themselves well.
Children achieve appropriately from their starting points, including those who are
disadvantaged or with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Children flourish in a
warm and inclusive environment.
Next steps
Leaders should support staff to strengthen children's independence through more
consistent practice.
Leaders should support staff to review the organisation of group activities and transitions,
to engage all children more consistently.
Leaders should strengthen outdoor provision by ensuring it offers opportunities for
children to extend their physical skills, particularly for older children, so that all children
develop greater physical confidence.

Inspector:
Honufa Begum
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2744942
Address:
12 Aberfeldy Square
London
E14 0XA
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 03/08/2023
Registered person: Matchbox Day Nursery Limited
Register(s): EYR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00
Local authority: Tower Hamlets
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
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, children and parents and carers 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
48
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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