URN 2739131 · Inspected 2026-01-21 · Published 2026-03-11 · Inspector: Anne-Marie Giffts
Little Raccoons Day Nursery Fitzrovia Unique reference number (URN): 2739131 Address: 10 Carburton Street, London, W1W 5AL Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 09/11/2023 Registers: EYR Registered person: Little Raccoons Day Nursery (Fitzrovia) Limited Inspection report: 21 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 Needs attention Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard Children have warm relationships with staff and their peers. Children take pleasure in socialising with friends and staff, particularly at mealtimes when children talk about their home lives. All children learn to wait patiently as they take turns to share their lunch. Children learn how to socialise and develop their emotional intelligence. Leaders and staff support healthy eating. They help children to learn about healthy food choices and the importance of washing their hands before they eat. Staff place importance on supervising children when they eat to ensure that they are safe. All children delight in mealtimes and attempt to feed themselves from an early stage. This supports children's health, understanding of personal safety and hygiene practices well. Leaders and staff are aware of children's dietary and medical needs. They have systems in place to manage these effectively, including adapting routines for children with barriers to their development and learning. Leaders and key staff implement sleep routines in line with parents' wishes and children's needs. This supports children's long-term health and physical growth. Inclusion Expected standard Leaders and staff provide a supportive and welcoming environment where all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), develop confidently. Leaders work closely with parents and carers and other professionals, and respond well to advice and guidance. This focused, shared approach supports the individual needs of children with SEND well. Leaders have arrangements in place where children attend other settings to promote collaborative working. Staff supporting children with SEND understand how to create targeted learning experiences. They understand and support children's changing educational and care needs. They ensure that children's experiences support their interests and enjoyment. For instance, children develop their independence as they make choices about which nursery rhymes to sing along to. Leaders promote some staff's knowledge by providing them with further training that is specifically aimed at supporting children with SEND. Achievement Needs attention Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefit from well-planned transitions to other early years settings. This supports their emotional wellbeing. However, children who move between rooms at the setting do not always experience the same level of well-planned support. This means that children's interests are not always effectively supported and they do not engage fully in learning. Children take pleasure in choosing books and sharing them with their friends independently. They develop a love of books and learn to interact with their peers. They are active learners and enjoy moulding, pressing and patting dough as they play with it. Children learn to use tweezers to pick up crackers and fruit at snack time. They also use wheeled toys in the outdoor area. This promotes children's physical development. Children sing nursery rhymes, action and number songs as they develop their mathematical, language and literacy skills. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention Staff do not help children to understand the expectations of the setting sufficiently well or in an age-appropriate manner. Although staff display kind behaviours and support children as they play, they do not intervene when children run inside the setting, for instance. Staff do not help children to understand how these behaviours affect their safety, or reinforce their understanding of how to care for resources. For instance, children do not learn to use and look after colouring and art materials well. This does not fully prepare children for their move to school. Staff model caring relationships to help children make and maintain friendships. They encourage children to engage in experiences that help them to make friends, such as playing in the water tray together. Children develop independence skills, such as putting outdoor clothes and shoes on. Staff praise children for their efforts, which benefits their confidence. Leaders have professional partnerships with parents and carers. Effective strategies are in place to promote and monitor children's attendance and punctuality. Curriculum and teaching Needs attention Leaders demonstrate an understanding of the weaknesses in the quality of the curriculum and teaching. They identify where there are inconsistencies, such as in interactions between staff and children. However, they do not implement plans sufficiently well or swiftly enough to make the improvements needed to support better outcomes for children. As a result, staff lack confidence in delivering the curriculum effectively. Staff do not consistently provide rich language during interactions, particularly for children who are already confident speakers and could develop their vocabulary even further. Children are not always encouraged to talk more about what they know or to understand new concepts. This hinders the development of children's vocabulary. Staff organise some group sessions that are engaging and enjoyable, but this is inconsistent. When loud music is played during activities, children lose concentration and do not engage well with learning. Staff teach children early mathematical concepts, such as early counting skills. Every child, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, receives encouragement to take part in learning experiences. Children enjoy listening to stories, and staff sensitively encourage young children to wheel vehicles in paint and make marks. Children enjoy their time at the setting and develop their physical skills as they play. They socialise well with their friends, listen to each other and share resources. Leadership and governance Needs attention The setting has had recent significant changes. A new leadership team is being established. They recognise that the curriculum design and delivery require improvement. Leaders' arrangements to monitor teaching are not well embedded. Children are learning, but teaching is not of a high quality. Leaders have plans to improve staff's teaching skills and knowledge. They plan to introduce more training and professional development opportunities. Although this has not yet been implemented for all staff, some staff complete specific training to support better learning outcomes for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders and staff are building professional and collaborative working relationships with each other. Leaders value staff and take account of their wellbeing. Changes to the key-person approach mean that staff do not feel overwhelmed with their responsibilities and duties. Leaders and staff respect each other, which creates an environment where children learn how to treat others. Leaders identify some of the setting's strengths. This includes working in collaboration with external professionals and families, ensuring that interventions benefit individual children, particularly those with SEND. All staff complete mandatory training, which benefits children's safety, health and wellbeing. What it's like to be a child at this setting Weaknesses in curriculum planning and delivery mean that children do not benefit from high-quality teaching across all areas of learning. Leaders have appropriate ambition for high-quality teaching but do not provide staff with comprehensive professional development opportunities to support this. As a result, not all children make the steady progress of which they are capable to support them as they prepare for their next steps in education. Staff interact with children in a kind and fair way. However, they do not consistently support children to engage fully in their learning experiences. Staff do not have high expectations for children's behaviour. As a result, children do not consistently develop positive attitudes towards learning. Inspector: Anne-Marie Giffts About this setting Children receive warm greetings from staff when they arrive, and approach them for reassurance when needed. Children readily welcome both staff and peers into their play. This promotes a sense of belonging and supports their social development. Leaders have ongoing plans to strengthen professional partnerships with parents and carers and have strategies in place to promote and monitor children's attendance. They ensure that children have access to learning opportunities and spend time in both outside and indoor environments. Older children eagerly put on their coats as they get ready to learn outside, where they explore filling and emptying containers with water and building with LEGO blocks. Younger children delight in painting and other creative and sensory experiences. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, have plenty of fun and experiences. 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 implement effective staff training and coaching to support effective design and delivery of the curriculum 01/04/2026 support staff to implement appropriate and consistent behaviour management strategies. 01/04/2026 About this inspection The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, children and parents 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. Unique reference number (URN): 2739131 Address: 10 Carburton Street London W1W 5AL Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 09/11/2023 Registered person: Little Raccoons Day Nursery (Fitzrovia) Limited Register(s): EYR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00 Local authority: Westminster Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 21 January 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 0 to 4 Total number of places 45 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. 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