Pembroke Park Nursery

Pembroke Park Nursery
Unique reference number (URN): EY497697
Address: Nokes Court, Commonwealth Drive, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 1AN
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 29/01/2016
Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR
Registered person: Pembroke Park Childcare Ltd
Inspection report: 4 March 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
Inclusion Expected standard
Leaders understand how to assess children's needs and accurately identify when children
might need additional support. They seek advice from other agencies and the local authority
and work collaboratively with other professionals so that children with special educational
needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are fully supported. Leaders seek information from parents
to help them identify if any additional support is required. Leaders make changes to staff
roles and responsibilities where needed to ensure that the arrangements in place support
children with SEND effectively. For example, they have recently updated the leadership of
the special educational needs provision. They access funding so that eligible children
receive their full entitlement and barriers to children's learning are reduced where possible.
Leaders help staff to assess and identify children's next steps in learning and make
adaptations so that they are included. For example, staff deploy themselves well so that all
children are included in activities and provide additional support for children who may need it
during group times. Leaders ensure that children have the necessary support so that their
individual needs can be met.
Achievement Needs attention
Weaknesses in the curriculum design and its implementation mean that children do not
achieve as well as they could. Activities are not consistently designed to provide children
with opportunities to practise key skills, such as using scissors to cut shapes for painting or
writing their own names. These tasks are often completed by staff rather than the children
themselves. In addition, although children engage well with one another and with staff, they
do not consistently have opportunities to build on their skills, extend their knowledge or
develop their language further. As a result, children's learning does not always reach its full
potential, and they do not consistently make the progress of which they are capable.
Despite this, children who face barriers to learning, including those who speak English as an
additional language, generally achieve well in their communication and language
development. They engage in meaningful, back-and-forth conversations with staff and
peers. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported effectively
to make progress from their individual starting points, demonstrating that targeted support
helps them succeed.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention
The routine when children stop their play for mealtimes is not smooth, which affects how
effectively staff can deploy themselves during this period. For example, children are
encouraged to wash their hands before eating and understand this routine well. However,

weaknesses in the organisation of this routine mean that staff are focused on supporting
children with these tasks rather than supervising them while they eat. Although staff are
present, the arrangement reduces opportunities for children to be fully observed during
mealtimes.
Children play together well, and staff consistently reinforce rules, such as not throwing sand
and not climbing up the slide. Staff provide explanations and adapt how they communicate
behaviour expectations for children who may need additional support. This helps meet
individual needs effectively. Children practise balancing on low-level beams and seek
support from adults when needed, showing delight when they achieve their goals. Leaders
monitor children's attendance carefully and follow up with parents and carers if children do
not arrive, ensuring that families understand the importance of regular attendance for their
child's learning and development.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention
Weaknesses in the organisation of mealtimes mean that children are not always supervised
closely enough while eating. Although staff are present, they do not consistently position
themselves with children at the start of mealtimes. For example, staff focus on supporting
children to serve themselves healthy snacks and pour their own drinks from the snack bar,
rather than sitting with children as they begin to eat. As a result, staff may not notice quickly
if a child starts to choke.
Children's independence is promoted consistently throughout the setting. Staff encourage
children to wipe their own noses and dispose of tissues appropriately, helping them to
manage their own self-care. Children develop positive relationships with all staff, who know
them well and respond to their individual needs. Staff support children to take turns and
manage minor conflicts, for instance by helping them share resources and ask permission
before taking items from friends. This helps children recognise each other's feelings and
develop a secure sense of self. Children demonstrate confidence and trust as they hold
each other's hands when approaching new activities, showing growing social and emotional
awareness.
Curriculum and teaching Needs attention
Leaders plan a curriculum around themes, such as teaching children about people in the
community who help us. However, this is not designed to support children to learn across all
developmental areas. For example, the intent of activities is not clearly understood by all
staff. As a result, activities lack purpose and do not focus on teaching children new skills.
Staff do not have the skills to extend children's learning or provide them with information to
develop their thinking and knowledge. For instance, staff are supported to understand how
to observe children and use their assessments to plan what they want children to learn next.
However, this is not consistently implemented in practice. Staff often use basic language
with children and describe their play, such as, 'It's a fireman, where does the fireman go?'
but they do not provide more extensive opportunities for children to develop new skills.
Children enjoy taking part in a variety of activities, such as moulding play dough, scooping
and pouring coloured rice and playing outside. Staff promote basic mathematics. For
example, they encourage children to count each other as they line up to go outside and

count down from 3 when it is time for snack. Leaders promote inclusion and ensure that all
children are involved in activities. They make sure staff are deployed effectively to provide
additional supervision and support for children with special educational needs and/or
disabilities. Leaders also support staff to understand how to observe what children can do
so that they can identify when children need additional support.
Leadership and governance Needs attention
Leaders are not aware that weaknesses in the routine at mealtimes mean that children are
not fully supervised while they eat. Although they have adapted this routine so that not all
children sit down at once, this is not implemented consistently. This means that as children
sit down and start eating, staff are not able to deploy themselves quickly enough so that
they are sitting with children. In addition, they have not fully identified the weaknesses in
staff understanding of the curriculum. They acknowledge the curriculum is not ambitious for
all children and are keen to take action to address this.
Leaders ensure that arrangements are in place to support children with special educational
needs and/or disabilities and that staff understand their responsibilities. Staff feel they are
well supported by leaders. They have regular discussions about their key children, activities
they can provide and access to a range of training courses. Leaders hold regular meetings
and provide staff with quizzes to test their knowledge. Staff report that managers are aware
of their individual needs and make sure they feel supported to fulfil their role. However,
weaknesses in curriculum understanding and routine implementation mean children's
learning and safety are not consistently maximised.
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
Although there are always staff present when children are eating, leaders do not ensure staff
are deployed effectively so that they can observe all children throughout mealtimes. This
means staff may not notice quickly enough if a child begins to choke. Leaders do not ensure
that the curriculum is designed effectively enough to teach children the fundamental skills
required for future learning. They have not ensured that all staff understand what they want
children to learn and how to teach it successfully.
Children arrive happily and engage in play before coming together for group time. Staff read
stories to children based on themes, such as how emergency services help us. Children
enjoy dancing to music and shaking pom-poms. They smile happily and hold hands with one
another. Staff promote children's awareness of staying hydrated and encourage them to
drink after physical activity. Children look for their photo and find their own water bottle. Staff
understand the children well, including those with special educational needs and/or
disabilities and those who are learning English as an additional language. They recognise
what is important to the children and their families, who are welcomed into the setting to
speak about their traditions and celebrations. Leaders ensure that children learn about all
religious festivals.
Outside, children play well together. They enjoy exploring the sand and share resources
independently. Children wait happily for their turn. Any minor conflicts are dealt with promptly
by staff. Staff count the children as they get ready to go down the slide and when they line
up to go outside. This helps introduce children to early mathematics. Children practise their
balancing skills and coordination as they persevere using balancing stilts. Older children
concentrate as they twist pipe cleaners around pencils, commenting on the colours, such as
saying, 'It's green like broccoli.'

Inspector:
Pippa Clark
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): EY497697
Address:
Nokes Court
Commonwealth Drive
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
improve mealtime routines to ensure that staff are
consistently deployed to supervise children effectively
while they eat
25/03/2026
ensure that the curriculum is ambitious, challenging and
appropriate for all children
04/05/2026
ensure that the curriculum is implemented effectively
and staff are fully aware of the intended learning
outcomes of activities
04/05/2026
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, the special educational needs and/or disabilities
coordinator 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.
We carried out this inspection as a result of a risk assessment, following information we
received about the provider. The provider will be able to give parents further information
about this.

Crawley
West Sussex
RH10 1AN
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 29/01/2016
Registered person: Pembroke Park Childcare Ltd
Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00
Local authority: West Sussex
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 4 March 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
2 to 4
Total number of places
58
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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