Flower Pots Day Nursery — Ofsted Nursery Tracker

Grades by area

Inclusion

Strong standard

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) engage well in every aspect of nursery life. Leaders carefully identify and assess children's needs and make well-considered adaptations to reduce barriers to learning. For example, staff are available and attentive, using adapted equipment where needed, to ensure mealtimes and group activities are sociable, inclusive occasions. Leaders and staff demonstrate foresight and a proactive approach to supporting children with SEND. They consider the future needs of children when planning their move to other rooms and settings. This allows plenty of time to fully evaluate the changing needs of children. For example, leaders consider how children respond to potential key persons and ensure that these new staff are confident in their roles and environment prior to children joining them. Secure and collaborative relationships with a wide range of other professionals help leaders and staff to consider and meet children's changing needs. Specialists visit the setting to observe and support children in their learning environment and support staff to implement appropriate teaching strategies. Leaders work alongside families and medical specialists to ensure the environment meets children's specific needs. Staff knowledge and professional development evolves, reflecting the emerging needs of children. This ensures that children with SEND are fully supported by a confident and capable team of staff. The setting's specialists share their expertise and up-to-date knowledge with staff and families to create a collaborative approach to supporting the developing needs of children.

Achievement

Expected standard

Children typically demonstrate the skills they will require for their future learning. Babies are confident in their physical development prior to moving on to join their busy new learning environment. Young children follow routines and begin to understand boundaries and appropriate behaviours in preparation for joining their older, pre-school friends. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well equipped to cope with the experiences and routines they will follow in the future. For example, older children with SEND begin to engage in group activities, with support, and become familiar with routines and behavioural expectations prior to starting school. Children are generally confident communicators. Young children express their needs verbally and older children use their communication skills to hold interesting discussions with staff and navigate play alongside their peers.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines

Expected standard

Children play harmoniously with one another, typically following behavioural expectations that staff reinforce in age-appropriate ways. Babies are encouraged to use 'gentle hands' during play. Older children take turns, share and help their peers during group activities and routines. Relationships between children and staff are close and caring. Babies demonstrate close attachments to nurturing staff, who are attentive to their physical and emotional needs. For example, babies show delight in the praise they receive from staff during play and are soothed by their presence, when tired. Leaders understand the importance of punctuality and attendance and promote this in line with the needs of families. When children join the pre-school room, staff encourage parents and carers to follow the daily routines that children will experience at school. Leaders embed this knowledge through meetings with parents that explain the transitional processes and expectations within new learning environments. Staff incorporate daily routines into their curriculum, promoting independence and appropriate behaviour. All children, including babies, use cutlery confidently. Toddlers delight at identifying their picture on a chair at mealtimes. Older children serve themselves food, learn about manners and pass dishes to one another. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities engage particularly well in this sociable routine, helping themselves to food and enjoying discussions with their peers.

Children's welfare and wellbeing

Expected standard

Children enjoy sociable mealtimes with their peers and vigilant staff where they benefit from nutritious, freshly-cooked meals. Leaders have recently enhanced the mealtime routines for children who have allergies. Robust processes ensure all children remain safe. For example, equipment is colour coded and leaders take responsibility for distributing meals to children who have allergies. Staff monitor sleeping children well with regular physical checks. All bedding is stored in individual bags to ensure it remains hygienic and child specific. Key staff develop an understanding of children's early experiences through close collaborations with parents and carers. This allows them to consider how family dynamics can impact children's learning and wellbeing. All children follow hygiene routines and learn safe and healthy practices. Babies enjoy exploring bubbles and foam when cleaning their hands prior to mealtimes. Staff support young children to use play equipment safely, encouraging them to sit on slides and use their 'walking feet', rather than run, to keep themselves safe. Older children follow self-care routines independently, with staff allowing additional time for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to complete tasks alongside their peers.

Curriculum and teaching

Needs attention

The quality of staff teaching is variable across the nursery. Leaders do not have sufficient oversight of practice and have not identified some areas where the curriculum is not understood and effectively implemented. For example, staff working with younger children focus activities and play around children's interests. However, they do not always understand how and why experiences support children's development and interactions do not always fully promote children's learning in a developmentally-appropriate manner. Overall, teaching supports children to achieve appropriately. Leaders understand how physical play promotes wellbeing, supports development and encourages teamwork. The outdoor space is exciting. Children adapt the environment, creating obstacle courses with their friends and establishing role-play games in their 'outdoor-village' area, for instance. Staff assess children's progress regularly and generally demonstrate an appropriate understanding of children's accomplishments and areas for future focus. For example, staff are swift to introduce and facilitate group activities when they identify children who struggle to take turns and play cooperatively. Staff support children's communication skills in age-appropriate ways. Babies delight at the songs and rhymes staff sing, introducing them to new language and vocabulary. Children listen to stories and join in with songs, alongside enthusiastic staff who encourage them to identify words that rhyme during play. Older children develop more complex vocabulary during discussions around their choice of play. Staff adapt these discussions well for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They sit close by to offer additional language support and encourage other children to listen, allowing children with SEND time to express their ideas.

Leadership and governance

Needs attention

The nursery has had a series of significant changes in leadership. This has had an impact on the consistency of teaching due to a lack of oversight of practice. However, new leaders have implemented some changes that are having a positive impact on some children's experiences, particularly within the pre-school room. During regular supervision meetings, staff explore training opportunities based on their interests. Leaders do allocate specific training programmes and staff have access to a range of online learning. However, monitoring of practice and coaching sessions are not always fully effective. Leaders do not always identify the areas that staff most need to improve on, or support the most appropriate staff deployment strategies to benefit children's outcomes. Leaders place focus on supporting staff wellbeing. They have recently appointed an ambassador to support the welfare and wellbeing of staff and families. Leaders encourage staff to access external wellbeing support if required, and have reward and recognition schemes aimed at promoting staff morale. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and their families, access support from newly appointed special educational needs coordinators. They work alongside other staff to share their expertise and access a wide network of additional professional insight. This promotes the best possible outcomes for children with SEND.

What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children arrive happy, enjoy their time at nursery and show enthusiasm for learning. Staff deliver the curriculum well for babies and older children. They confidently plan learning experiences based on their understanding of what children can do and need to learn next. However, this same insight into children's early learning is not consistent across all areas of the nursery. Staff working with younger children lack sufficient understanding of the intended curriculum and how to deliver it. As a result, their interactions and teaching do not always focus on promoting children's knowledge and skills. Children do engage well in play and enjoy the company of staff and their peers. This contributes to a typically calm and harmonious environment throughout the nursery. The oldest children navigate rules and boundaries independently as they play. They share resources and work together to achieve common goals. For example, children use pipettes to measure coloured and fragrant water into tubes. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities learn particularly well alongside their peers and embrace all aspects of nursery life. With careful adaptations and appropriate support from adults, activities and routines are accessible for all children. This promotes respectful and supportive relationships with and between children. Children are generally prepared for their next stage of learning, within the nursery and as they prepare to move on to school. Children who are new to the nursery, or who have progressed on to new rooms, settle quickly in their new environments. Babies, in particular, quickly form close attachments to staff. Key staff gather detailed insight into children's early experiences through clear settling processes and regular communication with families. Parents and carers are regularly invited into the nursery to join in with play and to develop a deeper insight into how they can support children's learning at home.

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 deploy staff appropriately and support them to plan and deliver a curriculum that guides younger children's learning and responds to their stages of development appropriately 20/05/2026 enhance supervision arrangements to support and coach staff working with younger children and to foster a culture of continuous improvement 20/05/2026

About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, special educational needs coordinators, children, 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.

About this setting

URN: 2567933
Address: 75 Adeyfield Road HEMEL HEMPSTEAD Hertfordshire HP2 5DZ
Type: Childcare on Non-Domestic Premises, Full day care
Registration date: 21/01/2020
Registered person: Flower Pots Day Nursery Childcare Ltd
Register(s): EYR, CCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00
Local authority: Hertfordshire

Facts and figures

Age range at inspection: 0 to 4
Total places: 91

Data from 8 April 2026

Flower Pots Day Nursery Unique reference number (URN): 2567933 Address: 75 Adeyfield Road, HEMEL HEMPSTEAD, Hertfordshire, HP2 5DZ Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 21/01/2020 Registers: EYR, CCR Registered person: Flower Pots Day Nursery Childcare Ltd Inspection report: 8 April 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 Expected standard Inclusion Strong standard Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) engage well in every aspect of nursery life. Leaders carefully identify and assess children's needs and make well- considered adaptations to reduce barriers to learning. For example, staff are available and attentive, using adapted equipment where needed, to ensure mealtimes and group activities are sociable, inclusive occasions. Leaders and staff demonstrate foresight and a proactive approach to supporting children with SEND. They consider the future needs of children when planning their move to other rooms and settings. This allows plenty of time to fully evaluate the changing needs of children. For example, leaders consider how children respond to potential key persons and ensure that these new staff are confident in their roles and environment prior to children joining them. Secure and collaborative relationships with a wide range of other professionals help leaders and staff to consider and meet children's changing needs. Specialists visit the setting to observe and support children in their learning environment and support staff to implement appropriate teaching strategies. Leaders work alongside families and medical specialists to ensure the environment meets children's specific needs. Staff knowledge and professional development evolves, reflecting the emerging needs of children. This ensures that children with SEND are fully supported by a confident and capable team of staff. The setting's specialists share their expertise and up-to-date knowledge with staff and families to create a collaborative approach to supporting the developing needs of children. Achievement Expected standard Children typically demonstrate the skills they will require for their future learning. Babies are confident in their physical development prior to moving on to join their busy new learning environment. Young children follow routines and begin to understand boundaries and appropriate behaviours in preparation for joining their older, pre-school friends. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well equipped to cope with the experiences and routines they will follow in the future. For example, older children with SEND begin to engage in group activities, with support, and become familiar with routines and behavioural expectations prior to starting school. Children are generally confident communicators. Young children express their needs verbally and older children use their communication skills to hold interesting discussions with staff and navigate play alongside their peers. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard Children play harmoniously with one another, typically following behavioural expectations that staff reinforce in age-appropriate ways. Babies are encouraged to use 'gentle hands' during play. Older children take turns, share and help their peers during group activities and routines. Relationships between children and staff are close and caring. Babies demonstrate close attachments to nurturing staff, who are attentive to their physical and emotional needs. For example, babies show delight in the praise they receive from staff during play and are soothed by their presence, when tired. Leaders understand the importance of punctuality and attendance and promote this in line with the needs of families. When children join the pre-school room, staff encourage parents and carers to follow the daily routines that children will experience at school. Leaders embed this knowledge through meetings with parents that explain the transitional processes and expectations within new learning environments. Staff incorporate daily routines into their curriculum, promoting independence and appropriate behaviour. All children, including babies, use cutlery confidently. Toddlers delight at identifying their picture on a chair at mealtimes. Older children serve themselves food, learn about manners and pass dishes to one another. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities engage particularly well in this sociable routine, helping themselves to food and enjoying discussions with their peers. Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard Children enjoy sociable mealtimes with their peers and vigilant staff where they benefit from nutritious, freshly-cooked meals. Leaders have recently enhanced the mealtime routines for children who have allergies. Robust processes ensure all children remain safe. For example, equipment is colour coded and leaders take responsibility for distributing meals to children who have allergies. Staff monitor sleeping children well with regular physical checks. All bedding is stored in individual bags to ensure it remains hygienic and child specific. Key staff develop an understanding of children's early experiences through close collaborations with parents and carers. This allows them to consider how family dynamics can impact children's learning and wellbeing. All children follow hygiene routines and learn safe and healthy practices. Babies enjoy exploring bubbles and foam when cleaning their hands prior to mealtimes. Staff support young children to use play equipment safely, encouraging them to sit on slides and use their 'walking feet', rather than run, to keep themselves safe. Older children follow self-care routines independently, with staff allowing additional time for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to complete tasks alongside their peers. Needs attention Curriculum and teaching Needs attention The quality of staff teaching is variable across the nursery. Leaders do not have sufficient oversight of practice and have not identified some areas where the curriculum is not understood and effectively implemented. For example, staff working with younger children focus activities and play around children's interests. However, they do not always understand how and why experiences support children's development and interactions do not always fully promote children's learning in a developmentally-appropriate manner. Overall, teaching supports children to achieve appropriately. Leaders understand how physical play promotes wellbeing, supports development and encourages teamwork. The outdoor space is exciting. Children adapt the environment, creating obstacle courses with their friends and establishing role-play games in their 'outdoor-village' area, for instance. Staff assess children's progress regularly and generally demonstrate an appropriate understanding of children's accomplishments and areas for future focus. For example, staff are swift to introduce and facilitate group activities when they identify children who struggle to take turns and play cooperatively. Staff support children's communication skills in age-appropriate ways. Babies delight at the songs and rhymes staff sing, introducing them to new language and vocabulary. Children listen to stories and join in with songs, alongside enthusiastic staff who encourage them to identify words that rhyme during play. Older children develop more complex vocabulary during discussions around their choice of play. Staff adapt these discussions well for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They sit close by to offer additional language support and encourage other children to listen, allowing children with SEND time to express their ideas. Leadership and governance Needs attention The nursery has had a series of significant changes in leadership. This has had an impact on the consistency of teaching due to a lack of oversight of practice. However, new leaders have implemented some changes that are having a positive impact on some children's experiences, particularly within the pre-school room. During regular supervision meetings, staff explore training opportunities based on their interests. Leaders do allocate specific training programmes and staff have access to a range of online learning. However, monitoring of practice and coaching sessions are not always fully effective. Leaders do not always identify the areas that staff most need to improve on, or support the most appropriate staff deployment strategies to benefit children's outcomes. Leaders place focus on supporting staff wellbeing. They have recently appointed an ambassador to support the welfare and wellbeing of staff and families. Leaders encourage staff to access external wellbeing support if required, and have reward and recognition schemes aimed at promoting staff morale. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and their families, access support from newly appointed special educational needs coordinators. They work alongside other staff to share their expertise and access a wide network of additional professional insight. This promotes the best possible outcomes for children with SEND. 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 arrive happy, enjoy their time at nursery and show enthusiasm for learning. Staff deliver the curriculum well for babies and older children. They confidently plan learning experiences based on their understanding of what children can do and need to learn next. However, this same insight into children's early learning is not consistent across all areas of the nursery. Staff working with younger children lack sufficient understanding of the intended curriculum and how to deliver it. As a result, their interactions and teaching do not always focus on promoting children's knowledge and skills. Children do engage well in play and enjoy the company of staff and their peers. This contributes to a typically calm and harmonious environment throughout the nursery. The oldest children navigate rules and boundaries independently as they play. They share resources and work together to achieve common goals. For example, children use pipettes to measure coloured and fragrant water into tubes. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities learn particularly well alongside their peers and embrace all aspects of nursery life. With careful adaptations and appropriate support from adults, activities and routines are accessible for all children. This promotes respectful and supportive relationships with and between children. Inspector: Antonia Campbell About this setting Unique reference number (URN): 2567933 Children are generally prepared for their next stage of learning, within the nursery and as they prepare to move on to school. Children who are new to the nursery, or who have progressed on to new rooms, settle quickly in their new environments. Babies, in particular, quickly form close attachments to staff. Key staff gather detailed insight into children's early experiences through clear settling processes and regular communication with families. Parents and carers are regularly invited into the nursery to join in with play and to develop a deeper insight into how they can support children's learning at home. 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 deploy staff appropriately and support them to plan and deliver a curriculum that guides younger children's learning and responds to their stages of development appropriately 20/05/2026 enhance supervision arrangements to support and coach staff working with younger children and to foster a culture of continuous improvement 20/05/2026 About this inspection The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, special educational needs coordinators, children, 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. Address: 75 Adeyfield Road HEMEL HEMPSTEAD Hertfordshire HP2 5DZ Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 21/01/2020 Registered person: Flower Pots Day Nursery Childcare Ltd Register(s): EYR, CCR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00 Local authority: Hertfordshire Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 8 April 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 0 to 4 Total number of places 91 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. 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