Lake View Nursery Ltd

Lake View Nursery Ltd
Unique reference number (URN): EY454697
Address: Thorn Business Park, Rotherwas, Hereford, Herefordshire, HR2 6JT
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 04/01/2013
Registers: EYR, CCR
Registered person: Lake View Nursery Ltd
Inspection report: 5 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.

Strong standard
Achievement Strong standard
All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who
face other barriers to learning, make excellent progress in all areas of development. They
are well prepared for the next stage of their education. Babies and children develop a love of
books. They actively engage in story times and choose to look at books independently. They
become familiar with the text of core books through linked activities. Babies babble as they
look at board books. Toddlers carefully turn pages and copy the words and actions they
have heard. They explore textures as they recall a story about a bear hunt in sensory play.
Pre-school children relax and read books in the garden. This all helps develop children's
vocabulary and build firm foundations for their future literacy development.
Children are highly active, motivated learners. They have time, space and resources to
develop their physical skills inside and outside. Pre-school children learn about sea
creatures and explore concepts such as floating and sinking in water trays. Children practise
their creative skills as they draw, paint and make marks in the garden. They develop their
imagination as they role play with staff and their peers. Children with specific interests
confidently share their knowledge and teach their friends. Babies and children gradually
develop the skills required to share, participate and cooperate respectfully with others.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard
Children are incredibly motivated learners. They become highly engaged in all activities,
participating with joy and enthusiasm. Leaders have identified behaviours, attitudes and
routines as key areas for further development. Adjustments to routines have had a positive
impact on staff, interactions and all children's engagement in learning. Leaders are planning
to build an additional outdoor classroom to provide a quiet space for children to engage in
focused activities to help prepare them for school even more effectively.
Staff play alongside children. They remind children of the behavioural expectations of the
setting and assist them in following them in line with their age and stage of development.
Staff help children develop an understanding of their emotions. They use cuddles, positive
reinforcement and praise to sensitively support children in learning how to regulate their
emotions. This approach is supported with the use of emotional-regulation toys and stories
throughout the setting. Staff plan precise activities to support children's social interactions,
including turn-taking and sharing. Leaders have plans underway for all staff to receive
social, emotional and mental health training to support these elements of children's care and
learning even further. Leaders closely monitor and promote the importance of children's
attendance and punctuality and have procedures in place if they identify concerns.
Curriculum and teaching Strong standard
Leaders have extremely high expectations for and of all children's learning. They ensure that
all staff understand how to support children with special educational needs and/or
disabilities and those who face other barriers to their learning. Leaders identify areas for

improvement and have successfully implemented action plans to improve the quality of
teaching. Leaders have developed a curriculum that builds on what children already know
and can do. Leaders evaluate, review and adapt the daily routine to maximise children's
learning. Staff seize learning opportunities throughout the day, including at routine times. For
example, they engage children in songs at tidy-up time, during nappy changing and while
they wait for lunch. They help older children identify numbers, such as those on the nursery
toilet doors, by counting the corresponding dots.
Staff play alongside children, expertly supporting their communication and language skills.
Through observations and assessments, they monitor children's development, promptly
identify concerns and plan next steps. High-quality one-to-one interactions maximise
children's progress.
Staff plan opportunities for children to be physically active. Babies engage in dance
sessions and climb low-level climbing frames. They negotiate slides and push and pull toys
around. Toddlers enjoy large-scale mark making on outdoor chalkboards. They join in with
dance sessions led by visiting specialists before exploring further challenges in the nursery
garden. Pre-school children pedal toy tractors, climb, and develop their physical skills. Staff
have received gymnastics training to learn how to further develop children's core strength
and balance.
Staff explicitly teach mathematical concepts. This builds children's mathematical confidence
and gives them a firm foundation for future learning. Children join in with counting songs,
count accurately and identify numbers. Children practise and embed this knowledge when
they play cooperatively with their friends. They pretend to be bus drivers selling tickets for 5
pounds, showing 5 fingers, and they kindly help their younger peers to count accurately.
Inclusion Strong standard
This is a highly inclusive setting. Leaders ensure that all staff have an in-depth
understanding of the individual needs of babies and children with special educational needs
and/or disabilities (SEND) or other barriers to learning. They work with parents, carers and
staff to promptly identify and assess gaps in children's learning and implement targeted
strategies to support and close them. Leaders ensure that staff follow an appropriate
approach to monitor the impact of interventions.
Leaders work in close partnership with parents, signposting them to and engaging specialist
support when needed. They proactively work with a wide range of professionals. Parents of
children with SEND value this collaborative working and the support they receive. Leaders
ensure that care plans are in place to support the next stage of children's education.
Additional funding is specifically targeted for maximum impact. For example, resources and
activities encourage children's social interactions, and visiting music specialists and books
help develop vocabulary and listening skills. Leaders seek permission from parents to speak
to other professionals involved in their children's care before they join the setting. This
enables them to identify staff training needs and make necessary adaptations to staff roles
and the provision. This ensures that children's needs are met from the very start.

Expected standard
Leadership and governance Strong standard
Leaders have a clear oversight of the provision. They robustly monitor the setting, ensuring
that it meets the requirements of the early years foundation stage. When weaknesses are
identified, leaders swiftly respond and make changes to improve the provision. They review
assessments and the quality and impact of staff teaching. Despite changes to the staff team
since the last inspection, leaders have developed a secure team with a shared vision.
Leaders carry out regular supervision sessions with staff, support their wellbeing and
monitor their ongoing suitability. They identify staff's strengths and areas for further
professional development. They seek specialist training for staff that is specifically targeted
to the ongoing and emerging needs of children attending.
Leaders have created a supportive, trusting ethos in the staff team. They recognise the
challenges staff face, both professionally and personally, and offer bespoke support. Staff
reflect on practice and provision and contribute to action plans to further improve outcomes
for all children.
Leaders are passionate about providing high-quality care and education for all children,
especially children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who
face other barriers to learning. Parents of children with SEND appreciate the support they
receive from leaders. They describe how this support extends beyond the nursery and has a
positive impact on children at home. Parents value the professionalism of staff and the child-
centred care and education they provide.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Close, supportive key-person relationships help children feel safe and secure. Leaders invite
parents and carers to open days to meet the whole staff team. This helps build trusting
parent partnerships. Staff understand how to support children with special educational
needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to their learning, and they adapt the
provision to accommodate children's individual needs. They sensitively support children in
developing their social skills and interacting with their peers. Children of all ages spend
extended periods playing outside every day in the very well-resourced outdoor provision.
Covered outdoor spaces and all-weather clothing make this possible all year round. This
promotes children's physical health and wellbeing.
Staff teach children the importance of personal hygiene. Older children discuss the need to
wash their hands before eating to prevent germs from entering their bodies. Children receive
healthy, nutritious meals prepared by the nursery cook. Families receive recipes and sample
pots, which parents say have helped children try different foods at home. Staff liaise closely
with parents to safely guide babies through the weaning process. Leaders work with parents
to create care plans for children with specific medical and dietary needs. They ensure that
all staff clearly understand these. Staff have received training to support children with
allergies, and they clearly understand the emergency procedures. Staff identified some
allergens in art and craft resources and have removed them from the provision to minimise

risks to children. Staff follow stringent safety measures at mealtimes to prevent the cross-
contamination of food. On occasion, staff place children's snacks directly onto tables without
using plates, which does not help children develop the best possible eating habits for the
future. Leaders now recognise this practice as an area for development and plan to
introduce changes at snack time.
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
Babies and children are extremely happy and content in this nurturing, inspiring setting. Staff
warmly welcome children and their families into the nursery. They have developed nurturing
and responsive key-person relationships with babies and children. This helps children feel
safe and secure and thrive. Leaders and staff work in close partnership with parents and
carers to understand children's starting points. They strive to identify any barriers children
may face to learning before they join the provision. They meticulously adapt and arrange the
provision to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff help all
children achieve well and reach their developmental milestones.
Staff carefully plan activities to match the interests of children of all ages, leading to high
engagement. They skilfully pace activities, leading with enthusiasm, which motivates
children to participate. Babies and children benefit from personalised, high-quality
interactions with staff who know them well. Babies happily join in with zoo-themed story time
activities. They search for animals that match the pictures and giggle as they roar and hiss,
imitating the animal sounds. Toddlers count cars as they race them down pipes. They think

Inspector:
Sharon Wilcox
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): EY454697
Address:
Thorn Business Park
Rotherwas
Hereford
Herefordshire
HR2 6JT
carefully as they try to work out why large vehicles become stuck. Pre-school children
develop their mathematical skills as they dig in the garden. They learn about capacity and
weight as they transfer soil around, using words such as 'heavy', 'light', 'full' and 'empty'.
Children become involved in complex imaginary play, where they cooperate, take turns and
kindly support each other.
Staff promote positive behaviours and attitudes to learning extremely well. They understand
the challenges some children face and sensitively support them in developing the necessary
skills to form positive relationships with their peers. Leaders promote the benefits of regular
and prompt attendance with parents and emphasise the positive impact it has on children's
future success.
Next steps
Leaders should enhance the already stringent measures in place to promote children's
health and help them develop healthy habits for life.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, special educational needs coordinators, staff, 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.

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 04/01/2013
Registered person: Lake View Nursery Ltd
Register(s): EYR, CCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:00 - 18:00
Local authority: Herefordshire
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 5 March 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
1 to 4
Total number of places
59
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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