URN 2760337 · Inspected 2026-03-11 · Published 2026-06-05 · Inspector: Jenny Griffiths
Abcfabulous Nursery Unique reference number (URN): 2760337 Address: 12 Arnott Close, London, SE28 8BG Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 06/12/2023 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Abcfabulous LTD Inspection report: 11 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. Needs attention Achievement Needs attention Children are not suitably prepared for the next stage in their learning, and this is particularly so for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Children listen to staff and respond to them. However, back-and-forth utterances between staff and children are relatively short. Children respond to staff, using short phrases, non- verbal signals, words and sounds. Some children are beginning to develop some conversational skills. Children are developing listening and attention skills as leaders model singing at different speeds to less experienced staff. Children enjoy using a visual chart to select which song to sing next. This helps to build children's self-esteem and confidence. Staff try to implement what they have learned through working with external support. Leaders help children to think about what comes next using other visual tools. This helps children to develop their personal, social and emotional development as they are supported to understand the routine and to make choices. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention Children are not fully supported to regulate their emotions and behaviour. Staff try to implement what they have learned from external specialists but need to further extend their knowledge and expertise to support children with particularly high levels of need. Children understand the mealtime routine and know what to do. Staff help children to follow the routine and provide additional support to children who struggle with times of change during the day. However, at these times, staff do not always have clear expectations about behaviour or fully explain to children what is happening, which unsettles some children. Relationships between staff and children are warm. Children mostly play alongside each other or engage in activities while staff remain close by. Staff are sensitive to children's developmental stages and understand that some children prefer solitary play. Although staff give children space to explore their surroundings independently, staff also provide opportunities for children to be together during group times, such as story time and mealtimes. This helps children to develop a sense of belonging. Leaders understand the importance of monitoring attendance and implement a clear procedure to follow up any periods of absence. Parents are contacted in a timely manner, and leaders know who to report any related concerns to. Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention Staff do not help children to understand the feelings of others, although they do notice when children are feeling distressed and offer comfort and reassurance. Children enjoy having a rest, and the sleep routine is calm. Staff stay with children as they sleep and check that they are safe. Staff supervise children in the toilets and ensure that children have privacy. They remind children to use soap to wash their hands. Staff support children to develop important physical skills. For example, they help children to become confident to put their coat on after teaching them a special technique. This type of support helps children to develop some independence. Parents speak positively about the relationship between staff and their children. They value staff's efforts to encourage children to be independent and appreciate when staff notice and encourage children's interests. For example, staff encourage children's interest in dressing up. This helps to build children's self-esteem and develop their imaginative skills. Parents place high regard on the warm welcome that they receive from the owner, leaders and staff from the admissions stage. Parents describe the nursery as being 'just like home'. Curriculum and teaching Needs attention The curriculum is at an early stage of development. The new leadership team has not had sufficient time to fully address the training needs of staff. The staff team does not know it wants children to understand and do in great depth. For example, although staff talk with children about what they are doing, they are not yet skilled in extending children's communication and language skills. Leaders have only just begun to take action to improve the assessments of children's progress and the quality of teaching experienced by children. Leaders support children to count as they climb the stairs and dismount the slide outdoors. This helps children to develop their physical and one-to-one counting skills as they coordinate their movements. Indoors, children learn about shape and space as they complete puzzles. However, opportunities for children to develop mathematical skills and knowledge further are poorly planned by staff. Children are beginning to learn some reading behaviours as staff share books with them and encourage children to look at the pictures as pages are turned. However, these instances are brief, and staff do not extend children's interest in books or encourage other reading behaviours. Inclusion Needs attention Weaknesses in staff practice mean that children who face barriers to their learning do not make sufficient progress. Although leaders give priority to identifying and meeting the needs any groups of children who are particularly disadvantaged, children's progress is limited overall. Staff do not yet maximise children's learning by using specialist resources effectively with the children. Staff do not know how to extend children's learning in different ways. Leaders are recognising their responsibilities in this area and are beginning to improve the support they give to staff to increase their knowledge and expertise. More experienced staff are deployed to supervise children with additional needs throughout the day, and routines are adapted appropriately. For example, staff encourage parents to provide food from home so that all children have something familiar to eat and are included in the lunchtime routine. The setting has accessed special educational needs inclusion funding. They have used the funding to purchase specialist resources and create a sensory area to help meet children's needs. Staff help children to feel calm and engaged through suitable experiences, such as water play. Staff support children to continue with self-chosen activities if they find group activities difficult, and children are given time and space to express themselves. Leadership and governance Needs attention The recent actions that leaders have taken to improve practice are not extensive enough. Leaders can identify the weaknesses in practice and engage with parents and other professionals and identify points for improvement. They have begun to arrange training for staff to further develop their knowledge, expertise and skills. However, improvement is not happening swiftly enough to benefit the children currently attending the setting. Parents speak positively about the leadership team and are confident to approach the team to discuss any concerns. They feel valued and respected and say leaders listen when describing the communication between themselves and the leadership team. Leaders encourage a culture of team working. Less experienced staff describe feeling supported by leaders and managers, who share information about children's needs, particularly children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff are beginning to develop an understanding of how to meet children's needs more effectively. The provider continues to meet the actions in the welfare requirements notice that was raised following notification of a concern to Ofsted. Relevant improvements have been made by leaders. Staff are safely recruited and vetted. Staffing arrangements ensure children's safety, and a key-person system is established in practice. Staff have undertaken appropriate safeguarding training to improve their knowledge, and they attend to children's personal care needs effectively. Compulsory Childcare Register requirements This setting has not 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 not 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 The new leadership team is motivated and eager to build a solid foundation so that children can learn and thrive. Leaders have begun to identify priorities for improvement. For example, they have prioritised meeting the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, although the impact of these actions is at an early stage. Staff have not yet developed the appropriate skills and knowledge they need to help children to learn and thrive successfully. They do not always extend children's learning fully. Staff can, however, identify and discuss gaps in children's learning. Children are happy to play and explore. Staff supervise them in their chosen activities and give children time and space to express themselves. Key persons are beginning to understand the needs of their key children and are keen to explore ways to help children to move on to the next stage of their learning. Leaders and key persons understand the benefit of working closely with parents and external specialists to ensure that any future support has a positive impact on children's learning in day-to-day practice. Leaders encourage the staff team to build strong attachments with children. As staff provide themselves as a secure base, children feel safe and secure. Children receive comfort and reassurance from staff who consistently use a gentle tone and manner and remain close by. This helps children to feel calm. Staff help children to develop social skills as they praise children for sitting at mealtimes. Children smile in response and give eye contact. This helps encourage children's listening and attention skills. Staff teach children simple social phrases. Children respond with non- verbal gestures to indicate their needs or use short phrases like 'yes, please'. 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 the effectiveness of systems to identify, assess and meet the needs of children, particularly those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities or those who face barriers in their learning 22/04/2026 arrange training, coaching and professional development opportunities to ensure that the quality of staff interactions with children improve 22/04/2026 plan and implement an ambitious and varied curriculum indoors and outdoors for all children 22/04/2026 undertake training to equip leaders with the relevant support and coaching skills to drive continuous improvement forward in the interests of children 22/04/2026 implement effective procedures to support staff to understand and manage children's behaviour in appropriate ways 22/04/2026 ensure that children have sufficient time to engage in learning and practise important skills during activities and routines 22/04/2026 About this inspection The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator, parents and children 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. Inspector: Jenny Griffiths About this setting Unique reference number (URN): 2760337 Address: 12 Arnott Close London SE28 8BG Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 06/12/2023 Registered person: Abcfabulous LTD Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00 Local authority: Greenwich Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 11 March 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 2 to 4 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. A quality assurance visit by an additional inspector was carried out at this inspection. Total number of places 32 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. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence, write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk. 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