Teapots Nursery Academy

Sensory play, an improvised cardboard stage and a hobbit house give Teapots Nursery Academy’s April 2022 account its character. At its 27 April 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found that an interest-led curriculum helped children make good progress.

Based at Elite Court, Main Street, Broughton Astley, LE9 6RE, the nursery has capacity for 90 children and accepts ages from 2 to 60 months. Its opening hours run from 7.30am to 6.15pm, Monday to Friday.

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children’s learning, development and care: play supports learning alongside their everyday care needs. In April 2022, babies explored cereal, dough and paint, while toddlers imagined vehicles travelling through flour. Preschool children turned a cardboard box into a performance space for singing and dancing. These examples put exploration and imagination alongside practical learning.

Number recognition and experiments with scales featured in April 2022. Staff also extended a hand-drawing activity with small paintbrushes, giving children a more demanding task for their hand control.

Physical play had substantial space in April 2022, including a large soft-play area, wheeled toys and the hobbit house outdoors. There was a limitation: children who preferred learning outside needed more opportunities to do so. Equipment alone did not settle that question.

In April 2022, familiar staff helped children settle, encouraged persistence and supported them to explain difficult feelings. Younger children received reminders about gentle behaviour, while preschool children practised pausing and talking through what had upset them. This made emotional development part of everyday interactions.

At the April 2022 inspection, Ofsted found effective safeguarding and SEND support involving families, a special educational needs coordinator and other professionals; it also recorded a significant incident that had been handled appropriately, with practice changed to prevent recurrence, but had not been notified to Ofsted, judging its impact on continuing safety minimal.

Communication in April 2022 included conversations, meetings and email, with information about children’s experiences used to shape activities. Wellbeing sessions supported children and staff experiencing pandemic-related anxiety. However, staff sometimes missed opportunities to extend younger children’s speech through additional interaction.

Teapots opens throughout the year, closing on bank holidays. The address is Elite Court, Main Street, Broughton Astley, LE9 6RE.

In April 2022, the nursery provided funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. That is a dated participation statement rather than a promise of an individual funded place.

• Outdoor learning. In April 2022, children who preferred outdoor learning had too few opportunities. At a visit, ask how outdoor access, language support and staff development have changed since those findings.
• Early conversation. The April 2022 findings called for staff to recognise sooner when younger children needed more interaction. This matters for families weighing support for emerging speech.
• Teaching development. In April 2022, staff meetings and appraisals needed a clearer emphasis on improving teaching. Support for staff was present, but the improvement process needed sharpening.
• Incident notification. A significant incident had not been reported to Ofsted by April 2022, although it was handled appropriately and practice changed. Notification was a separate weakness from the response itself.

Teapots suits families seeking year-round weekday childcare, with an opening window extending into the early evening. Its April 2022 account combines imaginative play, practical mathematics and close staff relationships. The Good judgement carries weight, but the dated concerns about outdoor learning, early conversation and teaching development belong in the decision too.