Fenchurch Day Nursery

Counting ingredients into test tubes and moving to Latin-inspired dance music give Fenchurch Day Nursery’s February 2022 daily life a recognisable character: learning took place through things children could make, measure and do. At its 14 February 2022 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and reported good progress, including for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Based at Fenchurch Street Centre in Hull, the nursery accepts children aged 1 to 59 months. The strongest inspection examples combined practical learning with familiar routines, although curriculum planning and communication with parents both needed attention.

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children’s learning, development and care. Here, the February 2022 examples show what that meant in practice: counting, language and physical skills developed through play and everyday tasks.

Valentine's Day activities involved following written instructions to mix potions, counting powder measures and adjusting the water. Pizza-making gave children practice sharing ingredients and placing toppings with a pincer grip. These were hands-on ways to connect number work and fine movement with a tangible result.

In February 2022, a daily Latin-inspired dance fitness session encouraged children to copy staff movements. The Floor is Lava, a game involving finding safe ground, added another physical challenge. A box of sensory resources supported vocabulary as staff named objects and repeated words for children to use themselves.

The planning weakness mattered alongside those examples. In February 2022, staff did not consistently connect the activities they provided with the particular knowledge and skills they intended children to gain.

In February 2022, babies sought cuddles from their key person, while staff’s familiarity with children helped them settle into daily routines. Manners were practised in ordinary exchanges, including sharing ingredients. Care and learning were closely connected in these examples.

Health routines also had a practical emphasis that month: children washed their hands around eating and after wiping their noses, and brushed their teeth after lunch while an adult demonstrated with a giant toothbrush. A cook prepared home-cooked food, with meals and snacks adjusted for dietary and cultural requirements and allergy information shared with staff.

Daily parent conversations took place in February 2022, but staff did not consistently establish whether families understood the information, especially where parents spoke English as an additional language. A conversation alone was not enough; understanding needed checking too.

The address is Fenchurch Street Centre, Fenchurch Street, Hull, HU5 1JF. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures for bank holidays and Christmas.

In February 2022, the nursery received early education funding for children aged two, three and four.

• Purpose behind the play. February 2022 planning did not consistently connect activities with intended learning. On a visit, ask how practitioners now choose the skills an activity will develop.
• Communication that reaches families. In February 2022, understanding was not always checked during parent exchanges, especially for families using English as an additional language. Ask how staff make information clear and check it has been understood.
• Attendance pattern. The weekday opening window runs from 7.30am to 6pm. Which booking pattern would fit your child’s routine and your working day?

Fenchurch suits families seeking care across the year and parents who value practical play, movement and everyday independence. Its February 2022 examples give substance to that appeal. The dated Good judgement provides a useful starting point, while the questions about purposeful planning and clear parent communication deserve attention when choosing it.