Be Me Day Nursery Highbury

Fruit shopping followed by smoothie-making gives a useful picture of this Highbury nursery's approach to learning in June 2022: practical experiences became opportunities for conversation and independence. At its June 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the setting Outstanding and found that children made excellent progress through an ambitious curriculum.

Be Me Day Nursery Highbury occupies Loxford House in London and has capacity for 71 children aged 3 to 60 months. The dated judgement is an important part of its appeal, alongside the concrete account of children learning through everyday tasks.

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care, bringing those aspects of the nursery day together. In June 2022, babies explored lemons and limes in sensory trays, with staff introducing words for textures and tastes. Physical exploration and language learning happened together.

Toddlers took turns helping prepare the lunch table. A visit to a local greengrocer led to making fruit smoothies back at nursery, connecting an outing with something children could make themselves.

For preschool children, outdoor play included building castles from mud. World Oceans Day prompted learning about marine animals, giving a named event a clear educational purpose. These June 2022 examples show the substance behind the curriculum judgement rather than simply repeating the grade.

At the June 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and strong support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those learning English as an additional language, including work with external professionals and use of children's home-language vocabulary.

In June 2022, an emotion dice helped children discuss feelings, while older children considered the effect of their behaviour on others. Babies received encouragement during play, and staff sought their consent before tummy time. These were concrete ways of making care responsive to the child.

Parent communication included updates twice a day about activities and learning in June 2022. Leaders also prioritised staff training on communication and outdoor learning, identifying those as areas for further development.

The address is Loxford House, 85 Highbury Park, London, N5 1GF. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures for bank holidays and one week at Christmas.

In June 2022, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged three and four. That describes its participation at that time.

• Age of the judgement. The Outstanding grade dates from June 2022. Keep that date in mind when weighing the examples of daily practice.
• Care arrangements. The June 2022 account emphasised close relationships with babies. How would settling-in, meals and consumables work for your child?
• Annual closures. Bank holidays and a week at Christmas interrupt the year-round opening pattern. Families needing continuous weekday care will need to plan around those breaks.

Be Me Day Nursery Highbury merits consideration by families seeking weekday childcare with an emphasis on practical learning and children's independence. Its June 2022 examples are persuasive: shopping, food preparation, sensory exploration and conversations about feelings gave children active roles in their day. The Outstanding judgement carries weight, provided families keep its date in view.