Squirrels Nursery, Watford Central

Outdoor problem-solving gives this Watford nursery its clearest character. During the February 2022 inspection, children lifted large planks and blocks to construct a raised walkway, testing different lengths and gaps as they worked. The same inspection rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective.

Squirrels Nursery, Watford Central is based at Lanchester Community Free School on Hempstead Road. It has 40 places in total for children from six months to five years. The evidence about daily practice dates from 2022, so families should weigh its strengths alongside the two improvements identified then.

In February 2022, the nursery's ambitious curriculum concentrated on core skills. Staff echoed children's words to sharpen pronunciation, connected initial sounds with rhymes and helped older children link letters to sounds. Stories, writing materials and activities that built the physical control needed for pens and pencils made literacy a consistent thread.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) means that play and adult-led experiences build children’s communication, physical, personal and wider learning towards shared developmental goals. At this setting, the inspected curriculum translated it into language, early phonics, communication and problem-solving. Children also worked out which tools could free objects frozen in ice. Responsive conversation worked best in quieter groups. As numbers rose, younger children did not always get the same quick response when their play took an unexpected direction. The report also described staff using lively voices to explore stories with children. That combination matters: spoken language was being developed through direct correction, shared books and sound play rather than through a single isolated activity.

Children settled well and played positively with friends in February 2022. Staff drew on each child's family context to tailor support, with targeted resources directed towards individual needs. Work with parents and outside professionals helped children with special educational needs or disabilities, and staff took time to build emotional resilience.

Safeguarding was effective at that inspection. The inspection found a safety-conscious team able to identify concerns and act through established reporting processes. Supervision was attentive. Ofsted later considered a July 2023 supervision incident; the provider investigated it, reviewed site security, strengthened security measures and changed drop-off and collection procedures. Ofsted recorded that action had been taken to put the requirements right and the nursery remained registered. This later record closes the historic compliance point rather than leaving an unresolved action, but families can still explore how the revised collection arrangements work in daily use.

The nursery is at Lanchester Community Free School, Hempstead Road, Watford, WD17 3HD. Its capacity is 40 children, with the age range running from six months to five years. The setting operates on non-domestic premises within the school site, but it is a standalone childcare provider rather than a school nursery class.

Families need a current nursery-specific written quotation before making a decision. The same conversation should cover whether full-day or half-day sessions are sold, their clock times and any minimum attendance pattern. This is central to judging whether the nursery fits a working week, rather than a minor administrative detail.

• Younger children's group times. In February 2022, staff were less able to respond promptly to younger children's spontaneous interests when groups became larger. Find out how group organisation now protects responsive play at busy points in the day.
• Pre-school transitions. Noise rose before lunch during a large-group activity in February 2022, and some children found concentration harder. Find out how transition times are now arranged and how children who prefer smaller groups are supported.
• Current practical offer. Seek the current session patterns, clock times, closures, meals and consumables position, and funded-hours arrangements together. These details determine whether the offer works as well financially as it does logistically.

Squirrels Nursery, Watford Central had a convincing educational core at its 2022 inspection: literacy ran through stories, sounds and mark-making, while outdoor construction and ice-tool challenges made children think and persist. Effective safeguarding and purposeful support for children with additional needs add weight. The counterpoint is equally specific. Parents should assess how the nursery has improved younger children's larger-group experiences and pre-school transitions, then match the current attendance pattern to their own week. It is best suited to families who value a literacy-rich, problem-solving approach and are prepared to scrutinise how busy group periods now operate.