We changed entity, from a Sole Trader to a Limited Company, this took effect with Ofsted from October 2022, all other aspects of the business remained the same (i.e. management). We are now operating as Home from Home Day Nursery Academy Ltd, registration number 2690482. However, all reports dating July 2004- June 2022 under Home from Home Day Nursery, registration number 123566, can be viewed via the link above. 

Early Years Quality Standards 

We are currently working towards the EYQS Premium standard award. This accreditation is over a five year period. We have completed the first and second year, our summer sign off audit was in June 2026. We look forward to taking on additional modules in years three, four and five, to ensure our practice continues to be informed by the latest research and developments in early years education and keeping our learning current, relevant and forward-thinking.

Year One: EYQS; The first year supports the team to reflect on your statutory and core provision through a series of self-evaluative modules. LA will undertake two statutory and two core modules before selecting from a range of subject specific modules. In discussion with our mentor and depending on the size of the setting, we will select the modules to complete as a whole team. - We completed year one at the end of the summer term 2025!

Year Two: EYQS Premium; The second year allows us to deepen our knowledge, understanding and practice by focusing on one area where the LA determine where the widest gaps are in our provision, in the form of a project. This may have been highlighted during the year one process, identified from our cohort information or in discussion with our mentor. The project will be undertaken by our whole team which will be supported by an audit of our choice from the Early Years team. The audit will be specific to our chosen area for development (for example, environment – ECERS, physical development – MOVERS). Following our audit our team will use the project plan provided and undertake research using the findings from our chosen audit scale to improve outcomes.

Early Years Advisory Team

Annual Quality Visit: October 2026

Focus of visit:

• To support the setting in building and maintaining a positive safeguarding culture.

• To observe and review the effectiveness of the curriculum and teaching for those children that are working below the expected standard and/or may have barriers to learning.

• To observe strategies and interventions to address barriers to learning in action.

Outcome: The setting achieved a green grading, which is the highest grade. See below report summary. 

Reviewed audit with: Anne

Main findings and observations: The HCC progress data for the summer term indicates that 100% of eligible two-year-olds and 3- and 4year-olds are making expected progress and achieving positive outcomes.

• Leaders and practitioners use detailed pedagogical notes, through observations and assessments to review the progress of each cohort across the provision. These are discussed during staff meetings to support the early identification of children's needs, inform targeted strategies and agree next steps. This robust and consistent approach enables timely intervention, ensuring children make strong progress from their starting points.

Inclusion:

• Leaders promote a strong culture of inclusion, ensuring that all staff have high expectations for every child and understand their role in supporting individual needs. This is reflected in the high-quality interactions observed throughout the setting. Targeted support is embedded within daily practice, with practitioners demonstrating a detailed understanding of children's next steps and using effective scaffolding to build on prior learning. Staff skilfully capitalise on children's natural curiosity and desire to explore within a carefully planned environment that acts as a 'silent teacher', encouraging independence, engagement and sustained learning. As a result, children make secure progress from their starting points, and the staff team demonstrate a consistent and shared understanding of how best to support each child.

• Planned adaptations and targeted support are effectively integrated within the curriculum and daily practice. Practitioners regularly reflect on provision and carefully match adult-led and child-initiated experiences to children's developmental needs. Resources, including real-life images and personalised language books, are used purposefully to strengthen communication and language development, particularly for children who speak English as an additional language (EAL).

• Staff consistently adapt their interactions to meet children's individual needs. They use strategies such as signing, responsive serve-and-return interactions and ambitious vocabulary to extend learning and deepen understanding. Practitioners demonstrate exceptional communication skills and a keen awareness of how language influences children's confidence, dignity and independence. For example, when a child required a nappy change, a practitioner sensitively asked, "I wonder if anyone needs the toilet?" This respectful approach enabled the child to respond independently, move towards the bathroom and seek support when needed, preserving their dignity while promoting self-awareness and independence. Curriculum:

• The curriculum is ambitious and well sequenced, with clear progression in knowledge, skills and understanding from FS through to BBO. It promotes creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving, building on children's prior learning, interests and developmental stages. Practitioners use effective teaching strategies to deepen learning and skilfully adapt experiences to meet individual needs, ensuring all children can access and succeed within the curriculum.

• Leaders make purposeful use of the local community to enrich the curriculum and extend children's cultural capital. Regular visits to local woodlands, the cathedral, cafés, opticians, dentists and florists provide meaningful first-hand experiences that broaden children's understanding of the world. These experiences are carefully planned to support specific curriculum intentions and are revisited through provision, discussion and teaching within the setting, enabling children to consolidate and extend their learning over time.

• The EYC and leaders discussed how to deepen learning for children working at greater depth with ambitious and carefully planned purposeful interventions, such as structured group activities with clearly defined roles and agreed outcomes (for example, Lego-based therapy), which would create opportunities to extend fundamental skills, particularly patience and collaboration that challenge children, sustain high levels of engagement and promote strong learning behaviours. In addition to providing daily opportunities for dual language speaking children to use, showcase and share their first language with staff and peers. 

During discussions, leaders demonstrated a clear and sustained focus on strengthening team dynamics to ensure that the setting's pedagogical approach is consistently understood and implemented across the provision. Leaders have successfully cultivated a harmonious, professional and reflective culture in which staff are supported to develop their knowledge, skills and expertise through ongoing professional development. This commitment to both staff well-being and professional growth was evident throughout the visit. Staff spoke positively about the support they receive from leaders and colleagues, describing a culture of collaboration, mutual respect and shared accountability. As a result, practitioners demonstrate a strong commitment to delivering high-quality education and care for all children.