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Blue Willow Day Nursery Horlicks Quarter

Blue Willow Day Nursery Horlicks Quarter is a day nursery in Slough for children aged 1 to 4, with 90 registered places. Ofsted report card, 4 August 2026: Expected standard in 6 areas; safeguarding standards met.

1 Memorial Avenue, Slough, SL1 3GS

Key facts

Type
Day nursery (Full day care) (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
Ages
1 to 4 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
Registered places
90 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
Registered
20 September 2024 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)

Opening hours

Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 19:00

Source: Ofsted report, inspection on 4 August 2026

Who runs it

Blue Willow Day Nursery Horlicks Quarter is run by Blue Willow Day Nursery Horlicks Quarter Ltd (Ofsted register).

Latest inspection

  • Inclusion: Expected standard
  • Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard
  • Achievement: Expected standard
  • Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard
  • Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard
  • Leadership and governance: Expected standard
  • Safeguarding standards met

Source: Ofsted, inspection on 4 August 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

What it's like to be a child at this setting

All children flourish at this warm and nurturing nursery, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They explore the inspiring and curious environment with ease, demonstrating that they feel safe and secure. Babies have ample opportunities to develop their physical skills as they crawl, climb and learn to walk. Older children have plenty of fresh air and exercise. Children develop the small muscles in their hands as they share one-handed tools in the sand tray. They are friendly and take turns as they learn how to use pegs to attach to a small line inside. This helps children develop their muscle groups for later learning.

Children know the friendly staff well. They snuggle in for stories and sing songs. Older children take part in planned daily interventions. They develop their listening skills and repeat familiar phrases. Children develop their knowledge of early maths. They count in their play and learn about the difference between big and small. This helps children, including children with SEND, make progress from their individual starting points. Children learn about the community they live in on regular trips. This helps them to learn about the wider world.

Children understand the importance of making healthy choices as they develop life skills in preparation for their move to school. They typically know the routines well as they settle for a healthy lunch. Children know to wash their hands and use the toilet independently. Older children help set the table for lunch. They are supported to serve their meals and learn to use cutlery. This promotes their independence. Children are kind and learning to share resources as they play. Older children make relationships with their friends as they create pictures in the outside area. Children's attendance is consistent. This helps them benefit from the ambitious curriculum.

What Ofsted found in each area

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders and staff place inclusion at the centre of their practice. They create an inclusive environment where children feel valued and supported. Leaders and staff gather a wealth of information before children start. They use ongoing assessment to assess children's individual needs. This helps them identify children's needs early and take effective action to secure the support children need. Leaders work closely with external professionals, including speech and language therapists and the local authority, to plan and ensure children receive any statutory support that they are entitled to. This two-way approach provides consistency for children's development.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make progress from their starting points. Staff use their knowledge of each child to adapt their teaching and provide well-matched support. For example, staff provide targeted strategies, including sessions to support their communication and language development. However, leaders have not considered how to support staff to consistently adapt their teaching to support younger children to develop their language skills.

Leaders are secure in their knowledge on how to allocate any additional funding to support children's needs. For example, leaders consider any training or resources that may strengthen children's learning and development.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders plan a highly ambitious curriculum that focuses on children's exploration and curiosity. Alongside this, staff prioritise children's physical and personal, social and emotional development in particular. They complete regular observations and assessments, particularly to monitor children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). As such, teaching is generally purposeful and supports children's next steps of learning, including adaptations for children with SEND.

Staff typically build on children's vocabulary and communication skills. Older children are confident. They are articulate and talk about the activities they are exploring. For example, children talk about the wings on a butterfly as they take part in small-group sessions. However, leaders have not considered how to support staff to develop younger children's language skills.

Younger children giggle and smile with joy as they balance over a small climbing frame and play hide and seek, developing their physical skills. Older children are confident in their abilities. They run and jump in the well-organised outside environment. Staff are skilful at teaching children early maths as they play. This helps children to learn to count and recognise shapes in the environment.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children make steady progress from their starting points, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Children are confident and curious learners. They show growing concentration as they take part in a range of activities. Children demonstrate social confidence and secure relationships as they play together in imaginative games.

Children generally progress well in their communication and language. They use increasing vocabulary, join simple conversations and join in with action songs. However, younger children do not consistently develop their communication and language skills.

Children with SEND show sustained concentration during group times. Older children demonstrate confident mathematical understanding as they count, compare and explain the various sizes of objects. Babies crawl and develop their physical skills in readiness for later walking. They develop their small muscles in their hands as they learn to pull back and push toy cars. Older children are growing in confidence and becoming increasingly independent. All children are learning skills in readiness for their eventual move to school.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders and staff create a positive environment for children to learn. Children have developed trusting and secure relationships with the staff as they give plenty of praise as children play and explore. This raises children's self-esteem. Staff are positive role models and adapt their interactions so that they are age- and stage-appropriate to support children's behaviour. As such, children understand what is expected of them, behave well and are polite. For example, children pass their friends the pegs as they take turns clipping them to a small line. Staff support children to recognise and manage their feelings. Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, benefit from sensory resources and quiet spaces that help them to regulate their emotions.

Staff use routines of the day to typically help children develop their independence. Older children are confident and know these well. However, routines for younger children are not always consistent. This means that younger children are not sure what is expected of them. For instance, sometimes, routines are not organised to support children's self-care skills.

Leaders encourage parents and children to arrive on time and attend every day, building positive habits for later life. This helps to ensure that all children benefit from the routines and learning offered in nursery.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders and staff have a secure understanding of how to promote children's welfare and wellbeing. They get to know the families and children that attend the nursery. This helps staff to support children's individual care routines. As such, children's sleep, care and feeding are managed thoughtfully and safely. As a result, children feel safe and secure in their environment.

Generally, staff support children to develop personal skills, such as self-care and independence. Older children know the routines well. Staff provide them with clear expectations and guidance, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff adapt their communication and use visual prompts to support their understanding. This promotes children's wellbeing. However, some routines for younger children are not consistently embedded. This means that staff tend to do a lot for the children, rather than teaching children how to support their self-care.

Leaders and staff place high priority on children's emotional wellbeing. Children are supported to recognise and regulate their feelings through calm, consistent approaches. Staff respond to children who may become a little unsettled, offering them warm reassurance. This helps children to quickly settle back into their chosen play. Staff teach children how to keep themselves safe. They gently remind children of the dangers of climbing and how to carefully carry their plate for mealtimes. This helps children understand safe procedures.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders have accurate oversight of the strengths and their priorities for improvement of the nursery. They have a clear vision for the curriculum and what this means in practice. This helps leaders to typically evaluate and plan training and support for staff in their roles.

Leaders are proactive and work effectively with professionals and with the parents of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) or other barriers to learning. This helps to ensure that children receive the support they need. Parents positively praise leaders and staff on the support for their children. They particularly comment on how their children's confidence and social skills have developed. They appreciate the regular communication about children's progress. These positive partnerships contribute to continuity between home and the setting.

Staff report that leaders support their wellbeing and professional development. New staff benefit from an induction to ensure that they understand their roles and responsibilities right from the start. Leaders have systems in place, such as regular supervisions and regular meetings. They typically identify training for staff to support children's development. For example, staff have completed training in Makaton to support children with their learning and development. Leaders also focus training on enhancing the nursery for children with SEND. However, leaders have not considered how to support staff to develop their knowledge of how to support younger children in their communication and language.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

  • Leaders should strengthen the coaching and mentoring of staff to ensure that teaching is consistent across the nursery, in particular supporting younger children's communication and language skills.
  • Leaders should develop routines across the nursery, so that children have consistent opportunities to develop their independence.

Ofsted's words, from the report on the inspection on 4 August 2026. Read the full report on the Ofsted website. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Ofsted report cards (England, from November 2025)

Since 10 November 2025 Ofsted has graded nurseries and pre-schools on a report card. There is no single overall grade. Instead, each of six areas gets one of five grades: Exceptional, Strong standard, Expected standard, Needs attention, Urgent improvement.

The six areas are inclusion; curriculum and teaching; achievement; behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines; children's welfare and wellbeing; leadership and governance. Safeguarding is judged on its own, as met or not met.

Expected standard means the setting does what Ofsted expects of every setting. Strong standard and Exceptional are above that; Needs attention and Urgent improvement mean Ofsted found things the setting has to put right.

Source: Ofsted reports

Funded childcare hours in England

All 3 and 4 year olds in England can get 15 hours of free childcare a week, for 38 weeks of the year.

Working parents of children aged 9 months to 4 years old can get 30 hours of free childcare a week for 38 weeks of the year (Free Childcare for Working Parents), if they meet the earnings rules. You confirm your details every 3 months.

Some 2 year olds can get 15 hours a week when the family gets certain kinds of extra support.

The hours are used at a registered provider that offers them, so ask each nursery how it offers the funded hours.

Source: GOV.UK: Free Childcare for Working Parents, check if you're eligible · GOV.UK: Free childcare and education for 2 to 4 year olds (checked 31 October 2026)

Other nurseries nearby

  • Twinkle Totz Day Nursery Ltd Slough - Day nursery, Slough SL1 2JT, 76 places, 0.4 miles
  • Darul Madinah Bath Road - Pre-school, Slough SL1 3XT, ages 2 to 4, 60 places, 0.4 miles
    Ofsted report card, 21 April 2026: Strong standard in 1 area, Expected standard in 5 areas; safeguarding standards met
  • Early Steps Preschool Ltd - Pre-school, Slough SL2 5BA, 30 places, 0.4 miles
  • Blue Willow Day Nursery Ltd - Day nursery, Slough SL1 3SR, ages 2 to 4, 89 places, 0.4 miles
    Ofsted, 27 July 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Be Happy Preschool - Pre-school, Slough SL2 5AS, ages 2 to 4, 44 places, 0.5 miles
    Ofsted, 5 January 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective

Schools nearby

Blue Willow Day Nursery Horlicks Quarter on the Ofsted website