The Early Bird Pre-School (Strathmore)
The Early Bird Pre-School (Strathmore) is a pre-school in Hitchin for children aged 1 to 4, with 35 registered places. Ofsted report card, 17 June 2026: Strong standard in 6 areas; safeguarding standards met.
Strathmore School, Old Hale Way, Hitchin, SG5 1XR
Key facts
- Type
- Pre-school (Sessional day care) (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
- Ages
- 1 to 4 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
- Registered places
- 35 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
- Registered
- 30 July 2024 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
Opening hours
Monday,Friday : 08:30 - 15:30,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday : 08:30 - 17:00
Source: Ofsted report, inspection on 17 June 2026
Who runs it
The Early Bird Pre-School (Strathmore) is run by Early Bird Pre-School CIC (Ofsted register).
Latest inspection
- Inclusion: Strong standard
- Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard
- Achievement: Strong standard
- Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard
- Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard
- Leadership and governance: Strong standard
- Safeguarding standards met
Source: Ofsted, inspection on 17 June 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children are very happy at this highly inclusive setting. They come in eagerly, keen to see their key person and ready to explore all the activities available to them. Highly qualified staff know what children enjoy playing with and what they need to learn next. They plan interesting experiences based on this. The curriculum is broad and balanced. Children enjoy learning about the natural world. Staff provide natural sensory items for babies to explore, such as ice, herbs and sand. Older children remember the meaning of new words that staff introduce as they plant sunflower seeds. Children listen carefully and use new words, such as germinate, in context in their play. They hunt for minibeasts, turning over logs as they know the habitat that minibeasts prefer. Children handle living things with care, demonstrating their increasing understanding to respect nature. They collect snails and look in books about nature, making drawings of their snail collection.
Children are well prepared for their next stage in education. Children settle at the nursery very well due to the carefully planned settling-in process. Leaders and staff work closely with parents. They provide regular updates about their child's progress in learning and how they can support ongoing learning at home.
Children play happily together. They thrive in the calm environment and spend long periods of time concentrating at the exciting activities. They work together to make play dough, following a recipe card and working out what to do if it is too sticky. This helps them to develop resilience and problem-solving skills.
Leaders and staff know how to help all children learn. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or who face barriers to learning achieve well, and thoughtful interactions help them develop a sense of belonging.
What Ofsted found in each area
Inclusion: Strong standard
Leaders ensure that this setting is highly inclusive. They identify barriers to learning quickly and take effective actions to address these. Plans are then adjusted as children's needs change. Staff are well trained and can adapt their teaching to meet each child's needs. Staff change resources or their style of communication when playing with each child according to the child's needs. Leaders continually make adjustments to improve children's progress and adapt the environment. For example, a sensory space has been created for children to use if they feel overwhelmed or just need a quiet place. This helps children understand and manage their emotions.
Staff consistently use strategies such as signs, objects and simple phrases to support children's understanding of spoken language. Parents speak highly of the support they receive and understand how they can support their child at home. Leaders and staff work with other professionals, such as speech and language therapists, to make sure each child can thrive.
Leaders use additional funding for disadvantaged children effectively to support higher adult-to-child ratios or additional resources to support individual targets. Children receive help through high-quality interactions with adults. All children achieve well from their starting points and gain the skills and knowledge they need for the next stage in their education.
Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard
Leaders know what they want children to learn and there is an ambitious and carefully sequenced curriculum. Staff know all the children incredibly well. This means they consistently support all children's learning in line with their individual next steps. Staff are highly focused on developing children's understanding and use of a wide vocabulary. For example, staff repeat 'cold' and 'melting' as babies feel blocks of ice. During planting tasks, children ask the meaning of 'germination', listen carefully and use the word in the correct context.
Children are supported to build strong foundations in learning. They join in with a retelling of 'We're going on a Bear Hunt', saying the rhyming words and moving in different ways. Children use mathematical language as they make their own play dough every day.
Staff make sure that all children are included. They skilfully adapt practice to enable all children to join in and make progress. All children concentrate for long periods of time and are curious to learn. They enjoy sharing their learning with the adults, laughing as foam sprays in the air as they play together. They are learning to make friends, to regulate their emotions and play together.
Achievement: Strong standard
Children are very well prepared for the next stage in their learning and are confident, independent learners. They settle well when they start, and move on to their next setting with confidence. Children find the resources they need in the well-resourced setting and use these to learn more about things they are interested in. Children gain independence over time to self-feed, dress themselves and manage personal hygiene routines confidently. They concentrate for extended periods of time and problem-solve. Babies enjoy exploring simple cause-and-effect toys, working out how to make the toy move. They explore the garden confidently, balancing on beams, using the swing and using wheeled toys.
All children participate fully in group times, showing increasing confidence in speaking, sharing ideas and enjoying this time with an adult. They frequently choose to share books or sing well-known rhymes, learning new words through these.
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, or those who face other barriers to learning, make significant progress from their starting points. They are supported to participate in all areas of learning, and as a result, they flourish.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard
The setting is remarkably calm, and children concentrate on their learning well. Children consistently behave with kindness and play harmoniously together. Older children wait and take turns to fill buckets from an outside water tap. Younger children play side by side at a tray of ice. Staff model turn-taking as they talk and play with children, so they start to learn about sharing. Children learn about consent from a very young age. Staff show babies a nappy when it is their turn to be changed. They listen carefully to babies' voices and heed their body language. Children learn to care for living things, taking part in planting seeds or collecting snails in the garden.
Staff support children to manage their emotions, helping them with cuddles, gentle words or supporting them to find a space to play with something else. Children always concentrate well and have positive attitudes to learning. Leaders and staff have high expectations of behaviour and act as highly effective role models, showing respect towards everyone. Staff adapt their expectations and support in line with children's age, stage of development and individual needs. This means that the setting is highly inclusive and everyone belongs and thrives.
Children and parents have close bonds with key persons. Parents value how well key persons and all staff know each child. Staff talk knowledgeably about each child, showing genuine enthusiasm and care for their work. Regular attendance is promoted, and staff work with parents to make sure children attend consistently to maximise the experience they receive.
Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard
Leaders ensure that all children are happy and healthy. Healthy lifestyles are promoted at lunch and snack, and children show increasing independence at these times. Parents are given helpful information about healthy lunch boxes, and staff talk about food during lunch and snack times. Babies make choices by pointing to the picture of the drink they want. Children automatically wash their hands at appropriate times, knowing the importance of good hygiene. Children understand the routines and follow them independently.
Secure attachments are a strength. Key persons know their children very well and know how to help them feel safe and secure. This feeling of safety means children can learn effectively, take risks and become more independent. Routines are carefully planned, with the needs of each child considered. Some of the younger children eat in a quieter space so that they can concentrate and fully benefit from this sociable mealtime experience.
Leaders and staff help children recognise their emotions and learn how to manage big feelings effectively. As a result, children are calm and content and play happily with each other. Staff act as highly effective role models and consistently speak to the children in a kind and respectful manner.
Leadership and governance: Strong standard
Leaders know the setting very well and are proud of the progress they have made since opening. Leaders are deeply invested in developing the setting. Leaders think carefully about how they can make improvements and have a clear vision for the setting. Any additional funding received is thoughtfully spent.
Staff are well qualified and carry out their work extremely effectively. Staff are thoroughly inducted and develop further teaching skills and knowledge through ongoing training, coaching and supervision. Staff support each child especially well. Staff know how to communicate with children and know how to make changes based on the child's needs. Staff enjoy working at the setting, and there is a happy, purposeful atmosphere. Leaders value staff wellbeing and ensure their workloads are manageable. They value staff's commitment to seek professional development opportunities.
There is a true parental partnership, and parents know how their child is getting on and how they can help them at home. Parents talk positively about the setting and the support their child and the whole family receive.
What the setting must and should do next
The provider should:
- Leaders should continue to help staff actively contribute to the setting's self-improvement priorities.
Ofsted's words, from the report on the inspection on 17 June 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
- Toad Hall Nursery Hitchin - Day nursery, Hitchin SG5 1RT, ages 0 to 4, 127 places, 0.2 milesOfsted, 31 January 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Kiddi Caru Day Nursery and Preschool - Day nursery, Hitchin SG4 0AA, ages 0 to 4, 95 places, 0.5 milesOfsted, 13 April 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Smartys Day Nursery - Day nursery, Hitchin SG5 2UZ, ages 1 to 4, 58 places, 0.5 milesOfsted report card, 14 July 2026: Expected standard in 6 areas; safeguarding standards met
- The Cookie Club - Day nursery, Hitchin SG5 1NS, 36 places, 0.5 miles
- Hitchin House Day Nursery - Day nursery, Hitchin SG4 0TW, ages 0 to 4, 135 places, 0.6 milesOfsted, 23 August 2022: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
Schools nearby
- Strathmore Infant and Nursery School - Primary, under 0.1 miles
- Our Lady Catholic Primary School - Primary, 0.2 miles
- The Priory School - Secondary, 0.2 miles
- York Road Nursery School - Nursery, 0.4 miles
- Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy - Primary, 0.5 miles
The Early Bird Pre-School (Strathmore) on the Ofsted website