Harmony House Nursery in Hornchurch praised by Ofsted

Harmony House Nursery in Hornchurch Road was inspected by Ofsted on February 19 with the findings being made public on March 25.

The nursery was deemed ‘good’ in all four of its applicable categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management.

Inspectors described the nursery, which caters for children from three months to four-years-old, as “warm and well-organised” with a “nurturing and stimulating learning environment”.

The report praised the “strong” teaching at Harmony House and in particular, the “key-person” system.

Ofsted described the nursery as warm and well-organised (Image: Harmony House) It said: “From the very start, staff take time to learn about children’s interests, home lives and stages of development.

“A strong key-person system helps children feel secure and staff help children to build on what they already know and plan a range of activities to promote all areas of learning.

“Each child’s key person tracks their achievements and undertakes regular assessments to help outline gaps in their development.”

Staff were found to share their expectations of good behaviour and reinforce this with consistent praise for behaviour and achievements. 

Inspectors also found that the nursery “buzzes with conversations” and children “giggle when staff sing familiar songs” thanks to the development of their communication skills.

The skills are further enhanced through the nursery’s reading scheme where staff “support children to develop a love for books”.

Inspectors found that the nursery buzzes with conversation (Image: Harmony House) “Children are captivated by stories that are read to them and staff use props to engage younger children to be involved in the story.

“Older children join in with familiar phrases and anticipate what will happen next.

“Children eagerly select books from the nursery home-lending library.”

Harmony House has two other nurseries across east London – one in Dagenham and one in Castle Green.

The report also noted that family pictures are displayed on the classroom walls which helps children to develop a “strong sense of belonging and to value each other’s individuality”.

It added: “Children celebrate festivals throughout the year, such as Christmas and Ramadan – however, staff do not always give children opportunities to explore communities beyond their own further.”

Harmony House has two other nurseries across East London – in Dagenham and Castle Green (Image: Harmony House) The “newly appointed” management team was also credited and described as having a “clear and ambitious vision”.

According to the report, staff say they enjoy working at the nursery and feel valued and supported in their roles and parents say staff know their children well and that children are well cared for.

The staff use an online communication system to keep parents updated on their child’s learning and how to support them at home.

Bee Whitaker, chief executive of Harmony House said: “We are incredibly proud of our recent Ofsted report, which highlights the warm, nurturing, and high-quality learning environment we provide at Harmony House Hornchurch.

“Seeing the love and dedication we have for our children reflected in the report is truly heartwarming.

“Our team works tirelessly to create a space where children feel safe, valued, and excited to learn, and it’s wonderful to see that recognised.

“We will continue to build on this success and further enhance our provision for every child in our care.”