Tender Years Day Nursery Bolton

Inspection of Tender Years Day Nursery Bolton 74 New Hall Lane, BOLTON BL1 5HQ

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Inadequate Behaviour and attitudes Inadequate Personal development Inadequate Leadership and management Inadequate Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not applicable

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The provision is inadequate

Children's safety and well-being are compromised. The provider has not made sure that safeguarding procedures are clearly understood and consistently implemented to keep children protected from harm. When staff raise concerns about children's well-being, they are not acted on in a timely manner by the designated safeguarding leads.

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The provision is inadequate

Children do not benefit from a curriculum that supports them to make good progress. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). For instance, staff plan activities based solely on children's interests rather than activities focusing on their next steps in learning. The key-person system is inconsistent. Some children, including those with SEND, do not have a consistent person who can demonstrate secure knowledge of their individual needs. Additionally, some parents are unsure who their child's key person is. As a result, children do not receive consistent support and the tailored care they need to thrive. Furthermore, the provider has not ensured that staff manage children's behaviour in a way that helps them understand the consequences of their actions. This impacts children's personal, social and emotional development.

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The provision is inadequate

Staff are nurturing. They recognise when children are upset, and they offer cuddles, which helps children to settle quickly. Children develop their communication and language skills as they join in with stories and rhymes. Younger children develop a sense of belonging as they sing a welcome song to their friends. Older children engage in discussions about their favourite stories. This supports children's literacy development.

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need to do better?

n Children are not sufficiently safeguarded. The provider fails to ensure that designated safeguarding leads have the required knowledge for their roles. For example, designated safeguarding leads do not understand, recognise, and respond appropriately to concerns about children's safety. As a result, those responsible for leading on safeguarding children are incapable or ineffective in their roles. This puts children at risk. n Staff demonstrate a knowledge of some aspects of child protection. However, when concerns arise about children's welfare, the procedures are not effectively implemented by staff. For example, the provider has failed to report concerns about the welfare of children to relevant agencies in a timely manner. This compromises children's safety. That said, the provider took some steps on the day of inspection to address these concerns. n The arrangements for key persons working with children are ineffective. The

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need to do better?

provider has not made it a priority to ensure that a secure key-person system is

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need to do better?

22 August 2025 in place for all children. Some children are left without a key person, and therefore, the staff who care for those children are not aware of basic information that is crucial to their well-being and development. For example, staff are unaware of what children need to learn next and are unable to support them effectively. This compromises children's development, sense of security, and well-being. n Staff do not develop secure partnerships with parents and carers. Some parents explain they are unable to form secure relationships with those who care for their children. This is because they do not know who their child's key person is or if this has changed. Staff do not always share information about children's learning and development with parents and carers. This does not maintain continuity in children's learning and development. Nevertheless, parents say their children enjoy their time at the setting.

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need to do better?

n The provider does not ensure that staff understand how to support children's behaviour. Although staff positively praise children to recognise their achievements, they do not manage challenging behaviour well enough. For example, when children become disruptive or if they begin to hurt their friends, staff either ignore the behaviour or ask children to use 'kind hands' without explaining why the behaviour is unacceptable. Staff do not help children to understand their actions and the impact their behaviour has on others. n The arrangements in place to support children with SEND are not sufficient. Managers work with external agencies and apply for education, health, and care plans to support children's development. However, leaders do not share important information about other professionals' assessments of children's development with all staff. Therefore, staff are unable to provide targeted interventions to support children's next steps in learning. Children with SEND do

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need to do better?

not access an ambitious curriculum. Staff do not understand children's developmental needs. Therefore, they are unable to provide tailored support to help children make good progress. n The provider has not ensured that staff understand the curriculum intent. While staff recognise some gaps in children's development, they do not identify accurate next steps in their learning. Staff do not plan activities tailored to meet the unique needs and stages of individual children. For example, staff provide very young children with tweezers to pick up and transport small objects. However, the activity is not developmentally appropriate for the children, as they have not yet developed the small-muscle skills needed to complete the task. Consequently, children struggle to join in and quickly lose interest. This does not support children in building on what they already know and can do.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

There is not an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

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Due date

ensure that individuals with lead safeguarding roles have secure skills and knowledge to recognise, understand and respond to concerns about children 19/09/2025

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Due date

ensure that safeguarding policies and procedures are implemented to keep children safe 19/09/2025

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Due date

implement a key-person system that ensures each child's care is tailored to meet their individual needs, offers a settled relationship for the child, and builds a relationship with their parents and/or carers 19/09/2025

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Due date

ensure that information is shared with parents and carers about their child's development and who their key person is 19/09/2025

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Due date

implement effective and consistent strategies to manage children's behaviour, which help children understand what staff expect of them 19/09/2025

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Due date

implement effective procedures so that all staff can support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to make good progress in their learning 19/09/2025

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Due date

implement a broad and ambitious curriculum that builds on what children already know, can do, and what they need to learn next. 19/09/2025

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2726519 Local authority Bolton Inspection number 10399177 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 55 Number of children on roll 100 Name of registered person Tender Years Day Nursery (North West) Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 01204 494198 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Tender Years Day Nursery Bolton registered in 2023 and is operated by Tender Years Day Nursery (North West) Ltd. The nursery is situated in the Heaton area of Bolton. It opens from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, all year round, except for bank holidays and one week at Christmas. The nursery employs 20 members of childcare staff. Of these, 14 hold an appropriate early years qualification at level 3 or above. The nursery provides government funded childcare.

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Inspection activities

n The manager joined the inspector on a learning walk and talked to the inspector about their curriculum and what they want the children to learn. n The inspector talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n Staff spoke to the inspector about how they support children with SEND. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning. n Parents shared their views of the nursery with the inspector. n The inspector looked at relevant documentation and reviewed evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery.

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Inspection activities

We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

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Inspection activities

22 August 2025 regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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