Shining Stars Nursery

Shining Stars Nursery

Unique reference number (URN): 2828130 Address: 10 Randal Street, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB1 7EG Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 03/03/2025 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Shining Stars Nursery Ltd

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children make consistent progress in their communication and language development. Those who start with very little knowledge of English learn to speak it quickly, which prepares them well for the next stage of learning and for school.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children communicate confidently. One-year-old children join in during singing sessions. When staff pause, they independently sing familiar parts and eagerly request favourites. Older children take turns confidently during a 'what's in the box?' activity. They communicate clearly and sing fluently along to well-known songs and rhymes.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children develop practical skills that support their growing independence. For example, they help themselves to tissues to wipe their noses, use the toilet independently, wash their hands before eating and, in some cases, serve their own lunches. These skills support a smooth transition to school.

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Achievement Expected standard

Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to achieve their full potential. They make thoughtful adaptations to ensure that activities are accessible, which helps children gain confidence and participate successfully in group times.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Staff have built trusting relationships with children and implement consistent routines that children understand and follow. When children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, find routines more challenging, staff adapt and offer alternative activities and interactions to meet individual needs. This happens less consistently with two- year-old children. Staff show less confidence in adapting their practice, and sometimes children struggle to remain focused.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Staff promote positive behaviour effectively and act as strong role models. They speak to children with kindness and respect. For example, during nappy changing routines, staff ask children for permission before changing them, and children respond willingly. Staff also use agreed language, such as 'kind hands', to support children during minor and age- appropriate behavioural incidents. This helps children to develop an understanding of behavioural expectations.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Leaders recognise the importance of regular attendance and actively promote it with families. They work hard to ensure that the setting remains inclusive and accessible. They offer flexible session times to meet families' needs and provide a collection and drop-off service for families who might otherwise struggle to access the provision. Parents understand the procedures for reporting absences. This means that leaders are aware of the reasons for non-attendance, and this helps to keep children safe.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff nurture children with kindness and warmth. They understand their roles and continually prioritise children's emotional wellbeing. They work closely with parents from the start to understand routines and preferences, helping children settle quickly. Parents provide familiar items, such as blankets, so children feel safe, secure and settled.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders ensure that children play outdoors daily and enjoy local trips, such as visits to parks. Indoors, they provide activities that support movement and physical development, including climbing, music and movement, and yoga. These experiences promote children's health and wellbeing. Leaders could further strengthen their approach by giving parents more guidance on healthy lunch boxes.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff support children to understand and express their emotions from an early age. They label feelings and use stories to introduce language to describe emotions, such as 'happy' and 'sad'. This helps children to develop age-appropriate emotional awareness and regulation.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff working with older children teach them about online safety. For example, they read stories to children about keeping safe online and speak to parents, providing safety tips and helping to set up age restrictions on tablets, if required. This helps to keep children safe and helps to ensure that parents recognise the associated dangers that using the internet can bring to children.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have refined their curriculum and teaching. Staff now use children's next steps alongside their interests, and this is evident in practice. Mathematics has been prioritised, with staff teaching number and concepts clearly and in sequence.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff and parents work together to share information about children's learning and progress. Older children enjoy taking mini tasks home in their homework bags. This helps parents to continue children's learning at home.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Children access a range of activities to explore different materials. Staff offer babies sensory play, treasure baskets and play dough, but they do not always plan these experiences with children's ages and stages in mind. For example, babies are given play trays that they naturally explore in different ways, yet staff discourage this, which reduces their engagement and willingness to explore.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff introduce children to a 'story of the week', which they read, revisit and link to related activities to bring the story to life. For example, two-year-old children recall familiar parts of 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' storybook as they handle different fruits, discussing what the caterpillar ate and how many. This builds children's vocabulary, strengthens their understanding of story structure and nurtures a love of books. Staff working with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities build on what children already know. They adapt activities so children can take part successfully. Children enjoy the tasks and proudly say 'did it' when they succeed.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders understand and support children known to social care well. They recognise how challenging circumstances can affect children, and they provide additional support, including emotional support, whenever children need it to help to ensure that their needs are met.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders work closely with staff to help them understand and implement a graduated approach. They guide staff to assess and identify children who may need extra help with their learning and create plans promptly to target specific areas of need. Staff work effectively with external professionals and apply their advice to strengthen practice. For example, after receiving guidance, staff refine their delivery of small-group sessions to help children develop attention skills.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders work alongside staff to identify and plan children's next steps and use additional funding appropriately. For instance, they use funding to purchase visual aids for children with limited language skills. Leaders review and evaluate the impact of this spending to ensure that it benefits the children it is intended for.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff use accurate assessments for all children, particularly to identify and support those with communication and language needs. This enables them to address gaps in learning and implement strategies quickly to help children to make good progress.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders understand the setting's strengths and areas for development accurately. They use a clear action plan to drive quality forward. For example, they recently redeveloped the curriculum and now train and support staff to implement these improvements. Leaders provide a wide range of professional development opportunities tailored to individual staff needs and aligned with the setting's priorities. Staff express that they feel well supported, and many remain long-standing members of the team.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders address issues promptly and take swift, effective action when concerns arise. They reflect on incidents, such as in relation to safer eating, and strengthen policies to further improve children's safety. They now prioritise safer eating practices and ensure that staff supervise children closely when eating to reduce choking risks.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders excel in supporting parents. They know families well and consistently go above and beyond to meet individual needs. For example, they accompany parents with limited English skills to appointments and help them complete school applications when requested. This support helps remove barriers that some families face. Parents express high levels of appreciation for the help they receive.

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Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

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Register

When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

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Voluntary Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register.

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Register

When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

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

Children benefit from a calm and safe environment where they show that they are settled and happy. They demonstrate a secure sense of belonging. Welcoming staff greet children as they arrive, and they settle quickly. Children form close attachments with staff and seek them out for emotional support when needed. They show that they enjoy being around others. Older children initiate games, share stories with peers and engage in role play independently. They are developing positive social skills and growing confidence in social situations. Many children that attend the setting speak English as an additional language. Staff also speak a variety of languages. This helps to ensure that children are supported to communicate and to be understood from the outset. Staff recognise children's unique cultures and heritages and work hard to ensure that these are celebrated. For example, they ensure that children's cultures are reflected in the songs that they sing and plan dedicated

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

culture weeks where families come in to arrange cultural activities for all to explore.

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

Children show that they enjoy learning through play, and their smiles and laughter really demonstrate this. Everywhere you look, children are engaged in meaningful activities. Children choose from the well-equipped playrooms and move around the setting with confidence and ease.

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

Children show confidence in their abilities. For example, very young children show their climbing abilities as they clamber up the ramp to the slide. Older children enjoy mark making and draw recognisable letters. The curriculum supports all areas of learning.

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

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported to develop their skills and knowledge. They play alongside other children, supported by staff. Staff know their individual learning needs and adapt activities to ensure that they are involved and learning at a pace that is matched to them.

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Next steps

Leaders should offer more support to families to encourage them to provide children with healthy food choices to help them to develop a greater understanding of how to keep themselves healthy. Leaders should drive consistency in how staff implement and adapt the curriculum for two-year-old children. Leaders should ensure that staff consistently plan activities for the youngest children that provide age-appropriate learning that allows them to explore without interruptions.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, the special educational needs coordinator, a specialist teacher from the local authority and parents during the inspection.

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About this inspection

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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About this inspection

We carried out this inspection as a result of a risk assessment, following information we received about the provider. The provider will be able to give parents further information about this.

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Address:

10 Randal Street Blackburn Lancashire BB1 7EG

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Shining Stars Nursery Ltd

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:00 - 17:00

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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