New Beginnings At Penkhull

New Beginnings At Penkhull

Unique reference number (URN): 2854591 Address: 2 Harris Street, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 7EZ Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 17/09/2025 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: New Beginnings Penkhull 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 generally make progress from their starting points across all areas of learning. They develop their confidence and independence, which supports skills for later learning. Children are prepared for their next stage of learning. They demonstrate positive listening and attention skills and communicate effectively with their peers and members of the nursery team. Children are supported to develop their recognition of the sounds that letters in words make.

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Achievement Expected standard

Overall, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those learning to speak English as an additional language and those facing other barriers to their learning make progress. This is because leaders work with families and other professionals to help children overcome barriers.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children make effective progress and develop confidence in their physical development. They learn to pedal on a tricycle and climb up steps to go down the slide. Children develop strength in their hands as they explore dough and practise drawing on whiteboards.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children confidently follow routines in the setting. They understand the rules and boundaries and listen carefully to instruction from staff. Children behave well. They learn to share and take turns with their peers. Staff respond swiftly when children struggle to play cooperatively. They teach children to understand and respect the needs of others.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Leaders and staff are positive role models. They teach children how to be respectful to others and demonstrate how to communicate positively. Children use good manners. They say 'please' and 'thank you' when they are being supported at a task.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children develop positive relationships with their key person and other members of the nursery team. This contributes to children's positive behaviour and attitudes. Children are confident to share their feelings and reach out for comfort when they need it. Leaders promote the importance of attendance in building relationships and establishing positive routines. They monitor this carefully and communicate with families about the benefits of regular attendance.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Leaders and staff get to know children well. They ensure that children's experiences are typically tailored to their age and stage of development so that they are supported to meet the expectations of the setting. For instance, they recognise when children are tired or unhappy and generally take action to adapt activities or routines to meet their individual needs. Sometimes, children do not receive the same level of support during activities as others. This means that they lose interest and leave the activity.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children typically build positive relationships with their key person and other staff in the setting. They are confident to reach out to staff for comfort when needed. Children are supported to recognise and express how they are feeling. Staff offer calming sleep times. They invite children to locate their sleep mat containing their own blankets. Children generally settle themselves to sleep, while staff remain close by to monitor their safety.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children are learning how to live healthy lifestyles. Leaders recognise the importance of celebrating cultural diversity. They ensure that meals reflect different experiences of children, such as a variety of flavours from around the world. Staff teach them about portion control as they independently scoop out 2 spoons of vegetables onto their plate at lunchtime. Children eat a variety of nutritious meals that are provided for them. They collect their own plates and cutlery, before serving their own food and water at the table. Children learn how to use a metal knife and fork to eat their meals. They begin to recognise when they are full and scrape their plates after eating.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff teach children about positive hygiene routines. They show young children how to use a tissue to wipe their nose. Children wash their hands after playing outside. They wash them with soap and water with the support of staff and then dry their hands before returning to their room for story time.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have developed a curriculum that is focused on building on children's early experiences and interests. They use assessment to determine children's individual starting points and identify their next steps in learning. Communication and language are prioritised in the nursery. Leaders recognise that children learn through repetition and value the importance of reading familiar stories with the children. Story times are calm and communication rich. Children are offered the opportunity to choose between 2 familiar stories. They sit quietly and listen intently as adults read to them. Children tell adults the title of the story that they are reading. Older children develop confidence and begin to retell stories with their peers. Young children explore board books with adults. They develop their vocabulary as they repeat single words and locate familiar images in books. Staff ask children questions to identify their understanding of language.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Children's physical development is promoted throughout the nursery. Children enjoy singing 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat' with their friends as staff support them on the seesaw. Staff sit with children as they learn how to manipulate dough. Older children explore mathematical language while they count out how many cookies they have made. They talk to adults about how many more they need. This supports children's understanding of counting and the number system. However, at times, some children do not receive the same level of support and often lose interest.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Children's individual needs and backgrounds are celebrated in the setting. Leaders and staff get to know families well and learn about how they can best support children's unique

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Needs attention

needs. Leaders develop a variety of resources to support children who speak English as an additional language. They work with parents to build a repertoire of words and phrases in the family's home language so that they are able to understand and meet children's immediate care needs.

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Needs attention

Leaders work with families to share the setting's menu. They recognise that some foods on offer may differ from children's experiences of food. Leaders work with parents to promote children's confidence in trying new foods and ensure that some meals are familiar to them. This helps children to settle well and feel valued.

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Needs attention

Leaders typically strive to ensure that those children with special education needs and/or disabilities and those who may face other barriers to their learning make progress in line with their peers. They recognise the value of working with parents to determine the best use of additional funding to meet children's needs. Leaders work with other agencies to support children's development. For instance, they liaise with speech and language therapists to find out ways that they can enhance children's communication skills.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leadership and governance is not yet fully established in the setting. There have been a number of changes to the leadership system since the last inspection. There is not yet a full- time named manager that is responsible for the day-to-day running of the nursery. That said, current leaders are establishing effective routines in the setting and take steps to improve communication with parents. Parents say that they are happy with the setting and the level of communication that they receive about their children. They are pleased with the progress that their children make at this nursery.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders recognise that they are beginning to make progress in the setting. They celebrate their successes in the achievements of the children that attend, including those who face barriers to their learning.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Systems for training and supervision are not yet robust. Staff receive some training opportunities that ensure that they have an adequate understanding of their roles and responsibilities. However, they are not always provided with training or mentoring to improve their practice for the benefit of children. Leaders and staff do not receive targeted feedback on their practice. This means that they are not yet fully aware of their specific targets for improvement.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders failed to notify Ofsted of recent building work that took place to improve the layout of the nursery. However, risk assessments were implemented effectively to ensure that children could not come to harm during this time.

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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

Leaders are on a journey to develop the setting. Arrangements for the day-to-day management of the setting and for staff support, supervision and coaching are not currently fully effective. This does not promote the smooth running of the setting and enable robust monitoring of staff practice. Leaders recognise that further development is needed to strengthen the leadership of the setting and, in turn, enhance outcomes for children.

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

Children are happy and settled in the nursery. They have established positive relationships with all staff and follow the rules and routines in the nursery. Children settle quickly into the predictable routines that help them to feel secure. Leaders and staff plan a curriculum based around children's interests and areas of next steps. They build on children's prior knowledge of life cycles by introducing the life cycles of other animals. For instance, children explore the life cycle of a frog. They take part in hands-on water activities, where they explore resources that represent frog spawn and tadpoles. Leaders promote children's regular and timely attendance to help them benefit from the activities on offer.

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

Children confidently take part in activities that are tailored towards their individual needs. They are encouraged to make choices about their learning. For instance, they choose between 2 books for staff to read with them at story time. Children are free to explore the learning environment and choose where they would like to play. They often choose to play and engage cooperatively at activities with their peers. For instance, children join in play in the sand pit, observing how others dig and create sandcastles, before having a go themselves. Children benefit from opportunities to play alongside others, building their confidence and social skills.

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

Children, including those with barriers to their learning, make sound progress from their starting points. They communicate confidently with staff and peers and develop their vocabulary through a love of stories. Children enjoy exploring the outdoor area. They develop their spatial awareness as they learn to kick a ball safely around their peers. Children learn to be independent in dressing themselves. They put their own shoes on and take them off again as they come indoors from outside. Children practise serving themselves at mealtimes and pour their own water into a cup. These experiences help children to become prepared for their transition to school.

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

Leaders are on a journey to develop the setting. They do not currently have a full-time manager in place to oversee the operation of the nursery. Leaders recognise that further development is needed to strengthen the leadership of the setting and, in turn, enhance outcomes for children.

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Next steps

To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must take the following action by the assigned date:

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Action Completion Date

improve leadership systems to ensure that staff training and supervision is implemented and that it fosters a culture of mutual support, teamwork and continuous improvement 10/04/2026

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners and parents during the inspection.

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: New Beginnings Penkhull Ltd

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00

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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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Age range of children at the time of 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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Age range of children at the time of 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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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

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

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