Sure Start Whitley Day Nursery

Sure Start Whitley Day Nursery

Unique reference number (URN): 2871885 Address: South Reading Community Hub, 252-260 Northumberland Avenue, Reading, RG2 7QA Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 19/11/2025 Registers: EYR Registered person: Reading Borough Council

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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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Inclusion Strong standard

Staff work closely with parents from the start to understand what children know and can do. They use this information, alongside their own observations, to complete accurate initial assessments. This enables staff to identify delays in development quickly and put timely interventions in place. Leaders rigorously monitor children's progress and review the impact of support regularly. They adapt provision swiftly to ensure that interventions are effective, resulting in children making secure progress from their starting points. Leaders and staff take a highly consistent and proactive approach to supporting all children, including those who may face barriers to their education.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders use funding effectively to meet children's individual needs and ensure any gaps in learning and development close quickly. They allocate resources for music and movement sessions, as well as one-to-one support where required. Staff access ongoing training, including about special educational needs, which helps them embed routines that meet children's specific needs. They apply this knowledge extremely well to strengthen communication and language development. When children struggle with daily routines, staff use picture timetables and one-to-one guidance to help them anticipate what will happen next. This reduces frustration, supports emotional regulation and helps children to feel secure and reassured.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders and staff build strong partnerships with specialists who provide additional guidance when children need extra support. Staff proactively arrange for these professionals to visit the nursery and share effective strategies. They work with health visitors, speech and language therapists, and local authority advisers to ensure that expert approaches are understood and used consistently. Staff share these highly effective strategies with parents regularly so that support continues at home, strengthening children's progress.

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Achievement Expected standard

All children make progress from their starting points. Although staff do not always extend opportunities to broaden children's knowledge, children still make typical progress across all areas of the curriculum. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefit from the swift and highly effective interventions that staff put in place. These timely actions help to reduce gaps in their learning and development.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children benefit from a curriculum that focuses clearly on the priorities for their learning. When children start behind in their communication and language skills, staff use targeted strategies that help them become confident communicators. For example, children count how many beanbags they need for an activity, work out the day of the week and choose books to read independently during their chosen play. These experiences strengthen their language, thinking and independence. Children are well prepared for their transition to school. They build strong foundations for future learning, including secure communication skills and a genuine enjoyment of learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Staff create a positive environment where children feel valued and respected for their uniqueness. They build trusting bonds with children, helping them feel safe, secure and happy. Through daily routines, children learn the expectations of kindness, respect and cooperation. Staff understand the different ages and stages of the children they care for and use age-appropriate language to reinforce the shared nursery values. For example, at mealtimes, younger children take turns serving themselves and wait patiently for their friends to finish eating before leaving the table. Pre-school children help their newer friends set out resources for activities, smiling and welcoming their peers as they work together. Typically, children develop positive attitudes to learning. However, staff have not put clear rules and routines in place for some group times. At these times, some children do not show the listening and attention skills they demonstrate at other points in the day, which affects

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Leaders have effective procedures in place to monitor children's attendance. They make their expectations clear to parents before children start at the setting and follow the procedures in place to promote regular attendance. This means that where children are in receipt of additional funding, they benefit from consistency in their learning experiences, alongside their peers.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

The key-person system is embedded. This helps care practices, including at sleep times and mealtimes, to support children's individual needs. Warm, trusting relationships between children and key persons help all children, including those with special educational needs and those in receipt of additional funding, to feel safe and happy. It is evident in all that staff do that the welfare of children is given a high priority.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders and staff help children learn about the importance of being healthy and safe. For instance, children enjoy the nutritious meals and snacks that the nursery provides. Furthermore, children learn to plant, tend to and harvest fruits they grow, as staff teach them where these fruits originate. Staff encourage children to try new foods to broaden their palates. They share successes with parents to help continue children's learning about healthy foods at home.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

On the whole, children develop an understanding of how to make healthy choices. For example, they learn positive oral-health habits through regular tooth brushing sessions with key staff. Staff model how to brush effectively and guide children to move the toothbrush accurately. However, at times, staff do not consider how to build on some self-care routines to help children learn about and follow good hygiene practices consistently. This limits children's opportunities to develop independence and deepen their understanding of how to look after themselves.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders understand the curriculum they create for children. They know their community well and understand areas where the curriculum needs most focus. For instance, leaders and staff prioritise communication and language and promote healthy lifestyles across the nursery because they recognise these as areas where children may need the most support. Furthermore, a recent review of the mathematical curriculum has been used to help staff build on children's confidence in using mathematics purposefully in their play. Staff have high expectations for all children. including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They plan and create inclusive learning experiences that ignite children's curiosity. For instance, children, including those who are new to the nursery, are keen to join in with learning about tooth brushing. They join in and make friends, as staff recognise the social aspect these experiences offer.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff plan purposeful activities that strengthen children's speaking, listening and understanding. For instance, when staff sit with pre-schoolers, they introduce new vocabulary, such as the word 'snap' as children close their hands around their beanbag. However, at times, staff do not fully consider how to adapt and extend their teaching to engage children more deeply or to broaden their knowledge further. Sometimes, this limits opportunities for children to think more critically, explore ideas in greater depth and build a richer understanding.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Children are at the heart of all decisions made at the nursery. Leaders know the children and families they work with well. Families feel welcomed and valued, and trusting relationships have formed between leaders, staff and parents. This supports children's well- being and enables open, honest discussions when needed. Leaders maintain strong partnerships with other agencies and professionals, ensuring children who face barriers to their learning receive timely support and intervention.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have a clear vision for the nursery and continue to embed some aspects of the provision. They recognise their role within the local community, and the positive feedback parents share reflects the strong relationships staff build with parents and carers. Leaders and staff share a commitment to giving all children the best start in life. Staff enjoy their roles and speak positively about the support they receive. Regular supervision sessions and guidance for staff taking on new responsibilities help them understand their roles clearly and contribute to the positive experiences children have each day. However, leaders are yet to fully embed the monitoring of staff practice. As a result, they do not always provide the precise support needed to ensure that highly effective teaching and high-quality interactions are consistently embedded across the nursery to meet children's needs.

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

Children start their day at nursery with a warm welcome. Staff build strong relationships with children and their families, learning about home routines, likes and dislikes. They use this knowledge to plan learning experiences that are relevant and meaningful. Staff and children form caring, trusting bonds; children actively seek staff for cuddles and show genuine affection. Children attend regularly. Parents report that their children enjoy nursery so much that they often ask to come in during holidays, with some families choosing to pay for additional sessions because their children love their 'nursery days'.

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

Staff value and celebrate each child's uniqueness. They actively promote the cultures and languages represented in the nursery, helping children develop a strong sense of belonging. Children separate confidently from their parents because staff create an exciting and secure environment that motivates them to play and learn. For example, staff provide Easter craft activities that spark children's creativity.

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

All children make typical progress from their starting points. Staff quickly identify barriers to learning and adapt activities so every child can participate and benefit. They work tirelessly to secure additional support when needed, including through established partnerships with external professionals. This proactive approach has a highly positive impact on all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. When children start behind their peers, targeted intervention helps them catch up and make progress that prepares them well for the next stage of development.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that staff practice is monitored and supported with greater precision so that highly effective teaching and high-quality interactions become consistent and fully embedded in meeting children's needs. Leaders should strengthen practitioners' skills in responding to children's emerging thinking so that teaching consistently helps maintain children's attention and extends their learning further. Leaders should support staff to embed consistent daily practices that help children understand the importance of hygiene and develop the independence needed to manage their own self-care routines.

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About this inspection

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

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Address:

South Reading Community Hub 252-260 Northumberland Avenue Reading RG2 7QA

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Reading Borough Council

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 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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0 to 5

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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