Unity Stars

Unity Stars

Unique reference number (URN): 2808908 Address: Coupals Primary Academy, Chalkstone Way, Haverhill, CB9 0LB Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 25/10/2024 Registers: EYR Registered person: Unity Schools Partnership

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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 Needs attention

There are inconsistencies in the frequency of high-quality interactions between adults and children, to ensure that all children achieve their best outcomes across the 7 areas of learning. Those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), or those who face other barriers to their learning are not provided with the right level of support swiftly enough. This means children are not always achieving the most amount of progress they are capable of in their communication and language. Children do, however, enjoy learning key words from a range of languages spoken by the children who attend the setting.

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Achievement Needs attention

Children are generally learning the independence skills needed for their future learning and progression to their next stage of education. Children partake in daily routines with confidence, such as washing hands before eating. However, focused support is not always provided to ensure all children, including those with SEND or those who face other barriers to their learning, are becoming increasingly independent in achieving age-appropriate tasks.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

Overall, leaders set appropriate expectations for children's behaviour and, typically, staff understand behaviour policies and procedures to follow at the nursery. However, leaders are not monitoring staff's practice diligently enough to ensure staff are implementing these appropriately and consistently well. For example, when children who find it difficult to regulate their behaviour stand on furniture, inconsistencies in staff's response to this undesirable behaviour sends mixed messages to children. Consequently, children, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, or those who face other barriers to their learning, are not supported effectively enough to learn acceptable behaviours that ensure their wellbeing.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

Staff work in partnership with parents. They gather in-depth information before children start, such as children's daily, sleeping and weaning routines. Familiar routines from home are created to ensure children make happy and seamless transitions to nursery. This immediately raises attendance levels as bespoke settling-in procedures meet the individual needs of children.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

Staff are aware of improvements needed to help children establish daily routines more efficiently. Staff have established 'golden rules' to help children understand behaviours expected of them when attending nursery, such as 'walking feet' when visiting the bathroom to wash their hands before mealtimes. These have only recently been introduced, which means it is too soon to determine the impact of this work.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

On occasion, staff are not always noticing and removing potential hazards posed to children swiftly enough. This is particularly apparent at times of transition. For example, when children prepare to move outdoors to play, there is a lack of embedded and well-structured routines. New or less-experienced staff are not monitored closely enough to ensure they are continually following the daily risk assessments in place, to maintain and promote children's welfare and wellbeing during these times.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

Children enjoy healthy meals that are nutritionally balanced. Staff sit with children at mealtimes, assuring their safety. Toddlers learn to eat safely when staff offer them small, manageable bites of food to reduce the risk of choking.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

Generally, the key-person system and tailored settling-in processes help babies and young children to form secure attachments with staff. Children initiate cuddles with staff and confidently ask them for help when required. This shows the trusting and caring attachments they make with them.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, or those who face other barriers to their learning do not always have the same opportunities to develop good hygiene routines. For example, staff do not use visual prompts successfully, such as 'now and next' boards, to help them understand and learn to carry out self-care routines independently.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Staff use repetition of key words to support the early language development of babies and young children. However, there are inconsistencies in the quality of teaching and staff's interactions throughout the nursery. Structured, group-story time for older children is poorly planned. For example, some children who face barriers to learning, such as speaking English as an additional language, are positioned to sit at the back of the group. This affects their opportunity to build confidence and ability to practise speaking in front of others and engage with peers.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Staff undertake regular assessments to check the progress children are making. They can explain children's next steps in learning and activities suitable to support these. However, at times, there is a lack of structured learning opportunities that match individual children's developmental needs. This means children's learning is often by chance.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Children enjoy a mixture of indoor and outdoor learning. All children make plenty of progress in their physical development. Toddlers love climbing over the indoor playground equipment. They are strengthening their core, legs and arm muscles necessary for walking, running and playing.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Staff model mathematical language well. Children's confidence in and use of mathematical vocabulary is evident. Children often use words such as 'more' and 'big and small' in their play.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Staff have assessment processes in place, and they typically share children's progress well with parents. However, leaders are not monitoring staff's assessments robustly enough, to ensure that staff are consistently and accurately identifying potential gaps in children's learning and development. This can lead to delays in accessing vital support for those children needing it. Strategies such as visual 'now and next' boards suggested by external professionals to reduce anxiety at times of transition, are not used effectively. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), or those who face other barriers to their learning are not prepared well enough for changes in routines. As a result, children with SEND, or those who face other barriers to their learning, find it difficult to complete necessary tasks, such as washing their hands before eating. This can lead to frustration and

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Inclusion Needs attention

overwhelms them, which can negatively affect their wellbeing and hinder their overall learning and development.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders provide bespoke settling-in processes and gather information from parents to help assess children's needs before coming into the setting. Children with any medical needs or allergies are identified before children start. This means effective and appropriate care plans and procedures are put in place to meet the needs of individual children. This can help reduce the amount of time children are absent as their health needs are consistently met.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders have a broad understanding of the setting's strengths and areas for improvement. For example, leaders have faced many difficulties with recruitment since opening the nursery. They undoubtedly appreciate this has had an impact on establishing staff in their roles and to understand their responsibilities securely. However, there is not sufficient supervision of staff and monitoring of staff practice so that leaders can identify areas for staff development. This limits staff's ability to reflect on their ongoing practice. Some staff do not know how to make further improvements to support all children's outcomes. For example, staff do not demonstrate a sound understanding of how communication aids, such as 'visual now and next boards' work. Staff not using these accurately hinders the progress children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, or those who face other barriers to their

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders are reflective on staff wellbeing and take action to ensure that staff feel valued and workload is manageable. Leaders avoid creating unnecessary burdens and provide all staff with time out to complete any mandatory training or personal development tasks. Parents appreciate the support they receive from leaders. They find the advice they receive to prepare older children for school and younger children for toilet training and safer eating helpful.

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

Leaders have risk assessments in place for each room and staff can explain these. However, leaders are not monitoring staff's practice closely enough to ensure staff are continuously alert to and managing potential risks effectively. For example, towels around the base of the water tray are not replaced swiftly enough, when they are sodden. This means at times, the floor becomes slippery and increases the risk of children or staff slipping.

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

The curriculum is purposefully designed, and staff generally understand its intended aims. Although, particularly for older children this is not always implemented well enough to help children reach their full potential. For example, at group-story time, children cannot share their ideas adequately. Staff do not implement strategies swiftly enough, such as 'now and next boards', which can help children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, or those who face other barriers to their learning, prepare for structured events, such as story time. This means some children flit from one activity to another, disrupting the learning of others.

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

Children are greeted at the door by warm and nurturing staff. Children benefit from tailored and gradual settling-in processes that are adapted to meet the individual needs of children and their families. For example, staff offer shortened initial visits or suggest children bring a favourite comforter from home. This promotes attendance and helps settle those children who face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing, or who can find it difficult to leave their parents or carers at the door. These positive, early experiences promote children's overall wellbeing and help children to build trusting bonds with staff at their own pace.

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

Children play cooperatively and make friendships with their peers. They look forward to playing outdoors. Children delight in tipping water onto the concrete and splashing in puddles, giggling as they make patterns on the floor.

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Next steps

To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage the provider must take the following actions by the assigned date:

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Action Completion Date

improve the effectiveness of staff supervisions to ensure they have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities and receive training, support and coaching to improve their personal effectiveness 19/04/2026

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Action Completion Date

improve the monitoring of staff practice to develop their knowledge and understanding of how children learn, so that all children benefit from consistently good-quality learning experiences 19/04/2026

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Address:

Coupals Primary Academy Chalkstone Way Haverhill CB9 0LB

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Action Completion Date

take all reasonable steps to ensure all children are not exposed to risks and demonstrate how these risks will be managed to ensure children's welfare and wellbeing at all times 26/04/2026

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Action Completion Date

improve arrangements for identifying and supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to ensure they receive appropriate support that helps them to make the best possible progress 19/04/2026

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Action Completion Date

ensure staff are responsible for supporting, understanding and managing children's behaviour in an appropriate way 02/04/2026

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, staff and the safeguarding leads 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. Registered person: Unity Schools Partnership

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About this inspection

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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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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