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Early years · Report card

Kids Planet Hartburn

Inspected 8 May 2026 · URN 2838580

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Summary

No overall grade in this frameworkSafeguarding met

Michelle Lorains

What we read, and from where

Click a reading to see it highlighted in the report.

  • Achievement verified

    Expected standard

  • Behaviour, attitudes and routines verified

    Expected standard

  • Children's welfare and wellbeing verified

    Expected standard

  • Curriculum and teaching verified

    Expected standard

  • Inclusion verified

    Expected standard

  • Leadership and governance verified

    Expected standard

  • Framework verified

    Report card

  • Group verified

    Kids Planet Day Nurseries Limited

  • Inspection datesingle source

    8 May 2026

  • Inspectors verified

    Michelle Lorains

  • Postcode verified

    TS18 5ER

  • Name on report verified

    Kids Planet Hartburn

  • Safeguarding verified

    Met

  • URN verified

    2838580

Page 1 of 9
Page 1 of the report

Deep dive

What this report says

In plain English

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Grade profile

Each judgement on its scale, weakest to strongest.

  • AchievementExpected
  • Behaviour, attitudes and routinesExpected
  • Children's welfare and wellbeingExpected
  • Curriculum and teachingExpected
  • InclusionExpected
  • Leadership and governanceExpected

Tone of the report

How positive or critical the inspectors' language is, from the words they chose. No AI involved.

+51Positivemore positive than 22% of reports of this type

In line with other reports of this type.

Praisepositivefeel safehigh-qualityhigh expectationseffectivelyeffectivetrusting relationshipsclear
Criticismnot consistentlyconcernsnot alwaysnot high qualitylimitedmissedgapsnot consistent

How the report reads, start to finish

Every paragraph in order, sized by length. Tap one to see it on the page.

FindingsSafeguardingAbout the inspectionLeadershipWhat needs to improve positive critical
  • Findings1225w+45
  • Leadership265w+73
  • Safeguarding51w−11
  • What needs to improve106w+56

Strengths

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Concerns

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Next steps

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What the report dwells on

Topics by how often they come up, coloured by how they are described. Open one for an example.

Anatomy of the report

How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.

Pages
9
Words of findings
1,647
about usual (typical 1698)
Reading level
Hard
Flesch 48, typical 43
Average sentence
17 words
Next steps
4
typical 3
Hedged sentences
2%
“some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 56%Leadership 12%Safeguarding 2%What needs to improve 5%About the inspection 25%

Full report text

Kids Planet Hartburn

Unique reference number (URN): 2838580 Address: 68 Darlington Road, Hartburn, Stockton, TS18 5ER Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 02/05/2025 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Kids Planet Day Nurseries Limited

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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

All children make progress across every area of their learning, and they show strengths in their communication and language skills from an early age. Babies watch staff and listen carefully to songs and rhymes, which are then extended by staff who work with toddlers and young children. Staff provide children and families with books that they can take home to develop a love of stories and promote early literacy skills. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) benefit from focused support and make appropriate progress in relation to their individual targets and goals.

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Achievement Expected standard

Typically, children are well prepared for the next stages in their learning, including school. Staff take care and time to prepare children and families as they progress through the nursery from babies to pre-school. Children benefit from smooth transitions, and staff share information about every child before they move on. Staff carefully consider how they can tackle barriers to learning and ensure children are generally provided with a wide range of experiences before they start school, including visits into the local community.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Leaders and staff promote kindness and respect throughout the nursery. They are very good role models and teach children about differences and diversity. For instance, children took part in a bake sale and made contributions to the local community food bank. Staff who work with older children ensure they walk to school to mirror routines they have with their families and enable them to experience their own community. Generally, children are regular attenders and staff encourage this to help them to prepare to start school.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Staff have high expectations of children and typically offer praise for their efforts and achievements. Children's behaviour is pleasant and they demonstrate a positive attitude to their learning. They are polite, well-mannered and have high levels of self-esteem. Overall, staff encourage children to keep trying when they feel challenged and help them to build resilience, although this is not consistent during outdoor learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children benefit from established routines that help them to feel safe and settled. Staff who work with babies and young children ensure they follow routines from home to work in partnership with parents. Older children begin to follow more structured routines in preparation for starting school. For example, staff ask them to help set the table and children sit in the dining area together as they would in the school hall.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

All children show that they feel safe and secure in the nursery. They develop positive, trusting relationships with their key person. Generally, children who are newer to the nursery settle in quickly and staff are responsive to their needs. For instance, staff cuddle babies close to them as this is how they prefer to fall asleep. Staff ensure that they share detailed information with children's new key person when it is time to move up to the next room in the nursery. Parents are invited in to meet their child's new key person, and staff make time to answer any questions they may have. This promotes children's emotional wellbeing and builds positive relationships with families.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Typically, staff follow procedures established by leaders that promote children's welfare, health and self-care. For instance, children are counted back in from the garden space and line up to enable staff to do this effectively. There are clear risk assessment processes in place to help staff maintain safety in areas used by children, and there are appropriate individual risk assessments for children with specific dietary needs and requirements. Children thoroughly enjoy the meals provided. They are balanced, healthy and nutritious. However, on several occasions, staff did not remind children to wash their hands before meals and snack times, including when older children handle cutlery for the whole group. This does not consistently support them to build healthy habits for the future. Leaders are in the process of developing the procedures and staff's practice to promote oral hygiene, which young children are already showing interest in as they explore books about this in the

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders and staff provide children with a broad, balanced curriculum. They focus on building on children's existing skills and carefully sequence learning experiences. This helps children to build solid foundations for future learning. Staff are clear on children's next steps in learning and adapt their teaching indoors to meet children's needs. This is done particularly well for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), as staff adapt experiences to ensure full participation and access. Staff's interactions are not consistently high quality when children are outdoors, despite them showing high levels of interest in activities, and some staff maintain a supervisory role. This means opportunities to extend their learning are missed and children's excitement to learn is not always nurtured.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The curriculum that staff provide to promote children's personal, social and emotional development is a strength. Staff support babies to develop positive relationships with them and help them to feel safe from the start. Young children start to play together, and staff teach them about being kind and gentle. Older children are supported to join in with larger groups and build confidence to share their skills in story time and circle time.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Children benefit from being in a language-rich environment, and this extends into mathematical development. Staff show skill in using mathematical language throughout children's experiences and draw them into discussions about 'how many', 'one more' and 'show me how many'. Young children demonstrate impressive knowledge for their age as they show the correct number of acorns when asked. Older children learn about numerals and play games that involve time language.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders and staff strive to support every child who attends and meet their individual care and learning needs. Staff use regular assessments to identify areas where children need further support and use strategies to help minimise gaps in their learning. For example, staff use screening assessments and a specific language development programme to support children. They show progress in this area when reassessed and no longer require any referrals to other professionals, such as speech and language therapy. Extra funding is used to benefit children for whom it is intended. Leaders and staff are developing this further to help reduce barriers to learning, such as the introduction of physical development sessions.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Typically, leaders ensure that all staff know and understand how to support children. There is a positive ethos around inclusion, and staff talk about how this is everyone's responsibility. Staff use a range of targeted plans and interventions, which are shared between parents and other settings that children attend. They promote partnership working, which creates continuity and consistency for children. This has a positive impact on their progress.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The nursery has recently changed ownership. Leaders prioritise staff's wellbeing and provide positive levels of support. Staff say they have been supported through this process and receive regular one-to-one meetings with leaders and managers. Regional and area managers are regularly in the nursery to review and support new leaders. They have clear oversight of the curriculum and provide honest and accurate evaluation of the provision, identifying their priorities for improvement. For instance, they are enhancing the garden area for babies so it better promotes their physical development.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders support staff who have extra roles within the nursery and ensure they have time out of the rooms to complete any tasks. This ensures their workload is appropriate and helps them to fulfil their role effectively. Staff receive training that supports them to meet children's individual needs. For instance, staff who work with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are trained to use specialist equipment for feeding. This helps staff to meet their care needs. Leaders are embedding the programme of professional development with staff to focus on teaching and the curriculum in specific rooms and areas of practice, to maintain high-quality learning experiences for children.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders and staff establish and maintain effective partnerships with others. They have links with other professionals who work with children and value the relationships they have with families. Newer leaders and staff work hard to ensure parents know who they are and make every attempt to get to know families who attend. This helps them to continue to identify any barriers to learning as families needs change over 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

Children show enjoyment in their learning and are enthusiastic to participate in experiences provided by staff. Staff know children's likes, dislikes and interests. This helps them to carefully prepare indoor and outdoor environments that ignite children's curiosity. Babies take part in sensory activities and staff model animal names and sounds as they explore. Staff continue to extend young children's sensory experiences as they explore dough and learn new key words. Older children develop the skills they need to start school. They develop effective social skills and are independent learners.

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Address:

68 Darlington Road Hartburn Children with gaps in their learning and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities are provided with extra support to enable them to participate in experiences. They make positive progress in relation to their starting points. Leaders and staff are aware of potential barriers to children's learning and ensure those who attend the nursery full time have access to a wide range of experiences. For example, they go into the local community to visit the parks and are planning to introduce sports coaching sessions.

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Address:

All children show they feel safe, secure and settled in the nursery. They have close relationships with their key person and other members of staff. Staff gather information from parents and use this to meet their care needs effectively. Parents speak positively about the nursery and staff team. They say that the communication is very effective and the new team has been introduced to them. They describe staff as very kind, caring and child-centred.

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Next steps

Leaders should provide staff with further training to enhance their teaching outdoors and help them to provide high-quality interactions consistently for all children. Leaders should continue to develop and embed routines that help children to build solid foundations for their physical development, health and self-care.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with parents, leaders, practitioners, the special educational needs coordinator and the designated safeguarding lead 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. Stockton TS18 5ER Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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About this inspection

Registered person: Kids Planet Day Nurseries Limited

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About this inspection

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

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Urgent improvement

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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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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