Little Acorns (North East) Ltd.

Unique reference number (URN): EY103722 Address: Little Acorns Day Nursery, 218 Park Road, STANLEY, County Durham, DH9 7AN Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 29/10/2001 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Little Acorns (North East) 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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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Leaders and staff form positive relationships with children and families. They work hard to communicate effectively with parents and promote regular attendance. This helps to prepare families to be punctual attenders, and children settle into their routines at the nursery. Leaders plan to continue to enhance their partnership working with families, particularly in relation to parental engagement in children's learning. Parents comment positively about the nursery and staff team. They say they are happy with the care their children receive and that staff try to ensure children have the best start.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Staff support children's positive behaviour. They are effective role models and teach children how to stay safe. Children show awareness of rules, boundaries and routines. For example, they know they need to get their high-visibility vests and hold hands to go to the park. Children develop positive attitudes to learning and build resilience. For example, staff support children to use an obstacle course and offer praise when they keep trying to challenge themselves. Children show determination to complete the course and demonstrate a sense of pride at the end.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Staff respond to children's self-chosen play and provide the resources they need to maintain their interest and extend their enjoyment. For example, toddlers show an interest in the water play area. Staff extend this by encouraging them to wash the toy animals, and children stay for long periods of time, engrossed in their activity.

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Achievement Needs attention

Not all children make consistently effective progress, including in their communication and language. This particularly applies to children with emerging gaps in their development and those waiting for assessment by outside agencies. However, children with diagnosed special educational needs and/or disabilities progress well.

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Achievement Needs attention

Generally, older children develop some of the skills they need to prepare them for moving on to school and show enjoyment in activities they take part in. For instance, they show excitement to go to the local park and take part in activities that build on their prior knowledge and link to their favourite story. Children begin to use mathematical language purposefully and count how many sticks they collect, talking about which are 'long' and 'short'.

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Achievement Needs attention

Children master some useful practical skills to promote their self-care, such as using the toilet and washing their hands. This helps younger children develop their independence as they prepare to move into the next room in the nursery.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

Leaders do not consistently implement effective procedures to prioritise children's good health, hygiene and safety. For instance, leaders and staff leave children, including babies, for short periods of time during mealtimes and do not ensure they are sitting at the table with them while they finish their lunch. Although leaders and staff complete robust cleaning in each room, they do not implement procedures to prevent further contamination, and some children use each other's drinking bottles and dummies.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

Leaders devise written risk assessments for staff to consider how they can keep children safe. However, these have not been discussed or updated for a number of years. Staff are not always aware of how to minimise risks to children during physical activities and do not consider children's clothing and footwear. Leaders took swift action during the inspection to support staff and keep children safe.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

Although leaders have discussed healthy options for children's packed lunches, they do not implement healthy eating procedures or give children clear messages to make healthy choices. They continue to work on this aspect of their provision.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

In contrast to this, children's oral health is actively promoted. Children regularly brush their teeth in the nursery with staff to support them. Staff know how to meet babies' individual care needs and follow any routines from home. Babies show they feel safe and secure with staff.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Curriculum and teaching does not meet the expected standard. This is because there are inconsistencies in the levels of support and challenge leaders and staff provide for children. For example, leaders identify barriers to children's learning and recognise the importance of focusing on their communication skills. However, staff do not always promote this and stand away from children, supervising their play rather than engaging with them. Leaders encourage staff to reflect on the impact of their practice during daily conversations. However, they do not provide staff with a clear development plan or provide training opportunities to raise the quality of learning experiences for children.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The curriculum to support children's physical development is, however, effective and consistent throughout the nursery. Staff are aware that some children may not have access to larger spaces and the nursery does not have a private outdoor space. Staff make excellent use of the local area to provide children with daily opportunities to spend time outside. For example, they take babies out for a walk in the fresh air each day, and toddlers and older children enjoy trips to the local park. Children enjoy using soft-play equipment and balancing beams indoors to develop their large physical skills, such as jumping and climbing.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders and staff quickly identify where children need support. They make necessary referrals to other professionals, such as the local authority special educational needs and/or disabilities team. However, they do not consistently provide children with the support they need during the referral waiting period, despite previously receiving advice and guidance from relevant professionals. As a result, gaps in learning, especially in children's language development, widen over time.

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Inclusion Needs attention

In contrast, children with diagnosed special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who face potential barriers to learning, are supported effectively by key staff who know them extremely well. These children thrive and show enjoyment as they spend one-to-one time with their key person. They show enjoyment as they pop bubbles and gaze at staff to copy their actions. Staff share information about how they work with other professionals and welcome them into the setting to create targeted plans that support children. They speak with parents and staff at other settings to consider how best to target the use of additional funding to meet the individual needs of eligible children.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders do not have clear plans in place to drive improvement forward. There are several breaches to the requirements that impact on children's welfare and development. For example, leaders have not ensured the good health and hygiene of children, and the procedure for identifying risks to children is not fully effective.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders recognise that staff are experienced but do not provide enough support for them to continually enhance and update their skills and knowledge. Although staff complete some relevant independent research, their professional development is not well coordinated. However, staff report positive levels of wellbeing and are happy in their work roles. They are kind, caring and approachable to children and families. Staff are knowledgeable about the local area and engage well in the community. They show an understanding of the needs of families who attend and are aware of potential barriers to children's learning.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders and staff have developed partnerships with schools and other professionals. They invite teachers from the local school to visit the setting to meet children who are due to attend and share relevant information with them. This helps to promote smooth transitions, particularly for children with diagnosed special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff communicate with families to share information about children's learning experiences and encourage them to help children continue to learn at home.

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Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

This setting has not 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 not 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 and managers do not have a clear action plan in place to drive improvement forward to promote the best possible outcomes for children. Several breaches to the requirements mean that aspects of the provision need to be improved. For instance, some children do not fully develop the skills they need to start school, as gaps in their language development are not minimised. Leaders and staff do not effectively use assessments or advised teaching strategies to help shape learning experiences for children. This means some children are not supported to make appropriate progress in relation to their starting points. There are some weaknesses in leaders' and staff's implementation of procedures to keep children safe and healthy, including during mealtimes.

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

Children form bonds with staff and show they feel secure with them. Children with diagnosed special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported emotionally. For example, staff ensure that they are emotionally ready for the next stages of their journey in the nursery. They carefully prepare them for transition into the next room and beyond. Leaders and staff tackle barriers to learning by promoting children's regular attendance and providing opportunities for physical development.

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

Children are independent and enjoy taking part in activities. Older children show a love of stories as they retell their favourite parts and extend this in their creative play. Staff incorporate mathematical language into everyday routines and help children to use this in context.

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

Babies benefit from being with staff who are nurturing and caring. Staff know how to meet their individual care needs and follow established routines from home. Staff focus on developing toddlers' confidence and model how to use resources to help them engage in play with others.

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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 actions by the assigned date:

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Action Completion Date

ensure that children are always within sight and hearing of staff while eating 15/05/2026

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Action Completion Date

develop and implement procedures to prevent the spread of any infections and promote children's good health and hygiene 15/05/2026

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Action Completion Date

ensure that risk assessments are helpful in supporting staff to identify and minimise hazards to children 01/06/2026

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Action Completion Date

provide staff with professional development opportunities to improve the quality of their teaching, specifically to help them promote children's communication and language skills 29/06/2026

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Action Completion Date

provide all children with consistent support, particularly where there are concerns about their development, and ensure strategies from other professionals are used to minimise gaps in their learning 29/06/2026

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Address:

Little Acorns Day Nursery 218 Park Road STANLEY County Durham DH9 7AN

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Little Acorns (North East) Ltd

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Action Completion Date

improve the way staff use ongoing assessments of children's progress to help them shape and tailor their teaching so it matches all children's individual needs 29/06/2026

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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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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, the special educational needs coordinator and the designated safeguarding leader 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. 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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