Nurtured @ Tunstall

Nurtured @ Tunstall

Unique reference number (URN): 2754198 Address: The Lodge, Victoria Park Road, Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST6 6DX Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 07/11/2023 Registers: EYR, CCR Registered person: Northfield Under 5's Limited

p.1

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.

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

p.1

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.

p.1

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Leaders establish clear and consistent expectations for behaviour. Children understand daily routines, including registration, mealtimes and transitions, and generally respond well to reminders and praise. Relationships between practitioners and children are positive, and children seek reassurance from familiar adults. Staff support children to take turns, share resources and play alongside one another, particularly during role-play and small-group activities. Children develop a growing sense of responsibility, such as helping to tidy away resources and care for their environment.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Leaders and staff share a clear aim to enthuse children to develop positive attitudes to learning. However, inconsistencies in the quality of teaching result in occasions when there is an over-reliance on adult-led teaching. For example, older children are sometimes expected to sit and listen for longer than is appropriate for their ages and stages of development. While children comply with expectations, this does not fully encourage them to become active, independent learners.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Leaders promote attendance appropriately and follow up concerns with families. Children arrive punctually and settle quickly into familiar routines. Practitioners consider children's age and stage when guiding behaviour. Staff encourage children to make simple choices, such as deciding when to access snack, which helps develop self-awareness and emerging self-regulation.

p.2

Achievement Needs attention

Children's progress is variable. Some children develop secure personal, social and emotional skills and show growing independence in routines, such as managing self-care and joining in group activities. However, progress in communication and language is inconsistent, and not all children build vocabulary or secure understanding as quickly as they should. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who face barriers to learning do not consistently make sustained gains from their starting points, particularly where learning requires small, carefully sequenced steps.

p.2

Achievement Needs attention

Children enjoy some purposeful play and develop emerging mathematical and early literacy knowledge. However, their learning is not always embedded deeply enough to secure firm foundations for later learning. As a result, although some children are prepared appropriately for the next stage of their education, others are not. This includes children with SEND, who do not receive consistently effective support to make the progress they are capable of.

p.2

Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

Staff care practices are not consistently responsive to children's individual circumstances. While children are generally settled and routines are secure, staff do not always act swiftly enough to prioritise children's immediate comfort and emotional needs. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those experiencing additional vulnerabilities. Agreed strategies to support children experiencing emotional distress are not consistently implemented in practice. Similarly, staff do not always respond promptly to ensure children's physical comfort when needs arise. As a result, some children's wellbeing is not consistently promoted.

p.3

Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

Babies and young children seek reassurance from familiar adults. Staff follow appropriate sleep procedures and children enjoy healthy meals. Children learn about hygiene through handwashing routines and are encouraged to make healthy choices at snack and mealtimes. Staff support children to recognise basic emotions through discussion and visual prompts.

p.3

Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

Leaders do not monitor the consistency of care practices closely enough to ensure that agreed approaches are embedded across the day. This variability means that although children are safe and generally cared for appropriately, their emotional security and physical comfort are not consistently prioritised with sufficient urgency.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders do not ensure that the curriculum is implemented with sufficient precision or consistency by staff across all rooms. Although broad intentions are outlined, teaching is frequently over-directed. This includes extended whole-group sessions that rely heavily on recall and rote responses, rather than building securely on what children already know and can do. Staff expectations are not consistently matched to children's developmental stage, particularly for younger children and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Assessment systems are in place, and staff identify next steps appropriately. However, these are not consistently reflected in the delivery of activities and interactions of staff. There is inconsistency in the quality of the support for children to develop their language and communication. Where this is more successful, such as during child-initiated play, practitioners support language development through role play, discussion and shared reading. Staff encourage children to use vocabulary linked to their play, such as when exploring weight and comparison using balances. Some staff successfully model descriptive language to support thinking.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders make positive use of the local park and community to promote real-life experiences and physical development. The indoor environment is attractively presented, with resources that children enjoy exploring independently, including lots of natural materials.

p.3

Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders do not ensure that support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who face barriers to learning is implemented with sufficient precision. Arrangements are not reviewed rigorously when progress slows. Children's individual needs are identified, and external advice is sought appropriately. However, strategies are not consistently adapted to reflect children's developmental stage or changing needs. Support for communication, physical development and emotional wellbeing is often generic rather than effectively tailored when children encounter developmental delay. As a result, some children with SEND and those experiencing disadvantage do not receive well- sequenced, targeted provision that accelerates their progress.

p.3

Inclusion Needs attention

Assessment systems are in place, and staff gather useful information about children's development. Leaders use additional funding to provide resources and experiences that benefit the children it is intended for. Leaders share progress updates with parents and work collaboratively to exchange information about children's needs, routines and experiences at home. However, leaders do not consistently monitor how effectively agreed strategies are embedded in daily practice or evaluate the impact of additional support and funding. Consequently, the provision lacks the rigour required to secure sustained and measurable progress for all children who require additional support.

p.4

Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders demonstrate some awareness of the quality of education and care provided, and there are elements of self-evaluation in place. However, this does not identify key inconsistencies in curriculum implementation, inclusion or welfare practices. Leaders' monitoring of teaching and care does not effectively focus on evaluating the impact on children's learning and wellbeing. As a result, weaknesses in adaptations for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning have not been addressed swiftly enough. Staffing and key-person decisions do not always prioritise the needs of the most vulnerable children.

p.4

Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders provide staff with professional development opportunities and consider their wellbeing and workload. However, they do not evaluate the impact of training or monitoring rigorously enough to drive sustained improvement. Consequently, leaders do not secure consistently high-quality practice across the setting. Leaders have recently focused on strengthening parent partnerships, enhancing communication through regular updates, stay- and-play sessions and opportunities for shared discussion about children's progress. Families report feeling listened to and involved in their children's experiences. Leaders have also enhanced the learning environment and developed community links, demonstrating the ability to influence improvement.

p.4

Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

p.5

Register

When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

p.5

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

The quality of children's learning experiences is inconsistent. Teaching does not consistently prioritise the key knowledge and skills children need next, and learning is not always extended in a purposeful way. Teaching strategies are not consistently refined or implemented with precision. As a result, some children, particularly those with communication or physical development delays, do not make the progress they are capable of.

p.5

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

Children are welcomed into a warm and friendly environment where staff know them well and speak to them with kindness and care. Children show that they feel safe through their secure attachments and willingness to seek reassurance when needed. However, when some children experience emotional upset or require additional care, support is not always implemented with consistent urgency. Children manage personal care tasks and staff allow them time to dress independently in their outdoor clothes. Older children show pride in recognising their written names during registration and a sense of belonging as they confirm whether their friends are present or not.

p.5

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

Children enjoy some engaging experiences, particularly during role play, sensory play and outdoor activities. For example, in pre-school, children collaborate as vets and experiment with weighing coins, demonstrating curiosity and developing social skills. Toddlers mix spice powders with water to create a solution to paint with, and they use their hands and mouths to explore cereal. Staff use praise regularly and encourage children to take turns, share and build friendships.

p.5

About this setting

Unique reference number (URN): 2754198 Leaders promote attendance positively, and children arrive ready to engage with the plentiful resources. While the learning environment is stimulating, inconsistencies in the teaching of the curriculum and leadership oversight mean that not all children achieve as well as they should from their starting points.

p.6

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:

p.6

Action Completion Date

strengthen the monitoring and evaluation of staff practices to accurately identify and address areas where improvement is needed to drive forward, particularly for children with barriers to learning 20/04/2026

p.6

Action Completion Date

ensure that policies and practice prioritise children's wellbeing and welfare constantly throughout the day 20/04/2026

p.6

Action Completion Date

strengthen teaching so it is tailored accurately to children's different starting points, needs and stages of development. 20/04/2026

p.6

About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners and the special educational needs coordinator during the inspection.

p.6

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.

p.6

Address:

The Lodge Victoria Park Road, Tunstall Stoke-on-Trent Staffordshire ST6 6DX

p.7

Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

p.7

Address:

Registered person: Northfield Under 5's Limited

p.7

Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 17:30

p.7

Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

p.7

Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.

p.7

Strong standard

The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

p.8

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.

p.8

Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

p.8

Urgent improvement

The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

p.8

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.

p.8

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 .

p.8

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 .

p.8

Urgent improvement

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Urgent improvement

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

p.8