Summary
What we read, and from where
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- Achievement verified
Expected standard
- Behaviour, attitudes and routines verified
Strong standard
- Children's welfare and wellbeing verified
Strong standard
- Curriculum and teaching verified
Expected standard
- Inclusion verified
Expected standard
- Leadership and governance verified
Expected standard
- Framework verified
Report card
- Group verified
Prenton Penguins LTD
- Inspection datesingle source
3 Jun 2026
- Inspectors verified
Deborah Magee
- Postcode verified
CH43 0SR
- Name on report verified
Prenton Penguins
- Safeguarding verified
Met
- URN verified
2814916
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 routinesStrong
- Children's welfare and wellbeingStrong
- 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.
In line with other reports of this type.
How the report reads, start to finish
Every paragraph in order, sized by length. Tap one to see it on the page.
Strengths
Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.
- Staff have extremely high expectations for children and understand how to support children's emotional needs effectively. p.2
- Children benefit from effective and timely support to help them thrive. p.4
- Staff know the children extremely well, and key persons use this knowledge to effectively meet the care needs for each child. p.2
- Staff prioritise forming supportive relationships to help children feel safe and secure. p.5
- Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, demonstrate consistently positive behaviour and high levels of engagement in their play. p.2
Concerns
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No strong criticism found.
Next steps
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What the report dwells on
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Anatomy of the report
How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.
- Pages
- 8
- Words of findings
- 1,627
- about usual (typical 1698)
- Reading level
- Hard
- Flesch 50, typical 43
- Average sentence
- 15 words
- Next steps
- 2
- typical 3
- Hedged sentences
- 4%
- “some”, “not always”, “most”…
Where the words go
Full report text
Prenton Penguins
Unique reference number (URN): 2814916 Address: Northwood Road, C/O Prenton Primary School, Prenton, Merseyside, CH43 0SR Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 27/11/2024 Registers: EYR Registered person: Prenton Penguins 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 Strong standard
Leaders understand the importance of regular attendance and the impact this has on children's development, particularly for disadvantaged children. They work closely with families and other agencies to support all children to attend regularly. Robust multi-agency links enable them to secure additional funding for children that would benefit from additional sessions. These embedded systems ensure that every child makes the most out of their attendance at the setting.
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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard
Children benefit from fully embedded, clear routines. Staff have extremely high expectations for children and understand how to support children's emotional needs effectively. Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, demonstrate consistently positive behaviour and high levels of engagement in their play. They develop their ideas over time and remain focused on what they choose to do. Children invite others into their play, for example, as they make potions, working together and sharing ideas. Children are very well supported in their transitions between rooms and the move to school. Leaders have established consistent approaches, such as sharing information and accompanying children on visits to the school they will attend. This helps children to manage transitions confidently and feel secure.
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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard
Leaders have created a calm, nurturing environment where children's welfare and wellbeing are consistently given the highest priority. Staff know the children extremely well, and key persons use this knowledge to effectively meet the care needs for each child. For example, children who struggle to separate from their parents beam happily as they see their key person. Staff sit and cuddle them until they are ready to transition to the activities on offer. Children are not hurried and are given the time to feel emotionally ready for what will happen next. Staff show respect as they ask permission to change children's nappies. These caring relationships help all children to feel secure and ready to learn.
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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard
Children develop an understanding of the importance of making healthy choices. Staff support families to ensure that children are provided with healthy lunch boxes, and they promote good oral health. Children make their own healthy choices as they eat their favourite fruits at snack time. Children follow robust hygiene procedures. They independently wash their hands as needed during the day. Children talk confidently about the importance of good handwashing as 'they could have germs on their hands'.
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Achievement Expected standard
Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, generally make progress from their starting points. Children show physical strength and coordination as they ride on wheeled toys and dig outside. They climb competently and use their strength to negotiate obstacles. They show perseverance when they lose their balance and try again, clearly delighted when they succeed. Children develop the required muscles and hand–eye coordination needed for later writing. They weave pipe cleaners through a mat and roll balls out of play dough. Children laugh as they pour and scoop water and seize the abundance of opportunities to make marks in the environment.
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Achievement Expected standard
Children confidently put on and zip up their own coats, showing pride as they state, 'I can do it.' Parents and carers say that their children enjoy sharing their learning at home, such as new songs that they learn. However, parents are not typically given specific feedback on how they can help their children develop their skills at home. Children confidently use their knowledge in play. As staff read books aloud, children join in with repeated parts of the story. Children make 'coffee' for visitors in the role-play kitchen and explain that cake will be a 'few' minutes before it is ready. Overall, children develop important skills in readiness for the next stage of their education, including school.
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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Leaders know the nursery context well. They have used this knowledge to develop an ambitious curriculum with a clear focus on developing the skills that children need for the next stage in their learning. Leaders have a clear vision of what they want children to know and do and, typically, this is implemented well. Parents and carers receive regular updates about their children's progress. However, they do not always get specific ideas on how to best support their children's learning at home.
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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Children make their own choices in their learning and are keen to play and explore. Overall, staff support children to build on their communication and language skills. They use clear language and introduce new vocabulary as they play alongside the children. Children show a real love of stories as they ask staff for more as one story ends. Staff use these times well to pause and allow children to join in with the words that they know. Staff's positive interactions extend children's language in play. However, there are some inconsistencies in staff practice. For example, there are times when staff do not consistently allow children enough time to respond to their questions. This means not all children understand how the back-and-forth nature of conversations works.
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Inclusion Expected standard
Leaders and staff create an inclusive environment for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They typically support children's individual needs well. Staff use ongoing assessment to identify potential gaps in learning. They work in partnership with parents and carers and other agencies. Children with SEND are well supported. Staff create individual plans to support their next steps in learning and development. Staff use a range of strategies, such as delivering specific activities, to support children with SEND.
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Inclusion Expected standard
Children benefit from effective and timely support to help them thrive. Leaders have effective working relationships with external professionals and make timely referrals. They invite professionals into the setting to provide advice and guidance on how to best support children's progress and learning. This means children receive prompt support while awaiting specialist interventions. For example, children access targeted small-group work to focus on their emotional regulation skills while they await formal specialist support. Leaders measure children's progress in smaller steps to celebrate all of their achievements.
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Inclusion Expected standard
Children's emotional wellbeing is very well supported. For example, staff continually review and make changes to the learning environment to support children's needs. Leaders have used funding to further enhance staff knowledge on how to support children to regulate their emotions. Staff effectively support children's transitions in their routines and smaller group activities.
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Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders know their families, children and local community well. They have a clear vision for the setting. Leaders regularly review their curriculum and have an overview of their strengths and areas for development. Regular reflection is used to review practice and ensure children's needs are met. Leaders work in partnership with other professionals. Decisions are purposeful, informed by what leaders know about children and are in children's best interests. Leaders work collaboratively with other agencies, including the local authority, to enhance the provision. However, parents do not always receive focused advice to help them support children's learning at home.
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Leadership and governance Expected standard
There is a positive focus on staff's wellbeing and workload. Leaders engage in open dialogue with staff through supervision sessions and daily team meetings. New staff benefit from a detailed induction and understand their roles and responsibilities. Overall, staff feel well equipped to carry out their roles. However, leaders have not consistently enhanced all staff's expertise in supporting children's conversational language. This does not enable children to process questions and respond with understanding.
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What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children truly enjoy their time at this nurturing setting. They arrive excitedly for the day ahead. Children benefit from a curriculum that is sequenced. This generally supports children to achieve, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or those who face other barriers to their learning.
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What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children develop a love of reading. They bring their favourite books from home to share with their friends. Staff read to the children in small groups and enjoy cosy story times. This encourages conversations, and staff use their knowledge of children's lives to facilitate interesting discussions. Staff use these times to build on and widen children's experiences. For example, children discuss recent holidays and trips to the farm and the zoo. Staff use this to talk about the animals and enjoy looking at relevant books, which helps to broaden children's understanding of animals and their habitats.
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What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children's wellbeing is prioritised at this setting. Staff prioritise forming supportive relationships to help children feel safe and secure. Children demonstrate the loving bonds that they have with staff as they interact together. Older children seek out staff to show them their paintings and LEGO creations. Younger children giggle with staff as they sing their favourite songs together.
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What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children's interests are used by staff to provide experiences that interest and motivate them. Staff are positive role models and children eagerly follow their instructions and show cooperation with their peers. Children show kindness as they share resources and invite others into their play. Their friends demonstrate impressive manners to thank them. Children take on each other's ideas in play and use the well-organised environment to gather resources to extend their play. Children have fun and show high levels of engagement and cooperation and a positive attitude to learning. They develop attitudes and skills that will benefit them in the next stage of their learning.
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Next steps
Leaders should strengthen the feedback parents receive to help them support children's learning at home. Leaders should provide staff with specific feedback to help further enhance their teaching of the intended curriculum for communication and language.
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About this inspection
The inspector spoke with the nominated individual, practitioners, parents and children 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
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Address:
Northwood Road C/O Prenton Primary School Prenton Merseyside CH43 0SR
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Address:
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
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Address:
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:30 - 16:00
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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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2 to 4
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
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 . Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .
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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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