Stow-on-the-Wold Early Years Support

Stow-on-the-Wold Early Years Support

Unique reference number (URN): 2873890 Address: Stow on the Wold Primary School, St. Edwards Drive, Stow on the Wold, CHELTENHAM, GL54 1AW Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 19/02/2026 Registers: EYR, CCR Registered person: Stow-on-the-Wold Early Years Support

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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

Staff have clear expectations for the children that include helping them respect others and being kind. Staff are consistently good role models in helping children learn the rules and boundaries. They are tuned in to the children and immediately notice when they may need some support with negotiating. When children take a toy from another child, staff are quick to help them think about what else they could do. This results in children giving the toy back and learning to share and wait their turn.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children demonstrate that they play well together, such as playing collaboratively when they play football outside. Children sit together and make their creations, sharing the recourses and chatting about what they are making. They demonstrate they are developing the key social skills they will need for starting school.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children show they enjoy their learning and sit and concentrate on the activities of their choosing. They make collages, drawings and paintings and concentrate for long periods. They persevere when they find it difficult to open the tube of glue and learn to twist it, with staff modelling and supporting when needed. Staff offer the children lots of praise and encouragement for their achievements, which supports the children's self-esteem.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The manager works closely with parents to help them understand the importance of regular attendance, to prepare children for the routine of school. She is quick to check on children's wellbeing if they do not attend the nursery.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The manager and staff carefully monitor children's progress and quickly identify any gaps in children's development. Staff put in place swift support and liaise with parents and outside professionals to implement targeted support. This means that children with special

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Expected standard

educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), those who are known to social services and those with barriers to their learning are extremely well supported in the nursery to help them catch up.

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Expected standard

Parents report that they feel extremely well supported by staff and fully involved in any decision-making about their children, saying their views are respected. They value the support and guidance they receive to extend their children's learning at home, for example using additional funding to support them in taking their children to local farm attractions.

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Expected standard

Staff make adaptations to help ensure children are included in the nursery routines. Additional funding is used well to provide extra staff support. In addition, the staff have made a sensory room where children can go to regulate their emotions with staff support. This has worked well, minimised any interruptions to other children's learning and reduced barriers to learning for all children, including those with SEND.

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Achievement Expected standard

Generally, all children achieve well from their variable starting points. Gaps in children's learning, including for those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those known to children's social care and those with barriers to their learning, close over time. Overall, children develop the key skills they need for starting school.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children develop their physical skills outdoors, including their coordination and kicking skills as they play football together. They have lots of opportunities to develop their hand–eye coordination and strengthen their hand muscles, such as through drawing, painting, scooping, filling and constructing towers. Children learn to express themselves well overall, and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities use alternative methods with developing confidence. Children enjoy joining in with songs and looking at books independently and at story time. Some children are beginning to attempt to write their names independently, telling adults the letters of their name.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff help all children to talk about and manage their feelings and emotions very effectively. They use a range of strategies to help children feel calm and express how they are feeling. In addition, children can use the sensory room if they become overwhelmed and need some calm time, or go outdoors to release some energy. Children show they have formed positive relationships with staff and other children.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff meet children's individual needs effectively, as they know the children very well. They support all children well, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those known to children's services and those with barriers to their learning. Staff provide parents with information about the kinds of foods that are healthy for children's lunch boxes. Staff have introduced breakfast and nutritious snacks in the nursery to help ensure children receive healthy food daily. However, despite providing children with a range of healthy snacks, staff do not consistently talk to the children about the benefits of these different food groups on their growth and development, as part of learning about a healthy lifestyle.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff support children's independence and self-care skills well. Children help to lay the table for snack time, help themselves to their snack and drink and carry them to the snack table. After they have finished eating, they wash their utensils up. Staff encourage the children to take their shoes off and put their boots on prior to going outside. Staff work with parents to help children learn to use the potty or toilet. This helps children gain some valuable skills in readiness for starting school.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff support children's communication and language skills effectively. They engage the children in conversations throughout the day, sing songs and have story sessions, which helps build on children's vocabulary. Staff use a range of methods to help children communicate their wants and needs, to know the routines of the day and to express how they are feeling. When children become upset after a fall, staff sit with them and encourage them to use the pictorial lanyards to demonstrate how they are feeling. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities become confident in communicating using other aids. This supports children's personal, social and emotional development well.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Generally, staff introduce simple mathematics as children play. They count the balls of sand they make as they fill up the container. They encourage children to count to 10 as they wash their hands before snack time. Staff talk about size, shape and measure, which helps children learn early mathematical concepts.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff ensure children have plenty of opportunities to develop their physical skills. Children have lots of opportunities to strengthen their hand muscles during craft activities, sand and water play and when constructing towers together. However, some literacy activities are not tailored to the children's level or abilities. Staff have not liaised with the school that children will move on to, to check the knowledge and skills the teacher wishes the children to gain before starting school.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders prioritise the interests of the children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who are known to children's social care and those with barriers to their learning. They carefully monitor children's welfare and liaise with parents and the relevant agencies to ensure children are safe and well cared for.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Generally, leaders have an accurate overview of the nursery's strengths and areas for improvement. They reflect on practice with staff and make improvements to the routines, such as circle time, to enhance children's engagement. Staff say leaders are very supportive and they can have discussions with them at any time. Staff have targets for improvement and attend coaching and training opportunities, which enables them to implement new ideas into practice. However, when leaders identify curriculum areas that need improving, they do not focus monitoring and developing staff's practice in these areas as precisely as possible. Parents report positively about the nursery and are very pleased with the progress their children are making. They report that communication is good and that they receive information about their children's progress. Parents say they enjoy attending the fundraising days so that they can meet other parents and their children's friends and get a feel of how

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

their children enjoy their time at nursery.

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

Children arrive at this welcoming nursery with confidence, and most separate from their carers with ease. Those children who need some reassurance are swiftly supported by staff and quickly settle at the activities of their choosing. Children choose to sit and draw pictures, sharing that they are writing their names and telling staff the letters they are forming. Children hold pencils with control, developing their hand muscles and early literacy skills. They show they have developed positive relationships with the staff, who they readily approach for comfort or to engage them in their play.

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

Children generally show a positive attitude towards their learning. When engaging in creative activities, children draw, make collages and then help themselves to paints and paintbrushes. They spend long periods making their creations and talking about what they are doing with staff, who show interest in what the children are creating. Children develop their language and their creativity.

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About this setting

Unique reference number (URN): 2873890 Staff support children to share and take turns and negotiate when minor incidents occur, such as when sharing the resources. Staff ask children how they can resolve these minor disputes and this helps children do this for themselves. This means the environment is calm and children's learning is uninterrupted.

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About this setting

Leaders and staff implement a balanced curriculum overall that meets the children's needs. They carefully check children's progress and identify where children may need extra support. Leaders and staff liaise with parents and external agencies to put in place strategies that will help close any gaps in children's learning. Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who are known to children's social care and those with barriers to their learning, make steady progress in relation to their variable starting points.

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Next steps

Leaders should talk to children more consistently about the different food groups and how they affect the children's growth and development, to encourage their understanding of healthy food choices further. Leaders should focus coaching and training more specifically on staff performance in the curriculum areas identified as needing development, including aspects of literacy and mathematical development. Leaders should liaise more closely with the school to check what skills and knowledge the children need to gain for starting school.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, the special educational needs coordinator, 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 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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Address:

Stow on the Wold Primary School, St. Edwards Drive Stow on the Wold CHELTENHAM GL54 1AW

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Stow-on-the-Wold Early Years Support

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 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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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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