Your Co-Op Little Pioneers Nursery and Pre-School Apley

School Apley

Unique reference number (URN): 2887586 Address: Unit 2 Coopers Mill, Apley, Telford, TF1 6BU Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 04/03/2026 Registers: EYR, CCR Registered person: Places For Children (PFP) 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.2

How we evaluate safeguarding

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

p.2

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.2

Achievement Needs attention

Staff get to know children and use a variety of assessment methods to identify some of their learning needs. They work with parents and carers to create an assessment of each child's starting point. This helps them to discover children's unique needs and interests. That said, leaders and staff do not always make effective adaptations to ensure that all children achieve well from their starting points.

p.2

Achievement Needs attention

Children enjoy listening to and joining in with stories and songs. They develop their listening and attention skills as they move up through nursery. Children make progress with their speech and language, sometimes with additional support from staff, although interactions between staff and children are often limited. This means that children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, do not always make sustained levels of progress in preparation for the next stage of their learning.

p.2

Achievement Needs attention

Children in the baby room receive some support to develop their physical skills. Staff hold out their hand to offer stability when children start to walk, although babies are often carried by staff. This impacts on children's opportunities to develop their independence. As children move on to the toddler room, they learn how to move in different ways over soft-play equipment and begin to make further progress with their physical skills.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

Leaders and staff set appropriate expectations for children's behaviour. They attempt to establish effective routines, although inconsistencies in practice have a negative impact on this. Staff do make some attempts to teach boundaries and routines, particularly in the pre- school room. Actions to improve the consistency of practice are at an early stage, and it is too soon to determine the impact of this work. Leaders recognise the needs of children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or other barriers to their learning. They attempt to offer additional support. However, inconsistencies in staffing levels and deployment mean that this is not always possible. This means that children who require additional staff guidance during changes in routine do not always receive the best level of support.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

Leaders promote the importance of regular attendance and work with families to establish suitable routines for children. Children join together for mealtimes and sit quietly to listen for their name as staff read out the register. Leaders and staff are positive role models. They teach children the importance of treating each other with kindness and respect. Children develop warm and trusting relationships with key members of staff, particularly those children in the baby room. Staff make attempts to teach children the skills needed to develop positive attitudes towards their learning. This helps children to focus their attention on activities.

p.3

Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

Leaders ensure that policies and procedures are in place and shared with staff through induction and staff meetings. However, these are not implemented well enough to ensure that children's welfare and wellbeing are promoted effectively. At times, children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) or other barriers to their learning, spend time wandering around alone, without positive interactions from staff. This impacts on their welfare and wellbeing.

p.3

Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

Leaders promote the development of positive relationships between staff and children. This begins when children and families are invited for initial induction and settling-in sessions. Children develop attachments with key members of staff, and their individual care needs are attended to. However, changes in the deployment or availability of staff mean that children do not always receive the consistency of care that they require. This does not help to promote secure attachments and a sense of belonging, particularly for children with SEND.

p.3

Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

Staff teach children how to live healthy lifestyles. They provide children with opportunities to be active, as well as quiet times when they can rest or sleep safely. Children confidently wash their hands before they eat. At mealtimes, children receive a balanced and nutritious variety of food. They learn how to serve and feed themselves. Systems are in place to ensure that children only receive food that meets their dietary requirements.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders have appropriate ambitions for the curriculum and the skills that they plan to teach children in readiness for the next stage of their education. However, inconsistencies in staffing, routines and practice have a negative impact on children's learning opportunities. Staff plan some activities to support children's interests, although these are limited and not always targeted towards children's individual needs and abilities. Children join in with song and story time activities, where they make choices about the songs that they sing and hear stories about their local area. Staff comment and ask questions about local attractions that children have visited. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or other barriers to their learning do not receive consistent support to access activities in line with their peers. Lack of consistency in staffing means that these children do not always receive

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

targeted support. These children often walk around the environment without targeted intervention from staff.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Staff plan activities to celebrate events that take place, such as major football tournaments, but activities lack meaning for children and do not promote the development of new skills. For instance, staff prepare pre-ripped red and white paper and glue for children to stick onto a cardboard hat. Children are not always aware of the purpose of the activity. Staff do not offer individual teaching to adapt the activity according to children's abilities.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Staff in the toddler room recognise that physical development is a strength for the children that attend. They plan creative activities to support children to work cooperatively with their peers. For instance, children work together to build obstacle courses. They reinforce this with activities with soft-play equipment. Staff support children as they explore ways of moving up and over steps and down the slide. Children learn to take turns and manage risks.

p.4

Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders use additional funding to purchase resources and training to support children's learning. They liaise with key staff to determine children's learning needs. However, inconsistencies in staff's practice mean that children do not always receive individual support to access these resources. This has a negative impact on children's experiences. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not consistently receive effective input from staff to encourage them to join in with activities or to develop their communication and language skills.

p.4

Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders and staff are aware of the needs of children. They build positive relationships with parents and carers to find out children's individual needs and experiences. Staff use assessment to identify children's learning and areas for development. Leaders and staff identify children with SEND or other barriers to their learning and start to take appropriate action to support them. This includes working closely with parents and other agencies. However, weaknesses in staff deployment and teaching mean that children with SEND or other barriers to their learning do not always receive appropriate levels of supervision and support.

p.4

Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders identify that children with SEND require adaptations to their learning and the curriculum that is delivered to them. They know that some children require greater input with their communication and language development. Staff attend training in assessing and supporting children's speech and language, but this has not yet been implemented in the setting.

p.4

Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders have an awareness of the setting's strengths and where they need to improve. Changes to the leadership team are having an impact on the day-to-day running of the setting. Leaders are conscious of the wellbeing of staff and the impact of changes to practice. That said, the journey towards improvement is in its infancy and is not yet having a positive impact. Leaders offer a variety of support to staff. They share information about changes taking place, including the safe recruitment of a new leadership team. Leaders regularly spend time in the rooms with staff and children to offer guidance and support. They offer individual meetings with staff to discuss practice and professional development opportunities. Despite this, challenges with staff deployment have a negative impact on staff wellbeing and practice.

p.4

Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders engage well with parents and carers and other professionals. Parents feel well supported and are updated on their child's learning journey through the nursery. Leaders promote regular attendance and make adaptations, where possible, to support the wellbeing of children and families that attend. Leaders work closely with other agencies that are involved with children. They invite advice and support on how they can best meet the needs of children that attend. For instance, staff work with speech and language therapists to plan strategies to support children's communication development. However, the quality of staff's interactions continues to be an area for development.

p.5

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

Children learn and join in with some of the routines at the setting. However, sometimes, opportunities are limited, particularly for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or other barriers to their learning. Challenges with the deployment of staff mean that children do not always receive support to follow routines and benefit from activities. Children are happy and settled in the nursery. They develop positive attachments with key members of staff, who meet their care needs well.

p.5

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

Children demonstrate enjoyment in some of the activities that are planned for them. For instance, babies enjoy listening to stories and ask for more when one has finished. They show interest in water play with small-world sea creatures. Children learn the names of the different creatures, such as 'whale' and 'shark', as staff name these for them. However, communication between staff and children is not consistent. Children do not always receive quality interactions from staff, which impacts on children's learning.

p.6

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

Children begin to develop their independence through encouragement to put on their own shoes and by serving their own meals at lunchtime. Children practise washing their own hands and feeding themselves. They learn to look for their own pictures and names at the tables at mealtimes. Children learn how to manage risks as they build and climb on equipment. They create obstacle courses with the support of staff. Children begin to work cooperatively with their peers and take turns to climb up and over equipment.

p.6

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

Children make choices between the learning opportunities that are planned for them. For instance, older children begin to explore growth by mixing grass seeds with compost to make 'hairy caterpillars'. Other children join in with mark-making or craft activities. However, activities are not always targeted towards children's specific needs, and staff do not always differentiate their teaching according to children's individual learning requirements.

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

provide support, coaching and training for staff to enhance teaching and to promote the interests of children 15/07/2026

p.6

Action Completion Date

reflect on the different learning needs of children and make appropriate staffing arrangements to consistently meet the needs of all children 15/07/2026

p.6

Action Completion Date

improve staff's understanding of the different ways in which children learn, and adjust teaching to fully support their development 15/07/2026

p.6

Inspectors:

Ali Myers Grace Kleanthous Suzanne Taylor

p.7

Address:

Unit 2 Coopers Mill Apley Telford TF1 6BU

p.7

Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

p.7

Address:

Registered person: Places For Children (PFP) Limited

p.7

Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:30

p.7

About this inspection

The inspectors spoke with leaders, staff, children and parents and carers during the inspection.

p.7

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.7

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. 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.8

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. 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.9

Urgent improvement

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

p.9

Urgent improvement

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

p.9