Summary
Nic Henson (lead), Kate Bate
What we read, and from where
Click a reading to see it highlighted in the report.
- Achievement verified
Expected standard
- Behaviour, attitudes and routines verified
Expected standard
- Children's welfare and wellbeing verified
Expected standard
- Curriculum and teaching verified
Expected standard
- Inclusion verified
Expected standard
- Leadership and governance verified
Expected standard
- Framework verified
Report card
- Group verified
W & G Harrison Ltd
- Inspection datesingle source
29 Jul 2026
- Inspectors AI-checked
Kate Bate, Nic Henson
- Postcode verified
PR4 2PR
- Name on report verified
Ribby Hall Nursery and Preschool
- Safeguarding verified
Met
- URN verified
309747
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 routinesExpected
- Children's welfare and wellbeingExpected
- 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.
- Warm and nurturing relationships ensure children typically follow routines that are rooted in high expectations. p.2
- Leaders have created a positive environment where children feel safe, happy and secure. p.2
- Leaders show a willingness and commitment to improvement in their own practice to secure excellent outcomes for children in their care. p.4
- This helps children establish positive routines and develop a strong foundation for their transition to school. p.2
- Staff are positive role models who are kind and caring. p.2
Concerns
Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.
No strong criticism found.
Next steps
Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.
- This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. p.5
- This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register. p.5
- Leaders should provide further support and guidance to ensure all staff consistently understand and apply daily risk assessment procedures. p.6
- Leaders should continue to strengthen the new curriculum to ensure all staff have a secure understanding of its intent and how planning supports consistently strong outcomes for all children. p.6
- Leaders should refine the deployment of staff so that they are consistently available to support all children to engage in learning. p.6
What the report dwells on
Topics by how often they come up, coloured by how they are described. Open one for an example.
Leadership & governance23
“Leaders have created a positive environment where children feel safe, happy and secure.” p.2Communication & language9
“Parents praise the communication from staff, stating they are approachable, warm and caring.” p.3Wellbeing & mental health7
“As a result, children are emotionally secure, confident and settled.” p.2
Anatomy of the report
How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.
- Pages
- 9
- Words of findings
- 1,991
- about usual (typical 1698)
- Reading level
- Hard
- Flesch 41, typical 43
- Average sentence
- 16 words
- Next steps
- 5
- typical 3
- Hedged sentences
- 3%
- “some”, “not always”, “most”…
Where the words go
Full report text
Ribby Hall Nursery and Preschool
Unique reference number (URN): 309747 Address: Ribby Road, Wrea Green, Preston, Lancashire, PR4 2PR Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 22/07/1998 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: W & G Harrison Ltd
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
Achievement Expected standard
Throughout the nursery, children benefit from a focus on their personal, social and emotional development, reflected in well-established routines. Children learn to share and take turns to build emotional resilience and empathy, with guidance from staff. Children show an understanding of behavioural expectations and can listen and follow instructions, appropriate to their age and stage of development. For example, children use their manners, saying, 'Can I have more? please!' or 'Ta' during mealtimes. Children make steady progress across all areas of learning. However, staff do not consistently understand children's identified next steps or what they need to build on next. As a result, they do not always use this knowledge to shape interactions and experiences that extend children's learning.
p.2
Achievement Expected standard
All children, including those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those facing barriers to learning, show positive attitudes to learning. Children build strong relationships with peers and adults. For example, they work together to use pegs to pick up coloured objects and sort them into corresponding bowls. They do this while using mathematical concepts such as 'more' and 'less' with supporting staff.
p.2
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Leaders have created a positive environment where children feel safe, happy and secure. Children are excited to attend, and parents share that they often talk positively about their experiences at nursery at home. Leaders are proactive in identifying patterns of non- attendance and work with families to support regular attendance. This helps children establish positive routines and develop a strong foundation for their transition to school. Leaders provide flexibility to enable families to access their full funded entitlement, supporting children to benefit from consistent learning and development opportunities.
p.2
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Warm and nurturing relationships ensure children typically follow routines that are rooted in high expectations. Staff are positive role models who are kind and caring. As a result, children generally behave well and have a clear sense of belonging. For instance, they confidently and warmly include new adults in their play, saying, 'Come and play with us.' Children have positive attitudes to learning and with the ongoing support and clear expectations of staff, they show high levels of perseverance. Overall, staff understand and consider children's uniqueness and make reasonable adaptations to maintain expectations of behaviour that reflect the children's ages and stages of development. However, on occasions, staff are not consistently well deployed within rooms. There are times when staff do not extend children's learning or monitor behaviour effectively. Staff manage disputes proportionately. Typically, the clear boundaries set by staff offer a fair and nurturing response
p.2
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Leaders and staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of the children in their care. They build trusting relationships and regularly ask children how they are feeling. For instance, children who want a cuddle are promptly given the support and care they need to recognise and manage their emotions. As a result, children are emotionally secure, confident and settled. Leaders and staff ensure that each child, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, feels safe, valued and supported, reinforcing children's sense of belonging.
p.2
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Staff encourage children to wash their hands at mealtimes, to begin to manage aspects of self-care, supporting independence. This promotes hygiene routines and creates a solid foundation of adopting healthy habits. Staff ensure children's dietary requirements are followed whilst ensuring a nutritional, balanced diet. There are some occasions, during busier times of the day, where staff are not consistently well placed to support each child to engage. However, overall, staff understand the importance of ensuring children are closely supervised to keep them safe. For example, staff sit with children while they eat and talk to them about their meal 'making us strong'. Staff in the baby room have secure knowledge and understanding of safe-sleeping guidance. They are confident with procedures to ensure children remain safe, such as placing babies on their backs and ensuring they are checked regularly. Staff adapt routines to ensure individual needs are met and align with home, which
p.3
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Leaders have designed a broad and balanced curriculum that is responsive to children's interests and promoting independence. For example, children are managing age- appropriate tasks independently, such as handwashing and using knives and forks to eat their lunch. They have a clear plan to bring about improvement and are in the early stages of delivering this to staff. During some activities, staff are not fully clear about the intent for children's learning. At these times, children do not fully benefit from high-quality teaching opportunities to extend their learning and deepen understanding further. However, overall, children develop the skills they need for the next stages of their learning.
p.3
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Staff who work with babies focus on supporting them to build solid foundations for the future, such as helping them to develop physical skills. For example, children scoop sand and manipulate play dough to strengthen their physicality to feed themselves at mealtimes. Babies are confident young learners and explore activities with enthusiasm. They roll and pat dough and say 'ball' to adults supporting them. Staff offer praise and reassurance.
p.3
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Children show enjoyment as they join in with adult-led activities. For example, listening to sounds and identifying the object. Staff use this time to support developing communication and language skills effectively. Outside, older children excitedly work together to build an obstacle course with hurdles. Staff support them to outline the rules and ensure turn-taking as well as manage risk safely.
p.3
Inclusion Expected standard
Leaders and staff ensure children experience an inclusive, welcoming environment where their uniqueness is valued and supported. Staff take time to learn about the families they serve. Close, ongoing partnerships with parents ensure that information is shared effectively and that parents play an active role in their children's learning journey. Parents praise the communication from staff, stating they are approachable, warm and caring. They share they feel reassured to have regular updates about their children.
p.3
Inclusion Expected standard
Additional funding, such as the early years pupil premium, is used to enhance provision and offer experiences that enrich early opportunities effectively to allow children to make progress. This reflects the dedication of staff who are responsible for supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or those facing barriers to learning. Leaders' knowledge and understanding of how best to utilise external professional support is evident. This builds trust and a shared understanding with families. For example, leaders support families to obtain early healthcare plans and speech and language support for children.
p.4
Inclusion Expected standard
Observations and assessments are typically used well by staff to monitor the progress children make and to identify any gaps in learning. Overall, when gaps are identified, key staff adapt learning experiences to suit individual needs. For example, staff working with older children change the focus of games to ensure inclusivity for all. Additionally, they use sign language to communicate routines that are well understood by children. Information is shared with staff at other settings that children attend, or will attend, to provide continuity in the approach to children's care and learning. This supports children to make smooth transitions.
p.4
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders have created an inclusive and nurturing environment where children's care and wellbeing are prioritised. They build positive partnerships with other professionals, including those who support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to ensure staff are well informed and able to meet children's individual needs. This helps children experience a successful transition into school.
p.4
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders demonstrate a reflective approach to continuous improvement. They regularly evaluate the effectiveness of their practice and implement initiatives that respond to the changing needs of the children. For example, leaders have developed a new curriculum that is tailored to the needs of the current cohort. Leaders recognise the importance of continuing to support staff to deepen their knowledge and consistently extend children's learning opportunities. This will ensure that the quality of teaching is consistently strong and has the greatest possible impact on outcomes for all children.
p.4
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders work collaboratively with staff, parents and professionals through open communication. Staff report that they feel well supported and valued by leaders, and a thoughtful package of support is provided to promote wellbeing. Leaders monitor teaching and staff development through clear supervision processes. Professional development opportunities are focused on raising the quality of care. However, leaders have not ensured that all staff have a consistently secure understanding of how to assess ongoing risks within the environment. As a result, risk assessment practices are not always fully embedded across the setting.
p.4
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders make positive links within the grounds they are situated in. For example, the children benefit from regular forest school sessions and yoga classes which promote mindfulness. They reach out to local schools to support transition for those children who are reaching the end of their journey with them to ensure they have the best possible start to school. Leaders show a willingness and commitment to improvement in their own practice to secure excellent outcomes for children in their care.
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
Voluntary Childcare Register requirements
This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register.
p.5
Register
When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:
p.5
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children are warmly welcomed into this nurturing environment where they feel valued and well cared for. Children arrive happy and settle quickly into well-known and established routines with staff, who care about them. Children build secure relationships with their key person and wider team. As a result, children demonstrate a sense of belonging and are confident young learners. Children typically demonstrate positive attitudes towards their learning. Overall, they enjoy the experiences on offer. Children engage well with planned activities and free play that cover all areas of learning. They are happy and proud to show their achievements. Children's personal, social and emotional development is nurtured in the nursery. The children are happy and confident to move around the rooms, accessing a range of activities and seeking support from staff when needed.
p.5
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children develop their social skills effectively through daily routines. They develop learning and typically show good levels of concentration in activities. For example, children happily access resources to draw, cut and paint. Staff weave literacy, mathematics and communication opportunities throughout the day, helping children apply their learning in meaningful ways. For example, children share books, mark make and name numbers in their play. Children benefit from a varied range of play opportunities. Outside, children benefit from forest school sessions. They also enjoy developing physical skills and coordination, building confidence as they climb, balance and use wheeled toys.
p.6
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children typically understand expectations, manage risk safely and regulate their emotions successfully with support by staff. Mealtimes, transitions and group activities are sociable. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning join activities alongside their peers and enjoy the same experiences. Staff work closely with parents and carers to manage this. In general, children behave well and demonstrate kindness and respect towards others. As a result, children develop good communication skills, resilience and emotional wellbeing.
p.6
Next steps
Leaders should provide further support and guidance to ensure all staff consistently understand and apply daily risk assessment procedures. Leaders should continue to strengthen the new curriculum to ensure all staff have a secure understanding of its intent and how planning supports consistently strong outcomes for all children. Leaders should refine the deployment of staff so that they are consistently available to support all children to engage in learning.
p.6
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, the special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator, children and parents 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:
Ribby Road Wrea Green Preston Lancashire PR4 2PR
p.7
Address:
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
p.7
Address:
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 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.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.
p.8
Urgent improvement
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p.8
Urgent improvement
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p.8
Urgent improvement
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Urgent improvement
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