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Early years · Report card

Positive Steps Childcare LTD

Inspected 14 Sept 2026 · URN 2747438

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Summary

No overall grade in this frameworkSafeguarding met

Claire Muddimer (lead), Charmaine Cayton

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

    Positive Steps Childcare Limited

  • Inspection datesingle source

    14 Sept 2026

  • Inspectors AI-checked

    Charmaine Cayton, Claire Muddimer

  • Postcode verified

    DE23 8ER

  • Name on report verified

    Positive Steps Childcare LTD

  • Safeguarding verified

    Met

  • URN verified

    2747438

Page 1 of 8
Page 1 of the report

Deep dive

What this report says

In plain English

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Grade profile

Hollow rings show the previous inspection, 2026.

  • 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.

+68Positivemore positive than 41% of reports of this type

In line with other reports of this type.

Praisepositivepositivelyenjoyconsistentlyeffectivelyvery welltrusting relationshipsfeel safe
Criticismconcernsnot consistentlylimited

How the report reads, start to finish

Every paragraph in order, sized by length. Tap one to see it on the page.

FindingsSafeguardingAbout the inspectionLeadershipWhat needs to improve positive critical
  • Findings1323w+70
  • Leadership190w+71
  • Safeguarding51w−11
  • What needs to improve104w0

Strengths

Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.

Concerns

Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.

No strong criticism found.

Next steps

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What the report dwells on

Topics by how often they come up, coloured by how they are described. Open one for an example.

Anatomy of the report

How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.

Pages
8
Words of findings
1,668
about usual (typical 1698)
Reading level
Hard
Flesch 48, typical 43
Average sentence
16 words
Next steps
4
typical 3
Hedged sentences
2%
“some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 65%Leadership 9%Safeguarding 3%What needs to improve 5%About the inspection 18%

Full report text

Positive Steps Childcare LTD

Unique reference number (URN): 2747438 Address: 4 Loudon Street, Derby, DE23 8ER Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 19/09/2023 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Positive Steps Childcare Limited

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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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Achievement Expected standard

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with barriers to their learning, make steady progress from their starting points. Overall, children develop the key skills they need ready for their next stage in learning and move on to school.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children develop the confidence they need to separate from their parents and carers. Typically, children develop appropriate communication skills, and engage in conversation with staff and each other as they play. Children gain important social skills and learn to manage their emotions. They learn to share, take turns and build warm relationships with staff and their peers. Children understand the rules and expectations for behaviour and engage positively in the daily routine.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children receive encouragement to do things for themselves and be independent. They wash their hands, put on their shoes and make choices and decisions. Children develop their small-muscle strength as they use their hands and tools to pat, squeeze and roll dough.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Leaders and staff implement a consistent approach to helping children to understand the expectations for their behaviour. They are positive role models, lead by example and help children to understand the impact of their behaviour on others. Leaders offer lots of praise and encouragement. This contributes positively to children's sense of achievement and confidence. Staff use visual tools to help children to understand and recognise their emotions. For example, they consider how the environment can impact on how children feel. Children build positive relationships with staff and each other. They learn to share and take turns, and play cooperatively with each other.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Typically, children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to their learning, demonstrate a positive attitude and motivation to join in. Generally, children are supported appropriately by staff, and remain engaged in activities that they enjoy. However, staff do not consistently motivate children to want to find out more and extend what they know and can do.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Leaders and staff understand the importance of attendance and punctuality. They promote and help families to develop consistent routines to support children's learning now and in the future. Leaders monitor and follow up on unexplained non-attendance to help support children's safety and wellbeing.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders ensure that robust policies and procedures are in place, are up to date and reflect current guidance and expectations. They ensure that these are understood by staff and consistently implemented to support children's welfare and wellbeing. Leaders and staff take time to get to know children and their parents and carers well. They promote a regular two- way exchange of information to help ensure children's care and needs are consistently met.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders and staff work hard to create a welcoming environment, where children can play safely indoors and outside. They actively promote healthy lifestyles through activities and daily routines while considering children's different lifestyles and experiences. Leaders and staff ensure that children are supervised and remain seated at all times when they are eating, to promote their safety. Staff take time to explain to children why this is important to help build healthy habits for the future. Staff talk to children and encourage them to make healthy food choices at snack time, and talk about the importance of keeping hydrated. Staff are positive role models and hygiene routines are well established. Children learn about the importance of washing their hands before eating and how to appropriately brush their teeth.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders and staff design a curriculum that reflects the needs of children that attend, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with barriers to their learning. Staff use observation and assessment effectively to identify what they want children to learn next. They work closely with parents and carers and gather useful information from them to help understand children's backgrounds and experiences. Leaders and staff recognise where children need the most support. They use their knowledge of individual children well to help inform the activities they provide.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff work well together to ensure that all children receive appropriate support and are included. Overall, their interactions with children are positive. Staff promote children's love of books. They regularly read to children. Staff's engaging delivery helps to capture children's interest and enjoyment. Staff regularly revisit favourite books with children and encourage them to think and share what they remember about the familiar story. Staff introduce new words and repeat them in both English and children's home languages to help support children's understanding. However, on occasion, staff do not consistently make sure that the information they offer is accurate or built upon. This does not help to avoid any misconceptions and extend children's knowledge further.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Typically, staff introduce mathematical ideas through children's play, activities and routines. For example, staff narrate play and incorporate mathematical language, such as 'full', 'empty', 'heavy' and 'light', as children play with sand. Staff encourage children to join in and count the number of scoops it takes to fill a container.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders and staff work closely together to help make sure that all children learning benefit from a welcoming and inclusive environment. They assess children's individual needs and any barriers to their learning. Staff appropriately identify areas where children need additional support. Ongoing review and reflection, in the main, help to ensure that leaders recognise when interventions for children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, have been successful or when further adaptations are needed. Leaders and staff work sensitively with parents and carers. They understand the importance of building trusting relationships. Leaders complete home visits to enable them to see children in their familiar environment and to help build a rapport with them and their families from the start. This helps leaders and staff to identify any concerns about children's development early and put appropriate interventions in place.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders and staff work with external agencies to help ensure appropriate support for each individual child. Leaders demonstrate a sound understanding of the appropriate use of funding. They ensure that this is used to benefit the individual children it is for.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have worked effectively with staff to make the necessary improvements since the last inspection. They have an action plan in place and share a commitment to continue to develop and further improve the quality of the provision.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders and staff work very well together. Leaders recognise and value staff's knowledge, skills and contributions. Staff wellbeing is high. Leaders demonstrate a proactive approach to continually improving their own and staff's knowledge and practice through training and research. They recognise the importance of reflecting on their own and each other's practice, offering constructive feedback during daily discussions and planned supervision meetings.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders and staff understand the importance of working in partnership with parents and carers. They maintain frequent contact through daily discussions at arrival and drop-off times. Leaders share the setting's policies and procedures with parents. They advise them on relevant guidance, often translated into different languages to help ensure that all parents are kept well informed. Leaders and staff engage positively with other agencies and professionals to help support children's care and education both at the setting and when it is time for children to move on, including to school.

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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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Voluntary Childcare Register requirements

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

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Register

When we check if settings meet the Voluntary 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, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and who face barriers to their learning, and their families are warmly welcomed into the setting by the kind and nurturing staff. Children that are new or recently returning for the new term are offered sensitive reassurance to help them settle and feel comfortable in the environment. Staff speak to children in their home languages alongside English, contributing positively to children's sense of belonging. Children learn to understand the routines, expectations for their behaviour and how to keep themselves safe. For example, they know that they must walk when they are inside and sit down when they are eating. Children play and learn in a calm and harmonious environment.

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

Leaders and staff know children well. They provide learning experiences and resources that they know children are interested in and will enjoy. Children are confident to choose what they would like to play with and know where to find things. In the role-play area, children show effective coordination and physical skills as they hold plastic fruit with one hand and a plastic knife in the other to cut up the pretend fruit. They play cooperatively with each other, sharing resources and talking about what they are going to cook for their families. Other children use magnetic shapes. They carefully place one on top of the other to create some complex structures and vehicles. Children join in with familiar songs and rhymes during planned activities and during daily routines.

p.5

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

Children gain a sense of responsibility for environment. They respond positively to staff's gentle reminders to put toys away when they have finished playing. Children help to sweep up the sand to minimise the risk of slipping, and help to prepare the table for snack time.

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Positive Steps Childcare Limited

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 09:00 - 14:30

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Next steps

Leaders should strengthen staff's teaching to help deepen children's breadth of knowledge and avoid misconceptions. Leaders should help staff to know when to offer more support to help motivate children to find out more and build on what they know and can do.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, parents and carers 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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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. 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 .

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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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