Brighter Beginnings Day Nursery Limited

Brighter Beginnings Day Nursery Limited

Address: Rusholme Sure Start Centre, Great Western Street, Rusholme, Manchester, M14 4HA Unique reference number (URN): 1280331

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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, learners are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

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

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The provider has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The provider has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders and staff establish a culture in which apprentices’ needs are met. They accurately assess, identify and review apprentices’ support needs from the start of the apprenticeship. Trainers build positive relationships with apprentices to gather information that helps them develop a better understanding and reduce apprentices' barriers to learning.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders and trainers are proud to offer young people an entry point into a fulfilling early years career. They work in partnership with local charities to move young people with education, health and care plans or those who are not in education, employment or training, into apprenticeships. They promote diversity in the workforce, such as recruiting males into a typically female-dominated workforce.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders and trainers support and nurture care-experienced apprentices throughout their apprenticeship. Staff help young people to prepare effectively for transition to their apprenticeships. The apprenticeship often starts at a time when they are transitioning to independent living. Together with employers and care services, trainers help apprentices to develop the resilience to carefully navigate the challenges they face when leaving care. With this joint support, apprentices thrive at work and in learning.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders and those responsible for governance are ambitious for their apprentices. Leaders have a well-thought-out rationale and vision for providing industry-informed apprenticeships in the early years sector. They take an inclusive approach to provide an accessible curriculum where apprentices, including those facing disadvantage or barriers to learning, flourish. Leaders use their extensive experience of nursery provision to design curriculums that support apprentices to become competent, confident and valuable at work.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders and those responsible for governance know the strengths and areas for development of their provision. Leaders use a range of effective quality assurance activities to identify strengths and priorities for improvement, to share best practice and to inform staff development activities. They have taken effective steps to act on the recommendations from the previous inspection to improve the training that apprentices receive.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders provide a generally well-planned programme of staff development that helps trainers to maintain their sector expertise and to develop their teaching skills. They provide bespoke sector-related training on topics, such as sustainability and carbon literacy in early years. Trainers new to teaching benefit from completing qualifications in teaching and assessing.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff are proud to work at the provider. Leaders care about their staff and are mindful of workload and wellbeing. When staff raise concerns about workload, leaders respond quickly and flexibly to help them achieve a suitable work-life balance. Staff benefit from an employee assistance programme so they can access a range of support and guidance, including healthcare, counselling, legal and financial assistance.

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Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices, including those with barriers to learning, make expected progress from their starting points and typically achieve their apprenticeships in the planned time. They develop secure knowledge and skills that they need in the workplace. Early years lead practitioner apprentices develop the assertiveness to give feedback to the staff that they manage. Early years educator apprentices develop the skills they need to support children in their settings, including those with education, health and care plans.

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Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices develop their mathematics, English and digital skills throughout their training. They calculate costs of play equipment within a budget and explain their choices confidently and professionally. Apprentices revisit core concepts such as volume and mass so that they can teach numeracy accurately to children. Those working towards qualifications in English and mathematics make appropriate progress from their starting points and pass their examinations.

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Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices are well prepared for their next steps. Most remain in employment and many progress to higher levels of training. They develop increased independence and are trusted to take on more responsibilities at work.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Trainers teach well-planned and ambitious curriculums. They use their extensive expertise in the early years sector to teach accurately the knowledge and skills that apprentices need to succeed in their jobs. Trainers teach content beyond the apprenticeship to further enhance apprentices’ knowledge and skills and to prepare to progress to higher levels of training or promoted posts.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Trainers and employers work closely to coordinate on- and off-the-job training effectively. Trainers teach transitions at an optimal time so that apprentices can apply their learning when preparing children to transition to school. Where they identify gaps in apprentices’ learning or behaviours, trainers plan training that closes these gaps swiftly. Employers praise the responsiveness and diligence of staff in training apprentices to their specific standards and meeting apprentices’ needs. Trainers and employers support apprentices with barriers to learning well in training and at work. Apprentices with dyslexia use dictionaries and proofread their work with their employer, to make sure that their communications to parents and carers are accurate and meet professional expectations.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Trainers generally use effective teaching strategies. They anchor new topics in concepts that are familiar to apprentices and use questioning effectively to enable apprentices to make connections to previously taught topics. Trainers use assessment frequently to make sure that apprentices’ knowledge and understanding is secure, before moving on. Trainers on the level 3 early years educator apprenticeship use questioning highly effectively to develop apprentices’ fluency in the application of child development theory. However, in a few instances, trainers do not check learning effectively, such as apprentices' understanding of key terminology.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Leaders establish a positive and respectful culture where apprentices belong and thrive. Apprentices feel safe, know how to behave professionally and how to raise any concerns that they may have. They are confident that staff will respond appropriately and sensitively to their concerns. Apprentices feel valued and heard.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Leaders have high expectations for attendance both in work and learning. Apprentices’ attendance is high. Where apprentices cannot attend, they notify their trainers promptly, and benefit from one-to-one catch-up sessions to get them back on track quickly.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Trainers share helpful, tailored guidance to support apprentices’ health, wellbeing and safety. They personalise training to their apprentices’ age, experiences and communities. For example, trainers introduce the concept of consent in the context of situations where apprentices may lose their inhibitions. They teach about the dangers of entering water and the different-coloured warning flags on beaches.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Trainers make sure that apprentices are well-informed about their potential career, next steps and wider opportunities, including opportunities to work abroad. They help apprentices understand the qualifications and entry requirements required for progression, degree-level study and management roles. Although trainers talk to apprentices about their careers, they have only recently formalised this training.

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What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Apprentices develop significantly in confidence in both their work and personal lives because of their training. They develop the confidence to speak publicly at parent and carer events. Apprentices swiftly feel part of established staff teams and enjoy strong bonds with their colleagues. They are ambitious for their futures in the early years sector.

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What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Apprentices develop positive working relationships with their trainers and peers. They enjoy sharing their ideas and experiences at work, in lessons and listen attentively to the contributions of others. Apprentices value the nurturing environment in which trainers support them well to develop the knowledge, skills and resilience they need to be successful.

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What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Apprentices feel welcome and secure in their learning. With support from their trainers, apprentices develop the confidence to express their worries. For example, those apprentices who are care experienced learn how to manage the emotions of adverse childhood experiences and to advocate for themselves.

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What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Apprentices enjoy their training and the variety of tasks that they complete. They immerse themselves in individual research projects and activity planning. Apprentices enjoy discussing their ideas and problem-solving when collaborating on group projects. They learn valuable skills of teamwork and cooperation as they learn. Early years educator apprentices identify the multiple ways that early mathematical concepts, such as volume, measuring and comparison, can be taught and reinforced through taking part in fun water activities in the nursery garden.

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What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Apprentices reflect proudly on their developing skills. They learn how researching and planning the activities that they undertake with children improves the effectiveness of their work. Apprentices see the impact of their training and their hard work in their job roles. They benefit from the positive feedback that they receive from their trainers and employers.

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Next steps

Leaders should further strengthen professional learning to enhance trainers’ teaching skills and make sure that they check learning effectively. Leaders should make evidence-informed adaptations to their inclusion strategy and make sure that staff systematically review and adapt the support that they provide for apprentices. Leaders should ensure that apprentices make extensive progress from their starting points and produce a consistently high standard of work. Leaders should make sure that trainers routinely embed high-quality careers education and guidance throughout the curriculum.

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About this inspection

Following our updated inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with governors, leaders, trainers, apprentices, employers and managers during the inspection.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the provider:

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About this inspection

Brighter Beginnings Day Nursery Limited, trading as Race Ahead, is a national independent learning provider with registered offices in Knutsford, Cheshire and a training base in

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Lead inspector:

Alastair Mollon, His Majesty's Inspector

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Team inspectors:

Hayley Lomas, His Majesty's Inspector Alison Dennis, His Majesty's Inspector Glenise Burrell, His Majesty's Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This was the data available at the time of the full inspection, taken from different sources . More recent data may have been published since the full inspection took place.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The inspector(s) used this data during the full inspection on 25 August 2026

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Apprenticeships overall achievement rate

Rusholme, Manchester. Race Ahead offers apprenticeship training in the early years sector, with teams established in both the north and south of the country.

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Apprenticeships overall achievement rate

At the time of inspection, there were 292 apprentices in learning. Of these, just under a third were aged 16 to 18, and two-thirds were aged 19 and above. Most apprentices were on the level 3 early years educator apprenticeship, with smaller numbers on the level 2 early years practitioner apprenticeship and the level 5 early years lead practitioner apprenticeship. There were fewer than 5 apprentices on a range of education, business support and hospitality apprenticeships.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other providers can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The provider reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The provider 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 provider 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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