Kingfishers Pre-Schools

Kingfishers Pre-Schools
Unique reference number (URN): 2763451
Address: St Werburgh's CE (A) Primary School, Holt Lane, Kingsley, Staffordshire, ST10 2BA
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 01/12/2023
Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR
Registered person: Kingfishers Pre-Schools CIO
Inspection report: 23 April 2026
Exceptional
Strong standard
Expected standard
Needs attention
Urgent improvement
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.
How we evaluate safeguarding
When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:
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.

Expected standard
Achievement Expected standard
All children typically achieve well across all 7 areas of learning and development. They
thrive from their starting points. They develop confidence in their physical skills. Children
learn to use balance bikes and pedal bikes with control. They can run, jump and hop,
demonstrating coordination. This helps build children's strength, balance and gross motor
skills in readiness for future learning.
Children engage in back-and-forth conversations with their friends and staff. They learn
about the seasons and confidently explain what happens in spring, using their prior
knowledge. Children learn about the life cycles of butterflies and frogs. They closely observe
the different stages of life cycles and show curiosity and fascination as they notice changes
over time. This helps to support children's understanding and sense of wonder about the
natural world.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Leaders and staff have high expectations for all children's behaviour. Staff are good role
models and have a gentle approach with children. They help to remind children about the
rules of the setting. Children follow these rules and show respect and kindness towards their
friends and staff. Furthermore, children enjoy spending time with each other. Staff use
rhymes to help children understand their routines, such as tidy-up time and mealtimes.
Children work together as a team and help to tidy up and set up the table for mealtimes. As
a result, children behave well.
Leaders promote punctuality and attendance. They support and reinforce expectations for
all children and families. In addition, leaders support families by checking in with them and
ensure support is provided to reduce barriers. This ensures good habits for future success.
Staff have built warm and loving relationships with children. They genuinely care and know
their key children very well. Staff praise children for what they do well. For example, they
give children 'high fives' and say 'You did it!' This helps children to feel motivated and build
positive attitudes to their learning.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Leaders and staff have typically created a safe and welcoming space for children. Staff talk
to children about keeping themselves safe. Children understand the risks they may face
outdoors and take part in daily risk assessments with staff. Staff support children to
recognise the importance of checking equipment. Children report back to their friends and
say, 'The safety wedge is on the door so we don't trap our fingers'. This helps children to
develop an awareness of safety and take responsibility for keeping themselves safe.
Leaders work with families and share information about healthy meals. Children bring in
nutritious, balanced lunches. Staff talk to children about exercising and eating well. Children,

including those who face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing and disadvantaged
children, enjoy music and movement sessions. They join in with actions and use wooden
sticks as they tap these 'high, low, loudly and quietly'. This helps children to develop healthy
habits, understand how to look after their bodies and build confidence in being physically
active.
Care practices are managed and met with sensitivity. Children have built warm, secure
bonds with their key persons. Staff help children to talk about emotions and use stories to
explore how characters may feel. They encourage children to relate this to their own feelings
and experiences. This helps children to express their feelings and manage their emotions
effectively.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum that covers all areas of learning. Staff follow
all children's interests and adapt their teaching through their interactions. For example, when
children show an interest in dinosaurs, staff quickly provide experiences to build on this.
Children are excited as they explore with dough and dinosaurs. Typically, staff introduce
words such as roll and squeeze, and name dinosaurs, such as stegosaurus. Children
engage in daily back-and-forth conversations with staff. For example, about familiar
community roles, such as dentists, doctors and hairdressers. Staff encourage children to
make connections and talk about similarities and differences, ensuring all children are
supported to take part. They use visual cues effectively to aid understanding. This helps to
support children's understanding of the world and increases communication and language
skills.
Staff teach mathematical skills through purposeful play. They encourage children to count,
talk about size and recognise numbers in the environment. For example, children count how
many friends are at nursery and compare long, big and small minibeasts. As a result,
children develop their mathematical understanding.
Leaders and staff place an importance on developing children's self-care and independence
skills. For example, children go to the toilet, wash their hands, feed themselves and pour
their own drinks. However, at times staff do not consistently provide opportunities for older
children to develop their independence to prepare them for school. For example, staff often
get children's coats for them instead of encouraging children to do this for themselves.
Inclusion Expected standard
Leaders and staff are responsive to children's individual needs, including disadvantaged
children and those who face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing. They identify
children's emerging needs quickly and seek advice and support from professionals and
external agencies. Staff implement plans to ensure children receive the support they need.
For example, adapting the environment and providing calming spaces and using visual cues
to help children understand their routines. As a result, all children receive timely and
effective support.
Leaders take time to deepen their knowledge and understanding of speech and language.
Recently, they attended training to learn about an early communication screening tool to

benefit all children. However, leaders are yet to ensure that all staff receive this training to
embed consistently high-quality support for all children in their care.
Leaders and staff monitor the impact of the early years pupil premium. They use this funding
to help remove barriers to learning. Leaders have introduced dance sessions and purchased
resources to increase children's communication and language skills. As a result, children
develop confidence and engagement in their learning.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders are committed to improving the quality of care and education. They identify
strengths and areas they wish to develop further. Leaders and staff work in partnership with
the on-site school, so children receive a smooth transition when they eventually move to
school.
Leaders work closely with parents and their local community. Parents comment that their
children are happy and that staff have helped them settle quickly. They feel well supported
and appreciate regular updates and daily sharing of information. Parents enjoy attending
workshops and finding out about what their children are learning. As a result, parents feel
actively involved in their children's education.
Leaders support staff's wellbeing. Staff feel valued and appreciated and they have regular
supervision. They are keen to update their knowledge and improve their practice. Leaders
have identified and accessed training to further support children's learning and development.
They now need to embed this new training in daily practice to ensure all children receive
consistently high-quality support.
Compulsory Childcare Register requirements
This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.
How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Compulsory Childcare
Register
When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can
have the following outcomes:
Met
Not met

Voluntary Childcare Register requirements
This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register.
How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Voluntary Childcare
Register
When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can
have the following outcomes:
Met
Not met
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children are happy and settled in this caring and welcoming nursery. They have built secure,
warm bonds with their key persons and their friends. Staff provide high levels of care,
kindness and comfort. This helps children to settle quickly and have a sense of emotional
security. Children relish playing outdoors. They develop their physical skills as they
confidently ride trikes and balance as they walk along the bridge. Children enjoy searching
for minibeasts, such as worms, snails and woodlice and learn about their habitats. They
enjoy collecting minibeasts and show care and curiosity as they handle them with care.
Children demonstrate they feel safe and comfortable in their environments.
Children select books and take their favourite stories to staff, showing confidence and a
growing love of reading. Staff respond warmly and read to the children, who remain focused
and engaged as they listen attentively. They pause at key points in the text, enabling
children to finish familiar sentences and demonstrate their recall and understanding.
Children enjoy learning about numbers and shapes. They sing songs and rhymes, count
how many children are at nursery and talk about shapes and patterns they make in dough.
Children, including those facing other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing, behave
well. They know their rules of the nursery and remind each other. For example, when using
microscopes to observe ladybirds, children say, 'We need to take turns and share.' Children
build positive relationships with one another. They genuinely enjoy spending time with each
other and collaboratively play together. As a result, children are eager to learn and have
positive attitudes to their learning. In addition, leaders promote the importance of
attendance. They have clear systems in place to ensure all children's attendance is
monitored regularly.

Inspector:
Reena Rai-Aheer
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2763451
Address:
St Werburgh's CE (A) Primary School
Holt Lane
Kingsley
Staffordshire
ST10 2BA
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 01/12/2023
Registered person: Kingfishers Pre-Schools CIO
Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 17:45
Local authority: Staffordshire
Next steps
Leaders should ensure that all staff are supported to embed new training into practice to
help all children receive consistently high-quality support.
Leaders should should strengthen opportunities for all children to manage tasks
independently so they are consistently prepared for the move to school.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with the leaders, staff, parents and children during the 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.

Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 23 April 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
2 to 4
Total number of places
24
Our grades explained
Exceptional
Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.
Strong standard
The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of
them.
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.
Needs attention
The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary
improvements.
Urgent improvement
The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of
education and/or care.

The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspects
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.
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.
This publication is available at https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk.
Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information
and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn.
Piccadilly Gate
Store Street
Manchester
M1 2WD
T: 0300 123 1231
Textphone: 0161 618 8524
E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk
W: www.gov.uk/ofsted
© Crown copyright 2026
© Crown copyright