Little Owls Nursery Hunslet St Mary's

Little Owls Nursery Hunslet St Mary's
Unique reference number (URN): EY337544
Address: Hunslet St Mary's C of E Primary School, Church Street, Hunslet, Leeds, LS10 2QY
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 06/09/2006
Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR
Registered person: Leeds City Council
Inspection report: 4 February 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.

Strong standard
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard
Children's behaviour and attitudes are a significant strength of the setting. Joint
development of the setting's rules leads to a highly effective and consistent implementation.
This results in a calm and nurturing environment, where all children are actively engaged in
learning. Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour and use their skills to support
children to make thoughtful choices and to be kind to their friends. During circle time,
children support their new friends to join in as they remember everyone's names.
Practitioners consistently support children's positive choices with lots of praise, which
validates their behaviour.
Practitioners are excellent role models as they demonstrate kindness and good manners
throughout their interactions with children. As a result, children have well-developed social
skills as they play alongside their peers. Children who have less confidence are supported
by practitioners and their peers. For example, children support their friends as they sing their
favourite song. Practitioners work with parents and carers to support regular attendance and
have a flexible approach towards meeting the needs of families.
Inclusion Strong standard
Leaders ensure that all children are welcomed, including those children with special
educational needs and/or disabilities. All practitioners are very knowledgeable about
supporting children, who have challenges to learning. Targeted training supports this very
well. Staff attend sessions with specialist professionals to extend their knowledge. As a
result, the environment and interactions meet and exceed the needs of all children attending
the setting. For example, children who are non-verbal access visual communication cards
that are available in all areas of the setting and support children's communication particularly
well.
Practitioners know and understand the differing needs of families and are consistent in
inclusive practice. The induction process includes home visits, which enable practitioners to
establish children's starting points and plan effectively for them to rapidly reach their next
steps from the outset. Practitioners regularly communicate with parents and carers. They
provide ideas and strategies to use at home. For example, parents are provided with
resources and information to support children in learning about colours. Children benefit
from this partnership working, which ensures that they are constantly building on their
learning.
Leadership and governance Strong standard
Leaders include all practitioners and external agencies to complete detailed analysis of the
setting's strengths and areas of improvement to inform the setting's planning. This enhances
the learning experiences of children and families. The leaders' dedication to continuous
development results in a culture of high-expectation and professionalism that is embedded
across the setting. Partnerships with families, health professionals and support agencies are

Expected standard
purposeful and result in coordinated support for children with complex needs. Leaders
thoughtfully develop engagement with parents, and carers and adapt strategies to
encourage parental involvement. For example, drop-in sessions provide parents with
practical support.
Leaders are reflective, supporting practitioners through professional discussions, regular
supervision and mentorship. Leaders understand how to utilise staff skills to enhance the
learning experiences of children. This is well supported by the local authority team. Leaders
are active listeners and practitioners feel that their opinions are valued. As a result,
practitioners demonstrate high professional aspirations, feel well supported to fulfil their
roles, and benefit from a culture of shared practice. This is clearly reflected in practitioner's
interactions.
Achievement Expected standard
Children make secure progress in this warm and stimulating setting. They build on their
confidence in the well-resourced outdoor area and are supported through quality
interactions provided by practitioners. For example, children show independence as they
retrieve a ball that has become stuck in the fence. Children are proud of their actions as they
state, 'I got the ball' and practitioners provide a meaningful narrative and celebrate children's
achievements with them.
Children develop their personal, social and emotional skills as they form friendships and
play alongside others, supported by the warm relationships with practitioners. Children with
barriers to their learning are supported well through practitioner's detailed understanding of
their needs and circumstances. All children make effective progress from their starting
points.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Children thrive in this warm, nurturing and safe environment, where secure attachments and
positive relationships underpin practice. This allows those with special educational needs
and/or disabilities to receive the individual support they need. Practitioners have an
excellent understanding of how to teach children to attend to their own needs. For example,
children pour their own drinks and know when they need to wash their hands.
Parents and carers are provided with support to promote children's good health and state
that they feel empowered to make positive choices. They receive clear instruction on how to
prepare a healthy lunch box, for instance. Families develop close and meaningful
relationships with the setting. Practitioners understand their role in teaching children how to
be healthy. They regularly go on visits to people who help us, such as the opticians and
dentist. Practitioners extend children's learning as they share a book about dental health.
However, they do not extend this to practical learning and support to help children practise
how to keep themselves healthy, such as learning to brush their own teeth.

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Leaders and practitioners have created a thoughtfully designed educational environment.
The warm and friendly atmosphere nurtures children's personal, social and emotional
development and complements their ambitious and inclusive curriculum. As a result, all
children engage confidently and show enthusiasm for learning. During physical activities,
children demonstrate their hula-hooping skills as practitioners provide lots of support and
celebrate achievement. All practitioners have appropriate knowledge of the importance of
physical activity and recognise the barriers experienced by some children.
The focus of the curriculum is communication, language and developing resilience. This is a
language-rich environment, where children demonstrate their love of books. Practitioners
support children's communication and language skills effectively. They recognise the
challenges for children who speak English as an additional language, and adapt their
practice to meet their needs. All children use and practise appropriate and varied language,
and are confident to share their ideas with others.
The staff team know the curriculum well and use meaningful interactions to enhance the
provision. However, the curriculum is not specifically focused on how how the skills to
strengthen children's transition to school will be taught. Although children typically develop
these skills, this occurs by chance not by the design of the curriculum.
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 receive a warm welcome at this highly inclusive setting. They benefit from the very
friendly and helpful attitude of practitioners. There is a warm and stimulating energy in this
setting, which results in children being engaged with the resources and activities on offer.
The setting has a well-considered curriculum, which meets the wide variety of children's
needs. Children move confidently through their day, knowing that practitioners are attentive
to their needs and are quick to respond, when they need guidance and reassurance.
Children thrive emotionally and socially.
Children are encouraged to share, take turns and resolve small disagreements with support,
which builds resilience and empathy. Staff model respectful communication and children
mirror this in their play. There is a great emphasis on inclusion throughout the setting.
Children with special needs and/or disabilities are considered in every aspect of the
curriculum, with tailored support that helps them participate alongside their peers. Leaders
have oversight of the setting and have clear priorities for improvement. They develop
positive and effective relationships with children, parents and external agencies to ensure all
children receive the support they need to make progress.
Next steps
Leaders should enhance the setting's curriculum to ensure that there are clear intentions
for what they want children to learn to prepare them for future challenges and transition to
school.
Leaders should provide opportunities for children to learn and practise self-care skills that
will have a positive impact on their future health.

Inspector:
Debbie Crookes
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): EY337544
Address:
Hunslet St Mary's C of E Primary School
Church Street
Hunslet
Leeds
LS10 2QY
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 06/09/2006
Registered person: Leeds City Council
Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:20 - 15:15
Local authority: Leeds
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, parents and carers 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.

This data is from 4 February 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
2 to 4
Total number of places
36
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.
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