Echoes Childcare Limited

Echoes Childcare Limited
Unique reference number (URN): 2674659
Address: Winslade House, Manor Drive, Clyst St Mary, Exeter, Devon, EX5 1FY
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 27/01/2022
Registers: EYR, CCR
Registered person: Echoes Childcare Limited
Inspection report: 20 May 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
Generally, all children make progress across all areas of learning in the early years
foundation stage. Babies develop their early communication skills effectively. For example,
they learn the hand sign to say they are hungry. This helps babies to express and
communicate their needs more clearly. Generally, toddlers benefit from repeated
opportunities to hear stories. This helps them to strengthen their listening and attention skills
further. Typically, pre-school-age children practise their speech by engaging in back-and-
forth conversation with staff and each other.
All children widen their knowledge of numbers. Babies hear staff read books with numbers.
Toddlers run around the garden calling out numbers they know. Pre-school-age children
self-serve their lunch. They count out how many potatoes and vegetables are on their
plates. Overall, children show confidence in mathematical language and concepts.
Typically, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make progress
in their language and communication. For example, they progress from using no words
when they start, to being able to say the names of their friends. Children with SEND or those
that may face barriers to their learning show perseverance to master new skills.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Overall, leaders and staff have high expectations of children's behaviour. They talk to
children at their height and remind them about how to be kind and respectful. For example,
before toddlers go outside, staff remind them to not 'scare the bees'. This helps to develop
children's consideration of others and builds on children's social skills effectively.
Staff support all children, including children with special educational needs and/or
disabilities, to manage their feelings effectively. They implement strategies to help children
who may become overwhelmed. Staff talk about emotions with children and use sensory
resources, such as putty. This helps children to be calm and regulate their feelings.
Children establish secure bonds with staff who know them well. Staff are attentive to
children's care needs. For example, staff respond quickly when babies feel tired or
overstimulated. They offer them comfort and/or distract them, ensuring they prioritise their
wellbeing.
Leaders monitor children's attendance and punctuality to ensure their safety and welfare.
They adapt children's sessions to meet the needs of individual children. Leaders share the
importance of attending regularly with parents and carers to further children's learning and
development.
Generally, children develop a positive attitude towards their learning. They are active
learners and benefit from daily outdoor experiences. However, at times, staff do not

consistently extend children's learning, which impacts on their attitude towards their
learning.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Leaders ensure policies and procedures to promote children's health and welfare are robust
and understood by staff. For example, they monitor and oversee the administering of
medication, to ensure staff meet children's individual care needs.
Staff encourage children to be independent in their personal care and learn to live healthy
lives. They consider the age and stage of children, including those with barriers to their
learning. Staff teach them how to wipe their noses. Toddlers and pre-school-age children
know to put their tissue in the bin and wash their hands afterwards. Staff remind children
why they need to do this. These children remember it is 'to wash away the germs'.
Children love to be physically active. They ride balance bicycles, play running games and
weave in out of obstacles as they develop their spatial awareness. Children are resilient. If
they fall over, they get back up again and keep going. Children learn about oral health and
how to care for their teeth. Staff support this by providing children with nutritious food.
Leaders implement an extended settling-in period for all children. This helps children to
settle quickly. Staff observe that children form warm and trusting relationships with them
swiftly as a result. Although leaders prioritise children's welfare and wellbeing, they do not
have a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of all external professionals working
with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Generally, there is an ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum in place. Leaders identify
the skills and knowledge they want children to learn. Overall, leaders prepare children well
for their next stage of education. Staff build on children's physical development to support
them to gain the skills they need to manage their personal care needs sufficiently. They
encourage babies to practise grasping objects and use large tweezers in the garden. Staff
support toddlers to hold and carry cups in outside water play. These skills are purposefully
sequenced so that children can eventually master using a water dispenser, fill up their water
cups and feed themselves using controlled hand–eye coordination skills.
Staff adapt the curriculum for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities
(SEND) to ensure their transitions to their next room are smooth. For example, children
make regular visits to meet children with SEND in advance of any change. This means
children with SEND can become familiar with new faces and begin to make relationships
with new friends before they move.
Books are a key part of the curriculum. Staff strengthen children's knowledge of number
through books, and children refer to numbers in their play. Staff read to babies with
expression. Babies babble and say single words. Staff skilfully repeat these back, giving
babies the opportunity to hear the words back clearly with the correct pronunciation.
Toddlers become more familiar with well-known stories. Eventually pre-school-age children

retell and re-enact stories to each other independently. However, staff do not consistently
use all opportunities to extend all children's learning effectively. For example, while children
are happy during story times or outdoor play, some children do not receive consistent
support to broaden or deepen their learning further.
Inclusion Expected standard
Typically, leaders identify, assess and meet the individual needs of children with special
educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who may face barriers to their
learning. Staff use assessment to identify gaps in children's learning. They work closely with
parents and carers to establish children's next steps of development. Leaders and staff
access training to develop their understanding of how to support children with SEND.
Recently, leaders have refreshed training for all staff on internal medication procedures to
ensure they meet the individual needs of all children.
Generally, staff make effective adaptations to ensure all children with SEND feel included
and supported in their learning. They identify children's interests and incorporate these into
activities or make sure they are accessible in the environment. For example, some children
show a keen interest in wooden items. Staff acknowledge this and provide additional
wooden puzzles. This helps to keep some children with SEND calm and focused.
Overall, staff monitor the progress of children with SEND and put interventions in place to
support their development. Generally, this means children with SEND make progress in their
learning from their starting points. However, leaders do not consistently consult with all
professionals who support children with SEND so they can be alert to any changes in how
they may meet their needs.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders recently notified Ofsted of an incident relating to the incorrect administration of
children's medication. Since this incident, leaders have reviewed procedures and risk
assessments to reduce the likelihood of this happening again. Leaders have retrained all
staff on how to administer medication to children to ensure children's safety. Following a
recent change in managers, leaders continue to implement additional or amended policies
into practice and monitor the impact of the improvements.
Staff state they feel supported by leaders. Overall, they access a variety of training
opportunities to improve their professional development. For example, staff recently
attended training on 'school readiness'. Following this, staff ensure mark-making resources
are always available, as well as opportunities to strengthen finger dexterity are part of the
environment. As a result, staff notice that children show increased control and manipulation
of tools. However, leaders have not consistently further developed how they build on staff's
skills so all staff consistently extend children's learning effectively.
Partnership with parents and carers is effective. Parents receive regular communication on
what their children learn and how they can further their development at home. For example,
staff give parents ideas on how to expand children's vocabulary so parents can continue

using these strategies at home. However, leaders have not strengthened communication
with all professionals who support children.
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
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children feel happy and secure. They laugh, talk and babble together with their friends.
Children show they have a sense of belonging. For example, babies look at photos of their
family members. They point out who they see and recognise some of their friends' parents
and carers. Babies begin to develop a sense of who they are. They feel welcomed and
celebrated for who they are. This supports their emotional connection with the setting and all
the people in it. Children know the routines of the day. On arrival, toddlers and pre-school-
age children hang their coats up on their peg and join their friends on the carpet for a story.
This helps them to settle on arrival and be ready to learn.
All children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, enjoy
playing in the garden and visiting the nearby forest area. Trips outside of the setting are
inclusive and ensure that all children have assistance to get there and take part. All children
have extensive opportunities to learn about the natural world around them in the forest. For
example, toddlers play collaboratively alongside each other and make mud pies. They mix
grass, mud and petals together with water. Toddlers learn to take turns and wait patiently for
the utensil they need. In the forest, children are curious, inquisitive and show high levels of
wellbeing.

Inspector:
Jemma Honey
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2674659
Address:
Winslade House, Manor Drive
Clyst St Mary
Throughout their journey at the setting, children grow in confidence and self-esteem. Pre-
school-age children enjoy positive relationships with each other. They feel comfortable to
perform and try out new things with one another. For example, they children take turns to
stand up and sing a song in a circle surrounded by their friends. These children enjoy being
creative and imaginative in their performances. They are respectful and listen to each
other's song. Each child receives applause and pre-school-age children feel valued for their
contribution.
Next steps
Leaders should strengthen their oversight and communication with professionals working
with all children with special educational needs and/or disabilities so they can be alert to
any changes in how they may meet their needs.
Leaders should build on staff's skills further so they are able to consistently extend
children's learning effectively.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders and staff 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.
There is a new leader in post.
We carried out this inspection as a result of a risk assessment, following information we
received about the provider. The provider will be able to give parents further information
about this.

Exeter
Devon
EX5 1FY
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 27/01/2022
Registered person: Echoes Childcare Limited
Register(s): EYR, CCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:00 - 19:00
Local authority: Devon
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 20 May 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
0 to 4
Total number of places
60
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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