Apple Blossom Day Nursery

Apple Blossom Day Nursery
Unique reference number (URN): EY450875
Address: St. Catherines Court, 2 & 3 Timber Beach Road, Sunderland Enterprise Park, SUNDERLAND,
Tyne & Wear, SR5 3XJ
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 18/09/2012
Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR
Registered person: Apple Blossom Childcare Limited
Inspection report: 19 May 2026
Exceptional
Strong standard
Expected standard
Needs attention
Urgent improvement

Expected standard
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.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Children are settled, happy and familiar with the daily routines. For example, they know
where to hang their coats on arrival and know where to wash their hands before eating.
Children behave well. Some children are learning to play cooperatively and develop positive
relationships with their peers and staff. This supports children's emotional wellbeing, social
skills and sense of belonging. Children demonstrate a positive attitude to learning. They are
interested in and happily engage in the various activities available. Staff work well with
parents and carers to encourage and ensure children's regular attendance, which is a
particular strength of the setting. Staff know the babies in their care really well. They are
very attentive to them and are quick to meet their individual needs. For example, staff are
fully aware of each child's routine, preferences and behaviours. They know when children
are tired and also what activities the children love to engage in, such as finger painting.
Where children have additional needs, staff are aware of situations that might upset them
and try to limit these, such as a certain member of staff being out of sight. Although this is
limited, where possible, staff are beginning to help children to understand, discuss and
manage their feelings. This helps to support children's emotional wellbeing.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Leaders and staff ensure a nurturing environment that supports children to build positive
relationships and form secure attachments with the adults caring for them. Staff generally
know children's abilities and interests and use these to create learning opportunities they
know the children will enjoy. Some children with special educational needs and/or disabilities
(SEND) receive additional support when they arrive, or additional encouragement from staff
to join in certain activities. This ensures all children are included and involved if they wish.
The caring approach of staff ensures that children feel secure and helps them to settle.

Needs attention
Parents and carers report very positively about the care and education their children
receive, including for children with SEND. Children also receive encouraging support from
staff with personal care routines, such as toileting. Staff are very aware of children's
individual sleeping routines. They know when they are ready for a sleep and approximately
how long each child usually sleeps for. Staff sit with children at lunch and snack times to
ensure their safety and to support routines. All children, including babies, have regular
opportunities for developing their independence skills. They confidently feed themselves and
access drinking water when they want it.
Achievement Needs attention
Leaders do not always focus sufficiently on monitoring and evaluating the learning
experiences for children. That said, children are making some progress in their learning and
development, particularly in the prime areas of learning. Although children have regular
opportunities for developing creativity when engaged in different craft activities, their
learning in mathematics and literacy is limited. This means children are not stretched as
much as they could be and so are not as well prepared for the next stage of their learning.
Babies develop balance and coordination as they practise standing and walking. Older
children negotiate obstacles such as tyres when running around outside. Their hand–eye
coordination, confidence and social skills are promoted when children engage in throwing
and catching balls and bean bags with staff. Children's language and communication skills
are developing during singing and story sessions, as well as conversations with staff.
Children have opportunities to understand the world around them. They engage in activities
around different themes. For example, when learning about springtime, children use real
flowers and petals in their play, such as when painting and adding flowers to their play
dough designs.
Curriculum and teaching Needs attention
Leaders and staff generally deliver a basic curriculum, but with mathematics and literacy
being less routinely planned for or taught. There is also a lack of clear intention or planning
for children's outdoor learning. Staff provide adequate teaching that reflects children's
interests and supports their development in most areas of learning. Although leaders and
staff are clear about the aims of the curriculum and what they want children to learn, they
are less clear about how they will support children to learn the skills they need in order to
meet the aims. Leaders do not always focus sufficiently on monitoring and evaluating the
learning experiences for children.
Staff are not always fully aware of some children's capabilities. For example, where some
children display very advanced skills, staff do not plan effectively to support those skills and
continue to challenge children's learning. This means that children are not making as much
progress as they could with more targeted and specific support. That said, children are
engaged and interested in their learning, including when playing outdoors. Staff ensure that

children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are included and involved in the
range of activities available.
Inclusion Needs attention
Overall, support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is generally
effective, although it is not yet fully consistent. Leaders recognise this and are taking steps
to strengthen practice further, including ensuring that staff with lead responsibilities have
access to appropriate training courses.
Although adequate procedures are in place for staff to monitor and assess children's
learning, including the 2-year progress checks, these are not fully completed to ensure they
include all relevant information. For example, they do not include activities and strategies
the provider intends to adopt to address any issues or concerns about a child's learning.
Leaders and staff work with parents, carers and other professionals to identify children's
needs and put some suitable strategies in place. For example, additional funding has been
used to create an attractive and well-resourced sensory room. Staff aim to ensure that all
children benefit from the sensory room. For example, for children who do not have any
additional needs, the area is used for relaxation and to help children to become calm if they
are upset for any reason. Leaders and staff support children and families in receipt of other
additional funding appropriately. They ensure that parents are made aware of appropriate
funding entitlements to assist children to attend.
Leadership and governance Needs attention
Leaders are passionate about their role and are committed to supporting children and
families. However, the setting has recently undergone a period of change and transition,
with 2 previously separate nurseries combining. This also resulted in changes to leadership
and other roles, with some staff still getting used to new responsibilities. While managing the
transition and supporting staff and children to settle, there has been less focus on promoting
leaders' and staff's continuous professional development. Leaders are aware of this and are
taking steps to secure relevant training courses for staff in the near future. However, all staff
have ongoing access to safeguarding and paediatric first-aid training.
Staff comment that they enjoy working at the setting and receive effective support from
management. There are also procedures in place to support staff's wellbeing. Leaders work
with external professionals to assess children who may have special educational needs.
They also work closely with parents and carers to ensure they are kept informed about their
child's development and progress.

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 settled and happy in the nursery. They demonstrate that they feel safe, familiar
and confident with the daily routines. They develop positive relationships with their peers
and staff. This supports children's emotional wellbeing, social skills and sense of belonging.
Some children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive additional support
when they arrive, or additional encouragement from staff to join in certain activities. This
ensures all children are included and involved if they wish. Staff's caring approach ensures
that children feel welcomed.

Leaders and staff ensure a nurturing environment that supports children to build positive
relationships and form secure attachments with the adults caring for them. Staff in the baby
room know the children in their care really well. In other rooms, staff generally know
children's abilities and interests, and they use these to create learning opportunities they
know the children will enjoy. Children engage well and enjoy the varied range of learning
experiences, which supports their development in most areas of learning. They participate
enthusiastically in creative activities when using play dough and paint, for example.
Although children have regular opportunities for developing creativity when engaged in
different craft activities, their learning in mathematics and literacy is limited. This means
children are not stretched as much as they could be and so are not as well prepared for the
next stage of their learning. In addition, leaders and staff are not fully aware of some
children's capabilities. For example, where some children display very advanced skills, staff
do not plan effectively to support those skills and continue to challenge children's learning.
This means that children are not making as much progress as they could with more targeted
and specific support.
Next steps
To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the
provider must take the following actions by the assigned date:
Action Completion Date
ensure assessments, particularly the required progress
check at age 2, include all relevant information, such as
activities and strategies the provider intends to adopt to
address any issues or concerns about a child's learning
19/06/2026
improve the curriculum so that it is ambitious for all
children, is consistently implemented and supports all
children to make progress in all areas of learning and is
specific to their individual needs and capabilities
19/06/2026
improve leaders' monitoring of children's achievement
and their overview and assessment of the effectiveness
of the curriculum to ensure it prepares all children for
the next stage in their learning
19/06/2026
ensure staff have access to appropriate training and
guidance to support them in their roles and when
assessing and meeting children's needs and reducing
barriers to learning.
19/06/2026

Inspector:
Elaine McDonnell
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): EY450875
Address:
St. Catherines Court, 2 & 3 Timber Beach Road
Sunderland Enterprise Park
SUNDERLAND
Tyne & Wear
SR5 3XJ
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 18/09/2012
Registered person: Apple Blossom Childcare Limited
Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00
Local authority: Sunderland
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, children and parents 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.
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.

This data is from 19 May 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
0 to 4
Total number of places
54
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