Little Acorns (North East) Ltd.

Little Acorns (North East) Ltd.
Unique reference number (URN): EY103722
Address: Little Acorns Day Nursery, 218 Park Road, STANLEY, County Durham, DH9 7AN
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 29/10/2001
Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR
Registered person: Little Acorns (North East) Ltd
Inspection report: 6 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
Needs attention
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Leaders and staff form positive relationships with children and families. They work hard to
communicate effectively with parents and promote regular attendance. This helps to prepare
families to be punctual attenders, and children settle into their routines at the nursery.
Leaders plan to continue to enhance their partnership working with families, particularly in
relation to parental engagement in children's learning. Parents comment positively about the
nursery and staff team. They say they are happy with the care their children receive and that
staff try to ensure children have the best start.
Staff support children's positive behaviour. They are effective role models and teach children
how to stay safe. Children show awareness of rules, boundaries and routines. For example,
they know they need to get their high-visibility vests and hold hands to go to the park.
Children develop positive attitudes to learning and build resilience. For example, staff
support children to use an obstacle course and offer praise when they keep trying to
challenge themselves. Children show determination to complete the course and
demonstrate a sense of pride at the end.
Staff respond to children's self-chosen play and provide the resources they need to maintain
their interest and extend their enjoyment. For example, toddlers show an interest in the
water play area. Staff extend this by encouraging them to wash the toy animals, and
children stay for long periods of time, engrossed in their activity.
Achievement Needs attention
Not all children make consistently effective progress, including in their communication and
language. This particularly applies to children with emerging gaps in their development and
those waiting for assessment by outside agencies. However, children with diagnosed special
educational needs and/or disabilities progress well.
Generally, older children develop some of the skills they need to prepare them for moving on
to school and show enjoyment in activities they take part in. For instance, they show
excitement to go to the local park and take part in activities that build on their prior
knowledge and link to their favourite story. Children begin to use mathematical language
purposefully and count how many sticks they collect, talking about which are 'long' and
'short'.
Children master some useful practical skills to promote their self-care, such as using the
toilet and washing their hands. This helps younger children develop their independence as
they prepare to move into the next room in the nursery.

Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention
Leaders do not consistently implement effective procedures to prioritise children's good
health, hygiene and safety. For instance, leaders and staff leave children, including babies,
for short periods of time during mealtimes and do not ensure they are sitting at the table with
them while they finish their lunch. Although leaders and staff complete robust cleaning in
each room, they do not implement procedures to prevent further contamination, and some
children use each other's drinking bottles and dummies.
Leaders devise written risk assessments for staff to consider how they can keep children
safe. However, these have not been discussed or updated for a number of years. Staff are
not always aware of how to minimise risks to children during physical activities and do not
consider children's clothing and footwear. Leaders took swift action during the inspection to
support staff and keep children safe.
Although leaders have discussed healthy options for children's packed lunches, they do not
implement healthy eating procedures or give children clear messages to make healthy
choices. They continue to work on this aspect of their provision.
In contrast to this, children's oral health is actively promoted. Children regularly brush their
teeth in the nursery with staff to support them. Staff know how to meet babies' individual
care needs and follow any routines from home. Babies show they feel safe and secure with
staff.
Curriculum and teaching Needs attention
Curriculum and teaching does not meet the expected standard. This is because there are
inconsistencies in the levels of support and challenge leaders and staff provide for children.
For example, leaders identify barriers to children's learning and recognise the importance of
focusing on their communication skills. However, staff do not always promote this and stand
away from children, supervising their play rather than engaging with them. Leaders
encourage staff to reflect on the impact of their practice during daily conversations.
However, they do not provide staff with a clear development plan or provide training
opportunities to raise the quality of learning experiences for children.
The curriculum to support children's physical development is, however, effective and
consistent throughout the nursery. Staff are aware that some children may not have access
to larger spaces and the nursery does not have a private outdoor space. Staff make
excellent use of the local area to provide children with daily opportunities to spend time
outside. For example, they take babies out for a walk in the fresh air each day, and toddlers
and older children enjoy trips to the local park. Children enjoy using soft-play equipment and
balancing beams indoors to develop their large physical skills, such as jumping and
climbing.
Inclusion Needs attention
Leaders and staff quickly identify where children need support. They make necessary
referrals to other professionals, such as the local authority special educational needs and/or

disabilities team. However, they do not consistently provide children with the support they
need during the referral waiting period, despite previously receiving advice and guidance
from relevant professionals. As a result, gaps in learning, especially in children's language
development, widen over time.
In contrast, children with diagnosed special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those
who face potential barriers to learning, are supported effectively by key staff who know them
extremely well. These children thrive and show enjoyment as they spend one-to-one time
with their key person. They show enjoyment as they pop bubbles and gaze at staff to copy
their actions. Staff share information about how they work with other professionals and
welcome them into the setting to create targeted plans that support children. They speak
with parents and staff at other settings to consider how best to target the use of additional
funding to meet the individual needs of eligible children.
Leadership and governance Needs attention
Leaders do not have clear plans in place to drive improvement forward. There are several
breaches to the requirements that impact on children's welfare and development. For
example, leaders have not ensured the good health and hygiene of children, and the
procedure for identifying risks to children is not fully effective.
Leaders recognise that staff are experienced but do not provide enough support for them to
continually enhance and update their skills and knowledge. Although staff complete some
relevant independent research, their professional development is not well coordinated.
However, staff report positive levels of wellbeing and are happy in their work roles. They are
kind, caring and approachable to children and families. Staff are knowledgeable about the
local area and engage well in the community. They show an understanding of the needs of
families who attend and are aware of potential barriers to children's learning.
Leaders and staff have developed partnerships with schools and other professionals. They
invite teachers from the local school to visit the setting to meet children who are due to
attend and share relevant information with them. This helps to promote smooth transitions,
particularly for children with diagnosed special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff
communicate with families to share information about children's learning experiences and
encourage them to help children continue to learn at home.

Compulsory Childcare Register requirements
This setting has not 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 not 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
Leaders and managers do not have a clear action plan in place to drive improvement
forward to promote the best possible outcomes for children. Several breaches to the
requirements mean that aspects of the provision need to be improved. For instance, some
children do not fully develop the skills they need to start school, as gaps in their language
development are not minimised. Leaders and staff do not effectively use assessments or
advised teaching strategies to help shape learning experiences for children. This means
some children are not supported to make appropriate progress in relation to their starting

points. There are some weaknesses in leaders' and staff's implementation of procedures to
keep children safe and healthy, including during mealtimes.
Children form bonds with staff and show they feel secure with them. Children with
diagnosed special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported emotionally. For
example, staff ensure that they are emotionally ready for the next stages of their journey in
the nursery. They carefully prepare them for transition into the next room and beyond.
Leaders and staff tackle barriers to learning by promoting children's regular attendance and
providing opportunities for physical development.
Children are independent and enjoy taking part in activities. Older children show a love of
stories as they retell their favourite parts and extend this in their creative play. Staff
incorporate mathematical language into everyday routines and help children to use this in
context.
Babies benefit from being with staff who are nurturing and caring. Staff know how to meet
their individual care needs and follow established routines from home. Staff focus on
developing toddlers' confidence and model how to use resources to help them engage in
play with others.
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 that children are always within sight and hearing
of staff while eating
15/05/2026
develop and implement procedures to prevent the
spread of any infections and promote children's good
health and hygiene
15/05/2026
ensure that risk assessments are helpful in supporting
staff to identify and minimise hazards to children
01/06/2026
provide staff with professional development
opportunities to improve the quality of their teaching,
specifically to help them promote children's
communication and language skills
29/06/2026
provide all children with consistent support, particularly
where there are concerns about their development, and
ensure strategies from other professionals are used to
minimise gaps in their learning
29/06/2026

Inspector:
Michelle Lorains
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): EY103722
Address:
Little Acorns Day Nursery
218 Park Road
STANLEY
County Durham
DH9 7AN
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 29/10/2001
Registered person: Little Acorns (North East) Ltd
Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR
Action Completion Date
improve the way staff use ongoing assessments of
children's progress to help them shape and tailor their
teaching so it matches all children's individual needs
29/06/2026
About this inspection
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.
The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, the special educational needs coordinator
and the designated safeguarding leader 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.

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00
Local authority: Durham
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 6 May 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
1 to 4
Total number of places
61
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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