Into-Play @ The Quays

Into-Play @ The Quays
Unique reference number (URN): EY451292
Address: 24 Llanthony Road, GLOUCESTER, GL2 5HQ
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 07/01/2013
Registers: EYR, CCR
Registered person: Into Play Limited
Inspection report: 3 June 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
Leaders and staff have high expectations for children's positive behaviour. Staff demonstrate
highly impactful teaching in regard to helping children understand how to regulate their
emotions and express themselves. Children follow routines and instructions excellently. The
atmosphere in the nursery is extremely calm and respectful. Children's behaviour is
excellent. Staff help children to highly successfully learn to share, take turns and play
collaboratively with others from an early age. Leaders monitor children's attendance well.
Staff help parents and carers to understand the importance of regular attendance on their
child's progress and welfare.
Routines are extremely well embedded. At times of transition in the routine, staff use a wide
range of highly effective strategies to help prepare children for what is happening next. For
example, they use visual timetables to show children what is happening now and next. Staff
use timers to show children how much time they have left before there is a change. Pre-
school children take independent responsibility for the environment and resources. They tidy
up resources that they have finished playing with without needing a prompt from staff.
Staff are excellent role models for children. They treat children with care and respect. Staff
build very deep attachments with their key children. The consistent boundaries set out for all
children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, enable children
to have a clear understanding of what is expected. Staff regularly praise children and
celebrate what they have achieved on an individual level. Children display excellent
manners. For example, they automatically say 'please' and 'thank you' in their interactions
with others.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard
Care practices across the nursery are highly responsive and respectful and individualised to
the needs of each child. There is a high emphasis on a continuity of care from home to the
nursery. Staff work closely with parents and carers to ensure they adopt the same
approaches. This gives children an added sense of safety and security. Staff's interactions
with children are extremely warm and nurturing. Staff create well-thought-out spaces in all of
the rooms for children to calm down, regulate their emotions, rest or relax. They adapt
settling-in sessions to support individual children's needs and circumstances. Staff
meticulously plan transitions to the next room for children who find this unsettling to make
the transition as smooth as possible for them.
There is a very effective key-person system in place. Staff get to know children and their
families extremely well. They consider 'best fit' key people. For example, leaders consider
children's needs and preferences when allocating their key persons. Parents comment on
how supportive staff are and how well they know their children as individuals. Leaders and
staff have a deep understanding of barriers some children face. They use their knowledge to
help prevent children from facing further disadvantage. Leaders work collaboratively with
other professionals, such as social workers, to ensure children's welfare and wellbeing.

Expected standard
Children receive encouragement as much as possible to be independent. They have
opportunities throughout the day to play outdoors in the fresh air in all weathers. In addition,
children build an excellent awareness of healthy lifestyles. They develop healthy habits for
the future, such as regularly exercising and positive dental hygiene.
Achievement Expected standard
All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who
face other barriers to their learning, typically achieve well in all areas of their development
during their time at this nursery. Children gain age- and stage-appropriate skills and
knowledge. For example, all children are toilet trained in time for starting school. Children
are sociable and confident. They have positive friendships and communicate well with
others. For example, children work together on shared tasks, sharing their thoughts and
ideas and respecting one another's views.
Children are motivated to join in with activities. Typically, they can attend well in their play
and show sustained attention. Children have a positive understanding of healthy lifestyles.
For example, they know that they need to look after their teeth, exercise and eat healthy
foods.
In the main, children show a secure understanding of mathematics. Younger children count
using their fingers, while older children learn to add things together to make a bigger
number. Children show pride in their achievements.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Staff have a secure understanding of how children learn. They know each child and what
they know, can do and are interested in. Staff use this information to plan an appropriate
curriculum that they typically teach well. There is clear intent for what staff want all children
to learn in time for the next age-phase room transition and eventual move on to school.
Generally, staff plan activities and experiences tailored to children's interests and next steps.
This well-planned curriculum helps all children to progress in all areas of their development.
During some group learning for the youngest children, teaching is not consistently highly
impactful or purposeful enough. Staff do not always stay focused enough on what it is they
want children to learn. This impacts on children's learning opportunities at these times.
Staff incorporate regular musical play and singing into play and activities. This enables
children to hear a wide range of vocabulary, including mathematical language, and
enhances their creativity. Children have an interest in books. Staff promote stories well,
using regular story sessions as a tool for enhancing children's language and literacy skills.
However, the delivery of some story sessions means all children do not have full and equal
opportunity to engage deeply and participate fully with the stories. For instance, at times,
some children listen to stories sat at tables and some children have limited view of the book.
Subsequently, these children interact less with the story. Staff encourage children to
participate in regular physical activity throughout the day. Children engage in sensory play

and use a range of tools. This helps children to develop their motor skills and explore with
their senses.
Inclusion Expected standard
Leaders and staff instil a positive culture of inclusion. Children with special educational
needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who face barriers to their learning have the
same opportunities as their peers. Leaders and staff identify gaps in children's learning.
They take swift action to put in place tailored support and make adaptions for these children.
Rigorous monitoring of children with SEND's progress is evident. This continually informs
the support and adaptions needed to support the needs of individual children. This is
particularly helping the older children with SEND or those who face barriers to their learning
to help close gaps and prepare them well for the upcoming transition to school.
Typically, leaders and staff consider children's needs well. They support staff to access
training and professional development opportunities that develop their skills and knowledge.
Generally, this helps staff to best meet children's needs at that time. Leaders and staff work
closely with parents and carers to ensure collaborative approaches and a continuity from
home to the nursery. They carefully monitor the impact of funding on disadvantaged children
to ensure it is having a positive impact on their progress. Staff promote cultural diversity and
celebrate children's unique backgrounds. For example, they plan activities linked to cultural
festivals and use key words with children in their home languages.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
There is an effective and proactive leadership team in place that has made a number of
changes and improvements since the last inspection. Leaders demonstrate a commitment to
continually improving and providing quality care and education. Leaders carefully monitor
staff practice. They accurately identify what works well and what needs to be improved. The
sharp attention to detail regarding the professional development of staff has enhanced the
consistency in the teaching and support children receive across the setting.
Leaders have developed more effective partnerships with parents and carers. They work
closely with families and professionals involved with children who are particularly
disadvantaged, such as early help workers. Leaders use additional funding very well to
ensure all children can achieve their best outcomes.
It was identified during the inspection that there had been a previous breach in requirements
in relation to food and drink that the provider had not notified Ofsted of. Despite this, the
provider has since reflected upon this and has taken appropriate steps to address previous
weaknesses. All leaders and staff are now clear and consistently implement the policies in
place for managing children's dietary needs.
Staff morale is high. Staff value the support they receive from leaders and external partners,
such as the local authority. They comment on how the professional development
opportunities they receive and increased supervision sessions are positively influencing their

practice. Leaders regularly network with others to share good practice and maintain an
oversight of the communities they serve.
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 attend regularly and thoroughly enjoy coming to this warm and welcoming nursery.
They arrive happy, keen to meet staff and their friends and to get involved in the play and
activities on offer to them. The flexible and personalised settling-in processes help children
to feel safe and secure from the outset. Staff are kind and engaging with children. This
supports children's emotional wellbeing effectively and helps them to enjoy their learning.
Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who
face barriers to their learning, benefit from a varied and broad curriculum based on
children's interests and stages of development. They all make positive progress in all areas
of their development during their time at the nursery. Babies delight in singing sessions.
They bounce with excitement as staff sing familiar songs to them with great enthusiasm.
Toddlers play musical instruments, experimenting with the different sounds instruments
make. Older children are fascinated to learn facts about animals as they immerse
themselves in activities where they watch wildlife clips and discuss lions.
Children develop well with their communication and language skills. There are plenty of
opportunities for children to develop their physical skills and social skills. Children display
respectful behaviour. Effective teaching from staff enables children to play well with one

Inspector:
Dominique Allotey
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): EY451292
Address:
24 Llanthony Road
another, make friends easily and socialise well. By the time children get towards the end of
their pre-school year, they are well prepared for school. Children across the setting develop
independence at an age-appropriate level through daily routines and activities. This
supports them to manage their own personal care. For example, young children drink from
open cups and wash their own faces. Toddlers sweep up the sand around the sand tray.
Pre-school children serve their own lunches and brush their own teeth.
Regular and open communication with parents and carers ensures children benefit from a
continuity of care. Parents comment that they are well informed about their child's time at
nursery. They are complimentary about the leaders and staff and the quality care and
education they provide.
Next steps
Leaders should support staff to strengthen teaching to ensure high-quality delivery of
group activities for the youngest children so they are sharply tailored to children's needs
and what they want children to learn.
Leaders should support staff to tailor the spaces used and delivery of stories, to ensure
that all children have equal opportunities to fully immerse themselves in stories in an
interactive way.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, children, parents and carers and the special
educational needs coordinators 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.

GLOUCESTER
GL2 5HQ
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 07/01/2013
Registered person: Into Play Limited
Register(s): EYR, CCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00
Local authority: Gloucestershire
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 3 June 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
0 to 4
Total number of places
68
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