URN EY483653 · Inspected 2026-05-28 · Published 2026-07-09 · Inspector: Tracy Joyce
Beach Babies Wilburton Unique reference number (URN): EY483653 Address: 95 Stretham Road, Wilburton, Ely, Cambridgeshire, CB6 3RY Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 01/12/2014 Registers: EYR, CCR Registered person: Beach Babies Limited Inspection report: 28 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. Strong standard Achievement Strong standard Children develop a deep understanding of number and develop their reasoning skills. Toddlers remember and predict key events from stories such as 'The Three Billy Goats Gruff' and consider which materials would be best for building houses. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make rapid progress with their physical skills. Children and toddlers demonstrate excellent dexterity when using tools or pouring drinks. They learn to respect the environment by growing, preparing and eating vegetables. Children, including those who speak English as an additional language, make excellent progress with their communication development. Babies enjoy making animal sounds and begin to use words, while toddlers learn Makaton signs to communicate their needs. Pre- school children articulate confidently and use ambitious vocabulary, such as 'hibernate'. Children collaborate well and express their feelings positively. They pay attention, listen to staff and confidently join in group times. They are very well prepared for the next stage in their learning. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard Leaders provide a deeply personalised welcome for parents and carers and their children. They carry out home visits and adapt routines, such as their settling-in procedure, to meet children's and families' needs. They ensure that staff have time to build secure, positive relationships with parents and children, which helps promote regular attendance. Babies form secure attachments with their key persons and eagerly explore the wide variety of sensory learning experiences offered. Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), develop positive attitudes to learning and are confident and enthusiastic learners. They become deeply engaged in their learning from the moment they arrive and thoroughly enjoy their time playing and interacting with staff. Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour and are excellent role models. They treat children with the utmost respect, and children behave extremely well. Children are kind and well mannered. They invite their peers into their play and willingly offer help to each other. Staff focus on supporting children with their emotional wellbeing. They build on their understanding of how to recognise and manage their own emotions, as well as the importance of listening to others. Staff teach children strategies, such as breathing techniques. They support children with SEND by providing calming time in the sensory room with a member of staff. Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard Leaders put children's wellbeing at the centre of all decisions. They continually review and update policies and practice to ensure children's welfare is promoted. Staff teach children how to stay healthy and safe as part of the setting's bespoke curriculum. Children thoroughly enjoy nutritious home-cooked meals and snacks, and staff use these routines to help children understand how to make healthy choices. They support children in understanding the importance of staying hydrated and putting sun cream on in the hot weather. Staff teach babies and children independence skills, including washing and drying their hands and using mirrors to help them wipe their own faces carefully. There is a key focus on supporting children's emotional wellbeing. Leaders carry out home visits and invite prospective parents to coffee mornings as soon as they register their child at the setting. This helps them gather detailed information about children's backgrounds and experiences and provide highly individualised support for their health and wellbeing. Staff are very responsive to the changing needs of children who are known to social care, building secure attachments with babies and children. Staff manage transitions, both into the setting and between rooms, with great care, providing a flexible and personalised approach. Children are calm and relaxed. They thoroughly enjoy playing in the extensive outdoor space. Curriculum and teaching Strong standard Leaders have designed a bespoke curriculum and continually evaluate how effectively it is implemented to meet children's needs. They support room leaders to reflect on practice and identify areas for improvement. Staff use their thorough assessments to monitor children's progress and provide tailored interventions. There is a sharp focus on supporting children's speech and language with targeted support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Books are abundant across the setting, and reading stories is prioritised. Babies make superb progress with their physical development as staff provide space and resources to develop their balance, coordination and strength. Staff meticulously plan learning opportunities. For example, pre-school children construct a road on the floor for their cars. Staff provide maps of the local area and simple signs, helping children learn about their community and develop early literacy skills. Teaching is consistently high quality. Staff embed mathematical learning and use skilful questioning to extend children's thinking and reasoning. They use every opportunity to support children to develop their social skills, teaching them how to collaborate, share and negotiate. Staff's thorough understanding of child development ensures that children learn deeply, building their knowledge and skills over time. They adapt their approach effectively to prepare children for their next stage of learning. Inclusion Strong standard Staff get to know children extremely well. They use their thorough understanding of child development to quickly identify any emerging needs. They work closely with parents, carers and professionals to ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive timely and consistent support, which helps them make excellent progress. Leaders and staff access comprehensive training and have a thorough understanding of how to support children with SEND. Leaders understand how additional funding can be used to help children reach positive outcomes. They put effective strategies in place and continually review these to ensure children achieve. Staff teach all children, including babies and toddlers, Makaton signs to help with their communication. They carry out targeted interventions to support children who have speech delays, gradually building children's confidence to articulate specific sounds. Staff support children known to social care sensitively. They develop trusting relationships with parents and share information with professionals to meet children's individual needs. Staff ensure children who speak English as an additional language, and their families, are fully included in the setting. They invite parents in to read stories in their home language and ask parents to choose music for all children to listen to. This helps children feel a sense of belonging and widens their understanding of the world around them. Leadership and governance Strong standard Leaders are passionate about ensuring every child in the setting thrives. They rigorously evaluate the provision and prioritise supporting staff in order to sustain high-quality practice. Leaders have developed a well-designed and thorough induction system to prepare new staff, and they use regular supervisory meetings to identify areas for development. They provide bespoke professional learning and opportunities for staff to take on extra responsibilities, helping them feel valued and motivated. Leaders ensure that staff workload is manageable. Staff report feeling very well supported in the setting with both their professional development and their wellbeing. Leaders create excellent partnerships with parents and carers, who speak incredibly highly about the setting. Parents appreciate the personalised approach to the care their children receive. They comment that staff go 'above and beyond' and take all their concerns seriously. Leaders work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure that consistent support is provided for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Their highly effective communication ensures that children known to social care are safe and have their needs met. Leaders proactively build relationships with many local primary schools to ensure smooth transitions for children starting school. 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 settle extremely well because staff use a highly personalised and sensitive settling- in process. Parents and carers attend coffee mornings as soon as they register their children at the setting. This helps staff to understand children's backgrounds and experiences and promote the importance of regular attendance. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefit as staff skilfully adapt routines and experiences, removing barriers to learning. Children form close, trusting relationships with their key persons because staff prioritise developing secure attachments. This helps children feel safe and ready to learn. Children see their families reflected throughout the environment, which fosters a sense of belonging. They look at and discuss photos of their own development with staff to celebrate the progress they have made. Children engage deeply in highly tailored learning experiences. For example, they extend their understanding of weddings by planning and staging their own celebration. They choose clothing and music as well as discussing their experiences. Children's views are actively sought and valued. They vote for stories at group time, helping them develop resilience and to understand others' viewpoints. Staff respect children's creations. They display these proudly and preserve children's construction work so they can revisit and build on their ideas. Outdoor learning is a significant strength and children thrive as they play outside. They collaborate to build dens, and develop curiosity as they create potions and cakes in the mud kitchen. Toddlers develop resilience as they jump in muddy puddles. Children get deeply engaged in their play and learning with staff and their peers. They learn about the community as they visit local garden centres and get involved with litter picking. This helps them learn about the importance of looking after their environment and build connections with nature. Children learn how to keep themselves safe both inside and out of the setting. They are very well prepared for the next stage in their learning. Next steps Leaders should ensure continued improvement in the setting's successful work to remove barriers for children from disadvantaged backgrounds to realise a transformational impact on all children's achievement and wellbeing. Inspector: Tracy Joyce About this setting Unique reference number (URN): EY483653 Address: 95 Stretham Road Wilburton Ely Cambridgeshire CB6 3RY Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 01/12/2014 Registered person: Beach Babies Limited Register(s): EYR, CCR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00 Local authority: Cambridgeshire Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 28 May 2026 About this inspection Inspectors spoke with leaders, staff, special educational needs coordinators, parents 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. Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 1 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. 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. 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