URN 2860366 · Inspected 2026-05-08 · Published 2026-07-31 · Inspector: Luke Heaney
Ardwick Day Nursery Unique reference number (URN): 2860366 Address: 116 Hyde Road, MANCHESTER, M12 5AR Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 19/09/2025 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Eduworld Ltd Inspection report: 8 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. Urgent improvement Achievement Urgent improvement Children do not achieve well. The curriculum is not implemented effectively and does not ensure that it is inclusive for all children, particularly children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Learning is not well sequenced or adapted to children's age, stage or individual needs. This means that children do not benefit from varied learning experiences. For example, children with SEND are not included in some activities. They wander between activities with no clear learning intent. This lack of purposeful interaction and planning affects the achievement of children with SEND. Children do not develop the essential knowledge and skills that they need for their future success. Too many children fail to make sufficient progress from their starting points. They are not adequately prepared to move on to the next stage of learning, including moving on to school. For example, some children move on to school without receiving timely help to address their needs. This places children at a considerable disadvantage from achieving what they are capable of. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Urgent improvement Leaders do not ensure that staff have the skills and knowledge required to support children's behaviour. Staff give inconsistent messages about behavioural expectations, which means that children do not always understand what is expected of them. Some children struggle to regulate their own feelings and emotions. They become frustrated at times and do not always build positive relationships with their peers. Routines are poorly established and inconsistently applied, which unsettles children and disrupts their learning. For example, at lunchtime, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are not supported effectively to engage in the routine and are observed running around disengaged. They do this for the duration of the routine with limited interactions from staff. Approaches to promoting positive behaviour, attitudes and routines are ineffective. Leaders do not ensure that all children, particularly those with SEND, receive the support that they need to participate fully at the setting. This means that some children with SEND are left without appropriate support, which limits their engagement, wellbeing and ability to flourish. Leaders promote attendance effectively and encourage parents and carers to ensure that their children attend the setting regularly. Children's welfare and wellbeing Urgent improvement The key-person system is ineffective. Frequent changes to staffing mean that children are unable to form secure and consistent relationships with staff. As a result, children's emotional wellbeing is not supported effectively. Some children remain unsettled and cry for prolonged periods, which indicates that they do not feel settled at the setting. The facilities for nappy changing and toileting are unhygienic. Leaders have not ensured that these areas are cleaned regularly. Leaders fail to ensure that the welfare and wellbeing of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are met. Children with SEND struggle to settle, regularly become frustrated and have not developed secure bonds with a trusted adult. This significantly undermines their emotional wellbeing and prevents them from being ready to learn. Children's development is compromised at times as staff are not always deployed to meet the needs of children. This means that some babies are held in staff's arms for prolonged periods of time. This does not support their physical and emotional wellbeing. Children have access to a well-equipped outdoor area. They are provided with healthy meals and learn about the importance of brushing their own teeth. Curriculum and teaching Urgent improvement Leaders do not provide children with an ambitious curriculum. The majority of learning that takes place is incidental rather than purposeful. Staff demonstrate a weak understanding of child development. They do not have a secure knowledge of children's individual starting points. Staff do not respond well to children's interests. For example, when older children show a clear interest in outdoor learning, they are prevented from accessing the outdoor environment because staff prioritise routine tasks. Babies do not receive high-quality learning experiences. They are often unsettled and are prevented from engaging in meaningful activities. For example, staff are preoccupied while trying to complete administration tasks while caring for babies. This limits babies' learning and development. The quality of teaching is poor. Staff lack the knowledge required to deliver an inclusive curriculum. This is particularly evident for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders do not ensure that the curriculum is adapted to meet the needs of children with SEND. Staff interactions with children with SEND are limited. Consequently, children with SEND are frequently disengaged from activities and wander around the setting with no clear direction to their learning. Inclusion Urgent improvement Leaders have failed to ensure that children's care and learning needs are identified, assessed and met effectively. This failure is particularly evident for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who are disadvantaged. Leaders do not have a clear or accurate understanding of the barriers that these children face. They have not acted with the urgency required to address them. As a result, appropriate support is not put in place. This means that disadvantaged children and those with SEND do not receive the support they need to achieve well. Leaders do not fulfil their statutory responsibilities to identify concerns with children's learning and development. Consequently, some children do not receive the support that they need. In some cases, parents and carers have been incorrectly led to believe that referrals to external professionals had already been made on their children's behalf. This demonstrates a serious lack of oversight, accountability and honest communication from leaders. Barriers to learning are not reduced, and gaps in learning widen. Leaders' failure to act decisively and effectively has a detrimental impact on children's learning and progress. Leaders monitor the impact of additional funding effectively. For example, they purchase resources to support children's balance and coordination skills. This helps to improve children's physical skills. Leadership and governance Urgent improvement There have been significant changes to staffing. Leaders have struggled to secure and maintain a stable and consistent staff team, which has resulted in weaknesses in the continuity of care and learning for children. Leaders have failed to ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive the support that they require. Referrals to external professionals are not made promptly, which means that children with SEND do not access appropriate support. This means that their learning, development and wellbeing needs are not met. The arrangements for staff supervision, coaching and professional development are ineffective. Supervision processes do not provide staff with clear guidance to improve their practice. Training is limited and largely generic, focusing mainly on mandatory requirements, such as safeguarding. Staff are not equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to support them in their roles. Leaders do not ensure that hygiene standards are consistently maintained. For example, nappy changing and toilet areas are not kept clean. This represents a risk to children's health. The curriculum lacks ambition and is not implemented effectively. Children are not sufficiently engaged in learning and do not make secure progress from their starting points. The key-person system is ineffective and fails to support children's emotional wellbeing. Staff are not equipped with the skills needed to help children manage their own behaviour. This means that some children do not know what is expected of them. Leaders do not deploy staff effectively. For example, staff are frequently preoccupied with duties, such as cleaning surfaces. This limits opportunities for meaningful interactions. As a result, children do not receive the quality of education and care they are entitled to. Parents and carers receive some information about their children's time at the setting. 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 Children's individual needs are not met. Children move around the setting without a clear purpose to their learning. Many do not show sustained interest or enjoyment in activities. The curriculum is poorly designed and lacks ambition. This means that children do not make the progress of which they are capable. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not get the support that they need. Staff do not have a secure understanding of how to adapt activities to ensure that children with SEND are fully included. Children with SEND are frequently disengaged and have limited support from staff. Children are not prepared well for their next steps in learning, including their eventual move on to school. For example, processes for securing external professional support for children with SEND are not managed effectively. Required documentation has not been completed in a timely manner. As a result, children with SEND transition to school without having the appropriate support in place. This places children with SEND at a significant disadvantage in their learning. The key-person system does not ensure that all children feel safe and emotionally secure. Some children become unsettled and cry for prolonged periods of time. Babies have limited opportunities to explore their environment. This is due to ineffective staff deployment. Staff focus primarily on maintaining children's safety while managing multiple demands. This results in babies spending extended periods of time in staff members' arms rather than being supported to develop their independence through play. Children are welcoming of visitors. They demonstrate an interest in forming friendships with their peers. However, these relationships are not used effectively to support children to learn how to best manage their own feelings and emotions. As a result, children become frustrated. Staff lack the confidence and skills to support children in understanding behavioural expectations. This has an impact on ensuring that children consistently display positive attitudes towards their learning. Staff support parents and carers in promoting their children's attendance. They welcome feedback from parents and provide them with some information about events taking place in the community. Next steps The provider is not meeting the requirements of the Early years foundation stage and Childcare Register and Ofsted intends to take enforcement action. We will issue a Welfare Requirements Notice requiring the provider to have taken the following actions by the assigned date: Action Completion Date ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities get the support that they need in order to achieve well 07/08/2026 establish an effective key-person system to better support children to feel settled 07/08/2026 ensure that staff are deployed effectively to meet the needs of children 07/08/2026 ensure that staff support children to manage their own feelings and emotions 07/08/2026 ensure that nappy changing and toilet facilities are clean and hygienic 07/08/2026 Inspector: Luke Heaney About this setting Unique reference number (URN): 2860366 Address: 116 Hyde Road Action Completion Date ensure that staff are provided with the required supervision sessions to support them in their roles 07/08/2026 ensure that staff receive the relevant coaching and training to help them improve their professional practice 07/08/2026 To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must take the following action by the assigned date: Action Completion Date ensure that children are provided with an ambitious curriculum that builds on what they already know and can do 07/08/2026 About this inspection The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, children and parents and carers during the inspection. The inspector spoke with a representative from the local authority. 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. MANCHESTER M12 5AR Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 19/09/2025 Registered person: Eduworld Ltd Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00 Local authority: Manchester Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 8 May 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 0 to 5 Total number of places 56 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. 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