URN EY317013 · Inspected 2026-04-01 · Published 2026-07-28 · Inspector: Joanne Buckley
Winton Children's Centre Unique reference number (URN): EY317013 Address: Brindley Street, Eccles, Manchester, Lancashire, M30 8AB Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 17/10/2005 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Salford City Council Inspection report: 1 April 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 Expected standard Inclusion Strong standard The ethos of this setting is for everyone to feel included and valued. Leaders and staff are highly skilled at swiftly identifying children's needs and putting provisions in place to support them. For example, sign language is currently being embedded as part of children's everyday learning to help them to develop other forms of communication from a young age. Leaders and staff are highly in tune to children's individual needs, and they demonstrate a strong understanding that all children learn and develop in different ways. They have developed a calming, safe space called 'the nest', which has been implemented to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The staff within this area are highly passionate about their role and have an excellent understanding of strategies to help children progress in their learning. For example, large equipment is used in the morning to help the children burn off some energy so they can then focus on more learning-based activities. Leaders work closely with families and other professionals to build an inclusive and child- centred environment. Families whose children will need additional support while attending the setting attend 'access visits' as part of their settling process. This allows the setting to work with the family and other professionals to ensure any adaptations to the environment can be made before they access the provision. Funding is used effectively to purchase resources that benefit children's development. Achievement Expected standard Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are making positive progress from their starting points. They have opportunities to take safe risks and test out their skills. This helps build on children's confidence and independence in their learning. Children listen intently to stories and follow simple instructions. They show positive attitudes to learning as they confidently count pictures of sea creatures when prompted by staff. Children are developing well in their mathematical learning. They use mathematical language in their play as they identify small and big pom-poms while creating a picture. Younger children are progressing well in physical development. They confidently explore the area, developing their grasp as they explore resources in the sand pit. They happily babble and giggle as they interact with staff, who name objects, and children repeat some of the key sounds. All children are making positive progress in all areas of learning and development. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard Children thrive in this warm and welcoming environment. Staff speak to children in a calm and caring way, which models positive social skills to children. Leaders have recently placed more emphasis on supporting and understanding children's behaviour. However, this practice is not yet consistently embedded across the setting. For example, procedures to ensure all staff understand expectations for children's behaviour are still being established. Children interact with their peers and staff, and they do so in a polite and well-mannered way. Staff teach children about empathy. They pose questions to children to help them express their feelings and understand how their actions may make others feel sad. This helps children learn about being respectful of others. Leaders place a high emphasis on regular attendance. They work closely with parents to ensure sessions meet the needs of both the children and the family to limit inconsistent attendance. This helps children develop a secure routine in preparation for them transitioning to school. Leaders are working on the daily routine to provide more consistency for children. Typically, this works well and helps children to feel confident and secure. However, some minor inconsistencies remain where it is not yet fully embedded. For example, staff transitioning children through parts of the daily routine can sometimes be a little disorganised. This leads to some confusion for some children. This does not consistently support children's understanding of what is happening and what is coming next. Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard Staff build strong, caring relationships with their key children and are highly attuned to their individual needs. They are often able to recognise and respond to children's cues. Children seek out staff to show them structures they have made, and they beam with happiness as staff praise their achievements. They settle comfortably on staff's laps, enjoying cuddles and reading stories. Children demonstrate that they feel secure, and staff promote their emotional wellbeing effectively. Leaders and staff support children to develop positive attitudes to healthy living. Staff provide daily opportunities for children to get fresh air and engage in physical activity. They encourage all children to follow healthy practices, such as washing their hands and wiping their noses. Areas where children can freely access resources to support their self-care skills have been added into the environment to encourage children's independence. Free- flow access to the outdoor environment builds on children's confidence to practise their physical skills, such as running, jumping and riding bikes. Staff allow children to take safe risks but stay close to provide support if needed. This helps children learn how to keep themselves safe in a secure environment. Independence is highly embedded throughout the setting. 'Special helpers' take on roles at lunchtime, such as handing out plates and cutlery. This helps children to feel valued and develop a sense of pride. Even the youngest children are encouraged to try and pour their own drinks and feed themselves. Children are developing well with their personal care skills. Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Leaders prioritise children's communication and language. From a young age, staff introduce simple language into their play, such as 'on top' as they stack cups. Older children explore real-life resources, such as vegetables and flowers in the mud kitchen. As they play, staff ask engaging questions to encourage children to convey their understanding. Learning is highly inclusive and staff swiftly make adaptations, when necessary, to support all children's needs, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For example, during group activities, staff thoughtfully place resources where they can be clearly seen by all. Since the last inspection, leaders have developed a child-centred curriculum that targets children's individual needs, which are identified through continuous assessment. Staff are developing their ability to widen learning opportunities and refine their practice to support all children to develop. Children engage in exciting experiences as they thread materials to develop their small hand movements. They practise their large physical skills in the outdoor environment as they jump, balance and climb with the support of staff. However, at times, children occasionally flit between activities and do not fully meet the intended learning outcome. They would benefit from more explicit teaching to ensure that they are fully embedding the skills and knowledge staff intend for them to learn. This will help further support progression in their ongoing development. Leadership and governance Expected standard Since the last inspection, there has been a change to the leadership team that has had a positive impact on the day-to-day running of the setting. Leaders have established partnerships with parents, who feel valued and listened to. Leaders and staff are working closely with parents to help improve consistency between home and the setting, particularly in relation to supporting children's behaviour. Stay-and-play sessions, workshops, outings and the lending library strengthen home learning and shared reading. Leaders are ambitious in their vision for the setting and strive to ensure that children get the best start to life. They focus on developing staff through training and monitoring to help further embed staff knowledge. However, this is not yet consistently implemented. Some policies and procedures that are used to train staff on how to fully carry out their roles are not effective for their intended purpose. However, leaders have identified this and are supporting staff in procedures to follow while policies are being updated and reviewed. Their enthusiasm to enhance practice empowers staff to also take a key role in developing opportunities for children. For example, where staff notice parts of the environment that may hinder a child, they proactively adapt it to ensure all children can be included. The positive impact of recent training to support children's communication and language can already be seen throughout all the rooms in the setting. This is supporting children to be fluent communicators. Leaders monitor the effectiveness of changes. Leaders set high expectations for all staff and are addressing the weaker areas of practice. However, they need more time to fully embed these improvements. They have recently adapted the environment based on the current needs of the children. This is to help children prepare for their transition to school. Leaders and staff are passionate about the care and support they provide. 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 thrive in this welcoming and inclusive nursery. Staff greet children warmly, and children are excited to start their day. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are included. Leaders work closely with parents to gather Inspector: Joanne Buckley information before children start at the setting. This helps children to settle quickly in an environment that is purposefully designed for them. Transitions throughout the nursery are planned with children's emotional wellbeing at the forefront. For example, familiar staff transition to new rooms with the children to help them feel safe and secure in a new environment. Children foster a trusting relationship with their key person and are secure. Children display positive attitudes to learning. Babies babble and giggle as they explore a range of different resources with staff. Toddlers develop their language skills as they sing songs and develop an understanding of rhythm by playing musical instruments. Pre-school children are developing a good understanding of oral health. Staff teach children about the importance of brushing their teeth and how to do this effectively. All children access a wide range of experiences that support all areas of their learning and development. Children are becoming highly independent learners. Staff put children at the centre and follow their lead through play. This provides children with opportunities to make choices and understand about their own wants and needs. Staff encourage children to be independent in their care needs. For example, staff provide opportunities for children to practise putting their coats and shoes on and taking them off. Children are learning the skills they require for their next stage of development. Next steps Leaders should continue to fully embed the daily routines to ensure all staff are consistent in their implementation. Leaders should further develop staff's implementation of the curriculum to allow more opportunities for explicit teaching to help consolidate children's knowledge and skills. Leaders should further develop procedures to support staff in understanding their roles and responsibilities, particular in relation to supporting children's behaviour. About this inspection The inspector spoke with leaders, staff and the early years advisor for the setting 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. About this setting Unique reference number (URN): EY317013 Address: Brindley Street Eccles Manchester Lancashire M30 8AB Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 17/10/2005 Registered person: Salford City Council Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00 Local authority: Salford Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 1 April 2026 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. 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