URN 2828632 · Inspected 2026-07-07 · Published 2026-08-04 · Inspector: Beverley Devlin
New Beginnings at Milton Unique reference number (URN): 2828632 Address: Millrise Road, STOKE-ON-TRENT, ST2 7DN Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 02/04/2025 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Lilyrose Ventures Ltd Inspection report: 7 July 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 Achievement Expected standard Children make positive progress from their starting points across all areas of learning and development. They learn to work with others, communicate effectively, and become increasingly independent. This includes disadvantaged children, those known to social care and children facing barriers to their learning or wellbeing. Children benefit from a wide range of purposeful experiences that strengthen their physical development and confidence. Babies explore instruments and sensory materials and learn to climb and balance. Older children develop coordination as they throw and catch balls, dig, and transport water and mud, building core strength. They begin to understand the purpose of the tools they select, demonstrating early problem-solving skills. Children engage in back-and-forth conversations, join in with action songs, and listen attentively to stories. They show good listening skills and can retell familiar texts with confidence. These experiences help prepare children well for the next stage of their learning and for their transitions to school. However, an inconsistent approach to dummy use means that, on occasion, babies are not always fully benefiting from opportunities to develop early communication skills. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard Leaders establish a positive, inclusive culture with clear expectations for behaviour. Children form warm relationships with staff and peers and engage cooperatively as they play and learn. Staff model calm, respectful behaviour and use effective strategies that help children regulate their emotions. As a result, children behave well and show positive attitudes to learning. Collaboration with parents ensures consistent approaches that support children's self-regulation at home. This contributes to a well-managed environment where children feel safe, valued and ready to learn. Older children demonstrate growing independence in their self-care routines, such as washing their hands, using the toilet confidently and pouring their own drinks. They access resources independently and interact well with one another. Staff support younger children to take part in simple routines, such as tidying up, to build early independence. Children show confidence in exploring resources, engaging with peers, and interacting with adults, including visitors. Overall, children generally behave well and show positive attitudes to learning, although occasionally transition times are less calm. Attendance is rigorously monitored. Leaders promote punctuality and regular attendance to help families establish good habits that support children's learning. Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard Leaders and staff create a safe, welcoming environment where babies and children form secure attachments. Babies wave, greet adults, and choose resources independently, showing a strong sense of belonging. Children are supported to talk about their feelings and manage their emotions, using props to help them regulate. This helps them feel connected and ready to learn. Staff know children well and implement care routines appropriately. They respond promptly to babies' emerging needs and support them safely as they climb and explore. Older children use the toilet independently, wash their hands and take appropriate risks that help them understand how to keep themselves safe. Children benefit from nutritious meals and snacks. Mealtimes are sociable, and staff model how to cut food and use cutlery. Older children serve themselves, while younger children feed themselves using spoons and forks. However, staff working with older children do not always implement an effective routine for serving meals promptly, which sometimes leads to unnecessary waiting and restlessness. Children's welfare and wellbeing are promoted well through an inclusive culture where every child is recognised, valued, and supported. Staff respond sensitively to children's individual needs, including those with barriers to learning, ensuring interactions and experiences are adapted so all children can participate fully. Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Leaders have designed an ambitious, inclusive, and well-sequenced curriculum across all seven areas of learning. A love of books is woven through the curriculum, ensuring stories sit at the heart of children's experiences and strengthen communication and language. Staff introduce new vocabulary and build children's language through songs, rhymes, and stories, engaging them in back-and-forth conversations and narrating their play. Babies delight in joining in with rhymes, while older children listen attentively to stories. Children are developing strong personal, social, and emotional skills. Older children show increasing independence at mealtimes and enjoy chatting with their peers, supported by staff who encourage them to share ideas and build positive social skills. Transitional periods, particularly before lunch, are not well organised to meet the needs of children which leads to children waiting for long periods. This leads to children becoming unsettled, disengaged and, at times, displaying unwanted behaviour's. Staff promote early physical development effectively. Babies have regular opportunities to crawl, climb, and practise rolling, building strength and coordination. Carefully planned sensory experiences stimulate curiosity and encourage babbling, supporting early communication. Staff introduce early mathematical concepts through familiar rhymes and purposeful modelling of vocabulary such as 'tall' and 'more.' This helps children build secure foundations early. Inclusion Expected standard Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive effective and targeted support from staff. Information gathered from parents, starting points obtained when children begin, and ongoing assessments are successful at identifying children who may need additional support. Staff work in collaboration with parents, and external professionals, to put in place strategies to help bridge gaps in development and to gather the necessary information and evidence needed for referrals when needed. Staff and parents regularly review the impact that interventions are having on the outcomes for children with SEND or other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing. Typically, staff effectively and consistently use agreed strategies to support children. This ensures that all children succeed alongside their peers. Additional funding is used effectively to assist eligible children. For instance, leaders have purchased books and sensory resources that support children in managing their behaviours and self-regulation. Staff have noticed the positive impact this has had on the children and how they are now using these resources independently when required. With an effective identification process, staff quickly bridge the gaps in children's development. Transitions do not consistently meet the needs of all children, particularly those who require additional emotional or behavioural support. Leadership and governance Expected standard Leadership and management within the setting are effective, with clear evidence of reflective practice and a strong commitment to continuous improvement. Governance provides purposeful challenge and support, ensuring high standards in care, safeguarding, and curriculum quality. Leaders promote a positive culture where staff interact warmly with children, extend learning through conversation and respond sensitively to their emotional needs. Leaders have robust systems to support staff wellbeing, and staff speak positively about working in the setting. Professional development is encouraged and aligned to staff interests and children's needs. To strengthen staff practice even further by providing targeted support and monitoring to further raise the quality of teaching and interactions across the nursery. Welfare routines, such as sleep checks and documentation, are embedded and consistently followed. Staff respond promptly to children's needs, contributing to a culture of attentiveness and emotional security. Leaders ensure staff are confident in supporting children with additional needs, and parents express high levels of satisfaction with the care, progress and communication offered. Effective partnership working with external professionals ensures children and families receive coordinated support that meets their individual needs. As a result of clear leadership, effective staff support and well-established partnerships, children experience consistent care and teaching. They feel safe, emotionally secure, and well understood, enabling them to engage confidently in learning. Children with barriers to their learning or wellbeing receive coordinated support that helps them make sustained progress and participate fully in nursery life. 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 Typically, children achieve well in this setting. They explore resources with curiosity, engage confidently with staff and visitors, and show clear progress in communication, social development, and independence. Staff interactions are warm and purposeful, helping children build vocabulary, practise early mathematical thinking and develop problem-solving skills through play. Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, disadvantaged children and those who face barriers to their learning are supported well. Staff adapt their teaching by setting personalised targets for each child, and interventions are reviewed regularly. Children demonstrate a sense of belonging. They form secure attachments with staff, approach adults confidently and show trust in the relationships around them. Typically, routines are calm and predictable, helping children feel safe and understand what happens next. Staff respond sensitively when children become upset or frustrated, offering reassurance and co-regulation that helps them settle quickly. Children are welcomed warmly into activities, encouraged to share resources, and supported to join in at their own pace. Parents speak highly of the care their children receive, describing staff as approachable, supportive, and consistently available. This reinforces a culture where children are welcomed, valued and emotionally secure. Staff supervise children closely, complete regular sleep checks and explain risks clearly to help children understand how to keep themselves safe. Behaviour guidance is calm and effective, with staff using distraction and redirection to maintain engagement and prevent escalation. Leaders ensure staff are deployed effectively and that information about children's needs is shared clearly across the team. As a result, children flourish, whatever their background or individual needs. Attendance is rigorously monitored. Leaders promote punctuality and regular attendance to help families establish good habits that support children's learning. Next steps Leaders and managers should strengthen staff practice, through targeted support and monitoring, so the quality of teaching is consistently high across the nursery. Leaders should ensure staff use transitional periods more purposefully, particularly before lunch, by developing clear routines that reduce waiting time, sustain children's focus, and maximise learning. Leaders should ensure that all staff implement a consistent and informed approach to dummy use, so babies benefit fully from opportunities to develop early communication skills. About this inspection The inspector spoke with children, parents, leaders, practitioners and the special educational needs coordinator 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. Inspector: Beverley Devlin About this setting Unique reference number (URN): 2828632 Address: Millrise Road STOKE-ON-TRENT ST2 7DN Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 02/04/2025 Registered person: Lilyrose Ventures Ltd Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00 Local authority: Stoke-on-Trent Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 7 July 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 0 to 4 Total number of places 45 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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