URN EY332730 · Inspected 2026-06-18 · Published 2026-08-17 · Inspector: Michelle Latchford
Copper Beeches Day Nursery Ltd. Unique reference number (URN): EY332730 Address: 16 Barkers Lane, Sale, Cheshire, M33 6RG Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 07/08/2006 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Copper Beeches Day Nursery Limited Inspection report: 18 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 Older children are fiercely independent and they confidently complete a wealth of tasks for themselves. This is an impressive aspect of children's development. They tidy away toys, wash hands, serve food and pour drinks with minimal supervision and in an assured manner. These personal attributes of confidence, independence and self-assurance are a strong foundation for children to succeed in their future learning journey. Friendships between children flourish. For instance, children sit holding hands and casually talk to each other, giggling as they share ideas. They read stories aloud to a group of friends, during child-initiated story sessions. Children enjoy the company of friends and consequently they are excelling in their social skills. Children play harmoniously and behaviour is exemplary. Staff seamlessly adapt their behaviour management strategies, depending on children's ages and stages of learning. For instance, they use verbal instructions or visual prompts to explain what is happening now and next. Children understand what is expected of them, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Children attendance is consistently high and absences are unusual. Leaders promote regular attendance because they value the importance of continuous and uninterrupted learning. This impacts positively on outcomes for children's learning and development. Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard Music plays throughout the nursery at key times of the day, such as sleep times, creating an ambient and serene atmosphere. Furthermore, staff are notably calm and gentle in their interactions, fostering strong attachments with children. Quiet spaces throughout the nursery rooms enable children to have time and opportunity to relax. These strategies successfully promote children's strong sense of emotional wellbeing. Children learn about healthy and sustainable lifestyles, contributing to their tremendous health and wellbeing. For instance, they grow potatoes and strawberries, learning where their food comes from in hands-on and practical ways. Recent improvements to procedures relating to managing dietary requirements safely are fully established. This fully promotes children's health and wellbeing. Children recycle rubbish and compost their food waste. They show excellent awareness and consideration about the impact they have on the natural world. Leaders and staff have received an externally accredited award for their ecologically-friendly approach to children's care and learning. Children's health and wellbeing is extremely well supported. Staff explicitly teach children about their emotions, through books, activities and toys. Children learn about different feelings, such as fear, anger, happy and sad. In turn, children have a strong sense of emotional wellbeing. They are extremely mature, considerate and begin to appreciate the impact their words and actions have on others. Inclusion Strong standard Teaching is highly inclusive and strategically adapted. Staff amend routines without hesitation and ratios are reviewed to offer children more adult attention. These excellent adaptations mean the curriculum is accessible for everyone and well matched to children's differing abilities. All children are supported to thrive. Staff create a culture where every child matters. They work closely with a range of wider professionals, drawing upon their specialist expertise to enhance the excellent support offered to children. For example, staff currently work with visual impairment specialists, speech therapists and local authority quality advisers to meet children's unique and diverse needs extremely well. Staff complete detailed observations and assessments of all children. This accurate monitoring enables staff to be responsive to children's individual needs. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who need extra help benefit from timely support. Detailed care plans are swiftly written and implemented into practice without delay. This urgency means that all children progress well from their starting points, including those with SEND, or those facing barriers to their learning. Leadership and governance Strong standard Leaders have an accurate understanding of the nursery strengths and priorities to improve. The leadership team is aspirational and dedicated to offer the very highest quality provision. They have a clear action plan which is reviewed and updated every month, without fail. This means the priorities to improve are acted upon quickly and leaders ensure that developments are continual and purposeful. There is a true culture of reflection and improvement, led by inspirational leaders. Investment in staff wellbeing is a high priority for leaders. Staff comment that they are happy, motivated and committed. Many of the staff team have worked in the setting for several years and parents comment this established and stable team is reassuring for families. High morale impacts positively on the quality of staff's first-rate practice. Training offered to staff is targeted and worthwhile to improve the quality of their practice and outcomes for children. Effective staff supervision, such as appraisals and peer observations, enable leaders to understand where staff excel and areas they need additional support. As a result, professional development is precisely matched to staff needs and raises standards and quality to ultimately benefit children. Leaders understand that improving staff skills to extend children's language and enhance communication between colleagues will improve outcomes for children. Expected standard Achievement Expected standard Children benefit from well-sequenced teaching and activities suited to their abilities. For example, mathematics is explicitly taught for the oldest children. They learn to count, categorise, recognise mathematical shapes and understand quantity and volume. Younger children enjoy thinking critically as they solve simple problems when playing with large wooden shape sorters. Babies benefit from lots of opportunities to practise and master their emerging walking skills and core physical strength. All children make steady progress from their starting points. Children prepare well for the next stage in their learning. They show resilience and a positive 'can-do' attitude. They also have strength in character to share their ideas and opinions, even when these differ from their peers. Children are happy, confident and self assured. These personal attributes are a secure foundation for children's future success. Children make some progress in their language skills, however they are not yet excelling in this area because staff do not always engage children in conversations, particularly during mealtimes. Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum, closely linked to their values and ethos. They intend for children to be 'happy, confident and independent' and together, staff and leaders excel in achieving this vision. The curriculum has been co-designed, incorporating the views of parents, children and staff to ensure it reflects and encapsulates everyone's different priorities. Learning is carefully sequenced, so children build and gradually develop the necessary skills in preparation for the next stage in their learning and eventually school. Staff generally work well together as a team, helping each other and working collaboratively. However, when staff changes are necessary and teaching responsibilities are handed over, staff do not always effectively share details of activity intent so learning can continue without interruption. Children are given plenty of opportunities to practise what they already know. Staff recognise the value and importance of children repeating skills to thoroughly embed new knowledge into their long-term memory, for later recall. There is a mix of adult-led activities and child-initiated play, offering children breadth of learning opportunities and their steady progress is supported. Leaders recognise the importance of supporting children's language skills. All staff have received appropriate training about how best to support children's emerging communication skills. During planned activities, staff talk to children and engage in meaningful discussions about play. Staff pause, allowing time for children to think and answer questions. Typically, this is a language-rich environment. However, during routine tasks, such as mealtimes, staff interactions do not extend children's conversational skills at the highest level. 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 There is a striking atmosphere of calmness and serenity throughout the nursery. Coupled with this, there is also a sense of fun. Laughter can be heard echoing throughout the entire nursery, illustrating children's immense enjoyment and positive experiences. Children show they feel safe and belong as they play confidently and with assured independence. Babies are lavished with plenty of warm affection from kind and affectionate staff. Children are exceptionally settled, happy and content. They thrive because of this excellent emotional security. Inspector: Michelle Latchford About this setting Unique reference number (URN): EY332730 Address: 16 Barkers Lane Sale Cheshire M33 6RG Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Children achieve well in all areas of learning. They are supported to make steady and continual progress in their learning and development. Staff have high expectations about what children can achieve. To illustrate, with adult support young children successfully build a complex train track. They show incredible problem-solving skills as they twist the pieces until they slot into place. Children push trains around the track developing their hand-eye coordination. When the train wheels slip, children correct themselves showing resilience and critical-thinking. Attending this nursery provides children with a strong start and secure foundation for their future learning journey. Activities are engaging, age-appropriate and challenging. Every child is supported to achieve and thrive. Next steps Leaders should provide staff with training to help them consistently promote children's language skills and extend their learning. Leaders should support staff to communicate more effectively with colleagues to promote greater consistency for children's learning. About this inspection The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, 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. Registration date: 07/08/2006 Registered person: Copper Beeches Day Nursery Limited Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00 Local authority: Trafford Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 18 June 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 0 to 4 Total number of places 52 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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