URN EY268443 · Inspected 2026-07-20 · Published 2026-09-04 · Inspector: Michelle Lorains
Dots 'N' Spots Day Nursery and Out of SchoolClub Unique reference number (URN): EY268443 Address: Skelton Primary School, Station Lane, Skelton-in-Cleveland, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Cleveland, TS12 2LR Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 09/10/2003 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Dots 'N' Spots Day Nursery & Out Of School Club Limited Inspection report: 20 July 2026 Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement Needs attention 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. Achievement Needs attention Children are not supported to reach their full potential and their progress is inconsistent. This means some children are ready to start school while others are less well prepared. For example, some children with special educational needs and/or disabilities wander around the garden and interactions with them are not purposeful. In addition, children are not typically supported not make the best possible progress in their communication and language development. However, some children who have gaps in their learning copy actions and listen to new words modelled by staff as they play in the sand. Babies achieve well in their physical and social development. They begin to sit up, crawl and pull themselves to stand. Babies show delight as they splash in the water and are keen, enthusiastic learners. They build solid foundations for the next stage in their learning. Overall, children make progress in their personal, social and emotional development. They are kind, caring and begin to play alongside each other. Older children collaborate during play and know how to share and take turns. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention Staff are not consistently familiar with the daily routines in some rooms of the nursery. This is because recent staff changes have altered the deployment of the team. For example, staff do not have realistic expectations of children's abilities to sit for long periods of time in a circle for a story, or the levels of support and challenge children need. This results in some children becoming frustrated and unable to participate. Although there are challenges regarding the deployment of staff, they are all responsive to children and speak to them with kindness and respect. Staff speak to other team members to try and find out what children need and what their interests are. Children show positive attitudes to learning. Staff generally prepare the environment so children can access a range of activities independently. For example, children sustain their interest in water and sand play. Staff support them to take turns with the resources and remind them not to throw sand. Babies benefit from established routines and staff know them well. They gather information from families about their feeding and sleep times. This helps staff to follow babies individual routines and work in partnership with families. Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention Recent breaches to the requirements of the early years foundation stage have had an impact on children's welfare and wellbeing. Leaders have taken action to ensure that staff understand the procedures to follow if they have any concerns about staff practice and conduct. Although there are challenges with the recent staff changes, children continue to benefit from seeing familiar faces in their room. Leaders work tirelessly to try and maintain consistency of care for children. Children show they feel happy with staff and have positive relationships with all of them. Children benefit from fresh air daily and develop their physical skills in the large garden areas. Staff ensure all children are kept safe in the sun by providing sun cream and hats. Staff implement effective procedures to maintain safety during sleep and mealtimes, including for children who have specific dietary requirements. Children benefit from healthy meals which are freshly prepared in the setting. They follow positive hygiene routines, such as washing hands before they eat, and staff provide them with plenty of water. However, staff do not talk to children about why they wash their hands, to develop their understanding. Additionally, opportunities for children to develop their independence are limited. For instance, staff cut up their food and pour their drinks without offering them the opportunity to try this for themselves. Curriculum and teaching Needs attention Staff do not implement the curriculum consistently for all children. Recent staff changes mean that teaching is not always matched to meet all children's individual learning goals and levels of support and challenge are not appropriate. For instance, some children spend a lot of time outdoors. They play independently and explore the activities staff prepare. However, some staff do not engage purposefully with children to extend their learning, and they maintain a supervisory position. This means that some children's learning is incidental and opportunities to deepen their understanding are not made use of. In addition, staff do not consistently adapt the curriculum or their teaching to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For instance, they continue to use complex language and do not use the visual cards effectively to prepare children for what comes next. Leaders identify areas of the curriculum that staff need to prioritise, such as children's communication and language development. Staff use specific group times to sing familiar songs with children. However, during children's self-chosen play, staff do not consistently model clear words or new vocabulary, to fully extend and develop this area of children's learning. In contrast, some staff know what children need to learn next, and their interactions are of higher quality. Babies show enjoyment as they explore sensory activities and listen to familiar stories. Young children roll balls down the tubes and staff carefully support them to go down the steps safely. They show an interest in imaginative play and use creative skills to make 'aliens'. Older children begin to develop an awareness of mathematical concepts and staff challenge them to catch and count 'pom poms' in their net. Inclusion Needs attention Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are not consistently supported across the nursery. This is because some staff are not familiar with children's individual plans and they do not implement specific strategies advised by other professionals. For instance, they expect children with SEND to remain still and quiet in a circle time and remove resources from them. This results in some children becoming dysregulated and they are less able to participate in learning. In contrast, senior staff who work closely with children with SEND, and those children who face barriers to learning, know them exceptionally well. They complete regular assessments and detailed reviews of their progress which they share with parents and other professionals. Other staff supervise children closely to ensure they stay safe. Senior staff support families and children with SEND to prepare for their transition to school. They hold meetings with other professionals to promote continuity for children. Leaders ensure extra funding is used appropriately to help the children it is allocated to. For instance, some children benefit from one-to-one support and have specific resources to help them regulate their emotions. Leadership and governance Needs attention This inspection was conducted as a result of the risk assessment process and a previous breach to the safeguarding and welfare requirements was identified. Leaders have promptly provided all staff with further guidance and training on how to identify, record and report any concerns about staff's practice and conduct. Staff demonstrate an understanding of the correct procedures to follow to keep children safe. This means there is no further action for Ofsted to take. Leaders are yet to make changes to the deployment of staff to improve consistency for children. In addition, they do not ensure there is a designated manager or deputy manager on site. Improvements made to the curriculum are not embedded. Leaders acknowledge staff need further guidance and coaching to raise the quality of teaching and support individual children, including children with special educational needs and/ or disabilities. They have recently evaluated the effectiveness of the provision and have a clearer understanding of the areas to develop. Overall, senior staff provide support and promote staff wellbeing. Staff say they are a close- knit team and report that they feel supported during difficult times. Safer recruitment procedures are followed effectively, and leaders have recently completed staff supervision meetings. This is helping to identify training needs and providing staff with time to talk in confidence with leaders. Staff work hard to maintain positive partnerships with families. Leaders ensure that they communicate changes effectively using the online forum and provide parents with updates on their children's learning. Overall, children are supported during transitions. For example, staff talk to parents about preparing to move children to the next room of the nursery and teachers are welcomed in to meet children in preparation for their move on to school. 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 are not supported to make the best possible progress across all areas of their learning. This is because the quality of staff's teaching is variable and the curriculum is not embedded. For some children, learning is incidental, particularly when they are outdoors. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities do not benefit from the impact of specific strategies as some staff are unfamiliar with them. This hinders the amount of progress children make. Recent significant changes to the staff team have had an impact on children's routines and, on occasion, the nursery does not have a manager or deputy manager on site. While senior staff provide as much support as possible, on occasion, apprentices are relied on to provide consistency for children. Children's personal, social and emotional development are promoted well, and this is a stronger area of the curriculum. Staff have close bonds with all children and are kind and caring. Children benefit from consistent boundaries and expectations. For instance, staff promote children's positive behaviour and gently remind them to use 'kind hands'. Parents describe a positive experience of settling in and say that staff know their children well and value them as individuals. Children are supported to develop routines in preparation to start school because leaders and staff promote their regular attendance and maintain effective communication with families. Children show they enjoy spending time playing and exploring in the large outdoor spaces. Staff supervise them effectively and support them to develop positive physical skills. For example, babies and young children stand at the small trays to explore the sand and water. Older children run up and down the small hills and show confidence using the steps on the wooden climbing frame. Next steps To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must take the following actions by the assigned date: Action Completion Date improve the way staff are deployed across the nursery, to ensure staff are familiar with routines and strategies to provide consistency and continuity for children 02/09/2026 ensure a designated manager or deputy manager are on site at all times 02/08/2026 develops staff's understanding of how to implement children's individual plans and consistently support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities 02/09/2026 ensure staff consistently focus on supporting children to develop their communication and language skills, throughout their play, exploration and unplanned experiences 02/09/2026 improve the curriculum and teaching outdoors, specifically for toddlers and preschool children who 02/09/2026 Inspector: Michelle Lorains About this setting Unique reference number (URN): EY268443 Address: Skelton Primary School Station Lane, Skelton-in-Cleveland Saltburn-by-the-Sea Cleveland TS12 2LR Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 09/10/2003 Registered person: Dots 'N' Spots Day Nursery & Out Of School Club Limited Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00 Action Completion Date prefer to learn outside, to ensure they can develop a full range of skills About this inspection The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, the special educational needs coordinator and the designated safeguarding leader, children and parents during the inspection. 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. 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. Local authority: Redcar and Cleveland Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 20 July 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 0 to 11 Total number of places 116 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. 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