URN 2820807 · Inspected 2026-07-14 · Published 2026-09-04 · Inspector: Lucy Ratcliffe
ABC Childcare Services Cheshire Ltd Unique reference number (URN): 2820807 Address: 2 High Street, Crewe, CW2 7BN Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 26/11/2024 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: ABC Childcare Services Cheshire Ltd Inspection report: 14 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 good progress from their individual starting points, including those requiring additional support. Children strengthen their physical development, gross motor skills and creative skills through large-scale mark-making activities outdoors. For example, they use paint spray bottles to create a large piece of colourful art. The use of the spray bottles strengthens children's hand and finger muscle development, which will support writing skills. Children experience a supportive environment where their communication and language development is prioritised. Children are valued and understood because practitioners use assessment, progress checks, speech and language screening and effective partnership working with families and professionals to identify needs early and provide targeted support. Children grow in confidence as practitioners use personalised approaches that reflect their interests and needs. For example, they use familiar character resources to help children to maintain engagement during smaller group activities. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those in receipt of additional funding and those facing barriers to learning and wellbeing benefit from tailored interventions and adaptations that support positive outcomes. Leaders monitor children's progress and use cohort information to identify areas for further development. Children are supported to develop the skills needed for their next stage of learning. However, on occasion, some experiences do not consistently provide opportunities for children to deepen their learning and apply their skills independently. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard Children form positive relationships with practitioners and generally demonstrate confidence, enjoyment and engagement within the setting. Children sit cuddled up with practitioners in an outdoor story area, listening intently to the story and joining in with familiar sections when encouraged to do so. Typically, leaders and practitioners promote expectations for behaviour through positive interactions, praise and modelling, and children are supported to develop skills such as sharing, turn-taking and listening. Practitioners identify children's individual needs well and use strategies such as visual aids, calm spaces and targeted support to help children regulate their emotions and engage successfully in routines. For instance, children engage with a familiar morning song during group time. They understand that they are expected to put their thumbs up and wait if they would like a turn to offer their ideas when discussing facts about sea animals. Children are developing the skills they need to be ready for their next stage of learning. Leaders recognise the importance of regular attendance and monitor patterns of absence, working with families to identify barriers and provide support where needed. For example, parents of children with additional needs report flexibility with session arrival times, which supports their child to attend more frequently, promoting their individual needs and routines. However, the implementation of expectations is not yet fully embedded across the provision. At times, transitions, routines and group experiences result in periods of low-level disruption, meaning that children occasionally lose focus and need additional support to re-engage positively in learning. Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Leaders have designed a curriculum that is responsive to each child, building on children's starting points, interests and individual needs while ensuring they access a broad range of learning experiences. At times, teaching does not consistently provide opportunities for some children to extend their thinking, particularly during some group experiences. Leaders are taking steps to strengthen curriculum delivery and improve consistency across the provision. Leaders prioritise communication and language alongside children's personal, social, and emotional development and physical development, as foundations for learning. Leaders use monitoring, cohort information, training and professional dialogue to evaluate the quality of teaching and identify areas for improvement, including strengthening mathematical development. Practitioners model counting through everyday play, such as counting tentacles, clapping syllables and counting cards, helping children develop early number sense. Practitioners know children well and use assessment information, observations and professional knowledge to identify next steps and adapt teaching, including for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those facing barriers to learning and wellbeing. Children benefit from language modelling, purposeful adaptations and support that enables them to engage, communicate and participate in learning. For example, practitioners use visual aids, slow down their own speech and provide opportunities for children to retell parts of a familiar story. This allows children to process language, build on their vocabulary and develop confidence in their communication skills. Inclusion Expected standard Leaders have created an inclusive culture where children's individual needs are identified quickly through effective settling-in processes, discussions with families, progress checks and early assessment. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who speak English as an additional language, those in receipt of early years pupil premium funding (EYPP) and children known to children's social care. Leaders use targeted support, reasonable adjustments and adaptations to reduce barriers, including personalised resources, emotional regulation strategies and flexible approaches to settling and transitions. For example, children benefit from a calm, sensory area, which helps to regulate emotions and behaviours. Practitioners have a secure understanding of children's needs, next steps and progress from their starting points. Leaders monitor the impact of support through observations, assessments, supervision and partnership working with external professionals, using this information to review and adapt provision. This means that children receive timely, targeted support that meets their individual needs, helping them to make progress and feel secure. Needs attention Practitioners receive training to strengthen their understanding of supporting children's additional needs. Leaders work closely with families and agencies to shape effective support. EYPP funding is used purposefully to provide resources linked to children's interests and needs, supporting communication, emotional regulation and engagement. Leaders also use local partnerships to broaden children's experiences, for example, sourcing external sensory opportunities through a local charity and visits to the local library and heritage centre, ensuring all children access a wide range of experiences and develop a sense of belonging. Leadership and governance Expected standard Leaders demonstrate a commitment to improving outcomes for children and have established effective systems for safeguarding and partnership working. Although leaders have established clear policies and procedures, these are not yet consistently embedded across the team. Variations in the implementation of hygiene routines and aspects of children's care mean leaders do not yet have full assurance that some procedures are consistently understood by practitioners and followed in practice. That said, leaders identify some strengths and other areas for development within the provision and use monitoring, supervision, training and professional dialogue to support continuous improvement. Leaders have identified mathematics as a priority area and are taking further steps to strengthen practitioners' confidence, subject knowledge and consistency in supporting children's mathematical development. Leaders evaluate the impact of their curriculum through cohort tracking, progress reviews and ongoing assessment, using this information to adjust provision and target support. Leaders make decisions that support children's individual needs, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, children facing disadvantage and those known to children's social care, through effective use of additional funding, targeted support and partnership working with families and external agencies. Leaders value practitioners' wellbeing and support manageable workloads through shared responsibilities, protected time and supportive supervision. Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention Overall, leaders have established policies and procedures to support children's welfare. However, these are not consistently implemented by all practitioners. For example, children are not always encouraged to take an active role in simple self-care routines such as washing their own hands or wiping their own noses, which reduces opportunities for them to build independence and understand healthy habits. Supervision during mealtimes is generally supportive, although practice varies, meaning practitioners do not always reinforce safe and hygienic eating habits with the same level of consistency. Similarly, during table activities, practitioners occasionally miss opportunities to explain why certain behaviours, such as swinging on chairs, are unsafe. This means that children, including those with additional needs, are not consistently supported to deepen their understanding of how to keep themselves safe. Children are provided with healthy food options and opportunities for physical development. Children are cared for by nurturing adults who know them well and prioritise their emotional security and wellbeing. Close key-person relationships, effective support for self-regulation and close partnership working with families help all children feel safe, valued and confident. Practitioners understand children's individual needs well and use strategies such as calm spaces, visual supports and responsive approaches to support emotional regulation. 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 are happy and settled and develop a secure sense of belonging because they are cared for by warm, nurturing practitioners who know them and their families well. Practitioners build trusting relationships with parents from the outset, using detailed information they have gathered about children's interests, strengths and individual needs to provide personalised support. This, alongside effective partnership working with external professionals, ensures children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those in receipt of additional funding and children experiencing vulnerable circumstances receive timely, targeted support that helps them to feel secure, develop confidence and make good progress from their starting points. Children's home languages, cultures and family backgrounds are valued and celebrated, helping them to develop positive identities within an inclusive environment where they feel respected and included. Leaders recognise the importance of regular attendance and monitor patterns of absence, working with families to identify barriers and provide support where needed. Typically, children develop well at this setting. They benefit from a curriculum that is responsive to their individual needs, with practitioners making effective use of assessment to identify next steps, particularly in communication and language, emotional development and successful transitions. Additional funding is used thoughtfully to remove barriers to learning and improve children's engagement, emotional regulation and participation. As a result, many children develop increasing confidence, independence and communication skills and overall are prepared for the next stage in their education. Secure safeguarding practice, knowledgeable practitioners and effective leadership further ensure children are safe and that concerns are identified and acted upon promptly. However, inconsistencies in practice to promote independence and self-care routines mean that some children do not always receive consistently high-quality support to develop these important lifelong skills. Despite these inconsistencies, children enjoy attending the setting, form positive relationships with adults and peers and are supported to feel safe, valued and emotionally secure. 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 leaders should monitor and support staff practice to promote children's independence and develop their understanding of healthy lifestyles 28/08/2026 Inspector: Lucy Ratcliffe About this setting Unique reference number (URN): 2820807 Address: 2 High Street Crewe CW2 7BN Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 26/11/2024 Registered person: ABC Childcare Services Cheshire Ltd Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:45 - 18:00 Local authority: Cheshire East Action Completion Date leaders should support staff to consistently implement and understand the setting's hygiene procedures, such as handwashing after wiping children's noses. 28/08/2026 About this inspection The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, parents and children during the inspection. A quality assurance visit by an additional inspector was carried out at this 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. Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 14 July 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 2 to 4 Total number of places 30 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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