Blessings Nursery Great Horton

Blessings Nursery Great Horton
Unique reference number (URN): 2817157
Address: 157 Woodhead Road, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD7 2BL
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 17/03/2025
Registers: EYR, CCR
Registered person: Blessings Day Care & Nursery Ltd
Inspection report: 16 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.

Needs attention
Achievement Needs attention
Children, including those who are disadvantaged, those with special educational needs
and/or disabilities and those who may face barriers to their learning, do not typically receive
the appropriate level of support to meet their individual needs. This means children do not
make the progress they are capable of. Consequently, children are not typically well
prepared for the next stage of their learning, including their transition to school.
Children develop some independence skills, such as pouring water into their cups at
mealtimes, using the toilet and washing their hands. However, they do not consistently have
opportunities to develop their independence skills throughout the day. For example, children
are not given appropriate cutlery to allow them to cut up their food independently. This does
not fully support their growing independence effectively.
Children develop their confidence and build positive relationships with adults and their
friends. They enjoy singing songs and listening to stories. This helps them to develop their
communication and language skills effectively.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention
Routines of the day are not yet typically well embedded to fully support children's positive
attitude to their learning. Staff plan group times; however, they have not considered how
they can meet the individual ages and stages of all children during these times. For
example, at circle time, younger children quickly lose interest as they wait too long for their
turn. Older children often become distracted by the level of noise. In addition, resources are
limited and some are in poor condition. For example, books available to children are worn
and damaged, often with pages missing. This does not support children to develop a
positive attitude towards their learning.
Generally, staff support children's emotional development appropriately. They build warm,
positive relationships with the children in their care. Staff help them to understand their
emotions, including recognising when they feel happy or sad. For example, when children
arrive, they talk about how they are feeling and put their pictures on the emotions board.
This helps children develop the language needed to name different emotions and talk about
how they are feeling.
Children learn to play alongside others and get along with their peers. Staff support this by
teaching playground games that encourage children to take turns and play cooperatively
with their friends. Leaders have set appropriate expectations for children to follow, and
children typically behave well. However, inconsistencies in practice mean that children do
not learn or follow these rules consistently.
Leaders promote the importance of good attendance. Systems are in place to explore why
children do not arrive at the nursery. Leaders encourage children to attend regularly. When
families face barriers to attendance, leaders put support in place. For example, they offer

afternoon sessions instead of morning sessions or provide a pick-up service for families who
may struggle to get to the nursery.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention
Leaders have not ensured that procedures are typically followed to keep children within
sight and hearing of adults at all times. For example, during the inspection, staff did not
accurately complete headcounts when moving children from the outdoor area back inside.
As a result, children were not within sight and hearing of staff for a short period of time. This
does not support children's welfare and wellbeing effectively.
Children form positive relationships with their key person and are confident to seek help
from familiar adults when needed. Staff know children well. They support children to take
safe, appropriate risks in their play. For example, staff encourage children to climb the steps
to the slide and manage their movements as they come down the slide. Staff give children
time to do this independently, with staff stepping in only when necessary.
Leaders provide children with healthy meals and snacks. Some staff talk to children about
the vegetables in their food and the importance of making healthy choices. However, this is
not yet consistently embedded in the daily routines. Children confidently use the water
dispenser to get a drink when they are thirsty. Staff ensure children use the outdoor area
daily. Children have ample space to run and play.
Leaders have identified a rise in poor oral health within the local area and have plans in
place to introduce a toothbrush scheme to support families and promote good oral health.
Curriculum and teaching Needs attention
Leaders do not monitor the quality of the curriculum and teaching effectively across the
nursery. Although the curriculum is generally appropriate, inconsistencies in the
implementation and the quality of teaching do not support children's outcomes well enough.
Leaders have recently employed staff to support in this area. They have only recently begun
to take the action needed to improve the curriculum and teaching. While they have identified
appropriate actions and put plans in place, this work is still at an early stage, and it is too
soon to see the full impact.
Leaders do not ensure the curriculum is typically taught well. Weaknesses in teaching mean
that children, including those who are disadvantaged, those with special educational needs
and/or disabilities and those who may face other barriers to learning, do not consistently
benefit from high-quality interactions. Leaders do not ensure that staff use assessment
effectively to support children's learning and development. Staff are not clear on what
children need to learn. This does not help to ensure their teaching meets children's
individual needs and stages of development. For example, when children initiate child-led
play, staff do not typically provide interactions to support and extend their learning. This
means children often lose interest in their play. Children do not consistently make the
progress of which they are capable.
However, staff provide many opportunities for children to develop their physical skills.
Children strengthen their large and small muscles through a range of activities such as

riding bikes, climbing on frames and stepping through tyres. Staff support children's
mathematical development by encouraging them to count the steps as they move. Children
enjoy a range of stories and songs. Generally, staff speak clearly and engage children in
conversation. Children are confident to talk to staff about their play.
Inclusion Needs attention
Leaders have recently introduced systems to assess children's needs to help reduce
barriers to learning and support their wellbeing. However, improvements are at early stages
and systems are not yet embedded effectively. Leaders and staff do not yet have high
expectations for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or
disabilities (SEND) or those who may face barriers to their learning. Although some support
is in place, inconsistencies remain with how this is implemented by staff. For example,
children with SEND often experience the same activities with limited staff interaction. This
means children with SEND do not typically receive the targeted support they need to make
progress.
Although staff identify children's needs early, leaders have only recently started to put
effective support in place. For example, they have sought advice from external agencies to
help strengthen the provision. In addition, staff now receive suitable training and guidance to
implement appropriate strategies to support children with SEND. However, this work has not
yet had a positive impact on children's learning and development.
Leaders have considered the needs of children who are in receipt of additional funding, such
as early years pupil premium. Funding is used effectively to remove barriers to children's
learning. For example, leaders offer sporting activities to give children further opportunities
to develop their physical skills and have experiences that they may not otherwise have.
Leadership and governance Needs attention
Leaders have not had a clear oversight of the management of the nursery. They have not
ensured staff consistently follow policies and procedures, particularly during daily transitions.
This has resulted in breaches to the requirements of the early years foundation stage. In
addition, the provider has failed to notify Ofsted of a change in manager, which is a
requirement of their registration.
However, leaders have recently made changes to the management structure within the
nursery. In addition, experienced staff are now in place to help improve outcomes for
children. Leaders now have a broad awareness of the nursery's strengths and the areas that
need further development. However, this work is still at an early stage, and its impact is yet
to be seen.
Leaders are mindful of staff workload and provide time during the working day for staff to
complete training. This helps staff to feel valued and supports a manageable workload.
Leaders have recently introduced more regular and focused supervisions for staff. However,
this is still in the early stages and has not yet had the impact needed to improve the quality
of teaching and learning across the nursery.

Leaders and staff engage positively with parents and, more recently, with other
professionals. Children separate from their parents and carers confidently on arrival at the
nursery. Staff provide parents with daily updates about what their child has been doing at
nursery. Leaders are considering how communication with parents can be strengthened, so
that they understand children's next steps more clearly and are better able to support their
learning at home.
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
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children do not consistently benefit from a well-planned curriculum and consistent quality
teaching that meets their individual stage of learning and development. Leaders have only
recently begun to take steps to improve the quality of the provision, teaching and outcomes
for children. However, this work is not yet fully embedded, and children do not typically
receive quality interactions from staff.
Children, particularly those who are disadvantaged, those with special educational needs
and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who may face barriers to their learning do not
consistently receive the support they need to make the progress of which they are capable.
Not all children are well prepared for the next stage in their learning, including their move to
school. Children do not typically receive tailored support through high-quality interactions.
For example, some children, particularly those with SEND, spend too long repeating
activities without effective staff interaction or support.

Children arrive at the nursery happy and eager to start their day. They are pleased to see
the adults and their friends. Children build warm, positive relationships with staff. They
generally feel safe and secure in their care. Children learn about their emotions and how to
manage them. They independently move their pictures onto the emotions board. Staff ask
children about their home life and encourage them to share what they have been doing at
home. This helps children to develop a sense of belonging. Children and families are
typically well supported. They are encouraged to attend regularly.
Children have ample opportunities to develop their physical skills. They particularly enjoy the
large outdoor area, where they can run and play. Children enjoy playing hide and seek. They
practice counting to 10 as their friends find a hiding place. Children then take delight in
finding them.
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
implement effective procedures consistently so that
children always remain within sight or hearing of staff
31/07/2026
embed an ambitious curriculum that has clear intentions
for what children need to learn and ensure staff know
and understand this so that they provide effective
teaching and improve outcomes for all children
31/07/2026
review the organisation of routine activities so that they
meet the individual needs and stages of development
for all children
31/07/2026
support staff to use assessment to plan and implement
relevant next steps for children so that they can make
progress in their learning
31/07/2026
embed the newly introduced arrangements for staff
supervision to raise the quality of teaching, so that it is
tailored to meet the individual needs and stages of
development for all children.
31/07/2026
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with the leaders, managers, staff, children and parents during the
inspection.

Inspector:
Miriam Caldecott
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2817157
Address:
157 Woodhead Road
Bradford
West Yorkshire
BD7 2BL
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 17/03/2025
Registered person: Blessings Day Care & Nursery Ltd
Register(s): EYR, CCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 17:30
Local authority: Bradford
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 16 June 2026
Children numbers
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.

Age range of children at the time of inspection
1 to 4
Total number of places
27
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.
This publication is available at https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk.
Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information
and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn.
Piccadilly Gate
Store Street
Manchester
M1 2WD
T: 0300 123 1231
Textphone: 0161 618 8524
E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk
W: www.gov.uk/ofsted
© Crown copyright 2026
© Crown copyright