Country Kids Day Nursery

Country Kids Day Nursery
Unique reference number (URN): 2564560
Address: Country Kids Day Nursery, Main Street, Kneesall, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG22 0AD
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 30/10/2019
Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR
Registered person: Country Kids Day Nursery Kneesall Limited
Inspection report: 12 August 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
Achievement Strong standard
All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, achieve
extremely well across the curriculum from their individual starting points. They become
confident communicators who can express their needs, ideas and experiences, listen
attentively and use increasingly rich vocabulary in meaningful contexts. Children confidently
apply new mathematical understanding, using language such as 'empty', 'full', 'heavy', 'half'
and 'whole', and count accurately during everyday experiences.
Children achieve highly in their physical development and become increasingly capable and
independent. They develop strength, balance and coordination and confidently manage
routines such as eating, washing, dressing and tidying. Children demonstrate excellent
personal, social and emotional development. They form secure relationships, cooperate,
share, take turns, manage their emotions and persevere when faced with challenges.
Children's individual achievements are recognised and celebrated, regardless of their
starting points.
Children are very well prepared for school. They are confident, curious and resilient learners
who can listen, communicate, solve problems, manage routines and work collaboratively.
They approach new experiences enthusiastically and develop the independence and
learning behaviours needed to flourish in their next stage of learning.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard
Leaders have extremely high expectations for children's behaviour, attitudes and
engagement. Routines are thoughtfully established and consistently embedded across the
nursery. This creates a calm, purposeful and highly inclusive environment where children
feel secure and know what is expected of them. Transitions between activities, moving
between indoor and outdoor play and mealtimes are calm and considered learning
opportunities. Staff use these moments purposefully to develop children's independence,
communication and social skills.
Children develop positive attitudes from the earliest age. Babies learn the importance of
'kind hands' as they play with dolls, while toddlers confidently invite others to join their play,
making a circle and telling friends that they have 'saved a space'. Children demonstrate
genuine consideration for others and understand that everyone is valued and included. As
children grow, they increasingly take responsibility for their environment and demonstrate
excellent attitudes to learning. Pre-school children work collaboratively to clean the snack
table. Children use cloths and proudly explain, 'The water has been absorbed,'
demonstrating curiosity alongside their willingness to contribute.
Leaders take decisive action to promote regular and consistent attendance, identifying
emerging patterns quickly and working closely with families to understand and address any
barriers. Their inclusive approach ensures every child can participate fully and benefit from
exciting experiences.

Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard
Leaders and staff provide superb care that is highly responsive to every child's individual
needs. Children are known very well, and care practices are thoughtfully adapted to ensure
every child receives the precise support they need to thrive. Key persons develop secure
and trusting attachments with babies and children. They are highly attuned to children's
cues and respond with warmth, sensitivity and consistency, giving children a secure sense
of safety and belonging.
Children develop an excellent understanding of their physical development, health and
wellbeing. Staff intentionally teach, even the youngest children, vocabulary for different parts
of their bodies. As a result, children understand and respond confidently to simple
instructions, such as to wipe their face after meals, developing their communication skills
and independence. The purposefully designed outdoor area and equipment help strengthen
children's upper body and core muscles, supporting physical development through
enjoyable challenge. Children enjoy a wide variety of nutritious and healthy meals and
develop a positive understanding of food. Mealtimes are sociable learning opportunities. For
example, children learn that chow mein means stir-fried noodles, extending their vocabulary
and knowledge of the foods they eat.
Staff are skilled at supporting children's emotional development. They recognise individual
emotional cues and sensitively help children recognise, express and manage their feelings.
Sleeping, feeding and care routines are highly personalised and responsive to individual
needs. As a result, children are secure, confident and increasingly independent.
Curriculum and teaching Strong standard
Leaders have an extremely clear understanding of the quality of the curriculum and
teaching. The ambitious curriculum is superbly sequenced, with a particular focus on art,
music and experiences that introduce science and technology. This supports children to
develop as curious, confident learners. Every member of staff knows precisely what children
are working towards, alongside their individual next steps, ensuring teaching builds
seamlessly on what children already know and can do.
Staff use children's interests and everyday experiences very well to deepen learning. In the
toddler room, children develop mathematical understanding through mud kitchen play as
staff introduce language such as 'empty', 'full' and 'heavy'. In pre-school, staff skilfully extend
mathematical thinking as children explore 'half' and 'whole' crackers and use counting during
tidying. Children's vocabulary is continually enriched across the curriculum, including
through meaningful experiences such as learning that chow mein means stir-fried noodles.
The curriculum gives high priority to children's physical, personal, social and emotional skills
alongside their developing knowledge and understanding. Staff support babies to develop
resilience by allowing them time to solve problems independently, while older children
develop confidence, cooperation and independence through carefully planned experiences.
Assessment is used precisely to shape teaching and provision. Staff identify individual next
steps and adapt environments accordingly, such as positioning furniture to encourage
babies to develop strength and mobility. Teaching is highly inclusive, with Makaton, visual

communication, sensory resources, smaller-group experiences and specialist advice used
effectively to remove barriers. Staff also value children's home languages and cultures,
learning key words to support children who speak English as an additional language. As a
result, every child accesses the ambitious curriculum and makes secure and sustained
progress from their individual starting points.
Inclusion Strong standard
Leaders have extremely high aspirations for every child and are unwavering in their belief
that all children can thrive, regardless of their starting points or individual circumstances.
They know children very well and identify needs and potential barriers quickly, putting
thoughtful and highly effective adaptations in place to enable every child to participate fully.
Adaptations, such as sensory baskets and alternative communication methods, work well as
strategies for individual children but also for other children too. Leaders ensure that these
approaches are shared and embedded across the nursery so that all staff understand how
to respond consistently and confidently to children's individual needs. Staff have completed
Makaton training, strengthening their ability to communicate effectively with children, while
specialist advice from external professionals, including speech and language support, is
used purposefully to enhance practice.
Leaders work closely with families and other professionals to ensure support is timely, well
coordinated and responsive. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities,
disadvantaged children and those experiencing other barriers to learning or wellbeing, are
supported through carefully considered strategies that enable them to access the full range
of experiences. The warm, nurturing and genuinely inclusive culture ensures that every child
is valued, celebrated and respected. Children's strengths are recognised and their
differences embraced, enabling them to develop confidence, independence and a secure
sense of belonging.
Leadership and governance Strong standard
Leaders have an accurate and insightful understanding of the nursery's strengths and areas
for development. They take decisive action to secure continuous improvement. They have
cultivated a highly skilled, committed and extremely knowledgeable staff team. The long-
standing and highly qualified team brings a wealth of experience and expertise, providing
children with consistently high-quality care and learning experiences. Staff demonstrate a
shared commitment to the nursery's values and to achieving the very best outcomes for
every child.
New staff and those completing early years qualifications are very well supported to thrive in
the setting. Leaders invest significantly in professional development, providing a wealth of
high-quality training, coaching and opportunities to learn from experienced colleagues.
Apprentices are quickly integrated into the team and develop confidence, knowledge and
professional expertise in a culture where continuous improvement is genuinely valued. This
investment ensures that staff rapidly strengthen their practice and contribute positively to
children's experiences.
Leaders make decisions based firmly on what is in the best interests of children. They have
high aspirations for all children and carefully consider the needs of disadvantaged children,

those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those facing other barriers to
learning or wellbeing. Leaders are reflective and responsive, using evidence from children,
families and staff to inform improvement and ensure that decisions have a positive impact.
Leaders' commitment to professional learning extends beyond their own staff team. Their
developing role as partners in the early years stronger practice hubs provides valuable
opportunities to share best practice across the wider early years sector and to access
evidence-based practice. Leaders are ambitious to strengthen staff's knowledge and
challenge their thinking, including through international opportunities for staff to undertake
charitable and professional learning experiences. This approach demonstrates a
commitment to continuous improvement and to bringing about a transformational impact on
staff practice and outcomes for children.
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 get off to the very best start and thrive in this highly nurturing and inclusive nursery.
They form exemplary relationships with adults who know them extremely well. Children
confidently seek out familiar staff for reassurance, interaction and support, knowing adults
respond sensitively to their individual needs. This sense of security enables children to
separate confidently from their parents and carers and quickly become absorbed in their
play and learning. Children are enthusiastic, curious and highly engaged. Babies become
fascinated when a ladybird appears and carefully watch it move, giggling with excitement as
adults encourage them to use 'gentle hands'. Staff seize these spontaneous opportunities to
develop children's understanding of the world and introduce new vocabulary.
Toddlers become deeply absorbed in imaginative play as they fill and pour water in the mud
kitchen, confidently creating 'potions'. Staff skilfully extend this play, introducing
mathematical language such as 'empty', 'full' and 'heavy'. Children confidently test their
ideas and notice what happens when they add more water. At snack time, children proudly
drizzle honey onto their yoghurt and stir it themselves. Children proudly say, 'I waited
patiently,' demonstrating their confident understanding and application of positive
expectations.
Children's experiences are rich, stimulating and thought-provoking. They remember
previous experiences, such as meeting a beekeeper, and enthusiastically make connections
with their current learning. During story time, children confidently share ideas, explain what
they know and consider what objects might be used for. They confidently name unfamiliar
and more complex objects, including 'telescope' and 'handkerchief', demonstrating their
expanding vocabulary and excellent recall. Adults build on children's contributions, helping
them develop increasingly detailed explanations. Children develop excellent independence,
resilience and social skills. They learn to share, take turns, cooperate and show kindness.
Children confidently persevere when something does not initially work and are encouraged
to think about what they could try next. They increasingly manage their own routines and
care for themselves, taking great pride in what they can achieve independently.
Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make secure
and sustained progress from their individual starting points. Staff understand children's
individual needs and adapt their support effectively. As a result, children develop the
confidence, independence and positive attitudes to learning they need to thrive and are
extremely well prepared for their next stage of learning.
Next steps
Leaders should continue to maximise the opportunities presented through their
partnerships with other early years professionals, sharing and embedding evidence-based

Inspector:
Tracy Hopkins
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2564560
Address:
Country Kids Day Nursery
Main Street, Kneesall
Newark
Nottinghamshire
NG22 0AD
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 30/10/2019
Registered person: Country Kids Day Nursery Kneesall Limited
Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:00 - 18:00
Local authority: Nottinghamshire County Council
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
practice across the nursery to inspire reflective practice and secure a transformational
impact on the quality of teaching and outcomes for children.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, children, parents and carers 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.

This data is from 12 August 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
0 to 4
Total number of places
47
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
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and regulates services that care for children and young people.
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