URN 2734013 · Inspected 2026-08-12 · Published 2026-09-17 · Inspector: Rachael Williams
Kiddi Caru Day Nursery and Preschool DownendRoad Unique reference number (URN): 2734013 Address: 63 Downend Road, Downend, Bristol, BS16 5UF Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 03/07/2023 Registers: EYR Registered person: The Childcare Corporation Limited Inspection report: 12 August 2026 Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement Strong standard 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. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard Leaders and staff have extremely-high expectations for children's behaviour. Staff are calm and consistent when addressing children's behaviour. They are fully aware of what works well for each child. They adapt strategies consistently well to help children understand what is expected of them, especially for those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with emerging needs. For example, staff always speak to children at their level and use age-appropriate language in their explanations. This helps children understand what is expected of them, such as to use 'kind hands' and to take turns to close the stairgate. Staff are excellent at supporting children to be respectful of resources and to be kind to their friends. For example, staff remind children not to stand on books, providing age-appropriate explanations, model how to handle books with care and will redirect children's attention, if required. There are calm transitions between play spaces which support children's emotional development, helping them feel safe and settled. Babies show positive attitudes to their learning. For example, they persevere exceedingly well to pop the circles on their fidget ball, concentrating hard. They show pride in their achievements and willingly share what they have done, with enthusiasm, with warm and approachable staff. Leaders promote an ethos of regular attendance, punctuality and positive habits, as children prepare for their onward move to school. Policies and procedures are robust, well understood and embedded, helping children to remain safe and engaged in their learning. Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard Children, particularly the youngest, thrive through a highly effective key-person system. Children benefit greatly from affectionate and caring relationships with their familiar adults. For example, there are delightful interactions during nappy changes, where staff excel at Expected standard meeting children's individual care needs. Staff are wonderful at dealing with any toileting accidents with sensitivity, whilst instilling a sense of independence and building self-esteem. This highly effective approach, alongside excellent partnerships with parents, provides reassurance and comfort to ensure children's emotional security. There are consistent arrangements to ensure children's safety and wellbeing. For example, staff ensure effective use of headcounts as children transfer from the outdoor to the indoor areas. Children are supported extremely well to understand safety when they use the stairs. Children know to hold the rail, to listen and for there to be only one child on each step. There are exceedingly effective arrangements to ensure children remain safe during extreme weather. Parents value the updates from the setting, so they know children are being well-cared for. Staff ensure that outdoor play spaces have enough shade and that ultraviolet readings are low enough for children to play safely. Staff regularly check room temperatures and children's body temperature, particularly while they sleep, to support wellbeing. Staff demonstrate a robust understanding of safe-eating policies and procedures that keep children safe and healthy. Children, from a young age, develop independence skills. At mealtimes toddlers serve themselves, pour their own drinks and feed themselves with confidence. Staff help children consistently well to learn about healthy lifestyles, such as talking about the different meals each child has, exploring a broad range of preferences. Achievement Expected standard All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, achieve well from their starting points. Children develop effective communication and language skills and express themselves with confidence. Babies make independent choices about their learning and are usually supported in these choices. They access resources that interest them, such as the animal puppets, and show that they recognise each animal and can see the differences, for example, between the cow and the horse. Children develop their mathematical skills. For example, older children recognise numerals, count the legs on different animals and match them successfully. Children of all ages show a love of books. For example, older babies choose their favourite books and handle them carefully as they turn the pages and lift the flaps, showing their curiosity. Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Staff take time to get to know their key children well. They understand how children develop and what works well for them to help them succeed. They particularly know how to support all children to develop effective communication and language skills, and this is at the forefront of the curriculum. For example, most older babies engage well in 'sing-and-sign' activities, developing effective listening and attention skills. Children become animated when they hear their favourite song, 'Five Currant Buns', and exclaim 'Oh no, gone', during the song. Staff respond well to children's enthusiasm, acknowledging their vocalisations and actions. However, they do not always encourage children well to re-engage with the activity when they become distracted. The personalised curriculum is well designed and matched to children's interests and motivations, such as recent community events. Older children communicate their ideas well and wish to make a hot-air balloon. Staff listen and respond, valuing children's contributions as they talk about the different hot-air balloons they have seen, showing respect for other children's choice of their favourite balloon. Most children wait patiently and take turns in a very popular, focused activity. Those who find it more difficult to wait are generally supported well, with clear explanations. However, at times, there is some inconsistency in staff's interactions, such as when encouraging independence, especially when activities become very busy. Children enjoy predicting how their hot-air balloons will fly and test the wind direction as they launch them from the low-level bridge. Inclusion Expected standard Leaders create a culture of inclusion that supports every child. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those with emerging needs, engage in a well- structured environment that is adapted to meet their individual requirements. For example, children enjoy one-to-one interactions as they explore nature and the different bugs in the garden. Children learn to respect the environment and to be kind to living things, such as carefully carrying a snail in their basket. Staff deploy themselves well to support children's interests and to offer 'bite-sized' learning to encourage focus and attention. Generally, staff's interactions and the training they receive are effective and supportive. For example, leaders have identified bespoke training to support staff's understanding of triggers, patterns and changes in home circumstances that may impact children's behaviour. Those with responsibility for special educational needs take prompt action to assess children's individual requirements, liaising well with parents and carers to build on what children already know and can do. They swiftly develop support plans, regularly reviewing these, and know when to seek support from outside agencies. Leaders use funding well to provide effective support when needed, for example, to purchase spinning chairs and weighted blankets. They carefully monitor this to assess the impact on children's emotional security. Leadership and governance Expected standard Leaders evaluate the provision well. For example, there is a focus on embedding the curriculum and creating a calm and inviting learning environment, where children feel settled and valued. Staff feel valued, their workload is manageable and there are appropriate systems in place to develop their professional skills, especially as there is now better retention of staff. Staff talk with confidence about the impact of 'sing-and-sign' sessions in supporting children's communication and language skills and how parents and carers are complementing this learning at home. Leaders and managers carry out regular observations of practice and conduct in-the-moment discussions to provide staff with guidance. More formal supervision meetings help to identify individual staff's relevant training requirements, particularly to meet the needs of their key children. Leaders and managers are beginning to see the impact of training for new and inexperienced staff and this continues to embed, with the aim of providing consistently high-quality provision. Parents value the excellent communication from all staff and the effective leadership and management of the nursery. They feel that they are listened to and feedback is acted on, such as the new entry system, which promotes a feeling of safety and security for them and their children. What it's like to be a child at this setting Children enter the inviting nursery and engage happily in a broad range of exciting and interesting experiences that help them build confidence across all areas of their learning. There are many sensory activities for the youngest children to explore, such as sand. Children listen to instructions, watch carefully and copy the movements to build sandcastles. They hear language, such as counting how many 'pats' it takes to release the sand. Babies build secure relationships with their key staff, receiving reassurance and comfort when needed. They feel safe and willingly try new things, such as climbing onto the rocker independently, propelling themselves and beaming happily when they hear staff singing a familiar song. Children demonstrate a love of books. For example, pre-schoolers listen keenly to familiar stories, such as 'Room on the Broom', as staff use engaging voices and accents. Children anticipate what will happen and which animal comes next as the story progresses, recalling the details well. Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, develop their small-muscles, coordination and control well in preparation for future learning. Children confidently spray paint on large pieces of paper, working collaboratively, and exploring their creativity successfully, using large arm movements. Children respond well to questions, explaining how they have made new colours. All children enjoy and engage in interesting themes, such as 'elephant day'. They stomp on bubble wrap, enjoying the texture and feel of the bubbles popping under their bare feet. Children benefit greatly from a broad range of experiences which supports them to make progress from their starting points. Older children enjoy using hammers to tap golf tees securely into different fruits. Staff skilfully pose questions and talk about the benefits of healthy eating and children's preferences. Children develop their communication and language skills well, such as describing the texture of the fruit, with staff checking understanding when needed. Inspector: Rachael Williams About this setting Unique reference number (URN): 2734013 Address: 63 Downend Road Downend Bristol BS16 5UF Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 03/07/2023 Registered person: The Childcare Corporation Limited Register(s): EYR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00 Local authority: South Gloucestershire Next steps Leaders should continue to embed training for new and less-experienced staff to enable a consistently high-quality provision. Leaders should support staff to be consistent in their interactions to engage and re- engage children in their learning. About this inspection The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, special educational needs coordinators, 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. Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. 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 44 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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