URN 2879499 · Inspected 2026-08-21 · Published 2026-09-25 · Inspector: Kelly Whitley-Jones
Cleo's Caring Corner Day Nursery Ltd Unique reference number (URN): 2879499 Address: Parkway Methodist Church, Conduit Place, Bristol, BS2 9RU Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 18/03/2026 Registers: EYR Registered person: Cleo's Caring Corner Day Nursery Ltd Inspection report: 21 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. Needs attention Achievement Needs attention Children's learning is not yet consistent across the provision, which limits how well they develop their knowledge and skills. Some children do engage confidently in purposeful learning and build on what they already know and can do, but this is not typical. Staff do not consistently identify or respond to children's emerging needs, and their understanding of how to adapt practice is not yet secure. Recent work is not yet fully embedded and leaders' monitoring of agreed strategies is still at an early stage. As a result, some children do not receive consistently effective support to make the progress they are capable of. Despite these weaknesses, children do make progress from their starting points and demonstrate some of the knowledge and skills they have developed. Babies are becoming increasingly independent at mealtimes, and older children develop their independence through routines, such as serving their own snacks and clearing their plates. Children enjoy books, songs and rhymes and have opportunities to develop their communication, physical and social skills. For some children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and other barriers to learning, support is beginning to make a difference. However, this is at an early stage. Consequently, not all children are yet developing the essential knowledge and skills they need to be as well prepared as possible for their next stage of learning. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention There are weaknesses in how consistently children are supported to engage in purposeful learning. While some children participate well, others move between activities without becoming fully involved. Staff do not always respond effectively to children's cues or provide timely support to re-engage them in learning. As a result, some children are not consistently helped to develop the concentration, perseverance and positive attitudes needed to support their progress. Children generally behave well and develop positive relationships with staff and each other. Staff are calm and reassuring and praise children for their achievements. Children confidently seek staff for comfort and support when they need it. Children understand the routines of the setting. Staff give children a 5 minute warning and use a familiar bell to prepare them for transitions. Children respond well to these cues, help to tidy away and know what is expected of them. They develop independence as they wash their hands, make choices and clear their plates after meals. Staff work with parents and other professionals to support children who need additional help to manage their emotions and behaviour. They use strategies, such as visual resources and familiar stories, to help children recognise and express their feelings. Leaders have recently strengthened how they monitor children's attendance and follow up unexplained absences. This helps them to promote regular attendance and establish good habits for children's future learning. Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention The quality of interactions during daily routines is inconsistent. Staff do not always make effective use of mealtimes as opportunities to engage children in meaningful conversation and social interaction. Consequently, some children miss opportunities to develop their communication skills and benefit from the positive relationships and language-rich experiences that these routine parts of the day can provide. Children develop secure relationships with staff, who know their individual care needs well. Staff provide reassurance and comfort when children need it. They gather information from parents about children's routines, dietary requirements and medical needs to help them provide appropriate care. Children are supported to develop healthy habits and independence. They learn to wash their hands, make choices at snack time and increasingly manage tasks for themselves. Children receive home-cooked meals that take account of their individual dietary needs. Staff follow children's individual sleep routines and regularly check them while they sleep. Leaders have taken steps to improve staff's understanding of safer eating. Leaders recognise that they also need to strengthen how they promote healthy eating with families. Staff record accidents and existing injuries and share this information with parents. Leaders monitor these records to help them identify any patterns or concerns. This supports children's welfare and helps staff to respond appropriately when concerns arise. Curriculum and teaching Needs attention There is considerable variability in the quality of teaching across the setting. Staff do not consistently have a clear understanding of what individual children need to learn next or how best to support their progress. As a result, opportunities to extend children's learning through purposeful interactions are sometimes missed, and some children move between activities without meaningful engagement. This particularly affects children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who face other barriers to learning. Leaders are aware of these inconsistencies and have begun working with the local authority to strengthen the curriculum and improve teaching practice. However, this work remains at an early stage and has not yet been embedded consistently across the setting. Leaders have identified that staff need further support to understand how activities can be adapted so that they provide meaningful learning opportunities for all children. Training is planned to develop understanding of the curriculum and how to support children with SEND and other barriers to learning. Leaders also provide coaching and training to develop staff's knowledge and practice. There are positive examples of teaching. Some staff know their key children well and use observations and assessments to identify what children need to learn next. For example, one practitioner identified that a child was finding it difficult to recognise and manage their emotions. The practitioner introduced a 'Colour Monster' resource and worked in partnership with parents to use the same approach at home. This helped the child to identify and communicate their feelings more effectively and provided consistent support across both environments. Children benefit when staff interact purposefully with them, build on their interests and help them to develop new knowledge and skills. Inclusion Needs attention Staff do not consistently identify or act on children's emerging needs quickly enough. They do not yet have a secure understanding of children's individual needs or how to adapt their practice to support them. Much of the recent work is not embedded, and leaders' monitoring of agreed strategies is still at an early stage. As a result, some children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) or other barriers, do not receive consistently effective support to make the progress they are capable of. Leaders have taken positive steps to strengthen inclusion following previous weaknesses. They have introduced a new SEND register and are working more closely with the local authority inclusion team, Portage and other professionals. The newly appointed special educational needs and disabilities coordinator has begun training, and leaders are developing staff knowledge of SEND and barriers to learning. This work is beginning to improve support for some children. For example, leaders are introducing visual approaches following advice from external professionals, which is supporting with calmer transitions. Leaders know children and their families well and recognise that children's circumstances can create barriers to their learning and wellbeing. They work with families and other agencies, including for children who are known to social care. Leaders also use additional funding to provide experiences for children who may benefit from this. Leadership and governance Needs attention Leaders have not yet secured consistently effective practise across the setting. There remains variability in staff's knowledge and skills, including how well they understand children's individual learning needs and support them through purposeful interactions. Leaders recognise this and are taking action to improve staff practise. Much of this work is at an early stage and it is too soon to see its full impact on children's experiences and learning. Consequently, children do not yet benefit from consistently effective practise across all aspects of the provision. Leaders have taken positive action to address previous weaknesses. They accurately identify the areas of the setting that need further improvement and are working closely with the local authority and other professionals to strengthen practice. Leaders have improved arrangements for special educational needs and disabilities, record keeping, safer recruitment and safeguarding. Staff benefit from regular supervision, training and coaching. Senior staff work alongside less experienced practitioners to help them develop their knowledge and skills. Some staff are also working towards further qualifications. Leaders positively engage with parents and professionals to support children and their families. What it's like to be a child at this setting The quality of children's learning experiences is variable. Some children spend periods moving between activities without becoming purposefully engaged and are not always supported to build on what they already know and can do. This is particularly important for children who face barriers to their learning, as the support they receive is not yet consistently meeting their individual needs. Consequently, some children do not make the progress they are capable of or typically receive for their next stage of learning. Children are happy and settled at the nursery. They form warm and trusting relationships with staff and confidently seek them out for comfort, reassurance and support. Children enjoy spending time with their friends and learn alongside children of different ages. Parents speak positively about the nursery and say that staff know their children well. Children develop confidence and independence as they take part in familiar daily routines. They know when to wash their hands, help to tidy away and understand what happens next as they move through their day. At mealtimes, children develop skills, such as using cutlery and clearing their plates. These experiences help children to become increasingly independent in managing their own needs. Children enjoy a range of experiences. They readily choose books and stories, use their imagination as they make pizzas from dough and build houses during their play. Children benefit from positive interactions with staff, who sing songs, introduce new words and talk to them about what they are doing. Children generally behave well and respond positively to the familiar routines and expectations of the nursery. Children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities increasingly benefit from support that reflects their individual needs. For example, children use visual prompts to help them understand routines and staff draw on their individual interests to encourage their participation. Children and their families are also beginning to benefit from increased involvement for external professionals. These arrangements are relatively new and are not yet typically embedded for all children who need them. Inspector: Kelly Whitley-Jones About this setting Unique reference number (URN): 2879499 Address: Parkway Methodist Church Conduit Place Bristol BS2 9RU Next steps To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage the provider must take the following actions by the assigned date: Action Completion Date ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and/or other barriers to learning receive support that is consistently matched to their individual needs 30/10/2026 ensure that staff understand what individual children need to learn and use this knowledge to support their learning effectively 30/10/2026 ensure that staff recognise when children are disengaged and provide purposeful interactions to support their learning 30/10/2026 About this inspection The inspector spoke with the manager, deputy manager, practitioners and parents 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. Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 18/03/2026 Registered person: Cleo's Caring Corner Day Nursery Ltd Register(s): EYR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00 Local authority: Bristol City of Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 21 August 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 1 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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