URN EY555748 · Inspected 2026-03-24 · Published 2026-09-24 · Inspector: Amy Whiting Dawn Woodhouse-Wykes
Play@Churwell Day Nursery Unique reference number (URN): EY555748 Address: Quarry Court, High Street, Morley, Leeds, LS27 0BY Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 29/12/2017 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Churwell C.I.C. Inspection report: 24 March 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 Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard Staff embed positive attitudes to children's learning. They are excellent role models and immerse themselves in children's play. Children become engaged in a range of exciting activities that are planned around their interests. Staff support children to tidy up at regular intervals and explain why this is important. For example, they encourage children to tidy away items after use to prevent trips and falls. Older children join in with tidying the room to a designated tidy-up song. Staff have an in-depth understanding of individual children and how to support their behaviour. As a result, rooms are calm with limited incidents of unwanted behaviour. Children treat each other and adults with kindness and respect. Staff have recognised that some children struggle with the daily routines and have implemented effective strategies, such as visual timetables, to support them. These help children to understand what they can expect next. Additionally, staff have recognised times when children become more excitable, such as before they go home. They put carefully planned activities in place in a quieter sensory room to support children to be calm when they go home. This helps to ensure they do not become overstimulated when their parents and carers arrive. Leaders understand the importance of regular attendance. They follow up on any non- attendance, in line with their policies and procedures. They support families who may be struggling to attend the setting for their planned sessions. Inclusion Strong standard Those with oversight for special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are highly knowledgeable in their roles. They are passionate about ensuring that every child has the best start in life, irrespective of their personal circumstances or background. They are powerful advocates for families, ensuring that parents and carers are able to access the required support for children. For example, they follow up on referrals and share their own observations to ensure that external professionals have a holistic view of the child. Those with inclusion roles have attended training specifically designed to support their practice. Staff quickly and accurately identify children's needs. They gather information when children first start, in partnership with parents, and begin observing children as early as their first settling-in session. They put any required actions in place at an early stage, in partnership with parents and children's key person. This ensures that children receive tailored support at the earliest possible opportunity. Staff know their children well and complete regular ongoing assessments to identify any emerging concerns. Those with oversight for SEND have a meticulous approach to arranging any necessary interventions. These interventions are carefully planned and delivered, by skilled staff, in small groups. For example, staff place a focus on supporting children to identify their emotions. They closely monitor the interventions to ensure they have the desired impact. Additional funding, such as early years pupil premium and inclusion funding, is used to support children for whom it is intended. For example, staff have identified where children Expected standard require further support with their language development. They have purchased resources to support this. Leaders carefully monitor the impact of this funding to ensure it has a continued impact. Staff work closely with other professionals to support individual children's progress and development. Achievement Expected standard Children typically develop a range of skills that help to prepare them for their next stage of learning. Children who are moving from the baby room to the toddler room learn new skills, such as finding their coats from the lower pegs and learning to sit on toddler chairs at mealtimes. Older children prepare for starting school by continuously building on their independence skills. They carry their own plates, fill up their water cups and begin to attend to their own personal needs. Children, from a young age, help themselves to tissues to wipe their noses. Children become confident communicators. They are able to express themselves and develop secure communication skills. They repeat new words with confidence and interact with their friends, exploring the environment. Children, regardless of ability, make sound progress from their starting points. Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard Staff teach children about hygiene practices, emphasising the importance of handwashing, especially before meals. Children enjoy daily access to the outside space, which has recently been developed. This ensures that children can access a range of activities and continue their learning outdoors. Children also take part in forest-school activities off-site, with specially trained staff. There is a well-established key-person system in place. Staff typically know their key children well and are caring in their interactions. This supports children's emotional wellbeing effectively. Staff understand each child's personal-care needs and know how to provide additional support, including during toilet training. Nappy-changing arrangements are respectful and nurturing in manner. Staff are aware that children's dietary needs may change over time, including changes during stages of weaning. They work appropriately with parents and carers to ensure any changes to children's allergies are updated, and adjust care plans accordingly. There is also a focus on supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to participate during mealtimes. Staff and leaders are aware of the wide variety of needs within the setting. Children benefit from a varied and balanced diet. Staff, parents, children and nutritional specialists contribute ideas to provide a nutritious menu. During activities, children practise cutting fruit, helping them to develop skills while also supporting those who may have aversions to certain foods. Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Staff support children's communication and language effectively. Staff model the names of fruits to babies at snack time. Within play, staff teach children new words, such as 'magnifying glass'. They refer to 'floating' and 'sinking'. Stories are used to further develop children's language and literacy skills. These are generally engaging and older children are taught about all the elements of a book, such as the author and the blurb. Children are introduced to mathematical language, such as 'longer' and 'shorter'. Staff count items with younger children as they play. There is a sharp focus on supporting children's emotional wellbeing. Staff are trained to recognise when children may need extra support in regulating their emotions. Children's physical development is supported effectively. Babies are closely supported by attentive staff, on the climbing frame and on a balance board. Leaders and staff have created a curriculum to support children's development and prepare them for their next stages of learning, including school. Activities are generally engaging and support children across the different stages of learning. They take into account children's specific learning needs and are adapted according to the support needed. Regular assessments allow children's progress to be monitored to enable staff to deliver the curriculum. Although the curriculum intentions are clear and communicated to all staff, some staff lack the confidence needed in delivering the proposed high-quality learning experiences. For example, on occasion, purposeful interactions are varied. In addition, staff do not always prepare fully for activities, meaning children's learning is disrupted. This includes occasions where staff do not provide appropriate resources to enable children's engagement, such as when they learn about growing cycles and plant activity. Leadership and governance Expected standard Leaders regularly reflect on provision and are passionate about driving improvement within the nursery. For example, they have recently worked with staff to develop the outside area to further enhance learning opportunities. They are broadly aware of areas for development within the setting. They conduct regular observations of staff's practice and routines throughout the day. However, they have not yet identified weaknesses in the implementation of some activities or where they could support staff further to deliver the curriculum more consistently. Leaders typically encourage and support staff to pursue further training. This includes higher-level or specialist courses tailored to their interests, such as forest school. Many staff have completed emotion-regulation training, which has had a positive impact on children's behaviour and emotional wellbeing. Leaders provide effective support to staff who are still completing their training. They act as mentors, guiding staff through their studies. Leaders identify staff who may need extra support, such as those facing barriers to their own learning. They ensure staff have access to all training opportunities and updates. Staff and leaders work closely with parents and carers and other professionals. Parents value how they are kept updated on their children's development and their children's individual needs. Staff work closely with area special educational needs teams and specialists to ensure that all children are able to access the correct support. Nursery special educational needs coordinators work with school staff to ensure children are supported effectively with their transition on to school. 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 safe in this setting. They have formed positive relationships with staff through an effective and well-established key-person system. Settling-in processes are effective and support the needs of individual children. Inclusive practice is a priority for this Inspectors: Amy Whiting Dawn Woodhouse-Wykes setting. They strive to ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well. Leaders recognise when children may face other barriers to their learning and emotional wellbeing. Targeted interventions are in place for children who struggle to regulate and control their emotions. These teach children about kindness and empathy through a range of scenarios. Staff ensure that children have a voice in the setting. They operate a nursery 'council' where children and staff discuss important matters, such as changes to the menus. The council also supports children who are transitioning to the pre-school room. Older children tell younger children about their new room and show them around the different areas. Children make steady progress in relation to their starting points and develop a range of skills. Children recall their previous learning. For example, children excitedly recall parts of a boat, such as the sail. Staff teach children about the world around them through activities and topics. This includes teaching children about a range of celebrations, such as Eid and Easter, and activities are also planned to teach children about the seasons. Next steps Leaders should continue to boost staff's confidence in their knowledge and skills to support their teaching and interactions with children even further. Leaders should support staff to ensure that they are well prepared to deliver activities without disruption to children's learning and with the required resources. About this inspection The inspector spoke with leaders, designated safeguarding leads, special educational needs coordinators, 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. The inspection started on 24 March 2026. Inspectors returned on 21 July 2026 to gather additional evidence in line with Ofsted inspections and visits: Deferring, pausing and gathering additional evidence policy. About this setting Unique reference number (URN): EY555748 Address: Quarry Court High Street, Morley Leeds LS27 0BY Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 29/12/2017 Registered person: Churwell C.I.C. Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00 Local authority: Leeds Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 24 March 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 0 to 4 Total number of places 68 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. 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