URN 2623528 · Inspected 2026-09-10 · Published 2026-10-05 · Inspector: Sarah Dukes
Park Hall Day Nursery Unique reference number (URN): 2623528 Address: 110 Congleton Road South, Talke, Stoke-on-Trent, ST7 1LX Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 10/05/2021 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Johnson, Susan Alice Inspection report: 10 September 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. Expected standard Achievement Expected standard Children generally achieve well from their starting points and develop age- and stage- appropriate knowledge and skills across the areas of learning. They are confident learners who enjoy exploring, making choices and practising what they know. Children demonstrate developing communication, physical and mathematical skills. They confidently count objects using one number name for each item, identify simple shapes and match colours independently. They enjoy stories and imaginative play, and develop the small-muscle control they will need for later writing. Children remember and apply what they have learned in different situations. They build on previous experiences and increasingly use their developing knowledge independently through play and familiar routines. Children generally make appropriate progress through the curriculum and are suitably prepared for their next stage of learning, but the depth of knowledge and skills they develop is not yet consistently evident across all areas of learning. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard Children behave well and develop positive attitudes to learning. They confidently choose activities, sustain their attention and often become deeply involved in their play. Children play alongside and with others, cooperate appropriately and learn to treat each other with kindness and respect. Warm relationships with familiar adults support children's emotional security. Staff model expected behaviour, provide reassurance and use resources such as emotion cards, mirrors and quiet spaces to help children recognise and manage their feelings. Children who need help to regulate their emotions receive appropriate support. Established routines help children know what to expect and become increasingly independent. Songs support transitions between activities, and children take part confidently in routines such as handwashing and preparing for meals. Parents understand the key- person arrangements and describe transitions as well managed. Leaders promote regular attendance and follow up on any unexpected absences promptly when staff are unaware of the reason for absence. These approaches are generally effective, and children typically settle well into routines and develop positive attitudes to learning. Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard Children benefit from a safe and nurturing environment where staff understand their care needs. Warm relationships with key persons help children form secure attachments, and staff generally respond sensitively when children need comfort or reassurance. Babies' sleep arrangements reflect their individual needs, and staff demonstrate a secure knowledge of safer sleep practices. Children develop healthy habits through everyday routines. Staff promote handwashing, oral health, healthy eating and appropriate portion sizes. Food is freshly prepared and takes account of children's stages of development and weaning needs. Appropriate systems are in place to manage allergens, medication, accidents and children's personal care. Children develop independence and confidence in managing aspects of their own care. Staff manage risks effectively while allowing children to explore and meet appropriate challenges. Leaders have strengthened risk assessment and monitoring since the previous inspection, and staff routinely consider hazards as part of daily practice. Expectations for children's individual care needs are generally implemented effectively. Occasionally, children's emotional cues are not responded to as effectively as they could be. These inconsistencies show that leaders' expectations for responsive, individualised care are not yet implemented consistently by all staff. Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Leaders have a clear ambition for children to become confident communicators who are increasingly independent and able to manage their feelings, build relationships and develop secure foundations for literacy and mathematics. They have strengthened the curriculum since the previous inspection and improved systems that help staff understand what children know, can do and need to learn next. The mathematics curriculum has been developed well. Mathematical learning is now more deliberately woven through children's everyday experiences. Children count as they build, match colours and shapes and solve simple problems through play. Staff increasingly recognise opportunities to introduce mathematical concepts and language. Teaching is typically effective. Staff use children's interests and assessment information to plan experiences, model language and provide opportunities for children to practise what they are learning. Books, stories and songs support communication and language, while appropriately chosen resources develop children's physical skills and independence. However, the quality of interactions is less consistent. Staff sometimes rely on closed questions or move on without exploring children's ideas further. For example, children enthusiastically explore colours and faces during 'All About Me' activities, but staff do not build sufficiently on their discoveries through discussions about colour mixing or similarities and differences. As a result, teaching does not consistently extend children's language, thinking and understanding as deeply as it could. Inclusion Expected standard Leaders identify children's emerging and changing needs and take appropriate action to reduce barriers to their learning and wellbeing. Staff know children and families well, and use information from parents, observations and assessment to understand children's individual circumstances. When concerns emerge, leaders involve parents and seek advice from external professionals where needed. The special educational needs coordinator develops their knowledge through relevant professional learning and remains alert to emerging needs. There are currently no enrolled children receiving special educational needs and/or disabilities support, but established systems enable staff to identify concerns and provide targeted support when required. Leaders use additional funding to provide resources that support communication, physical development and wider learning. Children known to children's social care receive appropriate support, and leaders understand the importance of sharing relevant information with other professionals. Transitions are tailored to children. Parents and key persons share information so that children gradually become familiar with new rooms and adults. This supports continuity and reduces potential barriers associated with change. However, leaders do not yet evaluate the impact of inclusive practice with sufficient precision. For example, they can explain how additional funding is used, but are less clear about the specific difference this makes to individual children over time. Leadership and governance Expected standard Leaders understand the setting's strengths and areas for development, and have taken effective action since the previous inspection. Leaders have strengthened risk management, assessment and staff monitoring, and have developed a more structured curriculum. Leaders have made effective progress in addressing previous priorities relating to mathematics and staff's understanding of what children know and need to learn next. Staff training is increasingly linked to identified areas of practice. Staff receive regular supervision alongside coaching and modelling. For example, when staff lack confidence in promoting mathematics with babies, leaders model how mathematical language, counting and songs can be incorporated into everyday experiences. Subsequently, staff are able to apply this to their teaching independently. Leaders maintain appropriate oversight of recruitment and staff suitability, qualifications and training. Safeguarding concerns and complaints are recorded and followed up, and leaders make changes when concerns identify opportunities to improve practice. Parents speak positively about leadership and report noticeable improvements under the current management team. Staff feel supported through supervision, coaching and leaders' open- door approach. Leaders are more effective at implementing and monitoring improvements than evaluating their impact over time. Their evaluation does not yet consistently identify precisely how improvement work has changed children's experiences, learning and wellbeing. This limits the precision with which leaders can identify what is working most effectively and what needs to improve further. 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, settled and confident in this welcoming nursery. They develop warm relationships with staff, who know them well and help them feel safe and valued. Children who are new to the setting are supported sensitively to settle, while carefully planned transitions help them develop secure relationships as they move between rooms. This helps children to gain a sense of belonging as part of the nursery community. Children enjoy learning. They confidently choose what they want to do and become absorbed in their play. Younger children develop their physical skills as they reach for toys, balance blocks and explore different resources. Older children count, recognise shapes, match colours and use their imagination as they develop their own play. Children enjoy books, songs and conversations with familiar adults. Improvements to the mathematics curriculum mean that children increasingly encounter number, shape, matching and mathematical language throughout their day. Children develop independence through familiar routines and generally behave well. They cooperate with others, sustain their attention and learn to manage their feelings with support from staff. Staff praise children's efforts and achievements, which helps them develop confidence in themselves as learners and strengthens their self-esteem. Children's individual and family circumstances are understood. Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure that they get any additional help or support they may need. This means that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those known (or previously known) to children's social care, get the support they need. Parents value the care their children receive and feel involved in their children's learning and development. Children typically make appropriate progress from their starting points, and develop the knowledge and skills they need for what comes next, in a setting that helps them to thrive. Next steps Leaders should improve the consistency of teaching so that staff use meaningful conversations, open-ended questions and richer language to extend children's thinking and deepen their learning. Leaders should ensure that staff respond consistently and sensitively to children's emotional and personal care needs, particularly those of babies, new starters and children experiencing change. Leaders should strengthen evaluation so that they can identify and demonstrate more precisely how improvement work is making a difference to children's experiences, learning and wellbeing over time. About this inspection 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. The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, children 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. Inspector: Sarah Dukes About this setting Unique reference number (URN): 2623528 Address: 110 Congleton Road South Talke Stoke-on-Trent ST7 1LX Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 10/05/2021 Registered person: Johnson, Susan Alice Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:00 - 17:30 Local authority: Staffordshire Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 10 September 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 0 to 9 Total number of places 54 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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