URN 2863142 · Inspected 2026-08-27 · Published 2026-10-01 · Inspector: Craig Curtis-Stanley
Tiddlers Day Nursery and Preschool Unique reference number (URN): 2863142 Address: 14 Bullpit Road, Balderton, NEWARK, Nottinghamshire, NG24 3PT Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 14/11/2025 Registers: EYR Registered person: Tiddlers Day Nursery and Preschool Limited Inspection report: 27 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. Expected standard Achievement Expected standard All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make sufficient progress from their starting points. Young children acquire age- and stage- appropriate skills to support the next stage of their learning. For example, babies use furniture to support walking and explore the environment with increasing curiosity. Children learn to communicate with confidence. Babies babble and make sounds, and young children use single words. Older children listen and communicate with ease and share their ideas and opinions with staff. Children use their memory skills to recall things that have happened, such as events in their home life or what has happened in a story. Staff use this as an opportunity to further extend learning. Children are independent learners. For example, they select what they want to play with or choose how to feed themselves. Children of all ages sit together at lunch, where older children help to set the table and self-select food, and use a knife and fork with confidence. This helps younger children to copy and learn from their peers. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard Leaders and staff support children's behaviour development well. They recognise the key stages when children may need more support in this area, and plan activities accordingly. For example, they provide games where children can take turns and share resources. Staff support children effectively to understand behavioural boundaries and expectations. They talk regularly with the children to reinforce the rules and boundaries of the setting. This helps children to understand the expectations, and results in children playing well together. Children follow the established routines in place. For example, children independently manage daily tasks, such handwashing and self-selecting food items. Children eagerly work together to tidy up, with the support of the staff. Leaders and staff promote the importance of attendance through discussions with parents and carers to help them understand the importance of regular attendance. Leaders closely monitor and work with parents to overcome attendance issues, so children reach their full potential. Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard Children are settled and happy in the setting. Staff are passionate about developing positive and trusting relationships with the children and their families. Staff achieve this by getting to know children well and through providing consistent care to support children's individual needs, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff generally make adaptations to ensure all children access the activities and routines in place. As a result, children are settled, safe and have high levels of wellbeing in the learning environment. Overall, staff are caring and attentive to children and know their key children very well and understand their unique needs. Children show a positive attachment to their key person. For example, babies nestle closely to staff to share a story, and older children talk to their key person about their play ideas or what they would like to do. Leaders and staff provide children with daily opportunities to play outside where they can enjoy fresh air and physical play. Through this, they help children to understand when there may be additional risk and what they can do to keep safe, such as how to walk safely in heavy rain without slipping. Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Leaders' and staff's support for children's communication and language development and their personal, social and emotional development is a particular strength of practice. They use stories to support children's communication and language development, allowing younger children to turn pages and take time to look at the pictures, and support older children to use their recall memory skills discussing what happened in the story previously. Children's physical development and personal, social and emotional skills are prioritised throughout the day. Staff engage children in conversations as they play together and role model what to do. Occasionally, staff do not allow children to fully understand concepts before moving on to learning about a new one, for example, by helping children to understand about what emotions look and feel like, before asking children to explain or identify how they are feeling. Staff make adaptations to their practice to meet the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to their learning. This includes implementing learning tools and teaching strategies to help children understand routines in the day to support their understanding. For the most part, the assessment used by staff is accurate in identifying what children can do and what skills they would like children to learn next. Inclusion Expected standard Leaders and staff know children's home background and find out information about children before they start. This information is tailored to meet the needs of the children, and, overall, adjustments are made quickly. Leaders ensure staff receive regular training to enable them to support children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). On the whole, staff use children's starting points and assessment effectively to monitor their development and wellbeing. They work with external professionals, for example, speech and language specialists, and use this guidance to develop practice which has a positive impact on learning and development, specifically around children's communications and language skills. Children who require additional support progress well, and any gaps in development are closed. Leaders ensure staff involved in supporting the learning of children with SEND receive regular updates and advice to help develop their teaching practices. Leadership and governance Expected standard Leaders demonstrate a clear commitment to providing quality education and care. They are committed to ensuring the ongoing training and improvement of the skills of all staff. Leaders care about their staff and work to create a united team to empower staff, and, as a result, they feel supported by leaders to further develop their skills. Leaders carry out regular supervision meetings with staff. They provide them with feedback on ways to improve their practice. This includes providing staff with opportunities to support their own professional development and extend their knowledge. That said, leaders should have a more detailed analysis of the delivery of the curriculum across the setting, to ensure all staff have a more secure understanding about the accuracy of assessment, and the how the curriculum is delivered. They are proud of the positive relationships they have with parents and carers and how this benefits children. Parents say they feel welcome at the nursery and value the advice and support staff offer, such as potty training. Leaders are passionate about ensuring the setting provides a warm, friendly and family focused environment. Leaders work well with other professionals to ensure children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or those who face other barriers to learning receive the appropriate support to help them achieve. They have prioritised training since the nursery opened to ensure staff's safeguarding knowledge is effective, and, as a result, children are kept safe. What it's like to be a child at this setting Children arrive eagerly to the setting and are greeted warmly by the staff team. They settle quickly and immediately begin to join in with the carefully planned activities. For the most part, the curriculum successfully builds on children's existing skills and learning. For example, children demonstrate their growing confidence and independence as they select from a wide range of activities that support their learning and help to develop their curiosity. Children develop positive and reassuring relationships with one another and staff. For example, young children laugh with one another as they look out the window at a bird who regularly visits the outdoor area. They show kindness as they share resources with their friends and praise each other. Staff support children to develop their communication skills through, for example, regular stories, songs and conversations where children confidently share their ideas and preferences. Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour. They are positive role models, and children develop secure relationships with them. For example, they are friendly, approachable and polite. Children know and understand the setting's 'room rules', which are reinforced by staff. These help children to understand the behavioural expectations and build on their self-regulation. Children, including those with special educational needs and disabilities and those who may face barriers to their learning, are supported well. Staff and leaders have a good understanding of the needs of the children in the setting. Staff adapt their teaching to support children's individual needs and help them to reach their full potential. Children attend regularly and families are encouraged to be part of the nursery community. This helps children to get the most benefit from their early education. Inspector: Craig Curtis-Stanley About this setting Unique reference number (URN): 2863142 Address: 14 Bullpit Road Balderton NEWARK Nottinghamshire NG24 3PT Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 14/11/2025 Registered person: Tiddlers Day Nursery and Preschool Limited Register(s): EYR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00 Local authority: Nottinghamshire County Council Next steps Leaders should better monitor teaching during activities so that concepts are securely understood by children before they move on to new concepts. Leaders should help staff to always make an accurate assessment of children's knowledge and skills. Leaders should have a more detailed analysis of how the curriculum is delivered, to ensure more consistency across the staff team. About this inspection 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. Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 27 August 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 1 to 4 Total number of places 32 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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