Abacus Children's Day Nursery

Abacus Children's Day Nursery
Unique reference number (URN): EY493351
Address: Valley Court, Barras Lane, Carlisle, CA5 7NY
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 05/11/2015
Registers: EYR, CCR
Registered person: Abacus Children's Day Nursery Limited
Inspection report: 21 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.

Strong standard
Expected standard
Inclusion Strong standard
A culture of inclusion is fully embedded across the nursery. Those who oversee and take the
lead on supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are
dedicated to their responsibilities. They fully understand and value the vital role of the staff
working directly with children. For example, there is excellent support in place for staff in
relation to teaching strategies and implementing agreed plans. As a result, all staff have the
knowledge and skills to very quickly identify where children may require additional support
or where there may be barriers to their learning and how to meet their needs.
In practice, children with SEND or those facing other barriers to learning or wellbeing, make
excellent progress. Staff quickly make adaptations and enhancements to teaching, routines,
resources and the environment, so that all children can access the curriculum, achieve and
thrive. Key persons are at the centre of nursery-initiated plans, valued as those who work
closest with the children. Leaders work closely and thoughtfully with parents and carers as
well as involved professionals. They complete rigorous monitoring of children's progress to
ensure children's needs are well understood and consistently well met.
Achievement Expected standard
Children develop knowledge and skills across all areas of learning and at the right time. This
helps to ensure firm foundations are in place as children develop new, related skills. For
example, babies enjoy sensory play with plastic bowls and spoons as tools to practise their
small-muscle movements. They begin to become familiar with these items, which they will
eventually use independently for mealtimes, as they move through the nursery. Older babies
then continue to develop these skills as they have opportunities to strengthen their grip with
a range of tools. They move on to start practising using both sides of their bodies, such as
holding resources in each hand. By the time children become toddlers, they are skilled at
using a knife and fork at dinnertime.
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to
learning receive effective adaptations and targeted support to help them participate and
make progress alongside their peers. For example, staff ensure children have close support
at times of transition, such as mealtimes, so that they can join in with and benefit from
routines.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Leaders establish a positive and nurturing culture. This is well implemented by the staff
team, who are attentive to children's needs and act as wonderful role models. For example,
staff reinforce expectations through calm, positive interactions with children and one

another. Leaders and staff take an inclusive approach to supporting children's behaviour.
Staff understand and consider each child's individual needs, taking care to understand
triggers or patterns to unwanted behaviour. Staff then put in place a programme of support
to help children develop the skills they need to understand expectations and to be able to
play collaboratively with their peers.
In the main, staff are skilled at supporting children to develop positive attitudes to learning.
The carefully planned learning environment offers children a rich variety of activities and
resources that help to keep children engaged and focused. Leaders are aware that the
choice of learning environment is not consistently conducive to children's engagement.
Leaders are proactive in promoting children's attendance, and staff know to monitor this as
part of children's progress and in preparation for their move on to school.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Leaders ensure that children's welfare and wellbeing are promoted across the nursery. They
put in place policies and procedures that support children's welfare, and these are generally
well implemented and reinforced by staff. Safe sleep arrangements are particularly well
embedded. Staff working with the youngest children are acutely aware of how to keep
children safe while they sleep. Leaders ensure that children's dietary requirements, including
weaning stages and allergies, are equally well managed. All those involved in making and
serving children's meals, including kitchen staff, are fully aware of their responsibilities in
keeping children safe at mealtimes.
Relationships between staff and children are consistently secure. New children settle
quickly, owing to the priority placed on creating a smooth transition, for both children and
families, to nursery. Staff adapt settling-in arrangements as necessary, depending on the
needs of the child. For example, staff are able to identify and anticipate where children, or
parents and carers, may need additional support, particularly where there may be barriers to
their settling in. As a result, children quickly develop secure attachments with staff,
supporting their learning.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Leaders have an accurate understanding of the quality of the curriculum. Following a recent
change in leadership, there has been greater focus on curriculum planning and
implementation, as part of leaders' improvement plans. This has helped to support staff in
their understanding of the curriculum intentions and how to ensure the learning environment
is reflective of children's needs and the wider curriculum aims. As a result, the curriculum is
well designed and provides all children, including those with special educational needs
and/or disabilities, with opportunities across all areas of learning. It is appropriately
sequenced, meaning children are gaining the knowledge and skills they need at each point
in their learning as they progress through the nursery and in readiness for school. The
learning environments across the nursery are well planned and offer children an engaging
and rich choice of activities and resources. However, the outdoor learning environments are
not as well thought out. While older children have access to a range of outdoor spaces
offering choice and challenge, toddler children's spaces are not used as well and do not
offer the same exciting learning opportunities.

Staff adapt their teaching well to ensure children's individual next steps are met. For
example, staff focus well on word pronunciation where children require support in this area
of their development. However, the quality of staff's interactions and some practices are not
consistently at the highest level across the nursery. Leaders are aware of this as an area for
development and have already put some plans in place to support improvement.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
There has been a recent change to the leadership team. This was following a period of time
where the day-to-day running of the nursery negatively affected some aspects of practice.
New leaders acknowledge the impact this had on practice and have been working hard to
put support in place for staff and make improvements where necessary. This has had a
positive impact on the curriculum planning and the indoor learning environment. While
leaders are starting to monitor other areas of practice more closely, including through
supervisions for staff and professional development opportunities, these plans are still in
their infancy. As a result, inconsistencies in staff practice remain. Staff feel greatly supported
in many other ways, including through the visible leadership team and support for their
wellbeing.
Leaders are committed to engaging with parents. They use what they know about the
families that attend, and their needs, to find the most effective communication and
engagement methods. In the main, this works very well. Parents speak particularly positively
about the staff team and the secure relationships their children have with staff. Leaders work
collaboratively with a range of external agencies and develop positive links with the local
authority. This has been most impactful for children attending with special educational needs
and/or disabilities. Leaders and staff work closely with the local authority inclusion team,
ensuring a collaboration of skills and knowledge to best support children's needs.
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

What it's like to be a child at this setting
All children demonstrate that they feel happy, safe and well cared for at this welcoming
nursery. They form highly secure and warm relationships with staff and leaders who know
them well and show genuine care for their wellbeing and happiness. The trusting
relationships that children have with staff support their emotional wellbeing, confidence and
social skills. Children enjoy engaging in conversations with staff and visitors, for example
about insects they have found in the nursery garden and those they have found at home.
Children thoroughly enjoy their time at this nursery and the plentiful opportunities for
learning available. Children confidently extend their play ideas as they push and pull large
equipment, such as blocks and mats, into place to form an obstacle course. They
confidently navigate over the course, using their balancing skills and negotiating space
between the equipment. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are
included in every aspect of nursery life. Staff adapt activities, environments and routines so
that children can participate successfully alongside their peers. For example, children who
need extra support with communication, transitions or emotional regulation receive carefully
tailored help and make clear progress from their starting points.
Children develop a sense of belonging at nursery. They share growing friendships with their
peers and act with kindness towards one another. For example, children share hugs and
give up their turn on equipment for their younger peers. Each child is valued individually and
supported to thrive at nursery. Individual next steps inform the environmental and activity
planning, meaning children are well supported in their learning and make progress in
readiness for school.
Next steps
Leaders should continue to focus on supporting and developing staff practice to ensure
consistent high quality and effectiveness.
Leaders should broaden the opportunities available to children to learn across all areas of
learning during their play outside.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, the special educational needs coordinator,
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

Inspector:
Katie Sparrow
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): EY493351
Address:
Valley Court
Barras Lane
Carlisle
CA5 7NY
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 05/11/2015
Registered person: Abacus Children's Day Nursery Limited
Register(s): EYR, CCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00
Local authority: Cumberland
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 21 September 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
0 to 3
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.

Total number of places
60
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.
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