URN EY259124 · Inspected 2026-09-17 · Published 2026-10-14 · Inspector: Michelle Latchford
Pudsey Day Nursery Unique reference number (URN): EY259124 Address: 31 Kiln Road, WIRRAL, Merseyside, CH49 9AL Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 09/05/2003 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Phillips, Andrea Lee Inspection report: 17 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 Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard Children's behaviour throughout the provision is exemplary. Staff celebrate children's achievements through plenty of animated praise and rewards. Children diligently follow 3 simple rules 'be kind, tidy up and listen'. Children can be heard reciting these rules out loud as they help to tidy toys, demonstrating boundaries are clearly understood. Children effortlessly use manners and are respectful in all of their interactions. If they momentarily forget to say 'please' or 'thank you', staff gently remind children about the importance of being polite. Harmonious behaviour is a notable strength across this setting. Children are astutely aware of their emotions and how to manage these. Staff use books and songs to help children understand new and complex emotions in age-appropriate ways. Staff teach children how to regulate big emotions, such as encouraging children to take deep breaths or visiting a quiet area to be calm. Teaching successfully helps children to navigate emotions very well. In turn, children learn to get along with others and friendships flourish. Children's attendance throughout the setting is consistently high. Leaders share their expectations about punctuality and attendance with parents through a carefully written attendance policy. There is a collective appreciation about the importance of high attendance and the direct impact on outcomes for children. Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard Leaders have invested significant time and energy developing a delicious menu. They recognise that children's health, wellbeing and readiness to learn is influenced by the food children consume. The ingredients are selected because they are seasonal, optimising the nutritional content. Hearty meals include homemade lasagne and pasta salads, for example. Children enjoy growing food in the vegetable patch, such as tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, leeks and potatoes. All children have recently taken pepper seedlings home, alongside recipes to extend children's learning about nutrition with family members. Parents are highly complementary about the high-quality menu and comment, 'There is a good variety of healthy meals and snacks, and I appreciate the effort made to provide nutritious food.' Mealtimes and activities linked to food support children's exemplary health and lifelong positive attitude towards healthy eating. Sleeping babies are kept safe because staff are highly cautious and extremely vigilant during sleep routines. They have completed a wealth of safer sleep training, and they have excellent knowledge to care for the unique needs of babies. The role of the key worker is a notable strength. Staff know their children well and foster extremely positive relationships with children. These positive attachments from kind and caring staff help children to thrive in their emotional wellbeing. Expected standard Achievement Expected standard Older children enjoy drawing self-portraits. They hold pencils confidently while making intended and meaningful marks. Children are provided with plenty of opportunities to develop their pencil control in readiness for early writing. Children enjoy dressing up as superheroes, developing their self-care skills as they put costumes on independently. They pretend to have superpowers and develop their ideas through imaginative play. Children enjoy following their interests and making independent decisions. Children remain curious and intrigued in their learning, supported by a range of fun and exciting activities. Typically, children make steady progress in their communication development. Children hear lots of language because staff routinely narrate and describe what they are doing. Staff read stories to children regularly, and this helps to develop their understanding of sentence structure and broaden their speaking skills. Occasionally, staff mispronounce key vocabulary, which impacts on children's achievement in this area. Curriculum and teaching Expected standard The curriculum is ambitious. Leaders and staff have high expectations for all children and support them to make the progress of which they are capable. Leaders routinely review the curriculum design to ensure that it remains effective, and they make changes where needed. Teaching and learning are carefully planned and, in turn, children are well supported in their progress. Staff use their professional assessment to check what children know. They make good use of this assessment to focus their teaching were children need the most help. Children are typically well supported to develop their language and communication. However, occasionally staff working with younger children mispronounce words or are unclear when speaking to children. This means that the youngest children do not have every opportunity to develop accurate vocabulary from the outset. Leaders are skilful teachers who understand their role to guide and extend children's learning. They participate in children's play and make simple and effective suggestions to extend learning. When needed, staff adapt activities for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to enable everyone to benefit from their quality teaching. Inclusion Expected standard Staff teach children about different religions, cultures and beliefs through play. Children learn that difference and uniqueness is something to celebrate and cherish. Inclusion, diversity and equality are given high priority in the curriculum and programme of play. In turn, children are considerate and respectful of others' differing views and opinions. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make steady progress from their different starting points. Generally, staff are aware of the different needs of children in their care and quickly help children to catch up and narrow gaps. Typically, children progress and are well prepared for the next stage in their learning. However, sometimes leaders receive updated information about children's health and needs that is not shared with all staff working with children quickly enough. This means occasionally staff do not have the most up-to-date information to tailor their care and teaching with precision. Leaders ensure that staff who support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive appropriate training. This enables them to have the expertise and refined skills to confidently support children with additional needs. Leaders use additional funding effectively. They target support appropriately based on children's different needs. There is a personalised approach to spending of wider funding to ensure that the impact this has is optimised. Leadership and governance Expected standard Leaders know the setting's strengths and areas to develop. They engage in honest and regular reflection about the quality of their service. Furthermore, they seek feedback on their practice from local authority advisors. Evidently leaders and staff strive to provide children and families with the best start in life. Staff comment that they feel appreciated and valued. Leaders promote staff's wellbeing and praise staff for their hard work and efforts. This impacts positively on their motivation. In turn, staff are committed, and children benefit from this dedication. Leaders and staff host a range of exciting parent events to foster positive relationships with home. For instance, coffee mornings, graduation ceremonies and school readiness meetings have all been well attended by a range of different families. Questionnaires are issued regularly to ascertain parental feedback. This helps to ensure that development plans consider the opinions of the families who access the provision. Partnerships with parents are extremely effective and help to ensure that children benefit from complementary care between home and the setting. 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 The nursery is a hive of activity, and children are actively engaged in plenty of fun activities. They explore with intrigue and purpose. Children arrive happy and are ready to learn. They excitedly enter the nursery with great anticipation about what awaits them. New children to the setting benefit from gradual and carefully managed settling-in sessions. This helps them to become familiar with the environment and staff and contributes to their emotional wellbeing right from the start of placement. Children show a sense of belonging as they move around the nursery in an assured manner. They speak to visitors about their experiences in the setting with impressive confidence, demonstrating that they are emotionally secure and settled. They enthusiastically showcase their pet fish, which they help to care for and look after. Children show great empathy and are caring and kind towards others. These personal attributes, including confidence, independence and self-belief, are a great foundation for children's progress and development. Children enjoy a range of interesting trips. Outings in the local community, including trips to the local park, woods and library, enrich children's learning experiences. Furthermore, children benefit from a broad curriculum, and all children progress well from their starting points. Inspector: Michelle Latchford About this setting Unique reference number (URN): EY259124 Address: 31 Kiln Road WIRRAL Merseyside CH49 9AL Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 09/05/2003 Registered person: Phillips, Andrea Lee Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:00 - 18:00 Local authority: Wirral Next steps Leaders should provide coaching and training for staff to ensure that they pronounce words correctly and clearly to enable children to learn accurate vocabulary from an early age. Leaders should prioritise swiftly sharing updated information about children's health and needs with staff who are caring for them to ensure that teaching and care precisely matches children's needs at all times. About this inspection The inspector spoke with staff, leaders and children 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 17 September 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 0 to 3 Total number of places 45 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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