URN EY319462 · Inspected 2026-09-17 · Published 2026-10-14 · Inspector: Elizabeth Fish
Shildon Early Years Unique reference number (URN): EY319462 Address: Children's Centre, Byerley Road, Shildon, County Durham, DL4 1HN Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 07/03/2006 Registers: EYR Registered person: Durham County Council 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 Expected standard Inclusion Strong standard Leaders work exceptionally well with parents when children first start to understand children's level of development. They gather detailed information to understand any support or adaptations they can make to help children to thrive. Where necessary, they communicate with other professionals who are involved with children. For example, they work with professionals from health to understand adaptations they can make to their environment. Staff observe and assess children to identify any emerging concerns. They work closely with parents and plan any interventions they can make to support children further. They monitor the progress children make and identify appropriate targets. Staff adapt the routines and environments to help children to progress. For example, they use visual cues to help children prepare for changes in routines They adapt the utensils that they use at snack and meal times to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff work incredibly well to support children and families who are known to children's social care. For example, they adapt the hours of attendance to ensure children benefit from the sessions they are entitled to. Staff go above and beyond to ensure children and families who are disadvantaged have access to any funding they are entitled to. This includes additional grants to purchase winter clothing or beds and bedding to promote safe sleep. Achievement Expected standard Typically, children make steady progress. They become confident communicators who are keen to express their thoughts and ideas. They begin to use mathematical vocabulary, such as 'big' and 'heavy'. They generally engage well in their play. This is evident as children play in the water or the mud kitchen. Younger children develop an impressive awareness of rhythm as they sing songs and tap out the rhythm on their knees. They gain a range of skills that support them in the next stage of their learning. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make rapid progress from their starting points. They learn new words and begin to communicate in phrases. They listen carefully to what adults say and follow instructions. Children develop their physical strength and core muscles, helping them to develop skills such as crawling and walking. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard Leaders and staff have consistent expectations which they consistently reinforce. For instance, they remind children that they should not take the tricycle over the small bridge. They supervise children carefully to ensure they follow these expectations. Staff remind children to tidy up. Children respond quickly to this when they hear the tidy up song. Staff adapt their expectations to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to follow these instructions too. For instance, they ask children to put specific objects away. Children typically demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. They are highly engaged in group singing sessions. Two-year-old children concentrate well as they paint with mud and water. However, occasionally some routines, such as nappy changing, disrupt children's play. This can occasionally impact on their engagement and enjoyment. Children develop positive relationships with staff and children. They begin to play alongside each other as they play outside. Staff support children playing in the mud kitchen to share the herbs they are using with their friends. Leaders work with parents to understand barriers to attendance. They work with parents to identify solutions to help children benefit from their time in the nursery. Examples, include changing session times or the number of days children attend to help children to settle and thrive. Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard Leaders place children's wellbeing at the heart of everything they do. They care deeply about children and make thoughtful adaptations to their environment to ensure children's health and safety. They attended a wealth of training on oral health and implement key messages into practice. For instance, they teach children how to brush their teeth twice daily. They follow guidance and ensure they allow time after meals to prevent damaging teeth. They consistently remind children to wash their hands before eating. Staff provide a wealth of opportunities for children to learn about healthy lifestyles. Children enjoy the weekly visits to the allotment where they develop a greater understanding of food that is good for them. They enjoy a healthy balanced diet, and have regular opportunities to play in the garden. Staff also promote healthy lifestyles when children walk to and from the allotment. Staff supervise children carefully, particularly at mealtimes. Extra staff are on hand to provide closer supervision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities as they eat and drink to prevent choking. Staff use mealtimes effectively to encourage children to talk about their morning and the things they have enjoyed doing. Staff typically reinforce good manners. However, this is not yet consistently embedded across the whole routine. Although children are reminded to say 'please' and 'thank you' at snack time, not all staff reinforce this at lunchtime. This means children do not get clear messages about good manners. Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Leaders have developed a well-thought-out curriculum which supports children's development. The curriculum for communication and language is exceptionally well developed. Staff use assessment effectively to understand children's stage of development. They use clear strategies to support children to progress in their communication. Staff adapt their language precisely. For example. They use single words and demonstrate the articulation of sounds to help children with special educational needs and/or disabilities develop their communication. Other staff reinforce more technical vocabulary as children pretend to make porridge. For instance, they talk about the herbs children are using, such as 'basil' or 'cinnamon'. Staff seize opportunities to develop children's learning in mathematics. They reinforce key vocabulary about size and weight and reinforce counting. Staff provide a wealth of opportunities to promote children's knowledge of the world. Children enjoy painting with mud and water and exploring the colour of leaves. Occasionally, staff have not considered how some routines interrupt valuable learning experiences. For instance, staff change all children's nappies when they first go outside. This interrupts children's learning as they begin to engage in meaningful learning. Sometimes, when staff approach children to change their nappies, children do not want to stop what they are doing. Leaders provide children with a wealth of experiences that they may not otherwise encounter. Examples include visits to the library to select books or visits to the nearby railway museum. This supports children to develop an awareness of the world around them. Leadership and governance Expected standard Leaders have a clear understanding of the strengths and areas for development. They identify areas of priority and access further training to develop this further. For example, staff have recently benefitted from training on oral health. Leaders and staff are well trained in supporting children with communication and language. They use a range of assessment tools to identify children who would benefit from support in this area. Leaders have taken effective action to address actions raised at the last inspection. Recent training on behaviour management has had a positive impact on staff confidence in this area. Staff also share their routines and expectations with parents and carers. Leaders undertake regular supervisions to provide training and support to staff. This helps staff to have a clear understanding of their role. They provide time during the working day for staff to complete any necessary work or training, Staff comment that they feel well supported. Leaders monitor staff practice when they work in the room alongside staff. However, this is not yet thorough enough to identify all minor inconsistencies in practice. Leaders work exceptionally well with parents. They gather detailed information when children first start and share strategies to support children's learning at home. They also provide additional resources to help parents support children. Examples of this include a book lending scheme and home bags with a wealth of activities, such as cooking or a nature trail. Leaders engage with the local community effectively. They work well with local community groups and access coffee mornings. They also ensure parents access any groups or services they are entitled to this includes food parcels and hot meals. What it's like to be a child at this setting Children thrive in this nursery where they are incredibly safe and well cared for. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities rapidly develop skills such as crawling. They rapidly gain confidence because the environment supports their safety and minimises the risk of accidents and injuries. For example, they crawl and toddle on specific safety matting. Children enjoy their learning and access a broad and balanced curriculum. For example, older children thoroughly enjoy constructing and building. They pretend to make porridge outside. Younger children are excited to fill watering cans with water and transport them around the garden. Others develop their physical skills as they balance and navigate small bridges. They develop a range of skills that support them in the next stage of their learning. Children behave well. They understand the routines and follow these well. For example, they sit down for snack after they have washed their hands. After snack, they wait until their friends have finished before putting their coats on. Children typically concentrate well, for example, as they listen to books. Children listen carefully to instructions as they select the correct animal jigsaw piece to go in the board. Children benefit from incredibly positive relationships with staff. For example, they climb on staff's knee for a cuddle as they listen to stories. Others laugh and giggle as they look through coloured blocks at different objects with staff. They delight in exploring and anticipating how things change colour. Children enjoy playing alongside and helping their friends. For instance, they delight in filling the watering can and helping each other to water the herbs. Children receive effective support to overcome barriers to attendance. Some benefit from shorter sessions so that they are less tired and look forward to attending their next session. Next steps Leaders should strengthen monitoring to identify minor inconsistencies in practice. Leaders should review the organisation of routines to ensure children maintain consistently high levels of engagement. Leaders should ensure staff make effective use of opportunities to teach the importance of good manners. Inspector: Elizabeth Fish About this setting Unique reference number (URN): EY319462 Address: Children's Centre Byerley Road Shildon County Durham DL4 1HN Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 07/03/2006 Registered person: Durham County Council Register(s): EYR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 16:00 Local authority: Durham 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 About this inspection The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, 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 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. Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 2 to 4 Total number of places 28 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. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence, write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk. This publication is available at https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk. Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn. 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