URN EY311880 · Inspected 2026-09-22 · Published 2026-10-26 · Inspector: Kelly Whitley-Jones
Apple Tree Nursery Unique reference number (URN): EY311880 Address: Priestley CP School, Prince Charles Drive, Calne, Wiltshire, SN11 8TG Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 26/07/2005 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Appletree Early Years Limited Inspection report: 22 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 demonstrate consistently positive behaviour and highly positive attitudes towards their learning. Practitioners have clear and consistent expectations and understand children's individual emotional and developmental needs. Supporting children to recognise and communicate their emotions is particularly well embedded. Children learn to recognise, name and manage their emotions through well-established approaches, including familiar books and stories about feelings. This introduces children to emotional language from an early age and gives them a consistent way to communicate how they feel. Practitioners reinforce this through daily activities and conversations, while leaders revisit key messages to strengthen children's understanding. Where children require additional emotional support, tailored one-to-one and small-group experiences provide further opportunities to develop their emotional awareness and self-regulation. Routines are firmly established, contributing to smooth transitions and helping children to understand what happens next. Practitioners provide opportunities for children to become more independent as their skills develop. Leaders place a strong emphasis on attendance. They have a robust process for monitoring and responding to absence, which is clearly understood by staff at all levels. Attendance is recorded through an electronic app, and leaders regularly review the data to identify patterns, emerging concerns or barriers to attendance, and take appropriate action. As a result, children benefit from continuity in their learning and well-established routines. This highly consistent approach supports children to become confident, resilient and increasingly independent, while developing the emotional awareness and self-regulation skills that provide strong foundations for future learning. Inclusion Strong standard The setting has a highly inclusive approach that ensures all children are able to participate fully in the curriculum and wider experiences. Practitioners know children and their families extremely well and are particularly skilled at identifying emerging needs and potential barriers to learning and development. They carefully tailor the environment and their teaching to meet children's individual needs, enabling children to participate meaningfully alongside their peers. Practitioners work effectively with a wide range of external professionals, including teachers of the deaf, speech and language therapists, visual impairment teams and physiotherapists. They use specialist advice effectively and consistently to inform their practice and ensure that children's individual support is well coordinated. Leaders maintain high expectations for all children and closely monitor the effectiveness of the strategies and interventions in place, making adjustments when children's needs change. They also carefully track the use of the early years pupil premium funding and evaluate its impact to ensure that additional funding is used purposefully to improve outcomes for children. Children's individual needs and circumstances are understood and respected. As a result, potential barriers are identified and addressed quickly, and children Expected standard receive targeted support that enables them to access the curriculum, develop confidence, independence, and make strong progress from their individual starting points. Achievement Expected standard Children make appropriate progress from their individual starting points and develop the knowledge and skills they need for their future learning. Children develop their communication and language as they learn and use new vocabulary during play and everyday routines. They develop mathematical knowledge as they count, compare quantities and practise sequencing numbers. Children revisit this learning in different contexts, helping them to remember and apply what they know. Children develop their physical and creative skills through activities such as construction, painting, sensory play and outdoor experiences. They increasingly make choices, manage resources and use their ideas during imaginative play. Children learn to persevere when they encounter difficulties and become increasingly confident in trying new skills. Children also develop practical independence and increasingly manage familiar routines for themselves. They build on what they already know and can do and use their developing knowledge during play and everyday experiences. As a result, children develop the communication, mathematical understanding, confidence, creativity and independence that provide appropriate foundations for their next stage of learning. Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard Children's welfare and wellbeing are given appropriate priority. Staff demonstrate a secure understanding of the setting's policies and procedures and implement these consistently in practice. Safer-sleep procedures are well embedded. Babies are positioned safely for sleep, practitioners undertake regular visual checks, and sleep trackers displayed in the room support consistent monitoring and recording. Hygiene routines are similarly well established. Children learn to manage aspects of their personal care independently, including wiping their own noses, and accessible handwashing stations enable them to develop good hygiene habits from an early age. Practitioners promote healthy lifestyles through regular conversations about nutritious food and encourage children to make healthy choices. Children also have access to a book library, supporting their enjoyment of reading beyond the setting. Leaders work effectively with parents to promote children's wellbeing at home. Parent events and guidance provide families with useful information on issues such as appropriate screen time, and support consistent messages between home and the setting. Children develop warm, secure relationships with practitioners and confidently seek support when needed. This is equally evident for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, who have established secure attachments with their key persons. Overall, children generally feel secure and valued and develop appropriate independence in managing their health and personal care, alongside positive healthy habits. Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Leaders have established a suitable and ambitious curriculum that reflects the 7 areas of learning within the early years foundation stage (EYFS) and identifies what they intend children to learn. The curriculum and its overarching intentions are clearly displayed within each room, providing practitioners with a framework to support their planning and teaching. Practitioners use their knowledge of individual children to provide experiences that build on what children already know and can do. They interact positively with children, introduce appropriate vocabulary and use everyday routines and play as opportunities to extend learning. Children benefit from a range of experiences that support their communication and language, physical, personal, social and emotional development and their learning across the wider curriculum. Leaders recognise that several practitioners are relatively new to the setting and are therefore still developing their understanding of how the curriculum intent translates into consistently effective practice. Leaders have accurately identified that some practitioners need further support to understand how the setting's curriculum intentions should be implemented in practice and how children's knowledge and skills should be built progressively over time. Leaders are providing targeted support to develop this understanding. While this work remains ongoing, practitioners demonstrate an appropriate understanding of children's learning needs and provide suitable experiences. As a result, children engage positively in learning and develop appropriate knowledge and skills across the EYFS. Leadership and governance Expected standard Leaders have a clear understanding of the setting's strengths and areas requiring further development. They demonstrate an open and reflective approach to improvement and have identified where practice has not been sufficiently consistent. Leaders have put appropriate plans in place to address identified weaknesses, including strengthening the supervision of children and the management of allergies. They are proactive in checking that agreed changes are implemented effectively and use observations of practice to monitor improvements and provide further guidance where required. This helps to ensure that changes become embedded into practitioners' everyday practice and have the intended impact on children. Leaders recognise that some staff, including those with leadership responsibilities within individual rooms, are relatively new to their roles. Appropriate support has been put in place to help these practitioners develop their confidence, knowledge and understanding of leadership expectations. Leaders maintain oversight of practice while this knowledge develops. They also recognise where further development is required, including strengthening practitioners' understanding and implementation of the setting's curriculum. Staff receive appropriate supervision, guidance and opportunities for professional development. Leaders work constructively with parents and external professionals to support children's individual needs. Overall, leaders demonstrate the capacity to identify weaknesses, implement appropriate actions and monitor their effectiveness, supporting continued improvements to the quality and consistency of children's experiences. 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 secure at this welcoming and inclusive setting. They develop warm, trusting relationships with practitioners and confidently seek them out for reassurance and support. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities form particularly secure attachments with their key people. Their individual needs are understood, and the environment is carefully adapted so that they can participate fully alongside their peers. As a result, children feel valued and develop a strong sense of belonging. Children behave well and develop positive attitudes towards their learning. From an early age, they learn to recognise and communicate their emotions. Children learn to recognise and express their emotions through well-established routines and familiar stories about feelings. This provides children with a consistent language to talk about how they feel. Those who need additional emotional support benefit from tailored one-to-one and small- group experiences. Children know the routines of the setting well and move smoothly between different parts of their day. Children increasingly manage everyday tasks independently as practitioners provide opportunities for children to become more independent as their skills develop. Children enjoy a broad range of learning experiences. Practitioners consider what individual children need to learn and provide opportunities for them to practise important knowledge and skills in different ways. For example, children who need further support with number sequencing revisit this through a variety of activities. Children enjoy conversations, stories and books and can borrow books from the nursery library to enjoy with their families at home. Children also learn how to keep themselves healthy. They develop good hygiene habits through accessible handwashing facilities and learn to manage aspects of their personal care, such as wiping their own noses. Practitioners talk to children about healthy food and making positive choices. Overall, children enjoy their time at the setting. They feel safe and included and develop the confidence, independence and knowledge they need for their future learning. Next steps The leaders should develop the knowledge and confidence of staff with leadership responsibilities so that they provide consistently effective oversight of practice and children benefit from a consistently high-quality experience across the setting. The leaders should strengthen practitioners' understanding of how the setting's curriculum intentions translate into practice, so that children's knowledge and skills are built progressively and consistently over time. About this inspection The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, the special educational needs coordinator, the designated safeguarding leads and parents during the inspection. Inspector: Kelly Whitley-Jones About this setting Unique reference number (URN): EY311880 Address: Priestley CP School Prince Charles Drive Calne Wiltshire SN11 8TG Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 26/07/2005 Registered person: Appletree Early Years Limited Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00 Local authority: Wiltshire Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 22 September 2026 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. 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. Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 0 to 3 Total number of places 77 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? 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