Chill Out @ Hirst

Chill Out @ Hirst
Unique reference number (URN): 2884831
Address: Hirst Welfare Centre, Alexandra Road, Ashington, NE63 9HN
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 26/02/2026
Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR
Registered person: Chill Out Time Childcare Ltd
Inspection report: 30 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.

Expected standard
Achievement Expected standard
Children are making progress across all areas of development, including those children with
special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who may be disadvantaged.
Their communication and language sills are consistently promoted by staff. For example,
staff engage children in regular discussions, singing and story times. There is also a focus
on promoting children's physical development. Babies' walking skills are well encouraged
and supported by attentive staff, who know the babies really well. Older children develop
climbing and balancing skills when playing outdoors. They also have lots of opportunities for
improving their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, such as when using small
pipettes in the water tray and when threading spaghetti into small holes.
Children's independence and confidence are consistently promoted by staff. For example,
staff typically support all children to regularly serve their own drinks and feed themselves.
Parents comment very positively about the achievements and progress their children have
made since starting at the setting.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Leaders have high expectations for children's behaviour. Children are generally well
behaved, and staff deal with minor incidents calmly and sensitively. Appropriate procedures
are in place for children identified as needing additional support to regulate their behaviour.
For example, they receive one-to-one help and guidance from staff and may spend some
time in a smaller, quieter section of the nursery, which works really well for some children.
Procedures are in place to monitor children's attendance and staff are committed to
ensuring all children receive their full entitlement. Leaders are very flexible with attendance
and strive to meet families' needs. For example, funding can be used outside term time so
children can attend all year round if that better meets the child's and family's needs.
Children typically benefit from a well-established key-person system and staff who know
their individual needs and interests well. Staff create a welcoming, nurturing environment,
where children feel secure and build bonds with them. As a result, children attend happily
and engage positively in learning.
Children are well aware of the setting's routines and babies are keen to join the older
children for meal and snack times. This also helps to prepare babies for their transition into
the next room, when they are ready.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Leaders prioritise children's safety, welfare and wellbeing, ensuring that policies, procedures
and practices are appropriately implemented and reviewed. Staff demonstrate they know
and can effectively implement the setting's policies and procedures, such as safeguarding
and whistleblowing procedures.

Babies and children benefit from very warm, positive and trusting relationships with caring
and nurturing staff. Staff also consistently implement safe sleeping and safe eating
procedures. Although ownership of the provision has changed significantly, staffing has
remained relatively consistent. This typically supports children in establishing and
maintaining secure bonds with staff.
Staff help children learn to keep themselves safe and healthy. For example, they generally
allow children to take risks when playing outside but also remind them to think about safety,
such as avoiding obstacles when running and where to put their feet when climbing.
Leaders ensure children have healthy, nutritious meals, snacks and drinks. They also
provide information for parents about healthy lunch boxes, where parents choose to supply
them. Leaders also provide different home learning resources to support children's wellbeing
and learning at home. For example, information about oral health and potty training.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Leaders have ongoing oversight of the inclusive curriculum, which is appropriately designed
for the different age groups. The curriculum takes account of children's interests and their
individual next steps for learning. The progress checks at age 2 are completed. However,
strategies to help children who need additional support are not always clear. This means
that children may not receive the specific support they need in a timely manner.
Appropriate procedures are in place to monitor staff practice, the quality of their teaching
skills and their implementation of the learning programmes. For example, regular
observations of staff's practice and supervision meetings. Staff have a positive attitude
towards continuous professional development and have completed many different online
courses, such as how to promote children's development in all areas of learning. However,
not all staff working with babies have accessed training specific to children under 2. This
limits how consistently staff use age-appropriate teaching approaches to meet babies'
individual learning and development needs.
Children aged 2 to 4 years are cared for in the same room. Staff ensure learning
experiences are appropriately adapted, where needed, so all children are included and
involved. For example, older children may begin early writing by learning to write the letters
of their name, while younger children engage in general mark-making activities.
Inclusion Expected standard
Children benefit from an inclusive provision. Staff receive detailed information from parents
and/or carers about each child. They use this as a basis for each child's individual care and
learning. There are also appropriate procedures in place to assess children's ongoing
individual needs. Parents comment very positively about how well their children have been
welcomed and settled into the nursery. They also comment on the caring staff, who all know
the children really well.
Staff typically work closely with other professionals to support children with additional needs
and those who may experience disadvantage. For example, they ensure that some funding
is used to pay for experiences that children may not usually access, such as dance classes

with a trained teacher and visitors to the setting who bring animals for the children to learn
about. However, the use of funding and the impact for children is not rigorously evaluated. In
addition, strategies to help children who need additional support are not always clear.
Leaders ensure that children receive their full entitlement and are very flexible in meeting
family needs. For example, they allow children to attend all year, rather than term time if
requested. Staff generally work closely with children's services and offer places at one of
their other settings to meet children and family needs, such as when this setting was closed
due to a flood.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
The provider works closely with leaders and other staff to implement new changes within the
setting, such as changes to how information about children is recorded. Leaders are very
supportive of staff and ensure their wellbeing and manageable workloads. Staff present as
being a cohesive team, who work well together to meet the needs of the children in their
care.
The setting is based within a community hub. Staff work closely with the chef in the hub to
devise a healthy menu and prepare children's meals. Parents and carers are also welcome
at the hub, as well as at the nursery setting.
Leaders ensure that staff have access to continuous professional development courses.
However, this does not currently include training that specifically addresses the care of
babies. That said, all staff provide a very nurturing environment for babies and children.
Leaders have some evaluation procedures in place and have identified and planned for
improvements to the outdoor play area. The evaluation of the impact of how additional
funding is used, however, is less well established.
The setting has experienced significant changes over the past year, including four changes
of ownership. Staff have had to adapt to new processes and procedures, which has affected
the day-to-day running of the provision. However, they have worked hard to maintain
continuity in children's care and learning and minimise disruption to their experiences. Staff
work closely with the local authority and draw on additional support to help manage these
changes.

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 to attend the setting. They are well supported by caring staff, which
helps them to settle quickly. Children receive lots of positive care and attention, which helps
them feel safe and secure. Staff are committed to their roles and provide a very nurturing
environment for all children.
Children form secure bonds with staff, which supports them to feel a sense of belonging.
Parents also comment that a strength of the provision is the caring staff, who know all of the
children really well. Children enjoy their time at the setting and engage in different activities

Inspectors:
Elaine McDonnell
Aklima Zaman
About this setting
to promote all areas of learning. For example, they count conkers and match the amount to
the correct numeral.
Children are supported to develop their social skills. They are observed engaging well in
group activities. For example, they make a 'train' and weave around the equipment together
outside.
Children are achieving well in the setting, including those children with special educational
needs and/or disabilities. Leaders support key staff to identify and reduce any barriers to
learning and to ensure that all children make progress in their development. Staff have great
relationships with parents. They provide opportunities, such as coffee mornings, for parents,
grandparents and other family members to be welcomed into the setting.
Children benefit from an appropriate curriculum that takes account of their individual needs
and interests.
Next steps
Leaders should support staff to devise clear and specific strategies in order to implement
each child's individual next steps more precisely.
Leaders should ensure staff working with babies have access to up-to-date training to
support them in their role.
Leaders should improve current systems for auditing and evaluating the use of additional
funding, and the impact of how funding is used, on children's learning and development.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with parents, children, leaders, staff and the setting's special
educational needs coordinator 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.

Unique reference number (URN): 2884831
Address:
Hirst Welfare Centre
Alexandra Road
Ashington
NE63 9HN
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 26/02/2026
Registered person: Chill Out Time Childcare Ltd
Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00
Local authority: Northumberland
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 30 September 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
1 to 4
Total number of places
40
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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