URN 2879456 · Inspected 2026-09-23 · Published 2026-10-21 · Inspector: Michelle Latchford
Honeybear Nursery Unique reference number (URN): 2879456 Address: The Heathlands Village, Heathlands Drive, Prestwich, MANCHESTER, M25 9SB Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 17/02/2026 Registers: EYR Registered person: Prestwich Real Estate Ltd Inspection report: 23 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 Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard Children are happy in this welcoming nursery. They benefit enormously from the positive and warm interactions they receive from friendly and kind staff. Staff know children well and foster positive relationships with them in this home-from-home environment. This contributes significantly to children's happiness and their readiness to learn. Typically, children cooperate with each other, and generally they behave well. Occasionally, children get excited and they become a little over-enthusiastic. For instance, when singing and dancing, children accidently bump into each other. Staff manage this well and help children to regain composure and continue with their learning. Children are happy and enjoy their time spent in this nursery, This contributes to their positive attitude to learning. Children are reassured by familiar and consistent routines. These embedded routines help children to know what to expect and how to behave. When necessary, routines are flexible to meet children's changing needs. Children's attendance is consistently high. Leaders and staff have clear systems in place to respond to children's unexpected absences. They encourage punctuality, and parents understand the importance of regular attendance. Inclusion Expected standard Staff create a welcoming environment, where everyone is fully included. Children's unique personalities are celebrated and any barriers to learning are quickly and accurately understood by staff. Staff speak with confidence about children's different needs and abilities. Typically, they use this information to put specific support in place for those who need it. Generally, children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) benefit from 'individualised accessibility plans'. Detailed support plans enable staff and leaders to provide personalised care for children, ensuring their needs are met through carefully adapted practice. Staff value support and guidance from wider professionals to extend and improve their practice. For instance, they seek advice from physiotherapists and incorporate their recommendations into children's care and learning experiences. This positive attitude towards working with other professionals means that children's needs are well met. Staff have recently refreshed their knowledge on supporting children with SEND. This means that staff have the knowledge and skills to support children who are facing barriers to their learning. Needs attention Achievement Needs attention Over time, children do not achieve as well as they should in their learning and development. They are not routinely provided with opportunities to engage in two-way conversations. This hinders their language development. Books are stored out of reach, so children are unable to independently explore and handle books during self-chosen play to extend their love of literacy and reading. Weaknesses in teaching and planning procedures mean that children are not as well prepared for the next stage in their learning as they should be. Despite this, children remain continually occupied and enjoy their play. Children develop their expressive art and design skills as they create pictures using mixed media, including crayons and tissue. They show impressive dexterity as they spread glue and make intended marks with crayons. This contributes to their emerging hand–eye coordination. Children enjoy this creative activity, as they concentrate and try their best. Children benefit from a well-equipped sensory room, providing opportunities for babies and younger children to develop imagination and exploratory skills through sensory play. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities generally progress well from their starting points because they receive well-considered support to meet their unique and individual needs. Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention Coaching and support for staff are not precise enough to address weaknesses in staff practice. Leaders have identified policies and procedures to promote children's welfare. However, these are not always consistently implemented by all staff. For instance, sometimes, staff close doors that leaders intend to be kept open to support children's wellbeing. The variable implementation of some procedures does not fully promote children's welfare and wellbeing. Staff are aware of their responsibilities to keep children safe when they are sleeping, and their practice is in line with safety guidance. For instance, each child has their own cot, and sleep spaces are sufficiently ventilated. Staff place sleeping babies with their feet to the foot of the cot and bedding is light to prevent children from overheating. Staff sit with babies and check them often, in turn promoting children's welfare. Relationships shared between children and staff are warm and nurturing, meaning that children are happy and emotionally secure. Staff treat the children in their care as if they were caring for their own children. They lavish them with plenty of appropriate affection, to help children feel safe and reassured. In turn, children demonstrate a deep sense of belonging. They are regularly heard giggling and laughing, demonstrating their emotional wellbeing and contentment. Staff adapt their practice at mealtimes to meet children's different needs. For instance, young babies are securely seated in high chairs, while older children eat at low-level tables. This means that children of all ages are provided a safe environment to eat. Staff remain close to children who are eating and remind them to remain seated, chew and eat slowly. These subtle and timely prompts help children to learn how to keep themselves safe at mealtimes. Curriculum and teaching Needs attention The delivery of the curriculum is variable. Staff do not always have a clear understanding of what they want children to learn during activities. This means that teaching often lacks focus and precision. Activity planning centres on occupying and entertaining children, as opposed to extending their learning and development where needed. Staff do not give enough thought to children's language development. Frequently, staff do not leave sufficient time for children to process questions and respond. This prevents children from contributing to discussions and practising their conversational skills. Children enjoy adult-led story sessions, developing their literacy and reading skills. However, all books are stored out of reach on a high windowsill. Therefore, children do not have independent access to handle and explore books during their self-chosen play. This impacts on their literacy and language development. Leaders have reviewed and updated the curriculum since the last inspection. This now clearly sets out what children will learn and when. Children make some progress in their communication development. Staff narrate during play and they introduce new descriptive words to extend children's vocabulary. Teaching to extend children's physical skills is effective. Staff support children to take safe and supervised risks when playing outdoors. Children navigate sloped grassed areas, when the weather is appropriate. This helps children to extend and master their balance and impressive coordination skills. Children explore equipment indoors that extends their gross motor skills. They climb through tunnels and dance to singing sessions. Children of all ages and abilities, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, progress well in their physical development. Leadership and governance Needs attention Leaders do not always prioritise their attention on the right areas. Therefore, the action plan and priorities for improvement lack precision. Staff have significant gaps in their knowledge and skills, which have not been quickly identified or addressed by leaders. The coaching, training and supervision of staff need attention. Partnership working with parents is not fully effective. Staff do not share information with parents about their children's learning and development to ensure that learning is also supported at home. However, staff share regular updates with parents about children's daily experiences, including feedback on children's sleep and play. This helps to keep parents up to date and promotes consistency for children in care routines between home and the setting. There has been an increased focus on professional development over recent months. All staff have now completed mandatory training, including safeguarding, first-aid and food hygiene courses. This has contributed to their improved practice and confidence in these areas. Leaders intend to continue to invest in staff training, which is required to raise standards. Leaders have worked with pace and dedication to make necessary improvements since the last inspection. Their commitment and drive have had a positive impact on the quality of practice. Improvements so far have largely been focused on raising standards in relation to safeguarding and children's welfare. However, there remain some weaknesses which require leaders' attention. Overall, leaders understand what is working well and what needs to improve. What it's like to be a child at this setting The quality of teaching is too variable. Children do not benefit from teaching that is specifically designed to narrow the gaps in their learning. This impacts on children's overall progress. However, children enjoy their learning, and typically they join in and fully immerse themselves in the range of activities and play opportunities provided. They are curious and eager to have a go. Children make some progress from their starting points because they remain continually occupied in fun and engaging activities. Their enjoyment in play successfully fosters their positive attitude towards their learning. Children are warmly welcomed by friendly staff. Their nurturing interactions help children to feel safe and create a secure sense of belonging. From the moment they join the setting, children and families become part of the close-knit community and are valued and included in every way. Children's backgrounds, beliefs and cultures are celebrated, and children learn to appreciate and understand different viewpoints. Children behave well and are typically helpful, cooperative and respectful of everyone they encounter. Friendships between children develop as they become more emotionally and socially confident. Children progress well in their physical skills. They manoeuvre mobile toys outside with increasing confidence. They kick and chase balls outside with secure footwork and impressive coordination. Typically, children behave well. They show empathy for each other and are helpful. For instance, children enjoy playing together in the sand, They share the tools, enabling everyone to have a turn with the popular sand toys. This shows developing maturity and social skills. Next steps To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage the provider must take the following actions by the assigned date: Action Completion Date ensure that all staff engage in high-quality interactions with children to develop their communication and 21/10/2026 Inspector: Michelle Latchford About this setting Unique reference number (URN): 2879456 Address: The Heathlands Village, Heathlands Drive Prestwich MANCHESTER M25 9SB Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Action Completion Date language skills ensure staff plan activities with specific learning intent to focus their teaching where children need the most help 21/10/2026 improve the programme of professional development, supervision and coaching for staff to raise their awareness and understanding of their roles and responsibilities 21/10/2026 extend information-sharing with parents to include details of children's learning and development to enable them to support children's continued learning at home 21/10/2026 About this inspection The inspector spoke with children, staff, leaders and a local authority quality advisor 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. Registration date: 17/02/2026 Registered person: Prestwich Real Estate Ltd Register(s): EYR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday : 08:30 - 16:00,Friday,Sunday : 09:00 - 14:00 Local authority: Bury Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 23 September 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 1 to 3 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. 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