Portico at West End

Portico at West End
Unique reference number (URN): EY446381
Address: West End Primary School, Grimshaw Lane, ORMSKIRK, Lancashire, L39 1PA
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 19/07/2012
Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR
Registered person: Portico Day Nurseries Ltd
Inspection report: 16 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 make expected progress from their starting points. They enjoy being around their
peers and join in with games and activities. Children practise their physical skills as they
manipulate and mould dough. Additionally, they use chalks outside to make marks and
develop the small muscles in their hands.
Children are independent and enjoy taking charge of tasks. Furthermore, they enjoy helping
their friends. For example, older children help younger children to fasten their coats.
Children know how and when to wash their hands and are gaining the skills they need in
preparation for their move to school. They can concentrate in groups, listen to instructions
and show a positive attitude towards learning. This stands them in good stead for their next
stages in education.
All children are motivated to play and learn. They choose where they wish to play and are
excited to use the large outdoor space on offer to them. Children hunt for 'big puddles' and
splash in their wellington boots.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Children follow consistent routines and know what is coming next, helping them feel secure
in the nursery. Staff praise children and appreciate their efforts. For example, they thank
children for being 'fantastic friends' and for 'good helping'. This helps children feel safe,
respected and valued in the nursery.
Behaviour is well supported in the nursery, and staff are knowledgeable about how to help
children who struggle to regulate their emotions. Staff use strategies such as traffic light
systems, visual aids and reward charts to help improve children's understanding and respect
for each other. As a result, children play well together and routines remain calm throughout
the day.
Generally, staff are positive and reassure children who are upset. They help new starters
and babies settle into the routine and, in the main, address their needs as quickly as they
can. Staff model kindness, and babies replicate this when playing with dolls. They care for
them and hold them gently.
Children and families are supported to maintain good attendance. Leaders provide further
support for those children who have barriers to learning to help continuity of care. For
example, they use additional funding to pay for extra sessions that enable children to
consistently attend nursery throughout the summer holidays. This helps all children maintain
good levels of engagement with their learning and supports emotional regulation.

Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Policies and procedures are in place that help support children's health and hygiene. Staff
know how to keep the nursery safe and clean. Furthermore, they help children develop
healthy personal care routines, such as handwashing and wiping noses. Children have
access to safe spaces to sleep that meet the needs for their age and stage of development.
Staff know how to monitor children when sleeping and how to maintain a safe sleep
environment.
Children have the opportunity to explore the outdoor area daily and develop their physical
skills in a range of ways. Equipment is safe and suitable for varying ages and stages in
development. Babies learn to balance and pull themselves up to standing. Older children
climb and run around, learning how to negotiate space.
Children enjoy a range of healthy foods and are supported to eat depending on their
individual needs and progress in their feeding journey. For example, strategies for safe
weaning and eating are built on, in agreement with parents, based on babies' individual
abilities. Children are supervised and supported at all times when eating. They cut their own
food up, put their coats on and wash their own hands. Babies are also encouraged to drink
from a cup and have a go at eating using cutlery. This helps promote independence and
confidence from a young age.
Children learn about emotions and express themselves with confidence. Generally, they
know their needs will soon be met. This helps children settle and learn in a comfortable
environment. Staff have built strong relationships with children, which helps children feel
safe and valued.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Children make steady progress through the setting's curriculum and build on what they
already know as they move through nursery. They learn and practise new skills, with
increasing levels of challenge, as they move through the age groups, which helps them
increase their knowledge and skills.
Leaders have a clear focus for children and have started to embed an action plan to help
support the implementation and direction of the curriculum. Typically, children already have
access to a range of activities and experiences that support their learning and development
from the start. However, during the day, staff do not consistently deliver a broad and
ambitious curriculum that supports all areas of learning, all of the time. For example, staff do
not consistently teach early mathematics if it is not on their focused plans. Leaders have
recognised that staff need support to consistently and naturally embed all 7 learning areas
of the early years foundation stage.
Children engage with activities they enjoy. Babies choose songs and enjoy singing with staff.
There is a clear focus on communication and language support from the start. Babies
babble, toddlers chatter, and older children have meaningful conversations with their peers.
Staff respond to children's interests and create activities and opportunities to extend
learning. Children love imaginative play. They spend lengthy periods of time with staff
making pretend food. They name food items and mix them together. Younger children enjoy

splashing in the water tray and making lots of bubbles. Staff encourage children's creativity
and self-expression.
Inclusion Expected standard
Children with additional needs or barriers to learning are receiving extra support, and plans
are in place to support their development. However, staff do not always recognise all
children's potential in order for them to respond even more quickly. This means that,
sometimes, help is not sought as quickly as possible to ensure that all children achieve to
their potential. Leaders do, however, implement the strategies that are suggested from
external professionals to help children catch up and keep up with their development.
Typically, the support they provide is supportive and improves outcomes for all children.
Children's backgrounds are fully considered, valued and supported from the outset and
throughout their attendance at the setting. Secure links with parents and families support
children to continue to make progress in their home as well as in nursery. For instance,
strategies such as reward charts are shared with parents to help consistent development
towards children's goals in learning.
Staff help those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and any other
barriers to learning, engage in nursery play. They use adapted strategies to help maintain
children's emotional balance and help them to interact with activities. Furthermore, children
remain engaged and make progress in their own learning targets.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Partnerships with parents are effective. Parents know what their children are learning at
nursery and are supported to use shared strategies to help children continue in their
development at home. Additionally, leaders understand where to use additional funding in
order to help children and families who need this additional support the most.
Leaders have a strong drive to fully implement their newly developed action plan for
improvement and are working with staff to increase their support, addressing their individual
learning needs. They recognise where some staff need more help and intend to focus on
these areas swiftly in order to have a positive impact on children's learning and
development.
Leaders support staff's wellbeing and ensure they are confident and happy in their roles.
Staff comment on the amount of support they receive in their professional and personal
lives. This leads to a consistent staff team that helps build consistency and security for
children who attend the nursery.
Children are supported, through extremely close links with the neighbouring school, to
develop the skills they need for their future and to make their transition into education
seamless. This helps children feel confident to handle change.

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 know how to explore the bright, resourceful environment and engage in both
independent and group play. They enjoy activities and songs with staff, such as making
pancakes with dough and exploring what is in the 'magic box'. Babies love to navigate
around their purpose-built enclosed garden. They beam with pride as they successfully
clamber along the outdoor balancing frame, with the close support of familiar staff.
Settling-in arrangements are flexible for babies and children. Parents are supported to
transition their children into the care of nursery, which helps them feel confident and at ease.

Inspector:
Rachel Waterhouse
About this setting
Staff are sensitive to families' wishes and unique routines. When babies are familiar to the
setting, they join in with confidence and access their favourite toys. From the start, children
learn new words and sounds that are carefully modelled by staff throughout the day.
Children regularly hear songs and rhymes and listen intently to a range of stories.
Children are offered warm, positive praise from staff, which helps them feel safe and secure
in nursery. They play happily with each other and follow routines with ease. Children
understand what is expected of them and know that their needs will be met. They share and
take turns during play and negotiate disputes with the nurturing guidance of staff. Children
know how to ask for help and seek cuddles from staff when they need them. Staff use a
range of behavioural strategies to ensure consistent rules and boundaries are in place.
Children thrive from this consistency and remain positive towards their learning.
Children who need additional support with their learning are included well in the setting.
Staff know how to adapt their approaches and provide extra resources, where suitable, to
help children remain engaged and happy. For example, some children have their own toy
box that they can use alongside group time, enabling them to take part at an appropriate
level for their stage in development. This helps them remain part of group activities and,
ultimately, a valued member of the nursery.
Next steps
Leaders should continue their coaching to help raise staff's expectations of what children
are capable of and support staff to respond to any gaps in learning or emotional needs
even more swiftly.
Leaders should help staff to consistently deliver a broad and ambitious curriculum that
supports children's learning across all areas of the early years foundation stage.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, 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.

Unique reference number (URN): EY446381
Address:
West End Primary School
Grimshaw Lane
ORMSKIRK
Lancashire
L39 1PA
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 19/07/2012
Registered person: Portico Day Nurseries Ltd
Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00
Local authority: Lancashire
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 16 September 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
0 to 3
Total number of places
44
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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