Tender Years Day Nursery Bolton

Tender Years Day Nursery Bolton
Unique reference number (URN): 2726519
Address: 74 New Hall Lane, BOLTON, BL1 5HQ
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 22/05/2023
Registers: EYR
Registered person: Tender Years Day Nursery (North West) Ltd
Inspection report: 27 January 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 typically make progress and are generally well prepared for school. Older children
show positive early literacy development. For example, they set up a shopping role-play
game with their friends and practise writing their shopping lists, forming some recognisable
letters. Children are confident communicators. For example, one-year-old children join in
with familiar songs and learn to verbalise their requests. Older children engage in
conversation and show an extended vocabulary. For example, outside, they describe going
around the racetrack as being on a 'carousel'.
Children show perseverance during trickier tasks. For instance, they carefully thread pasta
tubes onto spaghetti and show determination until they succeed. Children develop early
mathematical knowledge. For example, younger children begin to count during songs and
when playing with cars, and older children begin to understand the value of number as they
count their peers before going outside to play.
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make appropriate progress. For
example, staff provide children with support to strengthen their legs, and some children who
have found it difficult to walk eventually become steady on their feet.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Children demonstrate positive behaviour. They play cooperatively from an early age and
develop the social skills needed for their move to school. Older children take pride in
carrying out small responsibilities, such as helping to distribute cutlery at lunchtime. Staff
implement agreed behaviour support strategies effectively and adapt them to meet each
child's level of understanding. For example, staff remind younger children to use their 'kind
hands' as they learn to play alongside others. Children learn to take turns and participate
enthusiastically in group activities, such as the 'hello' song during circle time, greeting and
waving to their peers in turn. Older children work together to tidy away resources and
respond well when staff help them to work through any minor conflicts.
Children form secure attachments with staff. New starters are sensitively supported to settle,
with staff encouraging them to bring familiar items from home, such as their soft toys, to
provide comfort and reassurance. Children understand routines well and demonstrate a
clear understanding of what happens next, which supports smooth transitions throughout
the day. Leaders have agreed procedures in place for monitoring children's attendance.
They know the families well and are flexible to meet their needs. For example, leaders are
flexible with session times to enhance children's attendance, if needed.
Leaders create a calm, welcoming and home-from-home environment. The atmosphere is
tranquil, and this contributes to children's sense of security and readiness to learn. While
routines are generally well established, mealtimes and snack times are less effectively
organised. At these points, children sometimes sit for extended periods and become

restless. This reduces children's engagement and limits the social learning opportunities
these times could offer.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Staff and leaders demonstrate a commitment to meeting children's individual needs and
creating an environment where they feel safe, healthy and emotionally secure. Staff work
closely with parents and carers from the outset to gather detailed information about
children's routines, preferences and care needs. They closely match children's sleep and
feeding routines to home, helping children to settle quickly and feel secure. Children with
special educational needs and/or disabilities receive tailored support, including adapted
mealtimes and additional adult guidance to ensure that they feel included and safe. Leaders
should now focus on the mealtime routines for all children to ensure that a calm and
organised environment is consistently offered to support children's wellbeing.
Leaders provide a healthy and varied menu. They share recipes with parents to promote
consistency between home and the setting. Staff teach children about oral hygiene, such as
through daily toothbrushing routines. Children develop age-appropriate independence skills.
Older children confidently change their footwear for outdoor play and manage toileting and
handwashing independently. Younger children climb steps to the changing unit to have their
nappy changed. This helps them to have a sense of ownership over their personal care.
Leaders have created a stimulating outdoor environment that children are eager to explore.
Children develop physical confidence as they ride bicycles around the racetrack, balance
carefully on planks and dig in the mud area. These opportunities contribute positively to
children's physical health and wellbeing.
Staff support younger children to recognise and express their emotions. Staff use images of
different facial expressions during circle-time activities to help children learn the language of
feelings. Children begin to identify emotions, such as happy, sad and angry, and practise
expressing them appropriately.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Leaders have a secure grasp of the curriculum and act swiftly to address gaps in children's
learning. Recent monitoring identified the need to strengthen staff practice in mathematics,
and improvements are already evident. The curriculum is sequenced effectively, enabling
staff to understand the skills children must develop and the order in which they should be
taught. For example, staff have a set of skills and knowledge that they aim for children in
different age groups to develop before they move to the next room.
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported. Leaders
ensure that they access the skills and knowledge they need, including through the provision
of a sensory room. This space allows children to work in smaller and quieter groups, where
staff can focus closely on their individual needs.
Staff provide regular opportunities for children to develop their physical skills. They plan
activities, such as threading pasta and using dough, to help children to strengthen their hand
muscles. Staff use assessment well. They have an accurate understanding of children's

progress and adapt activities to meet individual learning needs. For example, staff provide
babies with a tray with mirrors. They ground cereal down to allow younger babies to explore
this safely and provide visual aids to help children to understand the meaning of the words
they use.
Staff promote children's communication and language effectively through singing, shared
reading and regular book borrowing. However, some story sessions are not consistently well
delivered. For example, when reading a story, staff do not consistently adapt their approach
to children's age and stage of development. This results in occasional restlessness and
reduced engagement from children.
Inclusion Expected standard
Leaders ensure that staff are well trained to identify children with special educational needs
and/or disabilities (SEND) or who face barriers to learning at the earliest opportunity. They
work closely with staff to make sure that they understand how to implement support plans
effectively so that children receive the help they need from the start. Partnerships with
families and external agencies are effective. Leaders go above and beyond to ensure that
families feel supported, including offering help with school applications and guidance on
supporting their children's learning at home. Parents and carers speak warmly about the
support they receive and express genuine gratitude towards leaders and staff.
Leaders place a high value on ensuring that all children are fully included in the curriculum.
Children with SEND are supported to participate in all aspects of nursery life, including
performances and extra-curricular activities, such as swimming lessons. Staff embed
inclusive practice in daily routines to make sure that every child feels valued and able to
take part.
A range of systems are in place to support children who need additional help. Overall, staff
use visual aids effectively to enhance children's communication and language development.
Leaders have recently introduced tools to monitor children's wellbeing and involvement,
demonstrating a proactive approach to children's emotional development. These systems for
visual aids and monitoring children's emotional wellbeing are still in the early stages of
implementation. Some staff require further support to understand and deliver these
approaches more confidently and consistently.
Leaders use additional funding thoughtfully and strategically to address the areas where
children require the most support. For example, they spend funding on additional staff to
provide one-to-one time for children who need extra support at mealtimes.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders have worked with determination since the previous inspection to drive meaningful
improvement across the setting. They have actively sought support and guidance from the
local authority and have successfully established a secure leadership team. Leaders
demonstrate high expectations for the quality of provision and are ambitious in their plans to
enhance children's experiences. Many developments are already underway, with further
initiatives in the early stages of implementation.

Leaders take account of individual circumstances when offering staff support. Staff feel
valued and well supported, which contributes to a positive and stable environment for
children. Leaders' proactive approach to staff wellbeing helps to maintain a motivated
workforce that is able to meet children's needs effectively. Leaders prioritise professional
development with targeted training, such as strengthening the mathematics curriculum. This
equips staff with the skills needed to deliver high-quality teaching. Further work is now in the
early stages to roll out training for all staff to use tools to support children's emotional
wellbeing and monitor engagement. Leaders have a clear vision of what needs to be done
to drive forward the quality of staff practice further. Safeguarding training is routinely
refreshed. Leaders provide clear guidance, including leaflets and flowcharts, so staff
understand how to respond to concerns about children or colleagues.
Leaders are committed to ensuring that all children receive the support they need to thrive.
They work closely with external professionals, including speech and language therapists, to
meet children's individual needs.
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children thrive in this warm and welcoming setting. Even very new babies settle quickly and
form secure attachments with their key person. Staff know each child's starting points. They
use this knowledge to plan a varied curriculum that helps all children make secure progress,
including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Children are confident and
independent. They welcome visitors and share their achievements with pride, such as
showing their artwork. Children follow routines that keep them safe, such as using the stairs
carefully and counting their peers during transition times.
Children's sense of belonging in this setting is evident. All children learn alongside their
peers and are included in every aspect of the setting. Families are warmly welcomed, and
leaders build trusting partnerships with parents and carers. When families need support with
routines or behaviour, staff offer practical strategies and consistent communication. Parents
take home a wealth of information and guidance from leaders that helps them to provide
consistency for their children at home.
Children enjoy rich experiences, such as swimming, football, Spanish, dance and local
outings. Staff use these opportunities to broaden children's understanding of the world
around them. Children enjoy trips to the local care home and engage in community events.
Leaders work with external professionals to adapt the environment, for example reducing
echo in rooms, to support children's communication and language development. Staff take
children around the local area to hand out cards to the community.

Inspector:
Savine Holgate
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2726519
Address:
74 New Hall Lane
BOLTON
BL1 5HQ
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 22/05/2023
Staff prioritise children's wellbeing. Staff celebrate each child's uniqueness. For example,
they ensure that they know the celebrations that children engage with at home and explore
these at the setting, such as Diwali. This helps all children to value and understand a range
of cultures and traditions.
Next steps
Leaders should support staff to implement routines, such as mealtimes, to provide
children with a consistently calm environment that helps them to get the best from these
routines.
Leaders should help staff to adapt the delivery of story sessions so that they encourage
children to become actively involved and engaged.
Leaders should continue to support staff to implement new systems to support children
consistently, such as visual aids and emotional wellbeing support.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, parents and carers and children 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.

Registered person: Tender Years Day Nursery (North West) Ltd
Register(s): EYR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00
Local authority: Bolton
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 27 January 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
0 to 4
Total number of places
60
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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