Abington Annexe Community Childcare

Abington Annexe Community Childcare
Unique reference number (URN): 2747175
Address: Great Abington Primary School, 68 High Street, Great Abington, CAMBRIDGE, CB21 6AE
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 13/09/2023
Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR
Registered person: Abington Annexe Community Childcare (CIO)
Inspection report: 23 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 with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those known to children's social
care and those who face other barriers to learning achieve well from their starting points.
They make evident progress in their learning. Children develop well and show motivation to
learn. They confidently share their thoughts and ideas with others and explore the setting
confidently. Children communicate their pride to staff when they manage something. They
learn to keep trying, developing resilience and perseverance.
Children demonstrate secure levels of engagement in activities. This helps children to
become ready for school. Children show a clear interest in writing their names, which they
proudly display on the wall and share with the primary school teacher. This recognition helps
children to feel proud of their achievements.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Children are enthusiastic about exploring and socialising with their peers. The environment
is welcoming and engaging, offering various age-appropriate activities that support their
development. Children develop problem-solving and matching skills through large floor
puzzles. They take pride in their completed work and enjoy sharing their achievements with
staff by having photos taken.
Leaders encourage regular attendance and punctuality so children can continuously
enhance their knowledge and abilities. If needed, they explain why this is important to
parents. Leaders have introduced new systems to promote punctuality and attendance. This
has had a positive impact in ensuring that children receive their full educational entitlement.
Staff model polite and respectful communication and praise positive behaviour. This helps
children to develop their social skills, such as cooperation, sharing and friendship. Staff are
positive role models.
Staff implement routines and behaviour strategies to provide children with emotional
support. This helps children to develop secure attachments and increases their confidence.
Children frequently seek reassurance from trusted adults when they feel uncertain,
demonstrating the positive impact of these approaches. However, some routines and
behaviour strategies are not fully effective for all children, as staff do not ensure that every
child consistently understands the expectations or follows the routines.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Leaders create a safe and warm welcoming space at the nursery. This helps parents and
carers to feel part of a community. Children are happy to play, learn and build social
relationships indoors and outdoors.

The key-person approach is implemented effectively to support children's emotional
wellbeing. For example, staff have check-in conversations with children to understand their
feelings and factors affecting them. Staff provide parents and carers with feedback about
their children's progress. They support parents to have the knowledge to help their children
at home. For example, staff make a lending library and activity packs available for parents to
use at home. Staff actively support children to engage with the local community by visiting
the mobile library, enabling them to borrow books which are then shared with the setting,
fostering a lifelong love of reading.
Staff supervise all children closely to promote their safety. For example, they sit with children
while they eat and remind them to stay sitting on their chairs to help avoid choking. Children
benefit from healthy and nutritious food. They follow hygiene routines, including washing
their hands before eating. Staff talk to children about healthy options to help them recognise
better choices. Children benefit from regular time outdoors,
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Leaders demonstrate ambition in designing the curriculum, placing particular emphasis on
supporting children's personal, social and emotional development. Staff assess children's
starting points in development. They tailor teaching so that every child makes steady
progress. Staff select resources and activities carefully, using repetition to secure children's
knowledge before introducing new skills.
Staff support all children with communication aids, such as visual cards. They introduce
vocabulary through engaging activities, story times and rhymes. For example, staff facilitate
discussions with children about their feelings and emotions using emotion cards, exploring
what contributes to happiness and sadness.
Key persons support children's health and growing independence. They build trusting and
nurturing relationships with each child. They approach children with gentleness and care,
ensuring that each interaction promotes a sense of security. During daily activities, staff
engage children through singing, talking and gentle physical contact, such as cuddles, which
help to sooth and relax them. This attentive and responsive care helps children to feel
confident and secure in their environment and fosters deep attachments.
Staff extend children's thinking with open questions, such as asking what they think they
need to make flippers. Staff encourage children to use their imaginations to make flippers
and prompt them to consider what resources and materials they will need. When children
make their choices, staff quickly provide the selected resources, supporting children's
independence, confidence and creative thinking. Staff encourage children to develop their
physical skills through active play, including running, climbing and balancing, when playing
outdoors.
Inclusion Expected standard
Leaders are attentive to ensuring that all children feel included. They learn about each
child's needs and interests by talking with parents and carers and observing children's daily
interactions. For children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, staff collaborate

closely with families to provide extra support for activities. Staff also receive training to meet
children's health requirements.
There is an effective partnership between leaders, staff and the schools the children attend.
This allows staff to monitor children's progress and adjust support as needed to keep it
consistent and effective. This teamwork helps children to feel connected and fosters a sense
of belonging.
Leaders review evidence about children's progress to make informed decisions on the use
of additional funding, ensuring that support is purposeful. Leaders respond to
recommendations from the school and follow these in practice to support children's targets.
Leaders' use of funding has a positive impact on reducing barriers to learning. For example,
they arranged sports sessions for less-confident children to broaden their experiences and
deepen understanding of the world. This significantly boosts children's self-confidence,
particularly for disadvantaged children.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
There have been significant changes to the senior management team recently, and leaders
have responded swiftly and effectively by identifying new roles for staff. Leaders have taken
on additional responsibilities, as well as completing training to enhance their own practice.
Leaders take a reflective approach and are dedicated to providing high-quality learning
experiences and environments for children. They set clear plans with well-defined priorities.
This ensures a steady focus on the ongoing development of the provision.
Leaders and staff develop positive relationships with parents and carers. Parents very much
value the daily chats and regular meetings to keep them up to date on all that their children
are doing. Partnerships with the primary school that children will transition to are valued and
fostered. This focuses on offering joined-up working to consistently meet the needs of each
child.
Leaders ensure that staff have regular supervision sessions. Staff are supported through
regular professional development, which maintains practice and contributes to
improvements. Leaders provide training opportunities for staff, which helps to improve
practice and ensure that children receive appropriate support in the setting. Leaders ensure
that children benefit from regular community outings, including visits to the local post office
café, helping them to access experiences they might not have otherwise.

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
From the start of the day, leaders and staff adapt their approaches to meet all children's
needs, including those who are disadvantaged or those with special educational needs
and/or disabilities. This ensures that every child feels happy and secure in the setting. Staff
find out important information about children to tailor the environment and resources to their
needs. This meets each child's individual needs and supports their wellbeing, confidence
and engagement in learning.

Inspector:
Children come into the setting and show they are excited to engage in the exciting
experiences on offer to them. Staff are on hand to welcome children and give them a real
sense of care and belonging. They offer cuddles, which helps children to feel safe. Children
build secure attachments to all staff, including their key persons. Staff gather detailed
information from parents and carers when children start. This helps staff to gain a secure
understanding of children's needs and backgrounds, which helps to create a sense of
belonging.
Children enjoy their time at this setting. They develop their confidence well and start to form
friendships with others. Children show enthusiasm for taking part in activities. For example,
they pretend to turn scarves into lava and support one another by guiding peers around it.
This reflects their creativity and cooperative play.
Children develop independence through everyday routines. They put on their own coats for
outdoor play. Staff promote good hygiene. For example, staff remind children to wash their
hands after toileting, and before snack and lunch. Children are encouraged to find resources
they need independently, while being guided by staff. This helps children to feel confident
and independent.
Overall, staff's teaching, interactions and support for children's learning help them gain the
key skills they need to prepare for the next stage in their learning. For instance, staff
introduce children to the Reception class teacher regularly. Staff work collaboratively with
the primary school to support smooth and well-structured transitions for children.
Next steps
Leaders should continue to embed consistent routines and behaviour strategies to
support ongoing consistency for children.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, the special educational needs coordinator, parents
and carers 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.
A quality assurance visit by an additional inspector was carried out at this inspection.

Roswana Bibi Younis
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2747175
Address:
Great Abington Primary School
68 High Street, Great Abington
CAMBRIDGE
CB21 6AE
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 13/09/2023
Registered person: Abington Annexe Community Childcare (CIO)
Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR
Operating hours: Monday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:30 - 15:00
Local authority: Cambridgeshire
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 23 January 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
2 to 11
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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