S4YC Ledsham Park Day Nursery

S4YC Ledsham Park Day Nursery
Unique reference number (URN): 2807178
Address: Ledsham Park Day Nursery, Fernbank, Ledsham Road, Little Sutton, Ellesmere Port, CH66 4QN
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 21/11/2024
Registers: EYR
Registered person: S4YC Limited
Inspection report: 22 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
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Leaders create a positive environment where children behave well and learn to cooperate.
Staff use praise and clear expectations to encourage sharing and turn-taking. For example,
older children build respectful friendships. They independently share out puzzle pieces with
friends. Children play cooperatively and show kindness towards each other. However, not all
children, particularly younger children and those who face barriers to their learning, are
consistently supported to develop positive attitudes to learning. At times, a lack of purposeful
activities and interactions means some children become disengaged and do not sustain
concentration.
Practitioners are close and develop warm, trusting relationships with children, which helps
them feel safe and secure. Babies who are new to the setting are supported well by caring
staff. Staff are close, sing nursery rhymes and follow babies' care routines. Children develop
self-control and positive attitudes towards play.
Leaders and staff work closely with parents to promote the importance of attendance. This
supports children to establish routines to prepare them for their future transition to school.
Children know the routines as they get ready to play outside. They show independence as
they put on their own coats and wellies. Mealtimes, such as snack times, are well organised
and calm. Children sit together. They self-serve using spoons and feed themselves
confidently, which promotes independence. These routines help children develop confidence
and self-care skills.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Children show a secure sense of belonging. They form secure attachments with their key
person and other staff. Staff know children well, and they share information with each other
to ensure consistency in their care for all the children. Staff attentively support children to
recognise and manage their emotions and build their emotional wellbeing. Staff use timers
to help older children understand as they wait their turn. However, during care routines, staff
do not always take the opportunity to support the youngest children's communication and
language development. This limits some children's progress in developing early
communication skills. Children enjoy healthy snacks and freshly cooked meals. During
mealtimes, staff talk to children about healthy food choices. This helps to develop children's
understanding of healthy lifestyles.
Children have daily access to the garden area for exercise and fresh air. Younger children
show confidence as they recreate the extra-curricular sports sessions they enjoy while at
nursery. They take pride in setting up the cones with the balls, and then invite their friends to
join in.
Older children manage self-care, such as washing hands after using the toilet and putting
tissues in the bin. Staff work closely with parents and carers to support potty training. Staff
supervise children effectively throughout the day, including during sleep times. Children
learn how to stay safe as they explore their physical capabilities in play. Staff talk to children

Needs attention
about safety. For example, they remind children how to safely hold scissors. Staff provide
children with resources and opportunities to strengthen their small muscles, such as turning
book pages and handling small objects. Staff help children to play cooperatively together.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders have improved their partnerships with parents and carers since the last inspection.
Parents very much value the daily chats and regular meetings to keep them up to date on all
that their children are doing. Parents value the tailored guidance they receive, which
supports learning at home, but also advice, such as about potty training.
Leaders have an accurate view of the nursery's strengths and areas for improvement. They
work well with external professionals so children, including those with special educational
needs and/or disabilities, receive timely help. Leaders have developed positive links with the
local schools and have accessed local authority support to improve the curriculum and
teaching across the setting.
Leaders have improved the systems to monitor staff's practice. Leaders promote the
wellbeing of staff and offer support where needed. This enhances staff interactions and care
with the children. Typically, leaders work promptly to help staff develop their skills. They
check practice through regular observations and discussions with staff. Leaders use this
information to plan training and support, especially to ensure their effective safeguarding
knowledge and practice. This ensures children's safety and wellbeing. However, training and
staff targets need to be more closely aligned to improvement priorities to help progress
practice as quickly as possible.
Achievement Needs attention
Babies do not make consistent progress in their learning. They do not always engage in
meaningful play. Younger children who have barriers to their learning do not make the
progress they are capable of. The inconsistent support of their communication and attention
development has a direct impact on their progress and learning.
Generally, older children make progress in their learning and development, specifically
children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff adopt flexible approaches,
promoting small, achievable steps, helping children to build their joint attention skills. For
example, older children gain confidence and participate in group play and even share their
artwork with adults.
Other groups of children make progress in communication and language. They ask
questions and repeat new words introduced by staff. This helps them build their
understanding and develop a wide vocabulary to prepare them for their next stage of
learning.

Curriculum and teaching Needs attention
Leaders have implemented changes to the nursery. Leaders and staff understand the intent
of the curriculum across all areas of learning. However staff do not always implement this as
successfully as they could. For instance, staff plan enjoyable experiences of water play and
painting in the younger children's rooms. However, staff do not consistently implement
effective strategies to support children's communication and language development during
these experiences. They do not emphasise key words or introduce new words to support the
breadth of children's vocabulary. Furthermore, staff, at times, focus on settling upset children
and do not provide enough resources or activities to keep all children interested and
engaged in meaningful learning.
That being said, staff implement the curriculum to help all children, including those with
special educational needs and/or disabilities, undergo regular assessment. This helps staff
to understand what children can do and identify their next steps of learning in accordance
with their age and stage of development to support children to build on what they already
know and can do. Staff offer older children a range of activities, both inside and outside, to
ensure children can play and have fun. Staff ensure that all children have opportunities to
develop their physical skills. Older children show developing hand–eye coordination as they
use scissors to cut play dough. Younger children explore their big movement skills as they
run, climb and jump in puddles while playing outside. Babies are supported as they practise
pulling themselves up at low-level tables. Children's physical skills are promoted well.
Mathematical language and knowledge are introduced through daily play. For example,
younger children explore capacity when filling containers in the water tray. Older children
count puzzle pieces as they share them out with peers. These experiences support children
to work with others, take turns and build confidence in their learning.
Inclusion Needs attention
Outside professionals support the setting to adopt targets and plans to ensure some
children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) get the support they
need. However, in practice, this is not consistently implemented for all children. While staff
know their key children well and plan activities to help build on gaps in their learning, staff do
not always use interactions well enough to support their development. This means progress
for some children, including children with SEND, is inconsistent. That being said, leaders
work well with parents to ensure children's individual needs are identified when they begin at
the setting. Some children face barriers to their learning, and leaders take steps to seek
additional support to help reduce these barriers.
Leaders and staff use additional funding to provide further resources for children. For
example, leaders have purchased highly stimulating resources to create a 'magic box'. Staff
comment that this helps children who struggle with transitions throughout the day. Leaders
work closely with staff. They take time to reflect and consider arrangements for adapting
resources within the environment to support the needs of most children.

What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children who face barriers to their learning do not always benefit from a consistent approach
to their learning. Staff do not successfully adapt their teaching to ensure children with
barriers to their learning gain the support to enable them to join in with activities. This means
that these children do not make the same levels of progress as their peers and are not as
well prepared for the next stage in their learning.
Babies enjoy focused activities. However, staff do not always provide enough opportunities
or resources to support babies to engage in purposeful play. Not all children build on what
they know and can do.
Staff are aware that children have differing starting points and plan activities based on
children's interests. That being said, staff do not always support younger children's
communication and language development during activities. This impacts on children's
development of early communication skills.
All children feel safe and happy in this friendly nursery. Staff know children and their families
well. Children form secure attachments with caring staff who look after them well. Children
demonstrate a feeling of belonging and show familiarity with the setting's routines. Children
receive support to gain independence in their self-care skills, ready for the move to school.
As they move through the setting, children develop their play skills, compassion and
friendships. Children progress from playing alongside each other to playing with other
children.
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 children have equal access to high-quality teaching to
fully support their learning and development
12/02/2026
strengthen the curriculum for the youngest children to consider their
individual needs and interests to support children's vocabulary,
listening and communication skills
12/02/2026

Inspector:
Katie Bonney
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2807178
Address:
Ledsham Park Day Nursery
Fernbank, Ledsham Road, Little Sutton
Ellesmere Port
CH66 4QN
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 21/11/2024
Registered person: S4YC Limited
Register(s): EYR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00
Local authority: Cheshire West and Chester
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, including those with safeguarding responsibilities,
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.
We carried out this inspection as a result of a risk assessment, following information we
received about the provider. The provider will be able to give parents further information
about this.

This data is from 22 January 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
0 to 4
Total number of places
102
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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