URN EY551204 · Inspected 2026-01-06 · Published 2026-03-06 · Inspector: Michelle Highcock
Partou Cherubs Day Nursery & Pre-School Unique reference number (URN): EY551204 Address: 83 Broad Road, Sale, M33 2EU Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 05/10/2017 Registers: EYR Registered person: Just Childcare Limited Inspection report: 6 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. Strong standard Achievement Strong standard The curriculum is ambitious and supports all children to achieve well and develop positive attitudes to learning. Children make good progress from their starting points, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. All children gain independence skills. Children benefit from fun story time sessions. They snuggle with staff to share their favourite story and join in with the parts they know. Books are easily accessible to all children. Children's language skills are developing. They enjoy taking part in singing and movement sessions as they sing action rhymes. This is developing their physical development. Children have opportunities to practise new skills and extend their learning in a supportive environment. Young babies pull themselves up to standing as they practise cruising. This supports their core strength and balance. Older children develop increasing independence, using tools and cutlery as they become more self-sufficient. This demonstrates that the activities are carefully sequenced so that children can embed the skills they need to be successful as they move on to their next stage in education, including school. Curriculum and teaching Strong standard Leaders and staff work closely together to design and implement a high-quality curriculum that supports children's needs. They work hard to address any issues over how the curriculum is implemented. Leaders provide coaching and training opportunities for staff to help them to develop a robust understanding of the curriculum. As a result, staff are confident when talking about what they want children to learn. Staff interact with children well, narrating their play and extending their learning through effective questioning to help children to make progress. They adapt activities to ensure all children, including those who have barriers to their learning, can take an active part in further learning. Staff plan for children's next steps with activities that engage and encourage their curiosity. For example, after reading about dinosaurs, children show curiosity about how dinosaurs lived. Children enjoy sitting with staff to read stories and share books. Literacy learning features heavily in each room, with activities planned around children's favourite stories. This promotes communication and language development well. Staff model and encourage children to explore early mathematical concepts through play. For example, children learn to measure how far their play cars are travelling. Staff are supportive role models and help children to explore their feelings and emotions. Leaders and staff provide learning to enable children to learn about cultures and family lives other than their own. This benefits children's healthy lifestyles. Expected standard Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard Staff are supportive role models who promote the behavioural expectations of the setting. Leaders and staff have identified this as an area for improvement following the last inspection. They have worked hard to identify gaps in staff knowledge and have provided training and support to all staff to enable more effective transition arrangements and behaviour support to be implemented. As such, children develop positive attitudes to learning and quickly learn the supportive routines that are in place. Leaders prioritise children's independence. There have been recent changes in the daily routines, particularly at lunchtime. For example, smaller group sizes enable staff to sit and communicate with children and support their individual needs even further. Staff have introduced more independent mealtimes, with children learning to self-serve and develop important social skills. However, these are in their infancy and will need time to further embed to really see the impact. Staff promote and model positive behaviour across the setting to help children understand the behaviour that is expected of them. Leaders monitor attendance and work closely with families to help improve communication around absences. Staff provide support for parents to help them implement positive behaviour routines at home. This promotes purposeful links between home and the setting. Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard Leaders and staff support children's wellbeing. They promote opportunities for all children to develop independence and learn to do things for themselves, including those who face barriers to their learning. The key-person system is well embedded to support children's individual needs, with a buddy system in place for additional support. Children feel safe with staff and know who to go to for reassurance when needed. Communication between staff and a child's key person supports effective handovers, including information about their sleep and feeding routines and their learning. Parents are clear about what their children are learning and how they can enhance this at home. Leaders and staff have worked well to support children's wellbeing through new routines. Staff provide opportunities for children to learn about feelings and emotions. They help children to develop an understanding of behavioural expectations and how their behaviour can impact their peers. However, staff need to further develop children's understanding of how to manage their own feelings and behaviours at times. Children move between rooms when they are ready to. The leaders delight in involving parents in this process too. Key persons help with settling visits to ensure children's emotional wellbeing is considered. This supports all children's emotional health. Inclusion Expected standard Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) typically have effective plans in place that support their development. Leaders and staff seek support from local authority SEND services to help them to plan effectively for children with SEND to make sure they receive the support they need to make progress. This includes referrals to other agencies who can support the child, their family and the setting in moving forward. Leaders have highlighted that the provision for children with SEND needed a full overhaul to make it more effective. They have enlisted the support of the local authority to enhance their own training and knowledge, which has then been cascaded to other staff to help promote inclusive practice. Leaders and staff have plans in place to support children, but this has not been recorded fully for all children. Not all children who receive additional support have plans in place. All staff are clear on how to differentiate learning to support children's individual needs. Leadership and governance Expected standard Leaders have worked tirelessly since the last inspection to improve outcomes for children. They have addressed the actions raised on inspection and have implemented new procedures to support learning and development. Leaders acknowledge that, while improvements have been made, embedding these changes and ensuring continuing improvement is key to their future action planning. Leaders implement more robust and supportive supervision arrangements to ensure all staff are fully aware of their target and next steps. This, along with opportunities for coaching and mentoring, helps staff to identify their strengths and areas for improvement. To further support staff wellbeing, leaders offer opportunities for flexible working to help staff have a better work-life balance. This helps staff to feel valued in their role and supported in their professional development. Partnership with parents is a key strength, with parents reporting improvements in communication and clarity. Parents are happy with the care and learning their children receive. They feel that leaders and staff provide many opportunities for collaborative working. This enables parents to be fully involved in their child's learning. Leaders also work closely with external agencies to ensure that necessary referrals are made quickly. All children receive the support they need without delay. What it's like to be a child at this setting Children are at the heart of this setting that provides a home-from-home experience. Children are happy and safe. They receive tailored support from their key person. Activities and experiences are planned to allow children to practise and extend their learning. Young babies have opportunities to pull themselves up and are encouraged to take their first steps. Toddlers enjoy exploring sensory play, making prints in dough, while pre-school children Inspector: Michelle Highcock About this setting Unique reference number (URN): EY551204 practise yoga to help their mindfulness. Children benefit from opportunities to share and explore stories, with activities planned to enhance their favourite books and themes, such as dinosaurs. Staff seamlessly encourage and extend children's vocabulary by introducing new words, such as rough to describe texture. Children play with cars, running them down a ramp. Staff skilfully enhance their play by counting 'ready, steady, go' as children hold then release the cars down the ramps. Children use rulers to measure their buildings, saying it is 'one hundred million thousand centimetres'. Staff then model how to use rulers. This helps children to gain a further understanding of size and measure. Robust routines help children to learn what is coming next. Staff intervene sensitively, offering choices when children disagree over equipment. This helps children to understand how to regulate their behaviour. Staff encourage children to use their knife and fork when eating. Children have coloured plates to help raise staff awareness of allergens and preferences. Children are well prepared for the next stage in their learning. Children are developing patience and persistence as they approach activities. Next steps Staff should continue to develop and embed a respectful culture, where children learn to manage their own feelings and behaviours. Staff should consistently ensure any barriers to learning are identified for all children who need additional support. About this inspection The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, the special educational needs coordinator, assistants 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. Address: 83 Broad Road Sale M33 2EU Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 05/10/2017 Registered person: Just Childcare Limited Register(s): EYR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00 Local authority: Trafford Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 6 January 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 0 to 4 Total number of places 86 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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