URN 650154 · Inspected 2025-11-20 · Published 2026-02-26 · Inspector: Lynn Hartigan
The Wilson Marriage Centre Nursery, LittleLearners Unique reference number (URN): 650154 Address: Wilson Marriage Centre, Barrack Street, Colchester, Essex, CO1 2LR Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 09/11/1999 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Essex County Council Inspection report: 20 November 2025 Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement Strong standard 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. Achievement Strong standard Children and babies feel secure and develop a positive attitude to learning and to trying new things. Children's personal, social and emotional development and their communication and language skills are developing well, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those learning English as an additional language. Children self-select activities of their choice and access resources to help them initiate their own play. For example, young children are fascinated with large ice blocks. They enjoy the sensory experience of the ice and are fascinated as it melts and ask lots of questions. They show sustained concentration as they make good attempts to chip away at the ice, suggesting they use play hammers to reveal the frozen penguins inside. They persevere and confidently explain how they have completed the task. All children regardless of their starting points and any barriers to learning make progress in their development, and strategies and early interventions are in place to support all children, including children with SEND. Minor weaknesses in teaching do not impact on children's overall achievement. Inclusion Strong standard Leaders and practitioners have a secure knowledge of child development and how to provide quality, inclusive practice. Practitioners' participation in quality training opportunities and leaders' rigorous monitoring of children's progress mean children's individual needs are swiftly identified and assessed. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those learning English as an additional language. Priority is given to ensure positive and meaningful working relationships with parents are established. Practitioners work in partnership with parents and any outside agencies to help support children to achieve the best possible outcomes and to reach their full potential. They assess children's progress regularly in consultation with parents. Leaders ensure additional Expected standard funding is used effectively, such as early years pupil premium. Additional resources are obtained and training for practitioners is implemented swiftly to ensure the best possible impact and progress for all children. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard Leaders and practitioners have high expectations for all children. They are calm, kind role models and speak to children with genuine respect. For example, babies are asked if their nappy can be changed or face can be wiped. Children experience daily routines that are not yet consistently implemented across the day. Practitioners give appropriate explanations as to why some behaviour is not acceptable. Lots of positive language is used and all children's achievements and efforts are celebrated. The use of books and teachable moments help children understand feelings and emotions and the impact that some behaviour has on their friends. Children show kindness to one another and have the language to express how they feel. They confidently speak about feeling sad and explain why and what they need to feel happy. Children spontaneously use timers when negotiating how to share resources. Leaders work closely with parents, providing comprehensive information about how children learn, how to support learning at home, healthy lifestyles, routines and the importance of regular attendance and punctuality. Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard Children learn about healthy food choices during cooking activities and discussions at snack time. However, inconsistencies in how transitions are organised at mealtimes mean that children's wellbeing and engagement are not always supported at these times. Leaders implement an effective key-person system, and regular detailed discussions with parents are held to ensure all children's individual routines are respected. This includes following specific requests for babies' sleep and feeding routines and any considerations needed for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Children learn the importance of fresh air and exercise through daily routines and activities. They choose where they want to play and have access to outdoor learning all year round. Children engage in risky play and learn the importance of how to stay safe during activities. For example, they enthusiastically help practitioners to fix a winter curtain on the garden door. They fetch chairs so that they can reach and remind their friends to stand still so as not to fall. Even toddlers learn the skill of cutting fruits safely while closely supervised by practitioners. They count the pieces of apple they cut and show pride in their achievement. Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Some transition times are not seamlessly implemented. This means at these times, children are not supported to remain fully engaged. This has an impact on children's learning and development at these times. Leaders regularly monitor and review the broad and ambitious curriculum in place to ensure it supports all children's development. Learning is promoted both indoors and in the outdoor environment. There is a strong commitment to ensure all children are able to communicate their ideas and needs, which supports children's personal and social development. This includes robust strategies in place to support children with speech and language delay or those who speak English as an additional language, such as using sign and picture prompts. Practitioners model language and use simple repetitive words to help children understand. Babies are encouraged to listen to sounds in the environment, such as rice pouring. Practitioners encourage early language development. For example, they use musical instruments and sing to children spontaneously. Practitioners assess children's progress and plan activities that follow their interests effectively. For example, children's interest in making a volcano is supported through a spontaneous shopping trip to buy ingredients to continue their learning, including supporting their early mathematical development. Leadership and governance Expected standard Leaders have a clear vision, ambition and high expectations for children attending. There is an established culture of self-evaluation and reflection. Secure systems are in place to drive improvements, and leaders are realistic in identifying areas of strength and those to improve. Leaders recognise that routines, particularly transitions from play to mealtimes, are not yet secure and impact some children's emotional wellbeing. There is a clear commitment to work with any professionals involved with children attending to ensure continuity and that all children receive support and achieve the best possible outcomes. This includes establishing positive partnerships with other early years settings the children attend. A robust recruitment process ensures children are cared for by practitioners who are suitable to do so. Practitioners speak highly of the approachable leadership team. They feel their welfare is considered, that they are valued, and they welcome the training opportunities provided to continue with their own professional development. Support is given through routine supervision, team meetings and monitoring practice. Recent improvements for staff communication have been strengthened to ensure the team is fully aware of relevant information. Children thrive as leaders ensure positive engagement with parents. This is particularly important as the setting offers childcare not only to the local community but also to adult learners attending short courses at the college. 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 flourish and thoroughly enjoy their time at the setting. They are confident, settle quickly and demonstrate they are keen and eager learners. They show curiosity and enthusiasm to explore the inclusive, cosy environment. An ambitious curriculum is designed to support children's emerging needs and interests. Principles of the setting also underpin the curriculum. For example, teaching promotes independence, confidence and resilience through self-selected play. Practitioners encourage and support exploration, active learning Inspector: Lynn Hartigan About this setting Unique reference number (URN): 650154 and critical thinking. This means children make consistent progress from their starting points and are prepared ready for their next stage of learning. There is a focus on ensuring all children are happy and feel safe, secure and settled to enable them to learn. Leaders and practitioners work closely with parents. Appropriate information is shared, including the importance of attendance, and an individual settling-in process is arranged to meet each individual child's needs. This means children quickly develop a sense of belonging. Practitioners' accurate observations and secure knowledge of child development mean early intervention for children. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children learning English as an additional language to ensure they are fully supported as soon as they attend. Close monitoring of children's progress means the best possible outcomes are achieved. Children understand the high expectations of the setting and behave well. They are kind and negotiate among themselves to resolve problems, supported by nurturing practitioners. Children have formed close and trusting bonds with their key person. They have made friendships with other children. Leaders are ambitious and evaluate the setting regularly. They acknowledge areas to develop and further improve children's experiences. Next steps Leaders should improve the organisation of routines to ensure that all children are fully engaged at these times. About this inspection The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners and the special educational needs coordinator during the inspection. We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Children 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: Wilson Marriage Centre, Barrack Street Colchester Essex CO1 2LR Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 09/11/1999 Registered person: Essex County Council Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 09:15 - 03:15 Local authority: Essex Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 20 November 2025 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 1 to 4 Total number of places 22 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. You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence, write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk. This publication is available at https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk. Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn. Piccadilly Gate Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted © Crown copyright 2026 © Crown copyright