Little Waves Daycare

Little Waves Daycare
Unique reference number (URN): EY281723
Address: Green Gates Childrens Centre, Keilder Close, Redcar, Cleveland, TS10 4HS
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 25/03/2004
Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR
Registered person: The Priory Day Nursery Limited
Inspection report: 5 March 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
Expected standard
Inclusion Strong standard
Leaders create a profoundly inclusive culture where every child is valued. Children with
special educational needs and/or disabilities, as well as those previously known to social
care, receive sensitive and effective support. Leaders and staff have a thorough knowledge
of child development, which enables them to identify children's emerging needs. Any
barriers children are facing are quickly acted upon and involvement from other professionals
is swiftly sought.
Individual education plans are created for children who need additional support. Staff work
on individual targets to enable children to access learning swiftly and sustain engagement
within group activities. Regular reviews of progress enable staff to adjust support to better
meet the needs of children. Professionals such as speech and language therapists and
portage workers are welcomed into the setting to ensure a collaborative approach to
support. Any advice is then reflected in children's individual plans.
Leaders think carefully about how to support children further using additional funding to
enrich their learning and experiences. Early years pupil premium is used to purchase
spinning chairs to help some children regulate. Colourful magnetic blocks help staff to
expose children to richer language opportunities, enabling children to extend their
vocabulary.
Parents are happy with the progress their children are making, commenting how confident
their children are now. They notice that their children's talking is 'coming on wonders due to
the learning and attention they receive'.
Achievement Expected standard
Typically, children are making steady progress across their learning. Children engage in
meaningful conversations with staff. They pretend to mix ingredients and make curry for
lunch. This helps children to use their own experiences in their play and learn new
vocabulary. Those with less language make their needs known, such as through touch,
sounds and visual prompts.
Children enjoy a range of familiar stories, rhymes and songs throughout the day and engage
with enthusiasm. They talk about their favourite characters, such as Mary Poppins and Mr
Bump. Children use their imagination well as they dress up as characters and talk about
them, such as Elsa. They comment on how long her hair is and talk excitedly about it not
being real, saying, 'It's yarn in my hair.'
Over time, children gain the confidence and early skills they need for their next stage in
learning. Children show increasing independence in managing their self-care needs, such

as washing hands, putting on coats and tidying resources away. They confidently make
choices, follow routines and show pride in their achievements. This supports children to
become resilient learners who are well prepared for the expectations of school.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
The nursery is a very happy place, and relationships are characterised by warmth and
kindness. The effective key-person system means staff, children and families develop warm
and trusting relationships. Parents have confidence in the 'nurturing, supportive and positive'
environment.
Staff interactions are warm, calm and respectful, providing excellent role models for children.
Overall, this has a positive impact on children's behaviour. Staff intervene promptly when
children struggle to understand the needs of their friends. They help them to negotiate and
come to a resolution. This helps them to understand the impact of their actions on others
and supports them to form positive friendships with their peers.
Children typically demonstrate a 'can-do' attitude. They are positive and excited to learn.
Older children respond to the exciting 'what's in the bag' activity, taking their place next to
each other at group time and waiting patiently for their turn. Babies are encouraged to work
together to share the chunky cars and take great pleasure in responding to staff's positive
reinforcement of, 'Well done, good sharing, your turn now.'
Leaders have a considered approach to attendance that balances their families' need for
flexible childcare while still taking steps to ensure good habits of attendance. They consider
individual family circumstances and work together with parents.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Children feel safe, welcomed and valued because staff know them well and respond
sensitively to their individual needs. Staff promote children's wellbeing and sense of
belonging within safe and stimulating play spaces. As a result, children develop confidence
and show positive attitudes towards new experiences.
Staff are respectful and provide plenty of encouragement, helping to raise children's self-
esteem. For example, they ask younger children's permission to change their nappies and
praise children for waiting well at lunchtimes. Staff use colours, stories and songs to help
children understand how they are feeling. Children use words to describe feeling happy and
sad linked to the colours of the rainbow. This generally helps children to begin to manage
their feelings and emotions appropriately.
Overall, care routines support children well. Leaders are aware of the importance of dental
hygiene and have worked closely with outside agencies to encourage toothbrushing at
home and in the setting. Children are familiar with the toothbrushing routine, which is
embedded across the nursery. Staff use timers with the children to help them understand
how long they need to brush for. Children remind each other to 'keep going' until the sand
runs out. Children are provided with fruit, milk and water at snack time to support a healthy
diet. However, the organisation of mealtimes means that children do not benefit fully from
the social aspect of the routine. Children understand routines. Babies visit the bathroom to

clean their hands before snack, while older children know to put their coats on before they
play outside.
Children enjoy outdoor play. They confidently explore the garden spaces and engage in
activities to develop their physical skills. Babies practise throwing and catching small balls,
while older children skilfully persevere until they kick balls through hoops, cheering as they
'score'.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Leaders demonstrate a clear and thoughtful understanding of their curriculum that supports
children to achieve and thrive. They design it to meet the full breadth of the early years
foundation stage. Staff know children well and use assessment effectively to shape teaching
from each child's starting points. Planning for children's individual next steps is precise, and
children are making progress. Disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs
and/or disabilities and those who face additional barriers receive personalised support that
helps them to succeed.
Children have opportunities to extend their mathematical skills throughout the nursery. Staff
weave mathematical language into the day. For example, they talk about the size of
structures in the block area. Staff help children understand prepositional language using
words such as 'under' and 'over' when children are moving around the outdoor equipment.
Older children join in with number songs as they count down from 5 at the end of an activity.
Children cheer and respond with 'finished' at the end of this familiar routine.
Overall, staff consider how they implement the curriculum and offer learning opportunities
across the day well. However, further use could be made of routine parts of the day, such as
snack time and lunchtimes. Fruit is offered already cut up, meaning children do not get the
opportunity to see it as a whole first or practise their fine motor skills by chopping their own
snack. The flow of language and conversations is sometimes hindered as staff focus on
more functional elements at these times.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders have worked hard to make improvements to the nursery curriculum. They have
worked alongside the local authority to develop an inclusive, sequential curriculum that
supports children's learning, including children with special educational needs and/or
disabilities (SEND) and those who face other barriers to learning. Leaders continue to
regularly evaluate practice and recognise what is working well and where further
developments are needed.
Leaders carry out rigorous inductions for new staff. Staff wellbeing is of paramount
importance. Leaders keep in regular contact with the staff team and support them through
individual supervision sessions, where workload and wellbeing are discussed. Leaders work
with staff to identify further professional development needs. Staff comment that they feel
supported and valued.
Leaders work closely with external professionals to secure the support children need, such
as specialist advice for children with SEND. They coordinate with therapists and other

specialists to ensure strategies are implemented consistently, helping children make
progress and fully access activities.
Leaders liaise with schools to plan smooth transitions, sharing information about children's
needs, routines and achievements to support continuity in learning and wellbeing. However,
for children who attend more than one setting, partnerships are not so well developed.
Information is not routinely shared between staff to develop a more complementary
approach to supporting children's learning.
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 are happy and content. They are joyful when they arrive and excited to see the
familiar staff, who welcome them with warmth and a cheery 'good morning'. Children with
special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with additional communication needs
are included effectively. Staff use visual cues, calm routines and structured support to help
children join in alongside their peers. Staff support children's emotional regulation
consistently.
Children's developmental stages are carefully considered. Starting points are collected using
information from parents and early observations. Staff use this information to plan exciting
and appropriate opportunities to help children make steady progress. Dinosaurs and role
play help children extend their imagination, while obstacle courses and balance beams
support children's confidence and physical skills.
Children are polite and friendly. They learn to share, take turns and cooperate with each
other. Staff act as good role models and remind children to be kind to their friends. Staff help
children to negotiate whose turn it is to play with popular resources. Children understand the
rules and wait patiently until it is their turn.
Staff provide purposeful learning opportunities that develop communication and language.
Children are exposed to language through thoughtful interactions. They have favourite
songs and rush to join in with 'who has got the hat on'. Children are eager to have a turn and
respond well to the calm staff. Children are given choices and staff laugh with them as they
place different things on their heads in response to the familiar tune.
Parents speak with warmth and confidence about the care their children receive. Staff
maintain open, honest communication and involve families in every step of their child's
journey. They share strategies and celebrate progress. Staff are thoughtful and considerate
of children's emotional wellbeing. Babies transition to their next stage when staff and
parents feel they are confident and would benefit from being with older children. Less
confident children can spend longer in smaller groups with more familiar staff.
Next steps
Leaders should strengthen partnerships with other providers to support greater continuity
and consistency in children's learning.
Leaders should continue to improve staff's skills to help them make the most of all
opportunities, including mealtimes, to extend children's learning even further.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, the special educational needs coordinator
and children during the inspection.

Inspector:
Sonia Berry
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): EY281723
Address:
Green Gates Childrens Centre
Keilder Close
Redcar
Cleveland
TS10 4HS
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 25/03/2004
Registered person: The Priory Day Nursery Limited
Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 06:00
Local authority: Redcar and Cleveland
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 5 March 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of 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.

1 to 9
Total number of places
48
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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