The Bridge Nursery

The Bridge Nursery
Unique reference number (URN): 2779094
Address: 110a Buxton Road, Whaley Bridge, HIGH PEAK, SK23 7JH
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 27/03/2024
Registers: EYR, CCR
Registered person: The Bridge Nursery Ltd
Inspection report: 24 February 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
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard
Leaders have a robust, systematic approach to teaching children about behaviour
expectations and respecting others. The foundation of their method is the nursery-wide use
of a storybook about emotions and feelings. By the time children reach pre-school, the
impact of the work on feelings can be seen in the kindness and understanding that children
show towards each other. Leaders have successfully established a culture that motivates
staff to help children succeed. The positive impact is seen in children's curiosity and their
keenness to join in with activities led by staff.
Staff consistently respect children, and the children learn from this. They explain carefully
why their rules are in place, and older children fully understand the possible consequences
of not following the rules, for example running indoors could cause an accident. Staff
introduce children to different faiths from an early age. For instance, babies seek out
symbols of Islam that they search for in a tray of colourful rice. Older children hear stories
about what Ramadan means, with staff making clear links to the Ramadan theme of
kindness to bring it to life for the children.
The leaders have well-established expectations for children's attendance at the nursery.
Should children not arrive at their expected time, leaders follow up with parents and explain
that regular, on-time attendance is a routine that will support their child when they start
school.
Achievement Expected standard
Children are all progressing well when their starting points and life experiences are taken
into account. They are settled and confident, and they show clear signs of interest in what
the staff offers daily. Children's speech and language development is clearly progressing
well throughout the nursery. Babies confidently vocalise to gain attention and to make their
needs and wants known. Pre-school children speak in complex sentences and can vocalise
their thoughts and ideas clearly.
All children are developing skills that will support their eventual move to school. They
gradually learn how to sit and listen in group sessions. Older children use writing tools to
draw recognisable pictures and can explain what they have drawn. Children's physical skills
range from babies using furniture to help them stand and cruise to children using tweezers
to pick up small pom-poms and drop them in a container.

Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Leaders prepare children to be emotionally ready for learning and for their eventual move to
school. Staff know their key children well and have formed trusting relationships with them.
They begin to introduce pictures and colours linked to simple emotions and feelings, such as
happy and tired. As children move through the nursery, more feelings and emotions are
introduced. When they reach pre-school, children can explain how they are feeling and why
they feel that way.
Staff follow children's home routines as closely as possible. As they progress, children adapt
to the nursery day and follow new routines, such as handwashing before eating, to promote
their health. The nursery routine is structured to support children to be ready for their day.
For toddlers, this means outdoor learning is their first activity, as staff noticed that children
need to move about in a large space to be physically and emotionally ready for the day
ahead.
Leaders have a target for all children to be toilet-trained before they begin school. This is
done in partnership with parents and when children show they are ready. Children's food is
prepared according to their age and stage of development. Children are introduced to
different tastes and textures safely. Staff fully supervise children when they are eating and
sleeping to promote their safety. Children learn about keeping themselves safe from an early
age. For example, toddlers automatically put on a helmet before they ride on wheeled toys,
such as tricycles.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Leaders have developed a curriculum designed to progressively build on children's existing
skills and knowledge across all areas of development. Staff fully understand the curriculum
and, on the whole, deliver it well. They break down tasks into simple steps for children who
may be struggling to reach their full potential or those with special educational needs and/or
disabilities. Staff occasionally misjudge some younger children's understanding and do not
provide enough guidance on how to choose from the resources on the shelves.
Themes support curriculum delivery. Babies are interested in the sounds pets make. Staff
noticed their engagement and the speed at which children picked up making the sounds.
Staff extended the animal theme and introduced farm animals to widen the range of sounds
children hear. They are tuned in to children's speech development, and in each room, their
aims for the use of sounds, single words, short phrases and sentences are clear and
delivered well. They incorporate mathematical language, such as size and shape, as they
do this.
Leaders understand the importance of developing children's large movements, for example,
the use of their shoulders, elbows and wrists, to support the development of smaller
movements, such as using scissors. Staff use the outdoor area particularly well for this,
creating opportunities for children to dig, climb, steer wheeled toys and create large floor
pictures. Staff teach children social skills using simple rules and act as good role models for
children.

Inclusion Expected standard
Leaders work closely with parents from the very beginning of the children's nursery journey.
They gather as much information as possible from parents and professionals involved in
children's lives to provide a smooth transition into nursery life. Leaders take extra care to
support children who may have experienced instability or difficulties in their lives when they
first start nursery. They focus on establishing children's secure bonds with their key person
and other staff in the room, providing a foundation of trust and security to support the
children.
Staff are skilled practitioners who quickly identify children who may be struggling. Leaders
act promptly to request assessments for other professional services, and while those
requests are in process, children are supported in the nursery. For example, children who
may be struggling with speech development are assessed by staff who have had
communication and language training, and an in-house support package is put in place.
Leaders always have the children's interests at heart, and when other professionals
question referrals because children have made progress, they push for an assessment so
that children have the support they may need in place when they start school. Leaders use
any additional funding children receive to specifically support their needs.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders and managers are ambitious for the nursery and the children. They have developed
and grown the nursery with care since it first opened. They review their practice and policies
and adapt how they operate to maintain progress towards their aim of being the first choice
for parents seeking childcare. Their plans for continued improvement are well grounded and
are focused on where they have assessed improvement is needed. Plans are in place to
free up managers' time, so they can provide more in-room coaching to further strengthen
teaching.
Staff are valued by leaders. They are encouraged and supported to develop their
professional skills and knowledge. They access online bite-sized training modules to refresh
their skills. In addition, they access courses with a specific focus, such as mathematics or
communication and language, to increase expertise in the setting. Staff's work on
communication and language is very apparent in the children's use of language throughout
the nursery.
Leaders have a sound understanding of the local area and where there may be concerns
relating to children. In response, they have enrolled in an oral health scheme and have
already made some progress in supporting parents with their children's oral health.

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
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Leaders have built a stable staff team so that children have familiar adults to care for them
each day. Children attend regularly. They are warmly welcomed into the nursery by staff who
greet them by name, which supports an immediate sense of belonging. Staff create inviting
play spaces that are specifically equipped for the development of the children in each room.
Babies explore a safe, food-based farm yard activity. They feel the different textures of
cornflour and cereal. They copy staff as they make animal noises, which helps babies
develop their voice and early speech sounds. Children hear a wide range of language as
they move through the nursery. By the time they reach pre-school, children are very
confident communicators.
Children develop positive relationships with each other. They learn about their own feelings
and how their actions might affect other people. Their understanding of staff's expectations
is very well embedded. They are regularly reminded of routines and golden rules, which
older children fully understand. Children's behaviour throughout the nursery is very positive,
creating a calm, harmonious environment for them to play and learn.
Children are well supported to make progress in their development and achieve the targets
staff set for them. Children who may be experiencing difficulties in aspects of their learning
receive the support they need to help them overcome or reduce the impact of those
difficulties. For example, staff break down their learning into small, basic steps to help the
child build a firm foundation. Very occasionally, some of the younger children are not
interested in what the staff has chosen to put out, and the staff do not notice quickly enough

Inspector:
Joanne Smith
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2779094
Address:
110a Buxton Road, Whaley Bridge
HIGH PEAK
SK23 7JH
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 27/03/2024
Registered person: The Bridge Nursery Ltd
Register(s): EYR, CCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00
that they need help making choices about what to play with. Once they are engaged in play,
they become engrossed and concentrate well.
Next steps
Leaders and managers should provide staff with guidance on how to help younger
children to make independent choices.
Leaders and those responsible for governance should continue their work to bring about
improvement and develop consistently high standards throughout the nursery.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with the nominated individual, the manager, the deputy manger, the
staff, the parents and the children 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.

Local authority: Derbyshire
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 24 February 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
0 to 4
Total number of places
53
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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