Achievers Day Nursery Ltd

Achievers Day Nursery Ltd
Unique reference number (URN): EY458877
Address: 247 Old Laira Road, Laira, Plymouth, PL3 6DG
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 03/04/2013
Registers: EYR
Registered person: Achievers Day 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.

Expected standard
Achievement Expected standard
All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or other
barriers to their learning, make progress from their starting points. Children develop the
skills they need for later learning. A well-sequenced curriculum typically helps to provide
children with the support they need to build on their existing skills. Children are curious,
enthusiastic and eager to explore. Babies develop physical skills when they crawl and move
around to see what toys and resources staff have set out around the room. Toddlers and 2-
year-old children build strength and coordination when staff support them to use the
climbing wall, stretching out their arms and legs to reach the holds. Pre-school children
experiment to find out how much water they can put inside a toy boat before it sinks. Pre-
school children become confident to express themselves, although some younger children
receive less support for their language development.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Leaders and staff are warm, calm and caring. They act as positive role models for children.
Children play together cooperatively and behave well. Staff use appropriate strategies to
help children to understand and follow the rules. Two-year-old children announce confidently
that they might 'bump heads and then cry' if they run indoors. However, there are some
inconsistencies in the staff's organisation of transitions in the daily routines. Consequently,
at mealtimes, babies spend too long sat at the table waiting for staff to wash all the
children's hands and serve snack, without interaction from the staff. During these times,
babies sit silently and watch what is going on around them.
Staff give praise to help develop children's social skills. When staff support pre-school
children to take turns and celebrate the children's kindness, children continue to share the
toys without any further assistance from staff. Leaders understand the importance of
punctuality and regular attendance for children's education and to help prepare them for
later learning, including attending school.
Children develop positive attitudes to learning. Staff are skilled at identifying children's stage
of development and matching this with the learning opportunities they provide. For example,
staff working with pre-school children recognise when children require further support for
their coordination and fine motor skills. They recognise that children need these skills before
they are able to scrape their leftover food from their plates into the bin at mealtimes. Staff
plan suitable activities to give children more opportunities to practise the required skills.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Staff ensure that care practices meet the personal needs of children of all ages, including
those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff are patient and kind. They
work diligently using a range of suitable strategies to help new babies settle in. For example,
staff distract them by singing nursery rhymes that children enjoy and give reassuring
cuddles. Children establish positive relationships with their key person. They demonstrate

their pride and confidence, such as showing visitors their sticker rewards for positive
behaviour. They announce excitedly to staff when they successfully fasten the straps on
their shoes. Children are independent in their self-care from a young age. For example, they
look at their reflection in a mirror to help them wipe their faces clean after lunchtime.
However, due to some weaknesses in the staff team's planning of the daily routines, all
toddlers enter the toilets to wash their hands at the same time. During this time, staff are
unclear which children have washed their hands and some children become unfocused and
wander away from the group.
Staff support the pre-school children to recognise and express their feelings and emotions.
For example, they encourage children to talk about their likes and dislikes of food at
lunchtimes. Staff support children to use dolls to show the love and care they give to their
new baby siblings at home. Leaders understand the importance of children being physically
active and spending time outside. Staff plan regular time for all children to play in the garden
and in the large soft-play room. Leaders work with staff to plan healthy and balanced meals
for children, taking into account their individual dietary needs and preferences.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Leaders have a clear and ambitious vision for the curriculum. They communicate this
effectively to staff to ensure that they have the same high expectations. In particular, staff
prioritise children's physical, communication and language and personal, social and
emotional development. This helps children to acquire fundamental skills. Staff use what
they know about each child to provide targeted educational experiences that build on all
children's prior learning as they transition from the younger age groups up to the oldest. For
example, babies hear staff use number names when they sing nursery rhymes, while
toddlers receive encouragement to count for themselves. Pre-school children explore the
patterns they make in slime and talk about shapes when creating flags.
Leaders have invested heavily in training staff to use signing. All staff implement this
consistently throughout the day, which benefits babies and non-verbal children in particular.
They watch staff with interest when they sign, and develop the confidence to communicate
in different ways. Staff sing and read books to children often and model a broad vocabulary,
such as talking about objects that float and sink. Staff working with the oldest children
motivate them to think and express their ideas. For example, staff ask questions that start
with 'I wonder' and leave sufficient time for children to respond. However, on occasion, staff
working with the older babies and toddlers do not provide as effective support and
encouragement for these younger children to practise speaking. For instance, during snack
times and while children play, staff sometimes give lots of instructions and ask closed
questions, to which children respond non-verbally or using simple one-word answers.
Inclusion Expected standard
Leaders and staff provide a welcoming and caring environment where all children, including
those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and who face other barriers to their
learning, thrive and make progress. Staff know children well and recognise quickly when
children may benefit from additional support, demonstrating the positive impact of training to
ensure that staff meet children's individual needs effectively. They work closely with leaders

and parents and carers to provide consistency in children's care and learning. However, on
occasion, staff do not organise transition periods effectively during the day, to ensure that
they provide clear instructions for children.
Leaders and staff value the advice given by other professionals and develop targeted plans
to provide children with the necessary support to help close gaps in their development. Staff
use signing throughout their interactions with children. They implement strategies effectively
to calm children when their behaviour become dysregulated. Leaders review information
about children's individual needs and monitor their progress when considering how to make
the best use of additional funding.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders have a secure understanding of the nursery's strengths. Overall, they recognise
what changes they can make to benefit children and their families. For example, since the
government funding has been made available to younger children, leaders have made
changes to the age groups in each room. This ensures that staff are able to continue to
meet children's individual needs effectively. Leaders identify areas for improvement that will
directly impact on children's care and development. They take this into account when
providing training and support for staff. As a result of leaders prioritising training around
children's communication and language, staff use a range of effective strategies. However,
at times, these are not implemented consistently.
Parents and carers share positive feedback about the care and education their children
receive. This includes the support that staff provide to enable consistency when potty
training children. Parents talk favourably about their children's transitions from one room to
another. They comment positively about the detailed communication they receive regularly
from staff about their children's experiences.
Leaders monitor staff's practice and wellbeing. Staff morale is high and they report that they
enjoy working at the setting. Leaders ensure that policies are followed and apply flexibility to
support children's individual needs. They are quick to notice when children and families may
need further support, and work closely with other professionals to put this into place.
Leaders understand the impact that this has on children's wellbeing, welfare and education.

What it's like to be a child at this setting
Staff have high morale and enjoy working at the setting. This helps to create a warm,
welcoming and homely environment for children. Children are happy and excited to greet
their friends and staff when they arrive at the setting. Children settle well and feel
emotionally secure in staff's care. For example, pre-school children eagerly choose a cuddly
toy to take with them to the sleep room when they are ready for a nap, which helps to
comfort them.
Staff use children's emerging interests to help them build on what the children already know
and can do. Children take part in a broad range of activities that support their learning and
development. They develop an interest in books from a young age. Older babies look at
them independently during free play and listen with fascination when staff read to them.
Younger babies are eager to explore the playroom. They shake the musical instruments with
excitement and 'bop' and sway when dancing to the sounds and when staff sing nursery
rhymes. Children are keen to help staff with tasks and take responsibility for their own self-
care needs.
Children know to listen to staff's instructions to keep themselves safe. For example, when
moving from one room to another, they stop and wait at the bottom of stairs for the rest of
their group to catch up so they can all walk together. Staff encourage children to take
appropriate risks and extend their learning as they play and learn. Children develop the
confidence to climb the climbing wall, with help from staff, and they line up with excitement
to wait for their turn.
Next steps
Leaders should support the staff working with the older babies and the toddlers to provide
more encouragement and opportunities for these children to develop their speech.
Leaders should develop the organisation of transition times during daily routines to reduce
children's waiting times and support them to understand and prepare for what will happen
next.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, the special educational needs coordinator, parents
and carers and 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

Inspectors:
Sarah Madge
Sarah Roberts
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): EY458877
Address:
247 Old Laira Road
Laira
Plymouth
PL3 6DG
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 03/04/2013
Registered person: Achievers Day Nursery Ltd
Register(s): EYR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 17:30
Local authority: Plymouth
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
140

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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