URN 318118 · Inspected 2026-03-12 · Published 2026-05-06 · Inspector: Rachael Barrett
Little Rascals Unique reference number (URN): 318118 Address: 5 St. Nicholas Close, Edenthorpe, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN3 2QD Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 30/01/1998 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Little Rascals (Doncaster) Limited Inspection report: 12 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 Achievement Strong standard Children are extremely confident in their communication and language, personal, social and emotional development. These aspects of the curriculum are prioritised for all children. As a result, children consistently make excellent progress from their starting points. Children demonstrate that they are confident learners, who are very well prepared for transitions across the nursery, including moving on to school. Children independently explore the enabling environment, freely choosing activities that interest and engage them. Children are settled and engaged in their learning. All children are very confident communicators. Babies are starting to build on their early communication and language skills, they actively engage in singing and action songs that are familiar to them. Toddlers are starting to speak in simple sentences and older children use a wide and rich vocabulary throughout their day to express themselves. Children consistently ask questions and use vocabulary previously modelled by staff in a variety of new contexts. All children explore books with interest, they are excited and purposefully engaged in picture books and factual books, which introduce new vocabulary and ideas that motivate them to discover more. Children and babies are highly independent, they consistently develop independence in their physical skills. Babies cruise around furniture and are beginning to take their first steps. Older children confidently use a range of tools and resources, which excite them and help them to be active learners. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning are encouraged to follow routines. Staff build strong relationships with children and families and implement clear and consistent routines. Leaders have embedded a harmonious and respectful culture, celebrating children as individuals. Staff are highly effective in supporting and teaching children to manage their own feelings. This helps children to develop secure emotional relationships. Children thrive in a highly respectful, calm and purposeful learning environment. Expectations are clear and adults consistently model kindness, patience and empathy. Staff know each child incredibly well and create a nurturing environment, where emotional needs are understood and respected. From the moment they arrive, children are visibly excited to begin their day. All children, including those who face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing, become immersed in their play and show high levels of engagement. During mealtimes, babies are supported to feed themselves independently and through skilled guidance and encouragement from staff. Older children delight in helping staff to set tables and serve food, they encourage their friends to try new food and help younger children to pour water into their cups. Leaders prioritise punctuality and regular attendance, reinforcing with families how consistent routines support children's progress, wellbeing and belonging. Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard Leaders and staff prioritise children's welfare and wellbeing in this inclusive nursery. All children, including those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to their learning thrive. The nursery is safe, calm and welcoming, helping children to settle quickly and develop a positive sense of security and belonging. All practitioners support children to regulate their emotions in a way that suits them best. This supports children's emotional health so that they thrive. Secure relationships ensure children feel emotionally safe and confident to explore. Physical development and wellbeing are prioritised. A wide range of movement experiences, including active movement sessions that promote strength, balance and enjoyment, alongside daily outdoor play, build children's resilience and confidence. Children are supported to recognise and manage their emotions, developing strategies that help them regulate and express how they feel. Parents value the personalised induction and settling-in process and feel well informed about their child's care. Healthy habits are thoroughly embedded throughout the day. Children enjoy a well-planned, inclusive menu provided by the nursery cooks. Staff encourage children to try new foods and talk to children about the importance of making balanced food choices. Health and hygiene is consistently promoted and embedded throughout nursery. Children rest and sleep according to their personalised routine, supervised and supported by their key person. Curriculum and teaching Strong standard Leaders and staff work hard to provide all children, including children who face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing, with a well-sequenced and high-quality curriculum. Staff know children well and have high expectations for all children. They robustly monitor children's progress, successfully using assessment to understand what children know, can do and need to learn next. Staff actively join in the children's play and use their skilful teaching to build on children's prior knowledge and interests. High priority is given to children's emotional wellbeing and physical development. Staff use the outdoor environment extremely well to help support children to develop their coordination, agility, core strength and fine motor skills. Children balance on tyres, build assault courses and experience nature. Staff support older children to explore frog spawn and learn about the life cycle of frogs. Staff use mathematical language throughout daily routines and activities. They encourage children to fill, empty and pour water Children learn to predict whether objects will float or sink. During a building activity, staff teach children to understand and use words to compare and order size with confidence. Babies demonstrate confidence in their early communication skills. Babies respond with gestures and sound to the staff's calm, familiar voices. Older children explore books and engage in story time with interest and anticipation. Inclusion Strong standard Leaders and staff know children very well and prioritise their inclusion in all aspects of the nursery. Staff meet the individual needs of all children through highly effective partnerships with parents. Leaders have created a nurturing and inclusive environment that celebrates each child's unique qualities. Inclusive practice is embedded across the nursery, and leaders and staff work effectively in reducing barriers to learning. Children with emerging needs are recognised quickly by staff, who know them best, and parental views and aspirations of children are highly valued and included in all decision-making. Children's progress is very closely monitored by staff and other professionals. They work together to develop appropriate and effective strategies to meet each child's unique needs. Staff focus highly on children needing support with their wellbeing, and having the right strategies and reassurance consistently in place. This helps to remove barriers to learning and enables all children to make excellent progress and reach their full potential. Leaders and staff have access to training to further extend their knowledge and expertise to best support children with gaps in their learning and development. They ensure additional funding, including for disadvantaged children, is focused on what individual children need. For example, visual aids and sensory resources have been purchased to support children's language skills, confidence and emotional wellbeing. Leadership and governance Strong standard Leaders ensure that a culture of high expectations and professionalism is embedded across the setting. They know the context of the setting and the characteristics of the children well. All children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning, are supported to make secure progress from their starting points. Parent partnerships are well established and communication is highly effective. Leaders establish effective partnerships with outside agencies and other professionals. The support they receive ensures that families feel confident and reassured, and children's progress is maximised. Leaders support staff to carry out their roles extremely well. They identify their strengths and areas for development precisely and support them to access appropriate training and qualifications that strengthen their teaching skills. Leaders embed a culture of continuous improvement in which everyone is continuously learning. Staff comment on how leaders support their wellbeing and manage their workload. All staff feel very well supported in their roles and responsibilities. They are ambitious for all children to achieve the very best outcomes. 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 All children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who face barriers to learning, achieve well from their starting points. Children enjoy a broad and stimulating curriculum that combines planned, adult-led activities, with plentiful opportunities for self-directed play. Children are encouraged to explore, investigate and follow their interests. They are enthusiastic to make independent choices about their learning. Children are encouraged to develop self-help skills, supported by experienced Inspector: Rachael Barrett staff, who promote independence in an age-appropriate way. Children demonstrate that they feel happy, safe and cared for in the welcoming and inclusive nursery. From the start of the day, children are greeted warmly by staff and leaders. They settle quickly and engage joyfully with their friends. Staff know each child very well and use this understanding to provide responsive care and support. Babies and children new to the nursery display a very strong sense of belonging. This helps them to settle quickly and meet milestones. Information gathered from parents and carers, including about routines, interests, communication needs and any SEND, is used effectively to help children settle quickly and take part fully. This helps to ensure every child is included, thrives and develops as well as possible. Leaders promote regular attendance and act promptly, when patterns of absence emerge. They support parents and carers well, helping children make the best possible progress. Children choose to play with activities that interest them and they enjoy. For example, children play with their dolls in the role-play area and dress up in their favourite outfits. They explore sensory activities, manipulating and cutting dough into shapes, playing in the sand and water, mark making and reading their favourite books. Older children engage enthusiastically in letters and sounds active learning and confidently sound out the words on the visual aids. Staff extend children's language and descriptive thinking through well-timed interactions. Next steps Leaders and those responsible for governance should sustain their work to ensure continued improvement and high standards. They should focus on creating a transformational impact on the outcomes and experiences of disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who are known or previously known to children's social care, and those who may face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing. About this inspection The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, parents 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. About this setting Unique reference number (URN): 318118 Address: 5 St. Nicholas Close Edenthorpe Doncaster South Yorkshire DN3 2QD Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 30/01/1998 Registered person: Little Rascals (Doncaster) Limited Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:15 - 18:00 Local authority: Doncaster Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 12 March 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 0 to 10 Total number of places 70 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. 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