St. John Vianney Primary School Childcare

St. John Vianney Primary School Childcare
Unique reference number (URN): EY234239
Address: King Oswy Drive, Hartlepool, TS24 9PA
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 31/03/2004
Registers: EYR, VCR
Registered person: St John Vianney Primary School Governing Body
Inspection report: 5 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
Achievement Strong standard
Children make rapid, secure and sustained progress from their starting points. This includes
children who begin with very low levels of communication, limited engagement or significant
barriers to learning. Many 2-year-olds who enter with minimal language go on to use rich,
expressive vocabulary to share ideas, negotiate and reason with confidence. Babies quickly
build early communication, attention and independent play skills that prepare them
exceptionally well for progressing through the full curriculum. Two-year-olds confidently
count, compare and calculate differences between groups of objects with a level of accuracy
above typical expectations for their age. They show this is embedded when they use these
skills independently in their play. Older children develop a deep love of books, stories and
music, showing a competent use of language about the world around them.
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, who are disadvantaged or known
to social care make excellent progress. Gaps in their learning narrow significantly or close
completely. Across the nursery, learning is embedded, secure and sustained. Children who
experience the full programme of learning, from babyhood to being school ready,
demonstrate the long-term impact of the curriculum. They show concentration, curiosity and
readiness for the next steps in their education. They leave well prepared for success in
school.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard
Staff have very high and clear expectations for behaviour that are consistently shared with
children. Relationships between staff and children are extremely warm and supportive. Staff
give consistent and gentle reminders to be kind and think about the needs of others. Their
responses to behaviour are tuned to children's age and level of understanding. This helps
children to build a clear and secure understanding of right from wrong. They show concern
for their friends, and play and learn harmoniously together. They invite others into their play
and cooperate during games. For example, when playing hide and seek, they decide
together what the rules will be.
Staff support positive attitudes to learning skilfully and consistently. For example, they work
alongside children to share their ideas, sustain their thinking and maintain their attention.
Children are extremely attentive and concentrate for long periods. They show strong
curiosity and much resilience. They challenge themselves, try hard and show perseverance,
going on to succeed at tasks they initially find tricky. Familiar routines give children a sense
of security. Leaders offer flexible attendance patterns to ensure that children access the
most appropriate learning opportunities and key experiences linked to their individual needs,
such as mealtimes. They expect children to attend regularly and on time, preparing families
very well for expectations of punctuality and attendance in school.

Curriculum and teaching Strong standard
Leaders hold high aspirations for every child. Their oversight of the curriculum is in depth,
reflective and precise, ensuring it remains consistently ambitious and supports all children.
They make deliberate, incisive decisions that refine practice with deep professional insight.
The curriculum is firmly embedded and underpins teaching that has breadth, depth and
rigour across every area of learning. Staff deliver the curriculum with expertise. Their
knowledge informs teaching, with a consistent level of precision that threads through every
interaction. Children experience effectively planned opportunities that consistently promote
language development, mathematical understanding and physical skills. Personal, social
and emotional development is a priority, with care routines used intentionally to strengthen
relationships, support regulation and encourage independence.
Meaningful collaboration between staff who work with different aged children helps to ensure
that learning is precisely sequenced. The inclusive curriculum is tailored to varied ability
levels at each age, then further refined to ensure that teaching reflects individual children's
interests, learning styles and needs. Teaching is firmly founded on what staff learn from in-
depth assessments of the progress that children make. This degree of detail, expectation
and scrutiny extends across the whole nursery, from the youngest babies to the oldest, most
capable children. The high expectations for children who have special educational needs
and/or disabilities, or barriers to learning, are built in from the outset. All children receive an
early education that has a consistent impact on their wellbeing, learning and development.
Inclusion Strong standard
Leaders and staff have a deep understanding of all children's needs. Their family-centred
approach enables them to work closely with parents and ensure that no child misses
opportunities because of their background, circumstances or abilities. Their work focuses
first on those children who are disadvantaged and builds from this foundation. Where
concerns about children's learning or wellbeing arise, staff act promptly and provide highly
appropriate, individualised support. Initially, they weave specific teaching interventions into
everyday activities, which helps to ensure that practice remains inclusive and all children
receive consistent experiences. If the intended progress is not seen, staff swiftly increase
their support. They work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure children get
the right help at the right time. Leaders review support plans frequently to check that they
remain effective and help children to thrive.
Children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities access the curriculum in
distinctly appropriate and meticulously planned ways. High-quality and ongoing professional
development opportunities lead to highly skilled staff team members who fully understand
how to coordinate and fine tune the provision. This ensures that children receive
consistently high-quality experiences that support their progress and wellbeing extremely
well. Incisive decisions are made, in partnership with parents, about how additional funding
can be best used to support eligible children. For example, staff and parents attend training
together to strengthen their ability to meet children's specific learning needs even more
precisely and consistently.

Expected standard
Leadership and governance Strong standard
Leaders scrutinise all aspects of the provision. They are clear about their strengths and
identify emerging challenges, such as a recent large intake of new, younger children. The
work leaders have invested in the curriculum has improved children's learning opportunities
and achievements significantly. The deeply committed staff team members have plenty of
time to plan their teaching and assess children's learning. This keeps their comprehensive
workload manageable, while sustaining an effective programme of learning for children. This
contributes to highly motivated team members with expert knowledge and skills. Incisive
arrangements for professional development strengthen this further, including secure
arrangements for supervision and support.
Leaders are a visible presence in the setting and know staff and children extremely well.
Staff report feeling greatly appreciated. Leaders, in turn, value the support and professional
challenge provided by the governing body, which helps to sustain the high quality of care
and learning that children receive. Leaders take decisions that are firmly in the best interests
of children, including those who face barriers to their learning or wellbeing. Their actions
ensure that all children benefit from high-quality education and care, and continue to thrive.
Partnerships with parents are a distinct strength. They speak with deep gratitude about the
nursery and its staff. They describe the progress their children make as 'phenomenal' and
say the nursery has 'changed their lives for the better'.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Leaders place clear priority on ensuring that children who may be vulnerable are well
supported, particularly those who are known to social care. The key-person system is well
established and helps to ensure that those who care for children know about their
circumstances and that their needs are fully considered. Children's individual personalities
and preferences are reflected in routines and activities. Children are generally very happy
and settled in nursery. Babies crawl to familiar staff for reassurance. Toddlers eagerly
approach staff to share a book. Older children articulate their feelings clearly when staff talk
to them about their emotions.
At times, younger children become overwhelmed, for example when rooms are busy or
noisy. When this happens, they struggle to manage their emotions and become unsettled or
tearful. While staff are quick to soothe and reassure children, this shows that the
environment for younger children is not planned or organised precisely enough to support
them to feel consistently calm and at ease. Staff help children to develop an awareness of
healthy lifestyles. They encourage and explain the importance of exercise, good nutrition
and hygiene habits, such as washing their hands and brushing their teeth. Routines,
including sleep times and mealtimes, are organised well and promote children's safety and
comfort. Children receive the care and support they need to achieve and thrive in nursery
and beyond.

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
The extremely well-thought-out and carefully structured curriculum considers every aspect
of children's learning in depth. It reflects a level of professional knowledge and intention that
ensures all areas of learning are planned with precision and ambition. Staff's consistent
understanding of how children learn, combined with their teaching skills, creates consistently
rich opportunities for every child to build their knowledge and skills securely. All children
make excellent achievements and show rapid progress from their starting points, particularly
those who face barriers to learning. They receive finely tuned support that accelerates their
progress and prepares them extremely well for the next steps in their learning. Staff identify
children at risk of falling behind, or at risk of not being school ready, very quickly. They
support these children with precise teaching and experiences that help them develop the
knowledge and skills they need to succeed. All children show enthusiastic attitudes to
learning. They approach new challenges with confidence, increasing independence and a
strong belief in themselves as capable learners.
Leaders and staff encourage children and their families to 'come as you are and grow with
us'. Staff embrace each child's unique personalities, preferences and abilities and use this
knowledge to tailor their experiences. Families receive a very warm welcome, and staff
highly value their contributions. Parents feel listened to and involved. This partnership
underpins an atmosphere of community in this nursery and strengthens children's sense of
belonging. Children join activities eagerly, playing and learning harmoniously alongside their
friends, and show a strong sense of belonging. All children, including those who are
disadvantaged or face other barriers, form secure attachments with familiar staff who know
them very well and respond with thoughtful care to their needs. Leaders promote regular

Inspector:
Clare Wilkins
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): EY234239
Address:
King Oswy Drive
Hartlepool
TS24 9PA
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 31/03/2004
Registered person: St John Vianney Primary School Governing Body
Register(s): EYR, VCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:45 - 17:45
Local authority: Hartlepool Borough
attendance and work very closely with families to build consistent routines that further
support children's wellbeing.
Next steps
Leaders should support staff to provide an environment for the youngest children that
promotes their secure sense of emotional wellbeing even more consistently.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, children and parents 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.

Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 5 February 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
0 to 11
Total number of places
84
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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