Nunthorpe Children's Day Nursery

Nunthorpe Children's Day Nursery
Unique reference number (URN): 508281
Address: The Crescent, Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough, Cleveland, TS7 0JW
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 29/03/2001
Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR
Registered person: Nunthorpe Nurseries Group Ltd
Inspection report: 17 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.

Expected standard
Achievement Expected standard
Children develop appropriate skills across all areas of learning and they show enjoyment as
they interact with their environment and activities. For instance, they giggle with happiness
as they practise their drawing skills, using chalk to draw around members of staff in the
outdoor play area.
Children generally develop key social skills and learning behaviours which support them in
the transition to school. They sit together on the carpet to listen to the practitioner during
story time and participate with their own contributions. On the whole, children demonstrate
positive communication skills. For instance, they confidently use Makaton sign language
alongside spoken words. They understand and use terminology in relation to books, such as
'author' and 'illustrator'. They are confident to share their knowledge with others, such as
explaining the correct pronunciation for the name of a children's illustrator.
Children with barriers to their learning make progress, such as developing the ability to
follow the transitional routines in the nursery calmly. They learn to accept unfamiliar foods on
their plates and to try new flavours and textures. Their ongoing achievements help prepare
them to move to the next phase in their learning journey.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
On the whole, there are high expectations for children's behaviour and attitudes to learning.
Practitioners apply these in an age-appropriate manner for the children they work with. For
instance, older children are supported to focus on the learning that has been delivered and
develop positive concentration and listening skills. When babies try new skills, such as
rolling a ball to a member of staff, this is celebrated with lots of praise and encouragement.
This builds babies' self-confidence and encourages them to keep practising these new skills.
There are very warm and respectful relationships between adults and children throughout
the nursery. Practitioners model kindness, care and respect towards children. Attendance
and punctuality are promoted and, as a result, children in this nursery attend well. This
means they are very familiar with the daily routines and confidently join in with these.
Behaviour across the nursery is, in the most part, calm and children are happily engaged in
play and learning. On occasion, there are instances where practitioners do not recognise
and intervene when children need support in collaborative play skills, such as when
struggling to share and take turns, especially at times when areas of the nursery are busy.
As a result, children are not consistently receiving highly impactful teaching to help them
understand how to resolve conflict with others and to learn to play collaboratively.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Leaders actively support children's welfare, mental health and wellbeing in the setting. They
describe a family-feel approach in this nursery where the relationships between staff and

children are genuinely kind and caring. When staff identify children have barriers to
establishing connections with others, they take great care to gently establish trusting
relationships. This helps children to blossom in their confidence and overall development.
The provision is safe and welcoming and children enjoy their time here. They benefit from
the exciting and well-planned outdoor space, which appropriately challenges their
development and supports their skills across all areas of learning.
There is a focus on supporting children's independence skills. Children learn about the
importance of self-care and hygiene, such as by taking part in handwashing routines before
mealtimes. Nutritious foods are provided and this teaches children to try a variety of
textures, flavours and food groups. Fresh air and exercise are also promoted, and staff plan
time into the daily routine for children's physical development outdoors.
Routines are in place to meet children's care needs, such as nappy changing and sleep
times. However, these routines are not consistently effective in meeting young children's
needs swiftly. For instance, babies become a little unsettled while waiting for their bottles to
be prepared and to be put down for their naps.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Leaders have thoroughly evaluated the quality of curriculum and teaching and used their
findings to make improvements where needed. For instance, to provide greater support for
children's physical development improvements have been made to the indoor and outdoor
spaces, providing a wealth of opportunity for children to practise these skills. Leaders are
also developing the consistency of teaching across the nursery, to ensure high quality
practice is fully embedded.
Assessments are used to check for gaps in children's knowledge and skills and the
curriculum is then adapted to ensure that all children, including children with special
educational needs and/or disabilities, are making progress in all areas of learning. Staff
identify opportunities to support children's understanding across multiple areas of learning,
through open-ended activities and resources.
Children's communication is well supported throughout all areas of the nursery and a love of
books is promoted. Staff engage in positive eye contact and smiles with babies as they roll
balls back and forth. Older children benefit from practising Makaton sign language. Staff are
tuned in to supporting children's personal social and emotional development and establish
secure relationships with children, which helps them to have the confidence to explore and
participate in nursery life. Mathematical skills are explicitly taught. For instance, in pre-
school, staff support children to understand quantities of objects using visual resources.
Inclusion Expected standard
Staff are swift to identify when children require additional support. They ensure that referrals
to outside agencies are made, including accessing funding where appropriate. Funding is
used effectively to ensure that all children can fully access the nursery provision. Staff take
time to build relationships with children and their families and this helps them to understand
any barriers to learning. Bespoke support is put in place to minimise any challenges faced

by children and their families. Parents state that the support provided by the nursery has
had a very positive impact on their children, both when attending the nursery and when at
home.
Leaders closely monitor the progress of children and areas for development are broken
down into achievable next steps. They are developing consistency across the nursery to
ensure all staff understand what support children need and to ensure that children with
barriers to their learning are given effective support.
Leaders work with staff, families and external agencies to ensure that they have a full
understanding of the needs of any children known or previously known to social care. They
use this information to ensure that the nursery provides the right care and support, ensuring
all children have every opportunity to thrive.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders are ambitious for all children. They drive improvement and have high expectations
for education and care. They have taken a proactive approach following the last inspection
and have implemented an action plan which has been successful in raising standards in the
nursery. Leaders evaluate the nursery on an ongoing basis and identify further areas for
development, such as supporting less experienced staff to improve their knowledge and
skills.
Senior leaders in the organisation are engaged in the day-to-day practice of the setting and
support staff effectively. They agree to providing new equipment when staff identify children
with learning needs which require more support, such as specific resources for toddlers to
safely practise their climbing skills. As a result, children are making greater progress in their
physical development and gaps in their skills are addressed.
The workload of practitioners is well considered by leaders, with regular reviews in place.
Learning and development opportunities for staff are provided. Supportive supervisions are
effectively used to help staff in developing their knowledge and skills.
Parent partnerships are valued and impactful. Parents speak highly of the nursery and of the
support that they have received, such as ensuring children's allergens are catered for.
Transition arrangements are in place with local schools, to support pre-school children and
their families when the time comes to move on.

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 settled. The nursery staff work closely with parents and carers to
understand children's starting points and ensure they get off to a good start. Staff are
receptive to children's interests and ideas and use these to support them in implementing
their curriculum. As a result, children enjoy their time in the nursery and are keen to join in
with activities which support their learning and continued progress. Staff across the nursery
are aware of ensuring that children have the knowledge and skills they need, before moving

Inspector:
Dani Taylor
up to the next room. This includes developmental abilities, such as strengthening their
balance and coordination.
All children are included in this setting, including those who have special educational needs
and/or disabilities. Staff are attentive to ensuring that each child has an individualised
learning journey. They work closely with parents and access external professional support
when needed to ensure any barriers to learning are minimised. As a result, children's needs
are well met and they thrive in their development. Parents highly value the support provided
by the nursery.
Children and families feel safe and valued in the setting. For instance, leaders and staff
ensure that children with allergies are included in mealtimes but are carefully catered for to
ensure their safety. Staff show warm caring interactions with families and with children at all
times. There is a calm purposeful atmosphere in the nursery and staff support this through
their positive interactions. The importance of attendance is promoted and consequently,
children at this setting are good attenders. Staff know their key children very well and
understand how to support their unique needs. For instance, when children are reluctant to
explore paint, staff add rice to stimulate children's interest and participation. As a result,
children are very excited to explore this new sensory experience and staff are on hand to
further develop children's language and fine motor skills as they play.
Next steps
Leaders should support staff to consistently use highly impactful teaching to reinforce best
possible behaviours, including in relation to collaborative play skills.
Leaders should make sure that all routines ensure that children's welfare is consistently
prioritised, including in relation to providing care for children's personal needs.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, management staff, practitioners, the special educational
needs coordinator, 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): 508281
Address:
The Crescent
Nunthorpe
Middlesbrough
Cleveland
TS7 0JW
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 29/03/2001
Registered person: Nunthorpe Nurseries Group Ltd
Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00
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 17 March 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
0 to 5
Total number of places
76
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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