URN 2836747 · Inspected 2025-12-12 · Published 2026-05-13 · Inspector: Jason Holmes Donna Birch
Horwich Day Nursery Unique reference number (URN): 2836747 Address: The Annex Building, Church Street, Horwich, BOLTON, BL6 6AA Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 26/03/2025 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: HORWICH DAY NURSERY LIMITED Inspection report: 12 December 2025 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 Needs attention Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard Children show high levels of care, respect and kindness towards one another. Staff create a calm and nurturing environment where children feel safe and valued. The key-person system works well. It helps children form secure and trusting relationships. Staff place all children's wellbeing at the heart of practice. Sometimes, due to inconsistencies in the implementation of the curriculum, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are not always as highly included as other children. This, at times, impacts their ability to join in and extend their learning fully. Children generally enjoy spending time outdoors. They explore the garden confidently and take part in activities that support their physical development. Older children move freely between spaces and show enthusiasm for active play. Children show growing self-help skills. They wash their hands when prompted and follow daily routines. This helps children to establish healthy habits. However, staff do not always encourage children to complete tasks independently. For example, older children are not consistently supported to manage their own self-care, such as wiping their noses. Additionally, younger children and babies miss opportunities to develop their physical skills outdoors. This is because activities are not always planned with enough ambition for their stage of development. As a result, opportunities to further develop children's confidence and independence are sometimes missed. Staff guide children during mealtimes and promote safe eating. They work closely with parents to encourage healthy, balanced packed lunches. Children bring nutritious lunches from home. They enjoy talking with their friends about their food. They compare fruit and vegetable choices and engage in conversation. Mealtimes are calm and sociable. Children sit together and enjoy positive social experiences. Achievement Needs attention Children do not consistently make the progress expected from their starting points. Learning is not always built securely over time, particularly during child-led play, and this limits how well children develop the foundational knowledge needed for future learning. Although assessments are accurate, they do not consistently inform well-sequenced teaching that helps all children move forward at an appropriate rate. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with emerging gaps in communication and language are identified promptly, and targeted strategies help some children begin to close gaps. However, support is not yet embedded well enough to ensure sustained progress across the curriculum. Children who speak English as an additional language benefit from visual supports that help them access routines and activities, but barriers to language development remain because teaching is not yet consistently of high quality. Overall, progress remains uneven, and not all children are securely prepared for their next stage of learning. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention Children's attitudes to learning are affected because, at times, activities are not adapted well enough to meet their individual needs. In these situations, some children are less engaged and do not sustain interest, meaning they do not benefit fully from the otherwise positive environment staff create. Staff establish a calm, welcoming environment where children feel secure. They model respectful interactions consistently and set clear expectations for behaviour. Children respond well to this approach. They show consideration for others and treat resources with care. Staff praise children's efforts and notice their contributions, for example during tidy-up routines, which helps children develop responsibility and pride in their environment. Daily routines are well organised and support children's developing self-regulation, listening and attention skills. Staff use familiar songs and prompts to manage transitions smoothly, helping children feel confident about what will happen next. Staff also role model positive social behaviours, encouraging children to share, take turns and play cooperatively. This helps children form trusting relationships and build independence. Leaders work closely with parents to promote consistent attendance and make reasonable adjustments to support families. Curriculum and teaching Needs attention Learning opportunities are not consistently ambitious or purposeful for all children. Leaders design a curriculum that covers all areas of learning. It aims to develop children's communication, physical skills and confidence. However, staff do not implement the curriculum consistently. They do not always sequence learning effectively to build on what children already know and can do. Children show enthusiasm and want to take part in activities. For instance, children develop their mathematical skills as they use brushes to paint 'big circles'. Staff interact warmly with them, introducing positional language such as 'under' and 'over'. However, staff do not consistently extend children's ideas or deepen learning during child-led play. This limits opportunities for children to make progress. Staff use regular assessment to identify children's needs. They apply some effective strategies, such as using flashcards, to support confidence. However, staff do not always adapt activities to sustain children's engagement. Some children lose interest during sessions. Staff do not consistently differentiate learning to meet individual needs. As a result, babies and younger children struggle to remain focused and engaged. Children enjoy spending time outdoors. The environment offers a range of experiences, including a mud kitchen. However, staff do not deliver planned outdoor activities effectively. They struggle to capture and maintain children's attention. As a result, outdoor learning does not consistently extend children's skills or support their development further. Inclusion Needs attention Leaders and staff do not identify or reduce the barriers faced by all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, well enough. Although staff have attended relevant training and work with external professionals, leaders do not ensure that agreed strategies are implemented consistently across the setting. As a result, adaptations designed to support children's participation, such as visual timetables and 'now and next' tools, are not routinely used in practice. While many children behave appropriately and appear settled, group activities are not adapted sufficiently to enable children with additional needs to be fully included in learning alongside their peers. This means that some children do not understand routines or benefit from meaningful adult-led experiences. Staff do not consistently intervene to promote communication, social interaction or sustained engagement for children who require additional support. Consequently, these children are less able to participate actively in play and learning, which limits their sense of belonging. Leadership and governance Needs attention Leaders have not secured the necessary improvements in the quality of education, inclusion or staff practice. Systems for monitoring, supervision and professional development do not focus sharply enough on improving teaching or tackling weaknesses in curriculum implementation. As a result, practice remains inconsistent, and leaders are not yet driving the sustained improvement needed across the team. Staff report anxieties about workload and expectations during busy periods, and these concerns have not yet been addressed effectively. This limits leaders' ability to create a culture of professional challenge where staff feel confident to improve their practice. Leaders have made some positive changes since the previous inspection and continue to meet their safeguarding responsibilities. Staff attend appropriate training and are supported by leaders to implement policies, procedures and risk assessment. This contributes to keeping children safe. Robust recruitment and vetting arrangements are in place, staff are effectively deployed and required ratios are maintained. Leaders recognise some strengths in the setting and are also committed to strengthening staff wellbeing and making future improvements. However, right now, not enough is being done to ensure that consistent improvements are sustained and having the desired impact on children's experiences or 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 Some children do not experience consistent, high-quality learning because activities are not always adapted to meet their individual needs. During child-led play, learning is not extended securely, which limits how well children build on what they already know and can do. Children who need additional help, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, do not always receive consistent support. As a result, some children find it harder to stay engaged, sustain interest or participate meaningfully in adult-led sessions. Younger children also miss opportunities to develop their physical skills outdoors because activities are not always planned with enough ambition for their stage of development. These inconsistencies affect some children's progress and hinder their readiness for the next stages of learning, including formal schooling. Despite these weaknesses, many aspects of children's daily experiences are positive. Children arrive happily and settle quickly into familiar routines. They form secure and trusting relationships with caring and attentive staff, who help them feel safe and emotionally supported. Staff set clear expectations for behaviour, and children respond well by playing cooperatively, sharing and taking turns. Children enjoy opportunities to develop their communication and language skills through engaging adult-led activities that spark curiosity. Children access the outdoors daily, where they develop growing physical confidence. Parents value the regular communication they receive and appreciate staff efforts to promote children's health, wellbeing and their learning and development. This goes someway to supporting children's confidence and attitudes to learning. Next steps To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must take the following actions by the assigned date: Action Completion Date implement effective supervision, coaching and monitoring of staff practice to improve their delivery of the intended curriculum and to ensure a culture of mutual support, teamwork and continuous improvement 31/03/2026 improve the monitoring of provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to ensure that agreed strategies are implemented and reviewed consistently. 31/03/2026 About this inspection The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, special educational needs coordinator, 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. Inspectors: Jason Holmes Donna Birch About this setting Unique reference number (URN): 2836747 Address: The Annex Building Church Street, Horwich BOLTON BL6 6AA Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 26/03/2025 Registered person: HORWICH DAY NURSERY LIMITED Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:00 - 18:00 Local authority: Bolton Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 12 December 2025 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 1 to 3 Total number of places 95 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. 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