URN 2758977 · Inspected 2026-03-19 · Published 2026-05-18 · Inspector: Jaswinder Rakhra
Solid Start Nursery Limited Unique reference number (URN): 2758977 Address: Bethel Christian Centre, 170 Bennetts Castle Lane, Dagenham, RM8 3XP Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 15/11/2023 Registers: EYR Registered person: Solid Start Nursery Limited Inspection report: 19 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 typically make secure progress from their starting points across all areas of learning. They communicate confidently and request help or support from staff. Children are able to wash their hands and put on their coats. Older children take responsibility for placing children's names on chairs and removing them after lunch. Children feel proud of their efforts and build their confidence. Children show they are developing their core strength and coordination as they run around the cones in the garden, ride the scooters and pedal the bikes. Children are keen to take part in regular whole-group activities such as circle time. They sing songs, and children are excited to take part in telling the story, practising their language and developing their recall skills. However, not all children consistently join in and engage. This means that children do not consistently access the intended learning and fully benefit from the experience. Overall, children, including those who are disadvantaged or with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are suitably prepared for the next stage in their learning journey, including their move on to school. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard Leaders promote good attendance and punctuality. They give reminders in newsletters and praise punctual parents and carers. Children's attendance is closely monitored, and meetings are held to support families where needed. This ensures that all children get the most from their time at nursery. Effective key-person systems support early development of positive trusting relationships between children and adults. Children are polite, calm and well mannered. For example, they give each other hugs and support one another with their needs, such as holding their friend's hand to walk them to the carpet area for circle time. Regular songs and activities that celebrate children's individuality and kindness help them to learn how to care for others and be proud of their differences. Staff are kind and attentive to children's needs. This helps children to feel confident in their surroundings and ready to learn. They readily go to staff for reassurance and to ask for help. Staff use encouragement and meaningful praise to support positive behaviour. They adapt their expectations and consider children at different stages of learning. Children respond to gentle reminders of nursery rules, such as using an 'indoor voice' and that 'sharing is caring'. Children enjoy a range of learning opportunities, such as independent play, group time and one-to-one activities. Children learn to play collaboratively with their friends. They delight in making patterns together with foam. They show respect towards each other as they share the tools. Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard Personal care for all children is carried out in a sensitive manner. Staff encourage children to make choices to promote their own wellbeing. For example, children choose when they would like a drink and what fruit they want for snack. Staff get to know all children well and build secure trusting relationships with them from the start. They help children to understand by using songs and pictures to name how they feel and manage their feelings. This supports children's feelings of emotional security and wellbeing. Children understand the daily routines, which helps them to feel secure in knowing what comes next in their day. Routines such as sleeping and eating support children well. Staff use objects of reference and picture cards to show what happens now and next, helping all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language, to understand the structure of the day and feel confident during transitions. Staff effectively promote children's good health and physical exercise. Children enjoy healthy and balanced home-cooked meals that are tailored to their individual dietary needs. During snack time, children learn about vitamin C in the oranges and how it makes their bodies strong. Children thoroughly enjoy the indoor movement sessions and learn about personal safety as they ride wheeled toys and move freely, yet safely, in the outdoor area. Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Overall, leaders understand the quality of the curriculum and teaching. They monitor staff practice, provide feedback and encourage staff to share ideas. This builds staff confidence and enhances children's learning opportunities. However, at times, teaching is not consistent to develop children's thinking and spark curiosity to help deepen their learning. Leaders know children and their families well. They use this knowledge to identify learning gaps and plan a curriculum that builds on what children already know and can do. Staff draw on children's interests, such as painting, drawing and imaginative play with dinosaurs, to plan activities that capture and sustain their engagement. Staff embed rich vocabulary and mathematical learning throughout daily interactions across all age groups. They use singing, storytelling, engaging in purposeful conversations with children and providing commentary in activities. Children explore early mathematical ideas through everyday experiences. For example, they use cooked spaghetti to learn about long, short, full and half full. They sing number songs, and staff help them to recognise numbers. Children's physical development is effective. Practitioners understand steps in their learning to help build on their fine motor skills and large movements to develop their physical strength. Leaders and staff adapt teaching for children's individual needs, including for disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children learning English as an additional language. For example, they use visual cues, such as picture cards and now and next boards. These adaptations help all children to take part in the curriculum. Inclusion Expected standard Leaders are committed to supporting all children, including those known to social care. Staff work consistently well with parents, for example by sharing strategies to support children at home and in the nursery. This helps ensure that families feel supported and that children can embed their learning and make progress through a shared and consistent approach. Leaders ensure that staff receive ongoing training to recognise when children may require additional support. This includes a graduated communication and language programme, where staff consistently modify their language for the different level of needs of each child. This successfully improves children's understanding of language and helps them become fully involved in learning. Staff offer targeted support to children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), such as providing a higher level of adult support during activities. They monitor children's progress through close observation and assessment. However, staff do not always recognise when to make further reasonable adjustments to ensure that all children, particularly those who engage less readily, take part consistently in whole-group activities such as circle time and benefit fully from the intended learning. Leaders maintain effective links with other professionals and seek advice to make certain children have the right support. This ensures that children with SEND and those known to other services continue to make secure progress. Leaders use additional funding collaboratively with parents and carers to identify how best to promote each child's development. For instance, they buy dual language books to support children who speak English as an additional language. Leadership and governance Expected standard Leaders are determined to give children the best start. They have a clear and ambitious vision for what they want for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and children from disadvantaged backgrounds, to learn and achieve. They have a secure understanding of the setting's strengths and areas for development, with a clear improvement plan in place. Leaders take prompt action to minimise gaps in all children's learning. For example, they engage with outside professionals to support individual needs and put interventions in place. They consider the needs of children when planning continuous professional development opportunities. For instance, they plan training in a joint attention programme to help staff to provide children with effective support. Leaders have well-established partnerships with parents and carers. They actively seek their feedback, which they use to shape improvements. Parents and carers consistently express how much they appreciate the individual care and support their children receive. They value the support for home learning. This consistency helps the children to make progress and thrive. Leaders have high regard for staff wellbeing and workload. They recognise and value staff's individual skills and levels of experience. Staff enjoy working at the setting and are supported well by leaders. Safeguarding remains a central focus, with leaders maintaining high expectations and ensuring it is a priority in training and team discussions. What it's like to be a child at this setting Children are keen to enter the caring, well-structured and inclusive nursery. Staff warmly greet every child, creating a strong sense of connection. Children start each day with calm, familiar routines that help them feel safe and ready to learn. All children, including those with barriers to learning, settle quickly and happily explore a wide range of exciting activities, resources and experiences. Staff know children well and weave their interests into the different areas of learning. They support all children by implementing tailored next steps in learning. These next steps guide the children's progress effectively. Staff are knowledgeable and identify children's differing needs well. They offer targeted support to children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, ensuring that they thrive and achieve. Staff use adult-led activities to teach children turn-taking skills. They role model kindness, and children reflect these attitudes when sharing with each other. This support helps children understand how to behave well. Children develop secure bonds with staff and confidently share their thoughts and ideas. For instance, children enjoy using a range of media for painting and drawing. They sustain focus and engagement as they mix colours in cups. They are eager to share their achievements with others and explain to adults how they have made the colour 'green'. Children proudly show their finished paintings to adults and their friends. Staff celebrate their successes. This boosts children's confidence and develops their self-esteem. All children, including those with barriers to learning, are typically prepared well for their next stage of development. They make appropriate progress from their starting points and gain the skills they need to move on to school. For example, children learn to become independent and complete tasks for themselves. They put on their coats, wash their hands and serve their own food. Staff help children to express their needs clearly, developing their vocabulary, confidence and a secure sense of emotional wellbeing. Next steps Leaders should support staff to further improve the organisation of planned activities to ensure all children can fully access the intended learning goals, including those who engage less readily. Leaders should support staff to strengthen their interactions with children to improve teaching to a consistently high level, particularly by developing questioning techniques that promote critical thinking and deeper understanding. About this inspection The inspector spoke with leaders, staff 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 Inspector: Jaswinder Rakhra About this setting Unique reference number (URN): 2758977 Address: Bethel Christian Centre 170 Bennetts Castle Lane Dagenham RM8 3XP Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 15/11/2023 Registered person: Solid Start Nursery Limited Register(s): EYR Operating hours: Monday : 08:00 - 13:00,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday : 08:00 - 18:00 Local authority: Barking and Dagenham Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 19 March 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 2 to 4 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. Total number of places 24 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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