URN EY542158 · Inspected 2026-03-25 · Published 2026-05-26 · Inspector: Caroline Albanese
Scholars Childcare Unique reference number (URN): EY542158 Address: Rookery Street, Wednesfield, West Midlands, WV11 1UN Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 05/01/2017 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Scholars House Limited Inspection report: 25 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 progress well across all areas of learning and development. Children develop appropriate early communication skills. For example, babies babble and begin to say words, toddlers expand their vocabulary and older children hold conversations with others. Children who have a speech and language delay make progress from their starting points. Children learn a range of nursery rhymes and develop a love of books. This supports their language and literacy development. Younger children talk about the colour, size and shape of objects. Older children learn to count and explore capacity. This means that children secure the foundational mathematical concepts within number and space, shape and measures. Children become increasingly independent. As they move through the setting, they learn how to put on and take off aprons and coats, how to use the toilet and blow their noses independently. This supports children to be able to take care of their own personal care needs. This helps children to be ready for their next stage in learning. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard Leaders and staff set clear expectations for children's behaviour. Children generally follow the rules of the setting and behave well. Where necessary, staff give gentle reminders of their expectations. For example, when the noise level rises, staff remind children to use their 'indoor voices'. There are behaviour reward systems in place for older children and staff give children frequent praise. Leaders closely monitor children's behaviour so that they can address any changes and support children appropriately. Staff teach children the importance of kindness, care and respect. Where children find social interaction difficult, staff plan small- group interventions to support the development of specific skills. Children have positive attitudes to learning and frequently ask to join activities. Children of all ages engage in the motivating activities for extended periods of time. On the whole, routines across the setting positively support children's learning, development and care. However, lunchtime routines sometimes leave children waiting for long periods and do not fully promote independence skills, such as self-serving and tidying away. At these times, children's learning and wellbeing is not consistent. Children attend well and are punctual. There are effective systems in place to promote and support families to develop positive habits which will support future learning. Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard Staff develop secure and responsive relationships with the children in their care. They know children well and respond quickly to their needs. For example, when babies show signs of wanting to walk, staff support them. Staff support children with their care needs sensitively. For example, staff gently blow babies' noses and ask children before they take them to change their nappy. This supports secure attachments between staff and children. Staff support children to recognise, express and manage their emotions. They teach children strategies to regulate their feelings, for example, by using breathing exercises. Calm areas in each room contain resources, such as light tubes and fish tanks, which support children to manage their feelings. This helps children to develop a secure sense of emotional wellbeing. Staff promote children's physical development, health and wellbeing. For example, the on- site catering team provides children with a balanced and nutritious diet. Staff provide children with a calm and safe environment in which to rest. However, staff do not consistently provide children with ample time to play in each rooms' dedicated and spacious outdoor area. This impacts on children achieving optimum physical health and emotional wellbeing. Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Leaders accurately highlight the strengths in their curriculum, and they have plans in place to further develop areas. Staff know what they want children to know and be able to do at different points in their learning journey and across all areas of learning. Staff identify core books and nursery rhymes for each age group. For example, toddlers join in with spontaneous singing and older children join in with story times. This gives children lots of opportunities to learn new vocabulary and hear and say repetitive phrases. Children strengthen their finger and hand muscles though activities, such as making sculptures from dough and digging for easter objects. Outside, they develop their gross motor skills. For example, children balance and climb over structures, and they improve their coordination as they ride bicycles. Staff use books to explore emotions with children. They talk to children about how to be kind to each other and why it is important. This supports children's personal, social and emotional development. Staff interweave mathematical learning through play and activities as they encourage children to notice and talk about the colour, size, shape and number of objects. For example, children sort small bears by colour and size before counting them to find the total. This helps children to understand the language and concepts related to number, shape and measures. Inclusion Expected standard Leaders create an inclusive culture where they value and recognise children's uniqueness. Leaders have oversight over all children who may face barriers to their learning, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders and staff work well with parents and carers to establish children's individual needs. Staff identify children who may have SEND or other barriers to learning swiftly through observations and discussions with parents. They put individual support plans into place to support children to make progress. There are effective systems in place to monitor children's progress, review the support and assess the impact. Leaders work closely with the local authority SEND team and ensure that children receive the specialist support they need. Leaders use additional funding effectively to support individual children's needs. They purchase resources and consider appropriate interventions to close children's gaps in learning and development. For example, staff provide individual or small-group interventions to target specific needs. Staff receive regular support and training to develop their knowledge and understanding of how to support specific children's needs. The support that staff provides reduces barriers to children learning and development. Leadership and governance Expected standard After the last inspection, leaders took swift action to drive improvements. A review of the environment, policies and procedures now ensures there are no breaches in the requirements of the early years foundations stage framework. Leaders have an effective self-evaluation process in place, which enables them to identify the settings strengths and areas for development. They plan annual projects in which they invest in the environment and systems. Leaders ensure the setting engages in programmes and projects which support all children's learning and development, particularly those who are disadvantaged, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who face other barriers to learning and/or wellbeing. A varied programme of high-quality professional development opportunities typically supports staff to develop their knowledge and skills. However, professional development opportunities are not always precisely matched to staff's individual needs. This impacts on staff's ability to continually improve their practice and provision. Leaders consider staff's wellbeing and workload when making decisions. They make reasonable adjustments for individual staff where appropriate. Parents and carers speak highly of the staff and the service they provide. They say that their children settle quickly and love to attend. Parents feel that their children make progress, particularly in their communication and language development. They say that staff inform them of what their child is doing at the setting. Parents say staff provide support to ensure that their children's learning can continue at home. 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 Staff greet children warmly as they happily enter the setting. Throughout the day, children smile, laugh and exclaim their delight as they take part in setting life. Staff develop close bonds with the children, who frequently and confidently approach staff. For example, babies crawl onto staff's laps and toddlers initiate hugs. This shows that children develop secure attachments to staff, and that they feel safe with them. Developing children's communication and language is at the heart of the curriculum. Staff interact skilfully with children. They get down to children's level, maintain eye contact and use gentle tones. Babies repeat sounds that staff make, such as 'woo,' and toddlers repeat words, such as 'bubble' and 'pop'. Older children engage in back-and-forth conversations with staff about their home experiences and interests. This supports children to become effective communicators. Staff value children's thoughts and listen to them attentively. Where children are unable to make themselves understood verbally, staff use other strategies to ensure their views and thoughts are heard. This ensures an inclusive environment for all. Staff plan interesting and motivating activities which support children's next steps in learning. For example, babies explore edible materials using their senses. Toddlers mix cornflour and water to make gloop and pre-school children observe and paint fruit. Children are eager to learn and engage in activities for long periods of time. Children benefit from trips into the local community to visit the local church, temple, memorial garden and shops. They learn about and celebrate similarities and difference in people, their cultures and their beliefs. This helps children to understand their community and their place within it. Inspector: Caroline Albanese About this setting Unique reference number (URN): EY542158 Address: Rookery Street Wednesfield West Midlands WV11 1UN Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 05/01/2017 Registered person: Scholars House Limited Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR Next steps Leaders should ensure that they provide appropriate support, coaching and training that is precisely matched to the individual needs of staff, in order to continually improve their practice and provision. Leaders should review lunchtime routines to ensure they consistently maximise children's learning, including opportunities to develop independence in their self-care skills. Leaders should consider how outdoor learning opportunities can be strengthened to promote children's long-lasting healthy habits, physical health and emotional wellbeing. About this inspection The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, children and parents and carers 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. Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00 Local authority: Wolverhampton Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 25 March 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 0 to 4 Total number of places 81 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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