URN 2696181 · Inspected 2026-02-04 · Published 2026-04-28 · Inspector: Dominique Allotey
Little Adventures Nursery (Bridgwater) Unique reference number (URN): 2696181 Address: Victoria Park, Victoria Park Drive, Bridgwater, TA6 7AS Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 25/07/2022 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Ocean Adventurers Ltd Inspection report: 4 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 Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard Children benefit from the respectful care practises staff use. Staff give clear consideration to their interactions with children to understand how they learn best and help them feel safe and secure in their care. Staff create space for children to feel calm. Babies happily snuggle up to their key person for a cuddle and they know that their key person is there to support them in expressing and managing their emotions. Staff form strong attachments with children from the outset and children settle easily into the routines of the day. Settling-in sessions are adapted to support individual circumstances. Parents and carers comment on how attentive staff are to their child's individual needs during the settling-in process and as they move to a new room in the nursery, particularly those children who face barriers to their learning and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff share daily feedback and continually find out about children's lives outside of nursery. They use this information to adapt children's routines to align, as much as possible, with routines from home. This helps to provide excellent continuity of care for the children. Staff working with the youngest children use their deep understanding of babies to ensure they support them most effectively in their learning and development. For example, staff use safe sleeping principles and risk assess to ensure very young and non-mobile babies are given the additional supervision they need. Leaders and staff ensure children's emotional wellbeing is prioritised. Staff promote healthy lifestyles, such as by giving children daily opportunities to play outdoors, enjoy fresh air on walks in the local community and take part in physical activities that support their wellbeing and keep them active. Inclusion Strong standard Leaders and staff have fostered an inclusive culture, where all children are supported and feel valued. They put strategies in place and work with parents and outside agencies to ensure children overcome any barriers to their learning and continue to make positive progress. This helps children in their individual learning journey and effectively narrows gaps between children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and their peers. Leaders and staff support children well to ensure they receive the support they deserve. For example, they work with families and advocate for children with other professionals to ensure that children's needs are understood and that they receive the multi-agency involvement they require. Staff use a graduated response approach. For example, they carefully assess, plan and review children's individual care and learning needs. This enables staff to focus on what children need to learn to help them reach their full potential. Children with SEND benefit from early identification and timely interventions. Additional funding is used strategically to enhance staffing, resources and the environment, ensuring that support is sharply focused to the needs of the children. Staff reinforce children's understanding and help them express themselves and make choices through the use of inclusive resources and approaches, such as visual aids and Expected standard objects of reference. This supports all children effectively, particularly those who speak English as an additional language and those who have SEND or limited speech. Leadership and governance Strong standard Leaders have responded extremely proactively and successfully to feedback and the actions set at the last inspection, implementing significant changes that have had a positive impact on the provision. For example, they have embedded a secure leadership and staff team and made significant changes to the environments, which have led to improving the quality of care and education that children receive. Parents and carers report that they trust the staff implicitly and report positively on all of the welcomed improvements and can see the impact it has had on their child. Leaders are dynamic in driving improvement; they have a deep understanding of the nursery's strengths and areas to improve. They have clear action plans and strategies in place to support continuous improvement. Staff's professional development is of high priority to leaders. Regular supervision and ongoing staff professional development that is focused on achievement and improvement takes place for all staff. Staff speak positively about the high-quality training they have accessed. Leaders have fostered a staff team, where morale is high, and teamwork is effective, which means children are cared for by motivated and happy staff. Since the last inspection, this has contributed greatly to positive staff retention. Staff work extremely well with other professionals involved in children's care and development. This underpins a cohesive approach to all children's care and education, particularly those who face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing. Achievement Expected standard Overall, children's needs are identified early and they are given swift and appropriate support to help them succeed. Disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those known to social care, achieve well from their starting points, as evidenced by tailored interventions and regular monitoring. For example, children requiring help in regulating their emotions receive targeted support through adaptions to the environments incorporating regulation zones for them to access. Staff use approaches, such as music and movement programmes, to support children to develop healthy lifestyles and physical skills. Children progress well with their communication and language development due to the positive interactions they have with staff and rich conversations and activities that spark their curiosity, supporting children to develop vocabulary and confidence in communicating. While children make good progress across the curriculum, some children, particularly those who are quieter, do not yet consistently have the opportunity to fully engage in their learning, which means their progress is not yet as strong as it could be from their individual starting points. All children are well prepared for their next stage of learning with a curriculum that emphasises independence skills, social skills and readiness for school. Staff ensure that children's achievements are celebrated. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard Leaders and staff have secured several well-targeted improvements in regard to how to understand and support children's behaviour. Staff consistently support children's social and emotional development, which is nurtured through the support they give children to help them avoid disagreements and understand and find mutually acceptable solutions to problems. Recent changes to the nursery layout mean all children, and particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), now benefit from more acoustically pleasing, calmer and less overwhelming spaces to play and learn. There has been a significant reduction in negative behaviour incidents occurring and behaviour across the setting is consistently well managed. At some key changeover times in the day, staff do not always organise routines effectively and this impacts on the quality of interactions children receive from staff at these times. Staff model fair and appropriate ways to manage friendships and frustrations. As a result, children develop their abilities to build friendships and solve problems independently. Staff support children to resolve conflicts with their friends and children learn to express themselves positively and develop empathy and understanding about how others feel. Leaders and staff make resources available for children to use that helps them self-regulate and attend at times when it may be difficult. Resources such as 'wobble cushions' are available to any child that needs them, they are used particularly well by children with SEND, helping them participate more deeply and attend for longer at group activities. Leaders monitor attendance and ensure any unexpected changes are checked to keep children safe. Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Staff implement an appropriate curriculum that, overall, is taught well. Staff use assessment well to identify the skills and knowledge that they want children to learn. Staff also place a high focus on personal, social and emotional development, which also helps prepare children for their transition to school well. Learning is sequenced so that children build and establish their skills over time, staff understand the importance of children achieving each step towards embedding a skill. For example, if babies sit up before they roll, staff still plan opportunities for them to have 'tummy time' and roll so that they develop the core strength they need for their future development. Staff incorporate regular singing and story time into daily routines, enabling children to have regular exposure to different vocabulary and to build on their mathematical and literacy skills. They tailor these activities to the needs of the children, enabling all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to participate. On occasion, quieter children are overlooked by staff. For example, they are not always supported to fully participate in group activities. Therefore, some children do not consistently benefit from the high-quality interactions that their more confident peers receive. Sometimes, when there is a changeover in the routines of the day and there are a lot of different things happening, some children become disengaged. Staff do not review these times well enough and staff working in some of the rooms do not consistently support all children as well as possible to maximise their learning during these times. 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 arrive happy at this nursery. They are keen to meet the staff, who greet them warmly. Anytime children feel unsettled, they receive comfort and reassurance from staff, helping them to feel safe. Parents comment on how welcoming and caring staff are, and Inspector: how quickly their children settle and grow in confidence. Babies show they feel safe and settled as they freely explore their environment. Staff work very closely with parents to promote children's attendance. Children maintain regular patterns of attendance. Staff provide an interesting curriculum, which is based on children's interests and stages of development. They add new themes and topics to activities to help children broaden their knowledge and experience. Key staff know their key children very well, particularly those who support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those that face other barriers to their learning, and all children make sound progress in all areas of their development. Staff promote children's independence well through daily activities, supporting children in managing their own self-care in time for starting school. Children show enjoyment in activities that staff prepare for them. Staff engage the babies in stories and rhyme sessions, which exposes them to new language and helps to keep them calm and settled. Toddlers explore using their senses and develop their creativity as they paint using a range of tools and dried flowers. Older children are regularly engaged in active group games that enhance their social skills, physical development and mathematical knowledge, for instance, as they play, 'What's the time Mr Wolf?' in the garden. Staff have high expectations for respectful behaviour. They are positive role models, who positively impact on the way in which children treat both each other and the resources. Children make friends at nursery and play well together. Next steps Leaders should improve the organisation of changeover times in the older babies and toddler rooms to ensure that staff maintain positive interactions with children and quality learning experiences are consistently maintained. Leaders should support staff to consistently enable quieter children to engage in their learning. About this inspection The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, children, parents and the special educational needs coordinator 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. Dominique Allotey About this setting Unique reference number (URN): 2696181 Address: Victoria Park Victoria Park Drive Bridgwater TA6 7AS Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 25/07/2022 Registered person: Ocean Adventurers Ltd Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00 Local authority: Somerset Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 4 February 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 0 to 4 Total number of places 78 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. You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. 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