Little Stars Childcare Cheddleton

Little Stars Childcare Cheddleton
Unique reference number (URN): 2778004
Address: 165 Cheadle Road, Cheddleton, Leek, ST13 7HN
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 23/01/2024
Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR
Registered person: Little Stars Childcare Staffordshire Limited
Inspection report: 30 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 make generally appropriate progress from their starting points. Many children
develop the foundational skills they need, particularly in communication and language. For
instance, they begin to listen, respond and use an increasing range of vocabulary. Children
with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning
make progress from their starting points. They receive support to engage more fully in
experiences.
Pre-school children develop their independence and confidence. They show curiosity,
sustain their engagement and make choices in their play. This supports their readiness for
the next stage of learning, including school. Children are eager to practise their physical
skills and show increasing control, such as when threading, scooping, pouring and filling.
They also begin to develop an early awareness of mathematics, including recognising
numbers and comparing objects. However, children's progress is often incidental and not
consistently the result of clearly designed and purposeful learning over time.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Leaders have established a positive environment where the expectations for children's
behaviour are clear and understood. Children respond well to these expectations and
behave appropriately for their age and stage of development. Relationships between staff
and children are warm and supportive. This helps children to feel secure and confident in
their surroundings. Babies explore the learning environment with confidence. They show
curiosity and a willingness to engage with resources and familiar adults.
Children learn to play alongside one another and increasingly collaborate in their play. They
share ideas, take turns and begin to understand how their actions affect others. Staff identify
how they can help children to regulate their behaviour. This includes children who may need
additional support, who staff guide sensitively to help them to participate in routines and
interactions.
Children show positive attitudes to learning. They are motivated, engaged and able to
sustain their interest in activities, particularly those they have chosen themselves. Routines
are well established, supporting children to understand expectations and move smoothly
through the day. Leaders promote the importance of attendance and punctuality
appropriately. Children attend regularly and settle quickly into daily routines, supporting
continuity in their experiences.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Leaders ensure that children's care needs are met effectively. Staff know children well and
provide responsive care that supports their individual routines and preferences. Care
routines are designed to mirror what children experience at home. This supports continuity

and helps children to feel secure and settled. This includes babies, whose sleeping and
feeding routines are managed sensitively.
Children develop a growing sense of identity. Babies show interest in seeing their photos
displayed, helping them to recognise themselves as part of the setting. Staff support
children to recognise and express their emotions, including through approaches that help
them link feelings with colours.
Leaders have placed a clear focus over the past year on promoting healthy lifestyles with
children and their families. Staff support children to develop an understanding of how to care
for themselves, including oral health and making healthy food and lifestyle choices. Leaders
and staff organise regular opportunities for children to be active, supporting their overall
wellbeing.
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive appropriate care and
support. Staff adapt routines and approaches to meet their needs, helping them to take part
in daily experiences and feel included.
Inclusion Expected standard
Leaders generally create an inclusive culture where staff identify children's individual needs
in a timely way. Staff gather information from parents and carers before children start. They
use this, alongside ongoing observations, to recognise children's emerging needs. This
supports early identification, particularly for children with special educational needs and/or
disabilities (SEND) and those who face barriers to their learning.
Leaders take purposeful action to reduce barriers to children's learning. Staff receive
relevant training and guidance, which supports them to adapt their practice. Leaders
typically work closely with external professionals and other settings to secure appropriate
support and funding, ensuring this is used effectively to meet children's specific needs.
In the main, children with SEND benefit from additional support and resources, which
contribute to their development and wellbeing. Staff implement targeted one-to-one
interventions and use strategies, particularly in communication and language, to support
children's engagement. For example, children access resources, such as interactive
communication boards, to help them express their needs and participate in daily
experiences when spoken language is less developed. Leaders build positive partnerships
with parents and carers. They engage families in identifying needs and shaping support,
helping to ensure continuity between home and the setting.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders demonstrate a clear understanding of the setting's strengths and areas for
development. They have taken some appropriate steps to improve provision, including
introducing approaches to support planning and strengthen the curriculum. These actions
show a commitment to improving the quality of education and care for all children. However,
these improvements are at an early stage and are not yet generally applied in practice to
ensure that all children experience a well-designed and purposeful curriculum. Monitoring is

Needs attention
not yet precise enough to ensure that staff clearly understand the expectations for their
teaching and apply these in all areas of the setting.
Leaders make decisions that support children's wellbeing and inclusion. They work
effectively with external professionals to secure support for children with special educational
needs and/or disabilities. This helps to ensure that resources and support are directed
appropriately.
Leaders support staff's wellbeing and provide opportunities for professional development.
This includes supporting staff to further their qualifications, from apprentices through to
those in management roles. This helps staff to generally build their knowledge and
confidence over time. Over the past year, leaders have enhanced opportunities for children
to access experiences within the local community, supporting their understanding of the
world around them.
Curriculum and teaching Needs attention
The curriculum is not yet designed and sequenced clearly enough to ensure that staff have
a precise understanding of what children need to know and be able to do across all areas of
learning. As a result, teaching is not effective enough. Staff do not consistently focus on the
most relevant learning priorities for children's age and stage of development. While staff use
assessment processes, this information is not used purposefully enough to shape learning
experiences and identify precise next steps for children. As a result, teaching does not
consistently build on what children already know and can do.
Leaders recognise these areas for development and have started to introduce approaches
to support staff with planning and implementation in the curriculum. These are not yet
generally applied in practice and do not form part of the typical learning experience for all
children. There is, however, more precise consideration given to learning experiences for
children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
Staff promote children's communication and language through shared reading and
interactions. Children develop an enjoyment of books from an early age. Role play is a key
feature of the learning environment, supporting children to make links with their own
experiences and use familiar and everyday language.

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 welcomed into a nurturing and secure environment where they form warm
relationships with staff. They separate confidently from their parents and carers, and quickly
engage in familiar routines. Children demonstrate that they feel safe and well cared for.
They show a clear sense of belonging as staff know them well and respond sensitively to
their individual needs. This includes children with special educational needs and/or
disabilities. These children receive support through purposeful approaches that help them to
communicate and take part in daily experiences.

Children play cooperatively with their peers, sharing ideas and working together. They are
motivated and engaged in their play. Children sustain their interest in activities they have
chosen for themselves. Pre-school children show increasing independence, confidently
making choices and initiating their own play. They develop positive attitudes to learning and
are keen to explore. This supports children's confidence and readiness for the next stage in
their education.
Children benefit from a broad range of experiences that support their development. They
regularly access outdoor learning, including opportunities within the local community, such
as visits to a nearby farm, which help them to explore the world around them. Younger
children, including babies, benefit from regular walks. This supports their physical
development and awareness of their environment. These experiences contribute positively
to children's enjoyment and engagement.
Children benefit from a clear focus on health and wellbeing. They learn how to care for
themselves and begin to understand the importance of healthy lifestyles and looking after
their environment. Leaders promote attendance appropriately, helping children to establish
positive routines. While children enjoy their experiences, the curriculum is less effective in
extending children's existing knowledge and skills over time.
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 a clearly sequenced curriculum that
identifies what children need to know across all areas of
learning, so staff have a secure understanding of the
learning intentions
01/05/2026
ensure teaching is tailored to children's individual
starting points and staff use assessment effectively to
plan precise next steps that support children to make
secure progress.
01/05/2026
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, staff and the special educational needs and/or disabilities
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

Inspector:
Anne Dyoss
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2778004
Address:
165 Cheadle Road
Cheddleton
Leek
ST13 7HN
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 23/01/2024
Registered person: Little Stars Childcare Staffordshire Limited
Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:00 - 18:00
Local authority: Staffordshire
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 30 March 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
1 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
32
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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