URN EY337045 · Inspected 2026-02-20 · Published 2026-04-27 · Inspector: Sarah Roberts
Bambinos Childcare Centre Unique reference number (URN): EY337045 Address: 31 Houndiscombe Road, Plymouth, PL4 6EU Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 22/08/2006 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Bambinos Limited Inspection report: 20 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 Expected standard Inclusion Strong standard Leaders work tirelessly to improve outcomes for children. They have established highly effective and consistently applied monitoring systems across the setting, enabling staff to swiftly and accurately identify any child who may require additional support. As a result, staff implement precisely tailored interventions without delay, ensuring that every child receives the highest standard of care and the bespoke support they need to achieve and thrive. Staff skilfully provide a wide range of sensory breaks tailored to each child's needs, weaving these seamlessly into daily routines. These responsive strategies help children develop the tools they need to remain calm and ready to learn. Leaders enhance this practice further by working closely with parents, carers and a wide range of external professionals. They disseminate information swiftly, so everyone adopts the approaches that best support individual children. As a result, all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make steady, sustained progress from their starting points. Leaders use additional funding, such as early years pupil premium and disability access funding, with precision and well-informed professional judgement. They direct resources to what each child needs most, ensuring that support is carefully targeted both in the setting and at home. This thoughtful approach removes barriers to learning, accelerates progress for children with specific needs and enables all children to achieve very well. Leaders also work proactively with feeder schools to design well informed, individualised transition plans. They share key information promptly and collaborate closely with receiving teachers, ensuring that every child moves confidently and smoothly on to their next stage of education. Achievement Expected standard All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make steady progress from their individual starting points. Children develop their listening and concentration skills as staff read stories and sing songs. This helps them to grow more confident in speaking and communicating. They expand their vocabulary by talking about familiar characters and events. Children gain physical skills sequentially across the nursery. For example, babies are encouraged to stretch and grip objects, toddlers have access to soft play where they clamber and climb and pre-school children access challenging climbing structures in the outdoor area. Children generally learn to regulate their behaviour and play alongside others. This enables them to typically participate in the full range of activities and experiences and to learn and develop with their peers. Consequently, children are well prepared for their next stage of learning, whether that is starting school or transitioning between the rooms at nursery. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard Leaders have created a warm and positive environment. Children demonstrate kindness and respect for others, showing the impact of the setting's focus on nurturing positive relationships and building self-confidence. Staff take every opportunity to praise children for both their effort and achievement, which helps children to be resilient and motivated to learn. Expectations for behaviour are generally high, and staff model positive interactions and encourage turn-taking and cooperative play. For example, staff talk to children about sharing and help them to resolve disagreements when they occur. At times, staff's expectations are not consistently reinforced in the pre-school rooms, resulting in some children being less clear about the rules and boundaries. Children follow the routines of the setting, and staff use visual and auditory prompts along with signs to prepare children for change. This means that children transition well between activities throughout the day. Leaders give a high priority to monitoring children's attendance. This demonstrates how they value the importance of attendance and understand how attending regularly benefits each child's learning and development. Staff work closely with parents to understand individual contexts and put plans in place to overcome any barriers to accessing education. Leaders have clear procedures in place with all parents for informing them of a child's absence. Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard The setting places a focus on children's welfare and wellbeing, with staff working to support each child in feeling cared for and understood. They tailor routines to each child's needs, managing babies' sleeping, feeding and hygiene safely. Older children grow in independence as they wash their hands, select their own food and pour their own drinks, helping them build confidence and important self-care skills. Staff weave healthy habits into everyday routines and conversations, offering nutritious snacks and meals and supporting children to understand oral health through supervised toothbrushing. Leaders and staff place great importance on supporting children's physical development. Children of all ages enjoy a wide range of activities, both indoors and outdoors, that help them grow stronger, more confident and physically capable. Staff also help children recognise, express and manage their emotions through warm, responsive interactions and plenty of reassurance. Staff offer familiar, comforting resources, for example favourite stories, cars, trucks and sensory play. These reflect children's interests and help them feel calm and secure. As a result, children show developing emotional wellbeing and generally feel secure, valued and willing to explore their environment. Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Leaders understand their curriculum well and know what they want children to learn, along with how to guide their next steps. They are aware that at times routines within the pre- school room do not always support the curriculum as well as they should. Leaders create a curriculum that covers every area of learning and place priority on children's communication, physical development, and personal, social and emotional growth. Staff regularly assess each child, so they can see what to introduce next. This means teaching stays purposeful and responsive, with staff planning thoughtfully for children with any additional needs. They notice when a child's development is not where it should be and put supportive strategies in place to help them make steady progress. Across the nursery, staff interact warmly with children, keeping them engaged and encouraging them to chat happily as they play and explore. In each room, children focus on, and learn, key stories. This helps them learn new vocabulary and supports the development of sentence structure. Leaders recognised that staff were less confident teaching early mathematics and enrolled the nursery in a mathematics initiative. Now staff weave mathematical learning into everyday play, using games and simple routines to introduce early ideas about number, pattern, shape, space and measure. For example, at the play dough table, staff ask children how many leaves they would like to add to their dough. Children are encouraged to say the number aloud and show the quantity using their fingers. The adult then reinforces this learning by counting out the correct number of leaves and placing them into the child's hand. Leaders sequence learning carefully, helping children build their skills as they move confidently from one room to the next within the nursery and then transition successfully to school. Leadership and governance Expected standard Leaders know their staff, children and families well. They understand the setting context and how it serves the local community. They typically have an accurate assessment of the setting's strengths and areas for development. Recently, the teaching of mathematics has been strengthened by taking part in local initiatives. Also transitions within the day have been made more effective by the introduction of visual support tailored to the age and/or stage of the children. Leaders have systems in place for staff's wellbeing, and staff comment positively about working in the setting. They are actively encouraged to engage in professional development opportunities that both link to their interests and the needs of children. The wider leadership team plays an active role in supporting both the manager and staff, facilitating supervision and mentoring. Leaders have high expectations for all children, particularly those who are disadvantaged or those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. These children are at the heart of all decision-making, and this ensures that they succeed and thrive alongside their peers. Communication with parents is effective. Leaders have implemented systems for sharing information, which ensures that children's learning and development are prioritised and celebrated in the setting and at home. Parents comment positively about the nursery, reflecting the successful partnerships that have been built between children, their families and the whole nursery team. 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 achieve well at this setting because staff create a learning environment where children enjoy exploring, discovering and taking part in purposeful activities. For example, children in the toddler room enjoy dressing up and role play, which helps them develop their language skills and get along together. Practitioners identify each child's starting point quickly and use ongoing assessment to plan what each child needs to learn next. They adapt teaching skilfully, ensuring that children develop independence, confidence and age- appropriate knowledge across all areas of learning. Staff work proactively with parents, key Inspector: persons and external professionals to remove barriers to learning, particularly for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, disadvantaged children and those known to social care. As a result, these children make steady, sustained progress from their individual starting points. Children develop a sense of belonging because staff include them fully in nursery life. They learn alongside their peers, take part in shared routines and build warm, trusting relationships with adults and other children. Staff offer sensitive support, model language and encourage cooperation, helping children feel secure and valued. Families experience genuine partnership; staff listen to parents' views, share information clearly and celebrate each child's achievements. This collaborative approach ensures that children who may face additional challenges feel understood, supported and included in all aspects of the setting. Children thrive because staff place their safety, wellbeing and individuality at the centre of daily practice. Staff help children regulate their emotions, manage transitions and develop positive social skills. They promote attendance actively and work with families to overcome any barriers that may prevent children from accessing learning regularly. Children experience a curriculum that values their uniqueness. For example, leaders tailor physical activities so that babies, toddlers and older children can build strength and coordination at the right level. Staff provide familiar resources and comforting interactions that help children feel calm and ready to learn. As a result, children flourish, developing the confidence, resilience and foundational skills they need for future success. Next steps Leaders should provide targeted support to staff in the pre-school room to strengthen practice that helps children consistently understand and follow the behaviour expectations of the setting. Leaders should continue to strengthen staff's practice so that highly effective teaching is consistently delivered at every opportunity. About this inspection The inspector spoke with children, leaders, practitioners 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. Sarah Roberts About this setting Unique reference number (URN): EY337045 Address: 31 Houndiscombe Road Plymouth PL4 6EU Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 22/08/2006 Registered person: Bambinos Limited Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:00 - 18:30 Local authority: Plymouth Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 20 February 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 1 to 4 Total number of places 92 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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