URN 2516104 · Inspected 2026-04-14 · Published 2026-06-08 · Inspector: Miriam Caldecott
Blessings Day Care & Nursery Unique reference number (URN): 2516104 Address: 31 Cornwall Road, Bradford, Yorkshire, BD8 7JN Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 19/02/2019 Registers: EYR Registered person: Blessings Day Care & Nursery Ltd Inspection report: 14 April 2026 Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement Urgent improvement Safeguarding standards not met Leaders have not ensured that there is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that adequately protects children from harm. Leaders do not have appropriate whistleblowing procedures in place. The policy does not include when and how to report concerns and the process that will be followed after staff report any concerns. Leaders do not ensure staff know where else they can report concerns if they feel unable to raise an issue with leaders or managers. In addition, leaders do not ensure that staff know and understand the safeguarding policy and procedures for when they have concerns about a child or an allegation regarding a member of staff. This compromises children's safety and wellbeing. 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. Achievement Urgent improvement Children do not develop appropriate skills across all areas of learning. While some children make typical progress in the prime areas, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) cannot access the full curriculum. Children are left to choose their own play and engage in their play alone too often. They have limited opportunities to engage in purposeful play or have their learning extended. This limits children's learning and development overall. Children with SEND do not achieve well from their individual starting points. Gaps in their learning are not addressed quickly enough or monitored effectively. Children with SEND do not have specific targets to work towards to support their developmental needs. Children's key persons do not have the information they need to help support children's learning. They spend long periods of time alone at the same activities that offer little challenge or opportunity to build on what they already know and can do. This means children, particularly those with SEND, do not make the progress of which they are capable. Children are not well prepared for the next stage of their learning or school. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Urgent improvement Staff do not support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to engage in daily routines. During group and transition times, children with SEND are often left alone to continue their play. Staff do not encourage them to join in or support them to follow the routines of the day. They do not consistently use the aids to support children's transitions, such as visual cues and 'now and next' boards. This does not help children to understand and follow daily routines. Staff do not support children to understand what is happening next. This results in children becoming dysregulated. Staff do not support children to have a positive attitude to their play and learning. Staff do not consistently support children to develop positive relationships. They do not always help children to understand the impact of their behaviours or how to play cooperatively. For example, when children are unkind to their friends, staff remove the child and do not support children to engage in their play appropriately. This does not foster children's understanding of how to develop positive relationships with their peers. Leaders have systems in place to monitor attendance and to follow up any unexplained absences with telephone calls and home visits if needed. Children's welfare and wellbeing Urgent improvement Leaders do not ensure staff follow safer eating practices. Staff do not closely supervise children when eating. For example, during snack times and mealtimes, children sit alone at tables eating while staff complete tasks such as tidying the room and going into the bathroom area. Staff provide cereals for children to play with. Children put this food in their mouths to eat and walk around the room. Staff do not supervise children as they do this, which poses a choking risk and compromises children's safety and wellbeing. Staff provide young children with crushed cereals in a tray to play with. Children eat the mixture as they play. This is not hygienic and does not prevent the spread of infection. In addition, staff do not ensure the trays on the low chairs and the tables children use to sit at for their meals are cleaned effectively. Young children sit in low chairs that have bits of food left from the previous use. This does not support the good health of children and compromises their health and wellbeing. Leaders do not ensure sleeping arrangements are in line with safe sleep guidelines. Equipment and the sleeping environment to meet the needs of the youngest children are not suitable. Babies sleep unsupervised on mats, and staff do not recognise potential hazards, such as coats and bags that are easily accessible should the babies roll over. This compromises children's safety. Children generally have positive relationships with their key persons. Curriculum and teaching Urgent improvement Leaders do not ensure a curriculum is in place that is ambitious and builds on what children know and can do. They do not consider the sequence in which children learn. Leaders do not support staff to plan clear intentions for what children need to learn. They do not ensure staff know and understand the curriculum so that they can provide effective teaching and improve outcomes for all children. Leaders do not ensure staff have the knowledge of child development and areas of learning. Staff do not always consider the different rates children learn and develop. Too often, staff offer activities that are not age-appropriate in supporting children's learning and development. For example, staff teach phonics and expect young children to write letters in books when they cannot yet hold a pencil effectively. Leaders do not ensure that all children, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), access all areas of learning. Children with SEND are often left alone to their own devices. Staff do not support or encourage them to take part in the daily activities or the routines of the day, such as group time, tidy-up time and snack times. This does not support children with SEND to engage with all areas of learning. Staff provide some children with opportunities to develop their large muscles. Older children enjoy exploring the outdoor area. They learn to climb and use the slide safely. Children enjoy looking at books and listening to stories. Staff provide opportunities for children to sing songs and rhymes. Inclusion Urgent improvement Leaders do not ensure effective arrangements are in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Children with SEND do not receive the targeted support they need. Leaders do not support staff to provide a continuous cycle of 'assess, plan, do and review'. Key persons do not know children's specific targets. Children do not receive an appropriate level of support to meet their individual needs. They are often left for long periods of time without any adult support. This does not help to ensure all children benefit from the setting's experiences and education. When leaders do identify specific needs for some children, for example, when children would benefit from the use of visuals and 'now and next' boards, staff do not implement these consistently. This does not help to support children's learning and development and meet their individual needs. Leaders do, on occasion, refer to outside agencies to seek help and guidance. However, this is not always followed up in a timely manner. Leaders understand the needs of the local area. They consider how to support families that may face difficulties. They make use of additional funding appropriately. For example, leaders offer free meals for children. Leadership and governance Urgent improvement Leaders do not identify significant weaknesses across the nursery, and this has resulted in breaches of the early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework. They do not ensure that staff-to-child ratios consistently meet the minimum requirements of the EYFS. Additionally, leaders do not ensure that staff in the baby room have the relevant training to ensure that they have sufficient knowledge and understanding to meet the youngest children's needs. Leaders do not ensure staffing arrangements meet the needs of all children and ensure their safety. They do not ensure staff follow safer eating and safer sleeping guidance. As a result, children's health, safety and wellbeing are compromised. Leaders do not ensure the progress check at age 2 is completed for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff are unable to review the progress check at age 2 to support children's ongoing needs. This results in delays in planning and implementing targets, and in referring children to outside agencies. This means children do not receive the timely support they need. Leaders build positive relationships with families. Parents comment that staff are friendly and approachable. Staff share information with parents on a daily basis. Parents report that they find the online application useful and enjoy looking at the pictures of their children. What it's like to be a child at this setting Significant weaknesses across the nursery have resulted in a number of breaches to the early years foundation stage statutory framework. Leaders have not ensured staff know and understand safeguarding policies and procedures. They have not ensured staff-to-child ratios consistently meet minimum requirements. Children are not closely supervised when eating or sleeping. Young children wander about with food in their mouths and often sit alone at mealtimes. Staff do not ensure sleeping arrangements promote the wellbeing of children. They do not consider any risks in the environment when putting children down to sleep. Staff do not consistently promote health and hygiene practices. Children sit in low chairs and tables at mealtimes that have not been cleaned effectively. Children's health, safety and wellbeing are compromised. Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), do not receive the support they need to enable them to make the progress of which they are capable. They spend too much time not engaging in meaningful play and learning. The environment is often chaotic and does not help to support positive attitudes to learning. Children do not have statutory assessments as a key part of their learning and development process. This means that staff do not have accurate information for some children, including those with SEND. Children do not receive the support for their individual learning needs and make the progress of which they are capable. Children, including those with SEND, do not receive high-quality interactions from staff to ensure that they are ready for the next stage in their learning. Leaders do not ensure the staff have the knowledge and skills to complete their role effectively. Children do not receive timely, targeted support. Children are separated from their friends at mealtimes if they have differing needs. For example, children with allergies sit on their own, on a separate table to their friends. This does not support children's welfare and wellbeing. Children enjoy the outdoor area, where they have space to run and climb. They use their large muscles to climb up the climbing frame and kick a ball. Children practise balancing on wooden logs. Staff read books with children. Children generally have positive relationships with staff in the nursery. Next steps The provider is not meeting the requirements of the Early years foundation stage and Ofsted intends to take enforcement action. We will issue a Welfare Requirements Notice requiring the provider to have taken the following actions by the assigned date: Action Completion Date review the whistleblowing policy so that it includes when and how to report concerns and the process that will be followed after staff report concerns and ensure staff know and understand these procedures 24/04/2026 improve staff knowledge of safeguarding, particularly the procedures to follow in the event of a concern about a child and any allegation regarding a member of staff 24/04/2026 ensure staff ratio requirements are maintained at all times 24/04/2026 ensure at least half of staff working in the baby room have received training that specifically addresses the care of babies 24/04/2026 ensure that good hygiene is promoted to help prevent the spread of infection, with particular regard to the cleaning of high chairs and tables at mealtimes 24/04/2026 ensure that children are adequately supervised at mealtimes, so that children always remain within sight and hearing when eating 24/04/2026 review the systems in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities so that leaders and staff consistently provide a continuous cycle of assessment to ensure children receive the targeted support they need so that they can make the best possible progress 24/04/2026 ensure children have suitable places to sleep and ensure safe sleeping routines are consistently followed to ensure children's safety 24/04/2026 To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage the provider must take the following actions by the assigned date: Action Completion Date Inspector: Miriam Caldecott About this setting Unique reference number (URN): 2516104 Address: 31 Cornwall Road Bradford Yorkshire BD8 7JN Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Action Completion Date plan and implement a curriculum that has clear intentions for what children need to learn and ensure staff know and understand this so that they provide effective teaching and improve outcomes for all children 22/05/2026 ensure routines of the day support children to have a positive attitude to their play and remain engaged in their learning 22/05/2026 ensure the progress check at age 2 is completed for all children to support their ongoing development needs 22/05/2026 About this inspection The inspector spoke with the leaders, managers, staff and parents during the inspection. We carried out this inspection as a result of a risk assessment, following information we received about the provider. The provider will be able to give parents further information about this. 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. Registration date: 19/02/2019 Registered person: Blessings Day Care & Nursery Ltd Register(s): EYR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:45 - 17:45 Local authority: Bradford Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 14 April 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 0 to 4 Total number of places 72 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. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence, write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk. This publication is available at https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk. Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn. 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