Care With Cuddles

Care With Cuddles
Unique reference number (URN): 2550207
Address: Care With Cuddles, Lead Road, Greenside, Ryton, NE40 4BS
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 13/08/2019
Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR
Registered person: Richardson, Lorraine Amanda
Inspection report: 16 April 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
All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), those
known (or previously known) to children's social care, and those who may face barriers to
their learning and/or wellbeing, are well prepared for the next stage in their learning because
their skills are developed well, particularly across the prime areas of learning.
All children develop the language and communication skills they need because they join in
with songs, rhymes and stories and share their thoughts and views with their friends.
Children with SEND are supported to develop their communication skills through the use of
Makaton.
Children develop their personal, social and emotional skills, and this helps them to make
friends with others, take turns and share. Children who may face other barriers to their
learning and/or wellbeing are supported to manage big emotions because they have one-to-
one support and access to quiet, calming spaces when needed.
Children are supported to close gaps in their learning because staff create and follow
individual support plans, including those children who are known (or previously known) to
children's social care. For example, staff help children to build positive relationships, and this
helps them to develop their confidence.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Staff quickly build positive relationships, and this helps children to settle and feel secure. As
a result, children typically play happily, and there is a calm atmosphere in every room within
the setting. Staff support children who are new to the setting well to quickly feel calm and
safe.
Children of all ages behave well, including those with special educational needs and/or
disabilities (SEND). They know and follow the rules and have a secure understanding of the
routines. For example, staff give additional cues and reminders to children to help them
prepare for transitions and changes in routines. This means that children know and
understand what is happening next.
Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour and they talk calmly and kindly to
children. This helps children to understand the expectations. Staff praise children's efforts,
and this reinforces the high expectations.
Staff support children with SEND effectively to develop their awareness of their friends'
feelings. For example, staff help children to be aware of how others are feeling because
they support them to be able to identify and name emotions.
All children have a positive approach to their learning and are curious and eager to be
involved in learning experiences, including those children with SEND. For example, staff
ensure that children are supported to share their thoughts and ideas during circle time by

giving extra time to think of their response or by helping children to formulate sentences
verbally.
Leaders know and understand the importance of attendance and have appropriate policies
and procedures in place to support this.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Positive key-person relationships are quickly established, and this supports children to feel
safe and secure, particularly those children who are new to the setting. Where children do
become unsettled, they are quickly and sensitively supported by their key person.
Staff are interested in children's lives and ask them questions, encouraging them to share
their views and thoughts with their friends. Children develop a sense of their own identity by
celebrating their individuality, and they develop a sense of belonging by building positive
relationships with staff and their peers.
Leaders ensure that there are effective policies and procedures in place for sleeping,
weaning and feeding. Children's personal care needs are sensitively met because staff have
a clear understanding of these processes and confidently implement them. Positive
relationships with parents ensure that the setting has all the information to support each
child. For those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who
are known (or previously known) to children's social care, staff work closely with parents to
ensure that individual care needs are met. Staff keep parents up to date with all relevant
information to ensure continuity of care.
Children enjoy healthy, nutritious food and talk about healthy ingredients in meals. They
understand why it is important to wash their hands before they eat and can talk about why
this is important. Children say 'please' and 'thank you' at mealtimes and chat with their
friends and staff, making lunchtime a sociable experience for them.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Leaders create a carefully thought-out and progressive curriculum and ensure it is generally
taught well. Staff typically show a secure understanding of what they want children to learn,
and they can talk about how they adapt this to meet the needs of the children, including
those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), those known (or previously
known) to children's social care, and those who may face barriers to their learning and/or
wellbeing. For example, fidget toys are available to support children with their concentration
skills during story time, and one-to-one support is given to children to help them manage
their emotions during transition times.
Leaders seek advice and actively work with outside professionals and staff to drive
improvements forward. Staff can talk about the newly implemented approach to planning
and how they are meeting children's next steps through the activities they offer. However,
high-quality teaching is not yet consistently embedded throughout the nursery.
Children develop a love of stories because staff prioritise using a range of texts as a basis
for learning. Staff model appropriate vocabulary and encourage children to use this in their

play. For example, children can retell their favourite stories and act these out using small-
world resources.
Staff teach mathematics explicitly and incorporate it into the daily routine. For example, staff
model and teach the children about capacity through exploring filling and emptying
containers. Children also join in when counting how many cups are needed at snack time.
This means that children have a secure understanding of mathematical concepts.
Inclusion Expected standard
Leaders work closely with parents to ensure they have a whole view of each child, gathering
all information needed when a child starts attending the setting. They use this information to
create a bespoke starting timetable for each child. Leaders continue to work closely with
parents to make appropriate changes to plans and provision, particularly for those children
with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), those known (or previously
known) to children's social care, and those who may face barriers to their learning and/or
wellbeing.
Leaders support staff to use a graduated approach to supporting children's needs. They
seek advice from a range of outside professionals, such as speech and language therapists
and educational psychologists, and they create personalised plans for children to help close
gaps in learning. They track children's progress and adjust support accordingly.
Funding is used effectively to provide training and resources to support individual children's
needs. For example, staff use Makaton to support the development of children's
communication skills, and autism awareness training gives staff a range of skills to support
children with SEND to access learning in the setting.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders have ensured continuity during recent changes in staffing, and they have driven
forward improvements to further develop the quality of teaching. They intend to continue
monitoring and supporting all staff to ensure they continue to offer a high-quality learning
experience for all children.
Leaders use appropriate sources of data to help them make decisions about priorities. They
seek advice from external sources and are proactive in driving forward improvements.
Leaders take account of staff wellbeing and workload, and there are effective systems in
place for staff to seek help and guidance if needed. Staff feel valued and recognise the
support and training they receive. Staff feel this helps them to do their jobs more effectively.
Leaders work closely with families and outside professionals to ensure that children with
special educational needs and/or disabilities, those known (or previously known) to
children's social care, and those who may face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing
receive the support they need quickly.
Parents speak positively about the relationships they have with leaders and staff. They
welcome the help offered to their children. They say that leaders and staff are approachable

and that staff communicate well with them.
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 at nursery happy and excited to learn. Positive relationships are evident
between staff and children, and this means that children feel safe and settled when they
attend the setting. Leaders greet all children as they enter the setting. They check in with
individual families, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities

Inspector:
Vanessa Foster
About this setting
(SEND), those known (or previously known) to children's social care, and those who may
face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing, to ensure a smooth transition.
Children are encouraged to be independent throughout the day. For example, older children
find their own peg and hang up their coat on arrival, and they help to tidy up when they have
finished playing. Younger children are encouraged to explore independently and seek out
resources they are interested in.
Children develop secure language and communication skills because staff model a range of
vocabulary and support them to use it in their play. For example, when exploring capacity,
staff model words such as 'full' and 'empty' and encourage children to use this vocabulary to
describe what they are doing.
Staff treat children with kindness, and this helps children to develop their personal, social
and emotional skills. Children are kind to each other and develop friendships with others.
These experiences help to prepare all children, including those with SEND, those known (or
previously known) to children's social care, and those who may face barriers to their learning
and/or wellbeing, well for school and the next stage of their learning.
Next steps
Leaders should continue to offer all staff guidance and support to consistently deliver
high-quality teaching and education that extends children's learning further.
Leaders should continue to use their analysis of the setting's strengths and weaknesses
to strategically drive and sustain improvements.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, the special educational needs coordinator,
children and parents 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.

Unique reference number (URN): 2550207
Address:
Care With Cuddles
Lead Road
Greenside
Ryton
NE40 4BS
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 13/08/2019
Registered person: Richardson, Lorraine Amanda
Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00
Local authority: Gateshead
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 16 April 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
0 to 4
Total number of places
55
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.
Piccadilly Gate
Store Street
Manchester
M1 2WD
T: 0300 123 1231
Textphone: 0161 618 8524
E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk

W: www.gov.uk/ofsted
© Crown copyright 2026
© Crown copyright