Children 1st @ Meir Park

Children 1st @ Meir Park
Unique reference number (URN): EY491582
Address: Meir Park Day Nursery, Lysander Road, Stoke On Trent, ST3 7TW
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 14/07/2015
Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR
Registered person: Breedon House Nurseries Limited
Inspection report: 7 May 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
Achievement Strong standard
All children are well prepared for each stage of their learning. They are given abundant
opportunities to develop and practise their skills, demonstrating increasing confidence and
independence. Children benefit greatly from a language-rich, high-quality learning
environment where they engage deeply in purposeful, self-initiated play across well-
resourced areas. During play, they demonstrate curiosity, sustained concentration and a
strong willingness to explore a wide range of materials, including play dough, water and
construction resources. Children's physical development is supported effectively through
activities that promote the development of both fine and gross motor skills, such as
manipulating play dough, using tools and pouring water with control. Early mathematical
understanding is embedded naturally as children count, compare sizes, estimate and
problem-solve during play. Children demonstrate strong communication and language skills.
For instance, they confidently express their ideas, engage in imaginative dialogue and
respond well to staff interactions. Their social skills are highly developed, with children
collaborating purposefully, sharing resources and joining group play with confidence.
Children from disadvantaged backgrounds communicate with increasing confidence, clarity
and independence. Resources and experiences reflect the diversity of the setting, including
multicultural dolls and stories that represent disabilities and significant events children
celebrate. This enables children to develop a deep understanding of what makes them
unique.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard
Leaders and staff embed a respectful culture in which all children, including those from
disadvantaged backgrounds, are increasingly able to manage and express their own
feelings and behaviour. For example, children are given meaningful opportunities to learn
about and discuss how they are feeling, to which staff respond sensitively. Staff offer
children reassurance and guidance, showing that they understand how children feel,
creating a highly safe and supportive environment. They use consistent and inclusive
behaviour management approaches, providing children with gentle reminders and setting
clear expectations through respectful, child-level communication. They respond promptly to
children's cues, adapting their practice to support children to regulate their emotions and re-
engage in play and learning. This promotes their participation and inclusion.
Consistent routines and responsive interactions create a positive atmosphere in which
children feel safe, supported and ready to participate. Children show strong levels of
engagement, confidence and enjoyment, and they form positive relationships with both staff
and peers. They demonstrate growing independence and curiosity, which are supported by
routines that are predictable and well established. Staff maintain a calm and organised
atmosphere, ensuring that children are closely supervised while still being given space to
explore and practise new skills. Positive social behaviours are evident as children play
cooperatively, show consideration for others and follow routines well. The environment is
well organised and inviting, with accessible resources that encourage independent choice
and sustained engagement.

Leaders proactively talk to parents and carers about the funding available, ensuring they
fully understand what is on offer. They support parents to complete applications online,
which is something parents positively reflect on. This helps to remove barriers for families
and contributes positively to children's attendance and engagement.
Curriculum and teaching Strong standard
Leaders design a curriculum that is highly ambitious and sequenced for all children,
including those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Staff use high-quality interactions to
assess what children and babies know and can do. They identify gaps in their learning and
introduce new concepts at the right time, demonstrating excellent knowledge of children and
their development. Staff skilfully use children's interests to engage them in all areas of
learning. For example, they introduce numbers through water play, enabling children to
explore mathematical concepts in meaningful and engaging ways. Staff extend children's
learning through high-quality modelling, open-ended questions and responsive interactions.
They engage positively with children by using clear language, introducing ambitious
vocabulary and offering sensitive prompts that encourage children's thinking. Sustained
shared thinking is used to deepen children's understanding, extend learning and support
children to develop confidence, independence and a strong sense of achievement. Small-
group activities are highly effective across the setting and provide all children with focused,
targeted support. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds access the same high-quality
curriculum as their peers. This promotes their inclusion.
Stories sit at the heart of the curriculum and are used purposefully to enrich children's
language development and understanding across all areas. Staff place a strong emphasis
on early language so that children develop a broad vocabulary and a love of books. Rich
language experiences are woven throughout the day through singing, musical play, shared
stories and a wide range of activities that promote children's communication and social
skills. Children listen attentively to stories, respond confidently and participate with
enthusiasm. Staff support children to develop coordination and control as they confidently
use scooters and trikes. They make the most of everyday routines, such as snack time, to
provide high-quality modelling and purposeful language. For example, they compare
quantities and count items to support number recognition, using commentary and
questioning. Staff support children to cut their own fruit, which helps them to develop
confidence, patience and fine motor control. Children demonstrate high levels of
engagement and independence throughout the curriculum.
Inclusion Strong standard
Leaders and staff quickly and accurately identify children's and babies' individual needs.
This is done through careful observation, ongoing assessment and strong partnerships with
parents and carers. This enables staff to act promptly and ensure children receive the right
support at the right time. For example, when parents report changes in children's behaviour,
staff respond swiftly and liaise with leaders to secure additional support. This early
intervention makes a meaningful difference to children's outcomes, both at home and within
the setting.

Expected standard
Leaders undertake purposeful training and greatly benefit from experienced support from
other professionals. They attend regular forums, which provide dedicated opportunities to
share expertise and build specialised knowledge that directly improves outcomes for
children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders strategically use
additional funding to reduce barriers to learning and enhance children's development. They
actively seek parents' views and ensure they understand and approve how funding supports
their child. Leaders work closely with external providers and professionals, enabling
effective information sharing and consistent approaches. This is particularly beneficial for
children with SEND, as it ensures that receiving schools can support smooth and successful
transitions.
Small-group activities are highly effective across the setting and provide all children with
focused, targeted support. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds access the same
high-quality curriculum as their peers. Staff adapt the environment and their teaching in
response to their interests and characteristics. They consistently evaluate the impact of
support. As a result, children communicate with increasing confidence, clarity and
independence.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Children greatly benefit from staff who confidently identify opportunities to further their
learning and development. For example, staff have recently introduced activities such as
cookery and yoga to promote children's understanding of healthy lifestyles and emotional
wellbeing. Staff read stories to help children to make sense of their emotions in an age-
appropriate way. Children relate to characters, confidently describing feelings such as 'calm'.
Staff introduce additional vocabulary, such as 'relaxed', reminding children of recent yoga
sessions where they learned to 'inhale' and 'exhale'. This helps children to develop a deeper
understanding of their emotions. Staff demonstrate a strong awareness of children's
backgrounds and experiences, such as when family members are in hospital. They use this
knowledge sensitively to support children's emotional wellbeing and help them to express
their feelings.
Leaders provide parents and carers with a wealth of information about meals and portion
sizes and invite them to sample their healthy menus. They provide children with free
toothbrushes to support the promotion of good oral health at home. Staff interactions with
children are warm and developmentally appropriate, helping babies and children to feel
secure, valued and confident to explore with growing independence. They are attentive and
responsive, offering support, challenge or reassurance as needed. Children demonstrate
strong social skills and confidently follow routines, such as washing their hands and finding
their placemats, and interact positively during snack time by sharing fruit and practising turn-
taking and conversation. Overall, children manage personal care tasks with confidence.
They wipe their faces, use the toilet, wash their hands and prepare for sleep time with
growing independence. However, occasional variations in staff practice mean this

independence is not always promoted consistently, reducing opportunities for children to
strengthen these skills further.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
At the beginning of the inspection, leaders did not organise staffing arrangements as
effectively as they could. However, this had minimal impact on children, who at the time
were very settled and engaged in their play.
The provider has notified Ofsted of recent incidents, including a child being given the wrong
medication and an incident where two children were briefly left unsupervised. Leaders have
reviewed procedures for moving children around the building, ensuring headcounts are
consistently completed and all children are accounted for. Leaders have reviewed processes
for administering medication. They have increased staff's confidence to raise concerns
about unsafe practice. This helps to safeguard children.
There is a strong culture of continuous improvement. For instance, leaders conduct staff
observations and engage in purposeful discussions to help staff learn and develop,
improving their practice. They place a clear emphasis on learning from previous incidents
and from the wider sector, including experiences shared through the media. This highlights
that leaders regularly review their service so that it remains current and responsive.
Staff report that they feel confident approaching leaders for support and say they are happy
in their roles. Leaders provide staff with opportunities for professional development that are
aligned with identified training needs. Parents and carers express high levels of satisfaction
with the setting. They report that their children are happy, settled and keen to attend. They
recognise the strong progress their children have made in their learning and development,
particularly in mathematics. They value staff's ongoing support and guidance with potty
training, demonstrating that staff respond positively to families' individual needs.
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 and babies greatly benefit from a clear progression model. This means they
constantly receive carefully sequenced experiences and learning as they move through the
rooms. Teaching positively builds on their interests, which significantly contributes to the
sustained progress they make across all areas of learning. For instance, when children
show a preference for outdoor play, staff plan and deliver innovative activities outdoors that
focus on what they need to learn next, such as drawing a hopscotch grid to support number
recognition. This greatly supports children's sustained enjoyment and engagement in their
learning. Children behave extremely well. They patiently listen to views, including the views
of their peers, and take turns to talk, demonstrating high levels of respect for one another.
Children are skilfully supported to make independent choices, such as the group activities
they wish to join and the stories they engage in, as their interests and preferences are highly
valued by all staff.
Children who were previously shy now show increased confidence and independence as
they confidently carry out age-appropriate tasks and engage in small-group activities.
Children benefit greatly from funding that is used strategically and adapted as their needs
change. For example, funding was previously used to support the development of social
skills and confidence. As children made progress in this area, staff evaluated the impact and
redirected the funding to extend learning in other areas, such as mathematics.
Consequently, all children make excellent progress from their starting points.
Disadvantaged children are fully included in the curriculum alongside their peers. For
example, they receive meaningful opportunities to talk about their emotions and feelings in a
small group, which strengthens their emotional development and positive sense of
belonging. Interactions between children and staff are genuine, responsive and reciprocal.
For example, children confidently express complex emotions, such as how it feels when

Inspectors:
Mikaela Stallard
Grace Kleanthous
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): EY491582
Address:
Meir Park Day Nursery
Lysander Road
Stoke On Trent
ST3 7TW
their peers talk to them all at once. Staff give children time to talk, actively listen and
respond sensitively, providing them with strategies to help manage their feelings if similar
situations were to arise again. This provides children with a strong sense of safety within a
highly supportive environment.
Next steps
Leaders should refine consistent approaches to further promote children's independence
to an even higher level.
Leaders should review the deployment of staff in the morning to ensure the best possible
setup is achieved.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, the special educational needs coordinator, the
designated safeguarding lead, children, parents and carers 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.
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.

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 14/07/2015
Registered person: Breedon House Nurseries Limited
Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00
Local authority: Stoke-on-Trent
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 7 May 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
0 to 4
Total number of places
98
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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