URN 2783839 · Inspected 2026-04-30 · Published 2026-06-16 · Inspector: Remi Stennett
The Forest Tree Nursery Unique reference number (URN): 2783839 Address: Brook Street, Oldham, OL9 0HW Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 14/05/2024 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Taqwa Institute Inspection report: 30 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. Strong standard Expected standard Inclusion Strong standard The setting demonstrates a strong commitment to inclusion. Early years pupil premium funding is used effectively to support individual children and enhance staff's practice. For example, staff access training to widen their knowledge and apply this to their practice in redesigning the curriculum for the nursery. As a result, they have considered how the curriculum can be more inclusive for all children. Leaders invest in staff training, including communication development and the Raising Early Achievement in Literacy project, which has strengthened interactions and improved children's language and school readiness. Children with emerging or identified needs are recognised quickly, with clear individual plans in place. Staff work closely with external agencies and support parents to understand and access appropriate interventions. Partnerships with families and the community are a key strength. The manager works with the local authority and family hubs to deliver programmes supporting understanding of child development and provides flexible support for families. Leaders respond well to community needs, ensuring frequent outdoor access for children who may lack this at home. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make strong progress. For example, those who previously had limited communication and social interaction are now engaging in play and beginning to express their needs confidently. Achievement Expected standard Leaders engage in training and workshops to strengthen their understanding of school readiness and support children's preparation for the next stage of learning. Children who face barriers to learning make good progress from their starting points. For example, children who initially found it difficult to interact with others now explore their environment with confidence and show increasing interest in social interactions. Overall, children make secure progress and develop the skills they need for their next stage. Older children begin to recognise letters, including those in their own and their friends' names and start to write their names with increasing confidence. They follow daily routines more consistently and develop independence skills, such as serving meals and preparing their own snacks. Practitioners support children to understand and manage their emotions. They model and label feelings and provide opportunities for children to talk about their daily experiences. As a result, children begin to recognise their emotions and respond appropriately. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard Staff promote kindness and caring relationships throughout the setting. They support older children through small-group sessions that help to build self-esteem and confidence. Children show positive attitudes towards learning and engage well in a range of activities. For example, children spend time in the outdoor environment crushing coriander seeds before planting them. Children show keen interest and tell staff they have been doing this at home too. This helps children develop their understanding of the natural environment and how things grow. Children generally behave well. Staff support children who find it difficult to regulate their emotions or display challenging behaviours. Practitioners help children to understand their feelings and encourage positive interactions with others. As a result, children are developing their social skills with others. Staff have recently made changes to the daily routines. Therefore, some transitions remain challenging for children, such as mealtimes when some children struggle to sit for a duration of time. Leaders recognise this and continue to support staff to embed consistent and well- structured routines that help all children move smoothly between activities and feel secure throughout the day. Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard Staff build strong relationships with families and create a safe, welcoming environment through an open-door approach. This encourages parents to engage confidently with staff and share information that supports children's wellbeing and development, including for those children who may face barriers to learning and/or wellbeing. Staff prioritise children's mental health and wellbeing through daily interactions and small-group sessions focused on building self-esteem and confidence. Children enjoy these sessions and confidently highlight what they love about themselves and others, for example sharing they like their friend's hair and their own skin colour. This promotes a positive sense of self. Staff actively promote healthy lifestyles. They educate parents about healthy choices, including the impact of screen time, and implement a no-phone policy during arrivals. Staff provide healthy, balanced meals and encourage children to try new foods, helping children develop healthy habits. Children access outdoor learning daily, supporting their physical health, emotional wellbeing and development. Leaders maintain robust safer sleeping procedures and ensure that staff keep up to date with current guidance and practice. Staff understand policies and procedures well because leaders review and re-issue them consistently. Leaders have recently adapted policies to include more visual prompts, helping practitioners remember key information and supporting newer staff during induction. As a result, children feel safe, secure and well supported within the setting. Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Leaders have created a curriculum that is understood by all staff and have recently redesigned it to better meet the needs of their children and staff. Children make appropriate progress from their starting points and generally enjoy their time in the setting. Staff place a large emphasis on developing children's communication and language, particularly through the use of stories. As a result, children begin to develop their vocabulary and confidence in speaking. Children enjoy their play, especially in the outdoor environment. Leaders and staff recognise the importance of outdoor learning and provide regular opportunities for children to develop their physical skills through climbing, running and crawling. Staff implement an inclusive curriculum and use assessment to identify what children know and what they need to learn next. This supports all children, including those with any barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing to access the curriculum and make progress. Babies develop their physical skills, using furniture and equipment to pull themselves up and begin to take steps. Staff support children to follow routines and engage in social times, such as mealtimes. However, as routines are newly established, some children require additional support to engage consistently and understand the whole routine. Leadership and governance Expected standard Leaders demonstrate passion and commitment towards improving the setting and have a clear understanding of the community they serve. They value practitioners' wellbeing and encourage staff to share their views and opinions. Leaders use their strong knowledge of families to shape the support they provide and build positive relationships with parents. As a result, parents speak highly of the setting and appreciate the care and support their children receive. Leaders work effectively with external professionals to ensure that children receive timely support. Staff make referrals promptly and engage positively with outside agencies to secure appropriate interventions for children and families. These partnerships help leaders and practitioners remain informed about current guidance and effective practice, which supports children's care, learning and development. Some members of the team are new to their roles. Leaders recognise the importance of continuing to embed high expectations and providing ongoing training and support for staff. They identify areas for improvement appropriately and are beginning to develop a more consistent, shared understanding of the setting's vision and expectations. This ongoing support will help practitioners continue to strengthen practice and improve outcomes for all children. 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 enjoy attending this warm, welcoming and inclusive setting where staff build strong relationships with both children and their families. Staff create a safe and nurturing environment where children feel secure, valued and confident to explore. Positive partnerships with parents help staff understand children's individual needs well and support them to make progress from their starting points. Children benefit from an inclusive curriculum that reflects the needs of the community. Staff quickly identify children who may need additional support and work closely with external Inspector: Remi Stennett About this setting Unique reference number (URN): 2783839 agencies and families to ensure that children receive timely interventions. As a result, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning make consistent progress. Children who initially struggled with communication and social interaction now engage confidently in play and begin to express their needs and emotions. Staff place a strong emphasis on communication and language development. They use stories, daily conversations and small-group activities to build children's vocabulary, confidence and self-esteem. Older children develop independence skills as they serve meals, prepare snacks and follow daily routines. Children particularly enjoy the outdoor environment, which forms a key part of the curriculum. Staff recognise the importance of outdoor learning and provide children with regular opportunities to climb, run, crawl and explore. This supports children's physical development and ability to regulate their feelings. Staff promote healthy lifestyles effectively. Children enjoy healthy meals and learn about making positive choices. Overall, children behave well, develop caring relationships and show kindness towards one another. They are developing the skills they need for the next stage in their learning. Next steps Leaders should continue to embed the curriculum during routines and different times of the day, such as during mealtimes. Leaders should support staff to ensure that teaching is highly effective across the whole team. About this inspection The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, 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. Address: Brook Street Oldham OL9 0HW Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 14/05/2024 Registered person: Taqwa Institute Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 17:30 Local authority: Oldham Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 30 April 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 0 to 5 Total number of places 60 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