A nursery which was visited for the first time since it opened in 2022 has been told it needs to improve by Ofsted.

Little Acorns in Victoria Road, Padiham, was registered with Ofsted in July 2022 and was inspected for the first time on June 5.

Children are said to be happy at the nursery while the staff were deemed to be kind and caring, but inspectors said the nursery required improvement in all areas – quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management.

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It was noted the quality of education “varies considerably” across the nursery, and although the planned curriculum is effective, it is not “consistently well implemented.”

The report said: “Leaders have a good understanding of what they want children to learn.

"When planning the curriculum, they consider children’s interests and the skills and knowledge they already have.

“However, the curriculum is not implemented well enough. Staff do not consider leaders’ intentions during their interactions with children or when planning activities and experiences.

“There are procedures in place for monitoring children’s development and identifying what they need to learn next.

“However, staff do not always implement children’s next steps consistently. Additionally, there are occasions when some staff are unsure of what children are currently learning.

“The nursery is currently undergoing some refurbishments. Leaders and staff have not fully considered how this change affects children’s routines, particularly in the toddler room.

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“Children often spend a long time before lunch in unstructured play. At these times, some children find managing their usually good behaviour difficult. They become fractious, have disputes over toys, and spend time wandering.

“Staff sing to children throughout the day, encouraging them to join in with words and phrases they remember. Older children are very chatty. They are confident communicators and can hold lengthy conversations about nursery and their experiences at home.”

The nursery’s next inspection is expected to be sometime within the next 12 months.

Little Acorns was contacted for comment.