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Caring Kindergartens

Caring Kindergartens is a day nursery in Daventry for children aged 0 to 4, with 123 registered places. Ofsted report card, 17 February 2026: Expected standard in 6 areas; safeguarding standards met.

2 Browns Road, Daventry, NN11 4NS

Key facts

Type
Day nursery (Full day care) (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
Ages
0 to 4 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
Registered places
123 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
Registered
10 October 2023 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)

Opening hours

Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00

Source: Ofsted report, inspection on 17 February 2026

Who runs it

Caring Kindergartens is run by Caring Kindergartens Limited (Ofsted register).

Latest inspection

  • Inclusion: Expected standard
  • Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard
  • Achievement: Expected standard
  • Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard
  • Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard
  • Leadership and governance: Expected standard
  • Safeguarding standards met

Source: Ofsted, inspection on 17 February 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children are warmly welcomed by nurturing staff, ensuring a positive start to the day. They engage confidently in purposeful play and planned activities. Babies are settled and secure, benefiting from attentive interactions. Older children understand routines, independently hanging up coats and self-registering at mealtimes.

Resources are well chosen and accessible, enabling children to make independent choices in their play. Children use their imaginations, for example when creating car tracks, and show increasing control when using scissors. Staff match activities, such as collage, to children's developmental stages, supporting their fine motor skills and early exploration. Children show joy and humour, laughing at amusing sounds and delighting in hidden objects, which promotes their curiosity and a love of learning.

Staff promptly identify gaps in children's learning. They work with parents and carers and external professionals to provide targeted support. Staff adapt provision to meet children's individual needs, using objects of reference and visual prompts to support their understanding of routines. As a result, all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make positive progress from their starting points.

Staff place a particular emphasis on promoting and developing children's communication and language. Staff engage children in meaningful back-and-forth conversations and allow children time to respond. They skilfully support early language development through one-word modelling, repetition and sensitive and responsive interactions. Babies form secure attachments with staff. They confidently seek them out for reassurance, such as when sharing stories.

The setting places children at the heart of its practice. Parents consistently report warm relationships, effective communication and staff who know their children well. They value the clear expectations and practical ideas shared to support learning at home.

What Ofsted found in each area

Inclusion: Expected standard

Recently, leaders have completed special educational needs coordinator training, which has strengthened their knowledge and understanding of the graduated approach. This has improved their ability to identify, assess and support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) more effectively. Staff identify children's individual needs through ongoing observation and assessment. When children show gaps in their learning and development, staff implement clear targets and next steps. They thoughtfully adapt provision and make reasonable adjustments to ensure all children can fully access experiences. As a result, all children, including those with SEND, make positive progress from their starting points.

Leaders demonstrate a commitment to early identification of children's needs and timely referrals. They work closely with parents and carers, and relevant professionals where appropriate. Staff embed support strategies within daily routines and activities to meet children's emerging needs. For example, they use visual cues, objects of reference and visual timetables to help children understand and follow routines. This supports children to anticipate and manage transitions confidently.

Leaders use additional funding effectively to address emerging needs and provide targeted support, ensuring positive outcomes for all children. This includes purchasing specific resources and equipment tailored to children's individual developmental and learning needs.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

The curriculum is carefully planned to build on what children already know and can do, with activities sequenced to extend children's learning. Teaching is typically effective. Staff use their knowledge of each child to ensure learning is meaningful and engaging. They adapt the provision to meet individual needs, using children's interests to promote development. For example, staff find fun ways to engage children's interest, such as hiding items in boxes to encourage exploration. This approach supports all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to make typical progress.

Children are regularly engaged in stories, songs and play, where staff introduce new words and promote communication. Staff support babies' early language through single words and short sentences. Children benefit from frequent conversations with staff and their peers. Staff value children's efforts and achievements. However, sometimes they use general terms, such as 'good job' and 'good girl or boy'. This limits children's understanding of what they are being praised for and a sense of pride in their achievements.

Children have many opportunities to develop their small muscles and coordination. For example, they fill and empty sand containers, roll and squeeze play dough and cut paper. Outside, they access fresh air and develop physical skills through running, climbing and balancing. Staff weave mathematical language into everyday play, encouraging children to explore shapes, quantity and early mathematical concepts.

Achievement: Expected standard

All children make progress in developing skills that prepare them for the next stage of their learning. Babies and young children build their gross motor skills effectively. They gain strength and coordination as they explore, walk and move freely indoors and outdoors. Children also develop their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. For example, older babies strengthen the muscles in their hands by using spray bottles to water the snails, which supports their ability to later pour drinks independently as they move through the nursery.

Children remain engaged and focused during activities. They benefit from the attentive support of staff and a wide range of purposeful and well-planned experiences. This fosters children's curiosity and helps them develop a positive attitude towards learning. Children develop their language and communication skills through joining in with stories and songs and engaging in lots of back-and-forth conversations. Overall, children mostly develop independence skills and learn to manage their self-care.

Through careful adaptations to the provision, all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, receive support to access the same opportunities and encouragement to achieve their full potential.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Children form positive attachments with their key person and other staff. This supports their personal, social and emotional development, as well as their sense of belonging. Daily routines are well established and children respond positively to staff's guidance. Mealtimes are calm and orderly, with children independently washing their hands and seating themselves at the tables.

Children's behaviour is generally positive. They learn to share, take turns and include others in their play. However, when unwanted behaviours occur, staff responses are sometimes inconsistent. As a result, children do not receive consistent support to understand the expectations for their behaviour in the setting.

Staff carefully plan transitions to the next room around children's confidence and emotional readiness, ensuring a smooth and responsive process. Leaders monitor children's attendance closely and work with families to address any barriers. Staff tailor the provision effectively to support all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to develop their understanding of daily routines. For example, they remind children what is happening next and give them time to process and prepare for the next part of the daily routine.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Staff create a warm and welcoming environment, where children feel safe and secure. As a result, children are happy and settled. Staff show care and kindness, taking time to build positive relationships with children. This supports children to develop a deep sense of belonging. Recently, staff have introduced activities and resources to help children begin to recognise and regulate their emotions. This is supporting children to identify how they feel and enables staff to respond more effectively to children's individual needs.

Overall, staff generally promote children's independence, although this is not yet fully consistent. For example, at mealtimes children are encouraged to pour their own drinks and serve their own food. However, on some occasions, staff complete tasks for children, such as putting on their coats, before giving them sufficient opportunity to try for themselves. This does not consistently support children to fully develop their self-care skills.

Staff have a secure understanding of safe sleeping practice. They carry out regular checks on sleeping children and ensure outdoor clothing is removed before children rest. Children are provided with healthy and nutritious meals. Staff engage children in conversations about making healthy choices. Children also receive support to use tools and equipment safely. For example, staff teach children how to use scissors appropriately.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders have an accurate understanding of the setting's strengths and areas for development. They recognise that adopting a more consistent approach to behaviour management will further support children to understand and meet expectations.

Leaders place an emphasis on ensuring that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, receive support to make progress from their starting points. They develop effective partnerships with parents and a collaborative approach. Parents comment that they receive regular feedback and ideas to support learning at home.

Staff report that they feel supported by leaders, who prioritise their wellbeing. Staff's training needs are identified to support their continued professional development. Leaders know staff's strengths. They value their ideas and contributions to enhance aspects of the setting. For example, they have implemented further activities to support children's emotional regulation.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

  • Leaders should support consistency when helping children to understand the behaviours that are expected.
  • Leaders should support staff to enable children to attempt tasks for themselves to further develop their self-care skills.
  • Leaders should support staff to enable children to understand and recognise the skills they have learned and achieved.

Ofsted's words, from the report on the inspection on 17 February 2026. Read the full report on the Ofsted website. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Inspection history

  • 17 February 2026: Full inspection, report card: Expected standard in 6

Ofsted report cards (England, from November 2025)

Since 10 November 2025 Ofsted has graded nurseries and pre-schools on a report card. There is no single overall grade. Instead, each of six areas gets one of five grades: Exceptional, Strong standard, Expected standard, Needs attention, Urgent improvement.

The six areas are inclusion; curriculum and teaching; achievement; behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines; children's welfare and wellbeing; leadership and governance. Safeguarding is judged on its own, as met or not met.

Expected standard means the setting does what Ofsted expects of every setting. Strong standard and Exceptional are above that; Needs attention and Urgent improvement mean Ofsted found things the setting has to put right.

Source: Ofsted reports

Funded childcare hours in England

All 3 and 4 year olds in England can get 15 hours of free childcare a week, for 38 weeks of the year.

Working parents of children aged 9 months to 4 years old can get 30 hours of free childcare a week for 38 weeks of the year (Free Childcare for Working Parents), if they meet the earnings rules. You confirm your details every 3 months.

Some 2 year olds can get 15 hours a week when the family gets certain kinds of extra support.

The hours are used at a registered provider that offers them, so ask each nursery how it offers the funded hours.

Source: GOV.UK: Free Childcare for Working Parents, check if you're eligible · GOV.UK: Free childcare and education for 2 to 4 year olds (checked 31 October 2026)

Other nurseries nearby

  • Messy Hands - Pre-school, Daventry NN11 4RB, ages 2 to 4, 30 places, 0.4 miles
    Ofsted, 15 March 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • JGB Active Daycare - Day nursery, Daventry NN11 0QE, ages 0 to 4, 65 places, 1.1 miles
    Ofsted, 24 June 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Giggles Pre-School - Pre-school, Daventry NN11 0QE, ages 2 to 4, 30 places, 1.1 miles
    Ofsted, 24 June 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Hickory House Day Nursery Limited - Day nursery, Daventry NN11 4BG, ages 0 to 4, 1.1 miles
    Ofsted, 28 March 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Kiddi Caru Day Nursery and Preschool - Day nursery, London Road NN11 4DY, ages 0 to 4, 66 places, 1.1 miles
    Ofsted, 23 January 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective

Schools nearby

Caring Kindergartens on the Ofsted website