Roade Rascals
Roade Rascals is a day nursery in Northampton for children aged 1 to 10, with 18 registered places. Ofsted report card, 2 February 2026: Expected standard in 6 areas; safeguarding standards met.
Roade Village Hall, Bailey Brooks Lane, Northampton, NN7 2LS
Key facts
- Type
- Day nursery (Full day care) (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
- Ages
- 1 to 10 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
- Registered places
- 18 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
- Registered
- 17 April 2015 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
Opening hours
Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00
Source: Ofsted report, inspection on 2 February 2026
Who runs it
Roade Rascals is run by Roade Rascals 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 2 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 settled and happy in this welcoming nursery. They explore confidently in a safe and nurturing environment, and separate easily from their parents and carers. Staff form positive relationships with staff and each other. Babies show secure attachments, sitting comfortably with staff while exploring instruments. Older children engage deeply in role play, demonstrating cooperation and positive social interactions.
Children experience a wide range of opportunities to develop communication and language through group activities and one-to-one interactions. They enjoy taking part in music and movement sessions, as well as sharing quiet stories with their key person. Children also engage enthusiastically in activities that support their physical development, indoors and outdoors. For example, pre-school children regularly walk to the local park to use large equipment to climb, balance and manoeuvre their whole bodies. Younger children build on their hand strength, such as they dress dolls and enjoy the sensory experience of squeezing sponges to create bubbles.
Children benefit from a varied curriculum that includes all areas of learning. Staff know what children already know and can do and what they need to learn next. They use their knowledge of child development to adapt activities so they meet each child's needs, ensuring that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, continue to make progress. As a result, children are eager to join in and explore.
Children develop the key skills they need for the next stage in their education. They learn to be independent and begin to manage self-care skills, such as toileting and handwashing. Staff use clear expectations to help children to understand what is happening now and next. Children behave well, show respect towards one another and make typical progress appropriate for their age and stage of development.
What Ofsted found in each area
Inclusion: Expected standard
Leaders promote an inclusive culture, where every child is valued. Staff recognise and understand children's individual needs well. Staff gather detailed information from parents and carers, when children join the setting, and use ongoing assessments to identify any emerging needs promptly. This ensures that delays or gaps in children's learning are identified at the earliest opportunity.
Staff work effectively with parents and carers and other professionals to develop targeted plans that focus on the areas where children need the most help. Staff adapt their teaching and care to meet individual needs and ensure that all children can fully access the curriculum. For example, the use of picture cards, communication lanyards and visual prompts help children who find communication difficult. This enables every child to participate meaningfully in learning and make progress from their starting points.
Leaders closely monitor children's progress and regularly review the effectiveness. They have effective systems in place to support children known to children's social care and work closely with other agencies to ensure children needs are understood and met. Staff provide practical advice and support to parents, who may need additional guidance in navigating external processes. This collaborative approach ensures support is well coordinated, leading to improved outcomes for children and helping them move forward confidently in their development.
Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard
Overall, leaders have a secure understanding of the curriculum and work with staff to improve the consistency and quality of teaching across the setting. They have recently started to organise older and younger children into separate groups, which means teaching is better focused on meeting their different learning needs. In the baby room, staff appropriately prioritise babies' personal, social and emotional development, focusing on establishing routines and secure attachments. However, there is less focused learning opportunities for babies that promote their progress in other areas.
Staff place an emphasis on children's communication and language development. Books, stories and rhymes are readily available for children, who enjoy engaging with stories and songs during the day. Staff skilfully extend children's vocabulary by introducing new words through their play and discussions. Staff skilfully use assessment to identify gaps in children's learning and are quick to offer additional support to those children who need it. For example, they offer small-group sessions to focus on children's speech and language development.
Staff plan activities that follow children's interests and stage of development. For example, toddlers develop coordination as they build structures. Older children demonstrate curiosity as they mix colours with paint, proudly sharing with their friends what colours they make. Staff teach mathematical concepts in enjoyable and purposeful ways. For example, at snack time, children use number cards to count pieces of fruit, and staff introduce concepts, such as 'full' and 'empty', as children pour liquids during their play.
Achievement: Expected standard
Children make steady progress from their starting points across all areas of learning. They develop the knowledge and skills needed for their age and stage of development, particularly in communication and language. Children become confident talkers, join in discussions with staff and listen to their friends.
Children are typically well prepared for the next stage of their learning, including school. For example, children put on their own shoes and coats, use the toilet independently and follow instructions well. They show confidence as they take part in a wide range of activities. Children build on what they have learned, demonstrating growing resilience and readiness for future learning.
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make positive progress due to targeted support. Children manage routines confidently, as these are adapted to suit their individual needs. Children who may be more vulnerable benefit from consistent approaches that help them to remain settled and regulated.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard
Staff treat children with warmth and respect and devolve secure attachments with children. Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour. They give children choice and flexibility in their activities. This allows children to engage in ways that suit them and to follow their interests. Staff use regular routines to help children to develop their independence, such as handwashing before mealtimes. However, although children are learning to be independent, at times, staff are quick to help children do things, rather than encourage them to try for themselves. For example, staff tidy away resources after children, rather than encouraging them to help. This does not consistently support children's growing independence and help them to develop an understanding of how to care for their environment.
Staff plan group activities that help children to learn to play together and cooperate. They encourage turn-taking and sharing. Staff support children to manage minor disagreements effectively. They use tools, such as a sand timer, to enable children to take turns confidently, negotiate fairly and wait patiently. These routines are well established and help children to develop positive strategies for resolving conflicts.
Effective partnerships with parents and carers ensure that they receive messages about their children's behaviour and their expectations. Leaders promote children's positive attendance and work closely with families to address any emerging barriers.
Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard
Leaders make decisions in the best interests of all children, particularly for disadvantaged children and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They guide staff to create an inclusive environment that supports every child's progress and wellbeing. Staff ensure that the settling-in process provides reassurance and emotional security for children and their parents and carers. This supports children to build positive bonds with not only their key persons but also all staff in the setting.
Staff are attentive to children's needs. Care routines run smoothly. Staff adapt sleeping, feeding and toileting routines sensitively. This ensures that all children have their individual needs met. Staff support children to develop healthy lifestyles through everyday routines, such as snack times, where children benefit from healthy foods provided. Staff have discussions with children during their play about self-care, such as oral health. They promote the importance of being physically active, ensuring that children have daily opportunities for fresh air and exercise.
Staff model empathy, and encourage children to show kindness and care towards their friends. Children learn how to recognise, express and manage their emotions. Staff take time to talk to children about how they are feeling and what has made them feel that way. In addition, staff use visual aids to help children to identify the emotions they are feeling.
Leadership and governance: Expected standard
Newly appointed leaders are aware of the nursery's strengths and areas for improvement. They put plans in place to ensure that the nursery is always developing. For example, leaders have identified that reorganising rooms ensures that children benefit from age-appropriate learning.
Leaders typically monitor the curriculum to ensure that it meets the needs of all children, including those on the pathway to requiring additional support. However, they have not yet fully refined the curriculum for babies to ensure they benefit from clearly planned learning opportunities that promote their progress. Leaders acknowledge they are on a development journey and, while further improvements are needed, they have a clear and focused plan to drive progress and secure the best outcomes for all children.
Leaders maintain clear oversight of the setting. Their knowledge of the local community and their engagement with other agencies support children and families effectively to help their children to thrive. Staff take part in regular professional discussions with the staff team during planned meetings to share information, discuss practice and enable staff to raise any concerns. This supports staff to understand their roles and responsibilities. It also aids sharing of information and safeguarding children. Leaders value and nurture staff's wellbeing. They provide support and guidance and ensure that staff's workloads are manageable.
What the setting must and should do next
The provider should:
- Leaders should strengthen the curriculum for babies to ensure that teaching is consistently focused and that babies benefit from clearly planned learning opportunities that promote their progress.
- Leaders should develop staff's knowledge of how to further support children's independence skills, so that they develop a positive attitude to caring for their environment.
Ofsted's words, from the report on the inspection on 2 February 2026. Read the full report on the Ofsted website. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Inspection history
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
- Woodleys Farm Day Nursery - Day nursery, Northampton NN7 2LW, ages 0 to 4, 40 places, 0.1 milesOfsted, 23 March 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Roade Day Nursery - Day nursery, Northampton NN7 2LP, ages 0 to 4, 68 places, 0.5 milesOfsted, 13 August 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Davey Day Care - Day nursery, Northampton NN7 2EG, ages 0 to 4, 100 places, 1.9 milesOfsted, 3 July 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Adorables Day Nursery - Day nursery, Northampton NN7 3BU, ages 0 to 4, 27 places, 1.9 milesOfsted, 1 April 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
Schools nearby
- Roade Primary School - Primary, 0.5 miles
- Roade Village Academy - Secondary, 0.5 miles