Dot Tots Nursery

In July 2023, story choices decided by a vote and friendship flowers about kindness gave Dot Tots Nursery a recognisable character. At its July 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and highlighted the strength of support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Based at 1 Ebenezer Street, Bilston, WV14 9LP, the nursery accepts children from three months to 59 months. Its opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care: here, the July 2023 activities included exploring textures, making food and matching numbers through play.

In July 2023, babies investigated textures, two-year-olds made cereal-and-chocolate cakes, and older children searched for shells in sand while practising number recognition. These were different tasks for different developmental stages. Activities followed children's interests and their next learning steps, although their organisation sometimes prevented everyone from participating fully.

Outdoor play had a substantial role that July. Children organised skittles games and practised climbing, sliding and balancing. Indoors, books were accessible in cosy spaces and a library; older children explored how authors, illustrators and a book's blurb contribute to a story. Voting for a story combined making a choice with counting the votes and accepting another child's preference.

In July 2023, the special educational needs coordinator worked with families and external agencies to identify additional help. Staff also exchanged information about children's development when they moved between rooms, giving the next team a starting point for learning.

Friendship flowers helped children express the qualities they wanted in a friend that July, including kindness and sharing. Families contributed their languages, cultures and beliefs, and joined home challenges such as growing sunflowers. Parent involvement extended beyond receiving updates.

Lunchtime practice needed attention in July 2023. Some children received too little help with cutlery and conversation, while older children were handed lunchbox items individually, limiting opportunities to manage their meal independently. The improvement priorities covered both activity organisation and helping every member of staff, including lunchtime staff, develop children's independence and social communication.

The address is 1 Ebenezer Street, Bilston, WV14 9LP. Opening runs from 8am until 6pm on weekdays, across the year, with closures for bank holidays and one week at Christmas.

In July 2023, the nursery provided funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. That describes its funding provision at the time of the visit.

• Participation in activities. July 2023 practice did not consistently give every child full involvement. On a visit, ask how activities now accommodate children who need extra support to join in.
• Independence at lunch. July 2023 improvement priorities included cutlery, conversation and managing lunch. Ask how lunchtime staff now support these skills.
• Attendance and costs. The weekday opening window spans 8am to 6pm. Ask which booking patterns and funded arrangements fit your week, and request a current written quotation covering meals and consumables.

Dot Tots Nursery suits families seeking weekday childcare across the year. Outdoor activity, books and parents' practical involvement in children's learning were features of its July 2023 provision. Its July 2023 inspection gives a positive overall assessment, with SEND support a particular strength. The useful questions concern how activity participation and lunchtime independence have developed since that visit.