Ofsted report card

Little Acorns (North East) Ltd.

STANLEY, County Durham · DH9 7AN

Inspected by Ofsted on 6 May 2026 under the report card framework.

Curriculum and teaching Needs Attention
Achievement Needs Attention
Behaviour and routines Expected Standard
Welfare and wellbeing Needs Attention
Inclusion Needs Attention
Leadership and governance Needs Attention

What each grade means

Each area is judged separately. Expected standard is the bar every provider has to clear — meeting it is the pass, not a mediocre result.

Curriculum and teaching

Needs Attention

Below the expected standard in this area. It has to be put right, but it is not judged urgent.

Achievement

Needs Attention

Below the expected standard in this area. It has to be put right, but it is not judged urgent.

Behaviour and routines

Expected Standard

The bar every provider must clear. Meeting it is the pass, not a mediocre result.

Welfare and wellbeing

Needs Attention

Below the expected standard in this area. It has to be put right, but it is not judged urgent.

Inclusion

Needs Attention

Below the expected standard in this area. It has to be put right, but it is not judged urgent.

Leadership and governance

Needs Attention

Below the expected standard in this area. It has to be put right, but it is not judged urgent.

Registration

Ofsted URN
EY103722
Provider type
Childcare on Non-Domestic Premises, Full day care
Ages
1 to 4
Registered places
61
Registered since
29 October 2001
Local authority
Durham

On the Early Years Register and the Compulsory Childcare Register and the Voluntary Childcare Register.

Where it is

STANLEY, County Durham · DH9 7AN. Location from the Ofsted register.

Inspection history

Inspections before November 2025 gave one overall rating rather than grading each area.

  1. 22 April 2022 inspection Good
  2. 29 March 2017 inspection Good
  3. 18 March 2014 inspection Good
  4. 17 February 2009 inspection
  5. 27 February 2006 inspection
  6. 23 September 2004 inspection

Common questions

When was Little Acorns (North East) Ltd. last inspected by Ofsted? +

Little Acorns (North East) Ltd. in STANLEY, County Durham was last inspected on 6 May 2026. That inspection used Ofsted's report card framework, which replaced single-word overall ratings for early years settings in November 2025.

What did Ofsted say about Little Acorns (North East) Ltd.? +

Ofsted graded 6 areas: curriculum and teaching — Needs Attention; achievement — Needs Attention; behaviour and routines — Expected Standard; welfare and wellbeing — Needs Attention; inclusion — Needs Attention; leadership and governance — Needs Attention. Each area is judged separately, so a setting can be stronger in one than another.

Is "expected standard" a good grade? +

Yes. Expected standard is the bar every provider has to clear, so meeting it is the pass rather than a mediocre result. Strong standard and exceptional sit above it; needs attention and urgent improvement sit below.

What ages does Little Acorns (North East) Ltd. take? +

Little Acorns (North East) Ltd. is registered for children aged 1 to 4.

How many children can Little Acorns (North East) Ltd. take? +

Little Acorns (North East) Ltd. is registered for up to 61 children at any one time. That is a registration limit, not the number currently attending.

How long has Little Acorns (North East) Ltd. been registered? +

Little Acorns (North East) Ltd. has been registered with Ofsted since 29 October 2001. Its unique reference number (URN) is EY103722.

Nearby settings

Inspection and registration information is published by Ofsted and reproduced under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Little Bees is not affiliated with Ofsted. The grade descriptions are our plain-English summaries of where each grade sits against the standard, not Ofsted's own criteria.

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