Happy Corner Nursery Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This friendly, welcoming setting is at the heart of the local community. The interactions between staff and children are warm, caring and encouraging. Staff warmly welcome children and their families at drop off, helping children to separate easily and quickly settle into their chosen activities. Staff readily give cuddles to children who are new or require a little extra reassurance. This helps children to feel safe and supports their emotional security.

Staff develop a deep understanding of each child's individual needs, interests and development. They provide exciting activities that promote children's learning. For instance, children enjoy using the indoor climbing frame and take pride in reaching the top. Their achievements are celebrated by staff with lots of praise. This supports children's physical development and helps them to solve problems as they confidently take appropriate risks in their play.

Staff have clear, consistent expectations for children's behaviour, emphasising kindness and respect. Children listen well to instructions and demonstrate a good understanding of these expectations. They are happy and confident, and demonstrate consistently positive behaviour.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

• Staff use effective strategies to help children develop confidence in their communication and language development. They model language well and actively engage children in conversations. Singing songs together, along with using actions, pictures and familiar objects, supports early language development. These approaches ensure that all children become confident communicators.
• The setting is fully inclusive and well resourced, with strong, trusting relationships between staff and children, and a clear focus on supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure that children with SEND get the support they need. This helps children with SEND to make good progress from their starting points.
• Staff are fantastic role models and teach children to be kind and respectful. They set clear, age-appropriate behaviour expectations and use praise and gentle guidance to help children understand how to treat others. For example, they have discussions about how actions can affect others, using happy and sad faces to demonstrate emotions. This helps children learn to care for others and enjoy playing and learning together as they learn about their feelings and emotions.
• The curriculum is ambitious for all children. Staff know the children well and plan focused activities that reflect their interests and aim to extend their learning.
• However, planning is not always purposeful enough to maximise progress for every child. Small-group activities lack clear intent and are not always well planned or purposeful. For instance, sometimes staff do not give children clear instructions or prepare resources in advance. This leads to delays and missed opportunities. As a result, children become disengaged and their learning is limited.
• Staff promote children's wider personal development effectively. They are aware of the cultural diversity of their location, and the cohort of children attending the setting. This is celebrated through displays, resources and experiences offered to children. Staff teach children about world faiths and customs, such as Eid. As a result, children's knowledge and understanding of the world are increased.
• Staff actively promote children's well-being through consistent routines that encourage independence. They support children's independence through daily routines, such as handwashing and using cutlery at mealtimes. However, the utensils are not always suitable for younger children, making it hard for them to eat independently. Staff often focus more on tasks than engaging with children. This results in children not receiving the support needed to help them develop their skills and extend their learning during mealtimes.
• Leaders are committed to their roles and share a clear vision to enhance the setting and further support children and families. They have a realistic understanding of the challenges they may face in achieving these goals. Staff are skilled and receive strong support from leaders. They undertake training to improve their professional skills and are well equipped to meet the learning and developmental needs of children.
• The setting keeps parents well informed through daily conversations, parent meetings and use of an online app. Parents report that they appreciate the professional, caring approach of staff and that they feel well supported, particularly regarding SEND children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• ensure group activities have clear learning intentions and are prepared to keep children engaged and maximise their learning
• improve mealtime routines to provide children with more opportunities to practise their independence skills and promote children's understanding of healthy eating to improve their knowledge and develop healthy habits.