Happy Days Nursery And Pre-School Bath

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy and keen to attend. They settle well and form very warm and trusting relationships with staff from the start. Babies cuddle into staff who attend to their care routines consistently to help them feel safe and secure. Staff create safe and accessible play spaces. This helps to ensure children of all ages can explore freely and move between the indoor playrooms and gardens, leading their own play. Children behave well and learn to be kind, polite and responsible. Staff are good role models who address any minor issues gently and effectively.

Staff plan exciting activities and encourage children to learn through their interests. This helps to motivate and engage children well. For example, babies explore melting ice, sand and paint in sensory activities and chase bubbles to pop. They enjoy cuddling up to read with staff and develop their physical skills on age-appropriate apparatus. Toddlers join in action songs with great enthusiasm, create with many materials and play imaginatively in the mud kitchen. Pre-school children learn about mathematical concepts, construct models together and create games with staff and friends, such as imaginary bus trips. Staff provide resources for parents to borrow to support children's development further at home, including books, dental care guidance and multilingual activities.

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

• Staff plan and deliver a broad curriculum to help children make good progress in all areas of learning. They know the children well and are clear what they intend each child to learn next. Children develop good skills to help prepare them for school. From a young age they learn to take responsibility and to manage tasks independently. They serve themselves at meals and learn to change their clothing. Staff help children to develop confidence in achieving through their encouragement and praise.
• Staff monitor children's progress well from the start. They respond quickly when they identify a child might be at risk of not reaching their expected levels of development. They work efficiently with parents and external professionals to help children reach their potential. The management team ensures any additional funding for children is used responsibly to have the most impact on their learning.
• Staff interact with enthusiasm to encourage children to join in and provide challenges to help them learn more. For example, they encourage children to measure and sequence the lengths of 'sausages' they make from dough. They challenge children to solve problems, such as how to bond objects together in construction activities. However, on occasion, some group activities become too busy, and children become frustrated or lose interest. At such times, this does not help to involve and engage them as well.
• Children of all ages develop good communication and language skills. Staff encourage children to build a rich vocabulary throughout all areas of the provision. For example, they use books and song bags to help younger children learn what words mean and introduce new words, such as 'crunch' and 'croissant', into older children's discussions. Staff use specific activities to target children's language goals, such as picture cards and translating tools.
• Staff help children to develop healthy lifestyles. They benefit from lots of fresh air and physical play and join in yoga sessions to develop their skills. Children enjoy very healthy meals and snacks, which they eat together at sociable mealtimes, with their dietary needs and preferences respected and met safely.
• The management team has a good oversight of the setting and clear aspirations for continuous improvements. It supports staff training to ensure all development is meaningful to improving the care and experiences of children. Staff are well supported and valued, and their well-being is nurtured.
• Partnership with parents is strong. Parents share extremely positive feedback regarding the setting. They state, for example, that children are very well supported as they transition through the nursery and on to school. Staff go above and beyond to meet children's needs and keep them involved and updated continually.
• Staff have a good understanding of their safeguarding roles, responsibilities and the correct procedures to follow in the event of any concerns about a child or adult. They maintain safe and secure environments for children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop the organisation of group activities to further engage and include all children.