Happy Days Nursery and Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Leaders set a precise vision for an inclusive, ambitious, and nurturing environment, where children feel secure, confident and ready to learn. Leaders offer weekly stay- and-play sessions that are free to all families before children start, to help parents and children build confidence in the setting. Staff gather meticulous information about each child, including their favourite book and interests. They use this to plan familiar activities from the start that support strong emotional connections and ease children's transition into nursery life.

Leaders have designed a bespoke curriculum that provides extensive support for children's development across all areas of learning. Staff implement this with precision, adapting activities that reflect children's interests and needs. Enrichment forms a key part of daily life, from yoga and mindfulness, to gardening, science experiments and community visits. For example, leaders have planned a yoga curriculum that progresses from gentle baby massage to child-led sessions in pre-school. Children learn to move with control, link movement to breath, and use relaxation techniques to regulate their emotions and behaviour. Younger toddlers apply this when they feel overwhelmed and use quiet areas to self-soothe.

Staff give children the freedom, tools, and trust to follow their ideas and test out their thinking. During science activities, older children make predictions, observe reactions, and revisit experiments with confidence and curiosity. Staff ask thoughtful questions and provide just enough guidance to deepen learning while allowing children to lead. Children remain highly engaged in their play.

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

• Leaders take a forward-thinking approach to continuous improvement, rooted in a deep understanding of the local community and children's needs. They have plans to invest in projects that extend learning beyond the setting, such as developing a mobile forest school to further broaden outdoor play opportunities and children's sense of adventure.
• Leaders train staff thoroughly in the implementation of their curriculum. Following meticulous monitoring of the quality of teaching, they provide ongoing coaching and curriculum-specific workshops. Staff value the opportunities to visit other settings across the group. Leaders ensure that all staff, including new staff and apprentices, deliver consistent and high-quality teaching.
• Leaders and staff maintain robust, ongoing partnerships with parents that fully support each child's development and well-being. They share regular updates through daily conversations and the online app. They offer tailored advice on topics, such as sleep routines, behaviour, and oral hygiene. Leaders also provide guidance on sun safety, online safety, and an extensive range of leaflets, visual displays, and home-learning packs to keep families well informed.
• Staff carry out assessment with precision and purpose. They use what they know about each child's interests, development, and needs to plan learning that is ambitious and meaningful. Assessment is continuous and embedded in daily routines, enabling staff to make real-time adjustments that keep children challenged and engaged. Children make exceptional progress.
• Staff provide highly effective support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They identify needs promptly and work closely with parents and external professionals to create individual plans that are reviewed regularly. Staff adapt teaching with skill, using strategies, such as objects of reference, signing and sensory tools to promote communication and engagement. Leaders allocate funding thoughtfully, ensuring it meets each child's specific needs and interests. All children take part fully in nursery life.
• Leaders and staff create a highly stimulating and well-considered learning environment across all age groups. Spaces are designed to reflect children's developmental needs and encourage independent exploration. In the youngest rooms, staff provide low-level sensory materials, sturdy furniture for cruising, and carefully chosen props to support language and physical development. Babies move confidently, remain focused in their play and show curiosity as they interact with adults and their peers.
• Staff use all aspects of the daily routine as valuable opportunities to extend learning and deepen children's understanding. They organise the day flexibly so that children are never left waiting, with smooth transitions and responsive planning that keeps learning flowing. Staff turn nappy changing into moments of connection and communication, using songs, gestures and simple language to support emotional security and early speech. Children remain highly engaged and continue learning throughout the day.
• Staff embed emotional awareness, and respectful behaviour is at the heart of the setting's culture. They use consistent strategies, such as colour-coded visuals, carefully chosen language and shared storybooks to help children understand and express complex feelings. Staff model how to manage emotions calmly and children quickly learn to do the same. Children show remarkable levels of empathy, self-regulation and social awareness for their age.
• Staff give children the time, space, and support they need to do things for themselves. From an early age, children learn to make independent choices and take care of their belongings. At lunchtime, toddlers clear their plates and take them to be washed without reminders, showing a strong sense of responsibility. Staff teach and model self-care routines consistently. Children build the confidence and are proud to manage everyday tasks.