Happy Days UK Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children feel safe and secure in this nurturing environment. They have formed strong bonds with the staff and their peers. Children are confident and gain the skills they need for the next stage in their learning, such as moving rooms within the nursery or progressing on to school. They are developing their independence as they take on small tasks, such as serving themselves at mealtimes. Staff support children to understand their emotions and encourage them to talk about how they are feeling. Children's behaviour is good and appropriate to their stage of development. They are kind to their friends and willing to share resources. For instance, they pass their friends some play dough so that they can join in with the activity.

Staff provide children with a wide range of opportunities to investigate textures as they engage in sensory play. For example, they explore the feel of the shaving foam as they squish it between their fingers. Staff encourage children to make patterns on the wall with the shaving foam, which supports the development of their early writing skills. Children enjoy looking at books independently, as well as listening to staff read a story to them. Babies and children like to look at the photographs of family and friends displayed on the walls. Staff make effective use of the photographs to encourage children to recall past events and engage them in conversations.

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

• Staff have a good understanding of children's stage of development and track their progress. This helps to ensure that any gaps in children's learning and development are quickly addressed. The manager works closely with other professionals to help any children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language. The special educational needs coordinator has put in place detailed plans to help children reach their highest potential. The manager has made good use of extra funding to help children become more confident in the nursery environment. For instance, they have purchased extra resources to support home learning. The children enjoy using the equipment at home and sharing the resources with their families.
• Staff support children to develop their communication skills. They make good use of spontaneous events to introduce new vocabulary. For instance, they listen to the 'snap' noise the mini cucumbers makes as the children snap them in half. Staff make good use of rhyme and repetition to help children develop their language skills and hear the correct pronunciation of words.
• Positive partnerships between staff and parents ensure that there is a continuity of care and learning. Parents receive detailed information about their children through daily discussions and an online assessment system. This helps to keep parents up to date with their child's routines, progress and daily activities, which in turn supports home learning.
• There is a clear intent for learning, and staff use their knowledge of the children's interests and next steps to plan the curriculum. Staff provide children with a variety of adult-led activities. For example, children cut up vegetables and investigate what they find inside, such as baby peppers and seeds. Staff encourage the children to taste the vegetables and to talk about their size and shape. However, staff do not make sure that, during adult-led activities, all children participate fully, to help challenge and extend their learning.
• Outside play is important to the staff at the nursery. The children have extensive opportunities to develop their gross motor skills. For instance, they ride on bicycles and walk across balance beams, either independently or supported by staff. The children especially enjoy playing on the swings, as they develop their coordination and build muscle strength.
• The provider and manager have a strong commitment to providing high-quality experiences for children. They have positive relationships with the well-established team of staff, who feel valued in their roles. The manager has identified areas of strength and has plans in place to continually improve and develop the nursery. For instance, they have recently adopted an online training programme to help staff enhance their knowledge and skills. The manager provides staff with supervision and well-being support. However, staff working with younger children do not always sufficiently reflect on their practice to ensure they offer positive learning experiences for younger children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• ensure staff make effective use of focused activities to challenge and extend children's learning
• continue to support staff working with younger children to develop their practice and raise the quality of teaching.