Happy Feet Day Nursery Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at nursery and are delighted to receive a warm and enthusiastic welcome from the staff who care for them. The nursery provides a home-from-home environment for children, which helps to put them at ease and feel safe. Children show their developing independence as they hang up their coats, hats and bags themselves. Toddlers and pre-school children show great confidence and coordination as they balance and negotiate the stairs to their rooms, under close supervision of staff. Babies enjoy lots of space to explore. They use equipment to pull themselves to stand independently and take their first tentative steps while encouraged by staff.

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, children are provided with even greater support in relation to their communication and language development and regulating their emotions. Children of all ages take part in singing nursery rhymes and enjoy listening to their favourite stories throughout the day. This helps to support children's emerging speech and language development. Children are polite and considerate towards their friends. Disagreements are rare, as staff act as good role models and remind children of expected behaviours. Daily outdoor play supports children's physical development well. Children negotiate the climbing frame, whizz down the slide and skilfully manoeuvre scooters and tricycles. Staff help children learn to care for animals and plants as they take part in feeding and handling the nursery rabbits and planting and watering a variety of herbs.

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

• Leaders have made significant changes to the nursery since the previous inspection, in order to provide children with learning that sparks their curiosity and interest. With the support from staff, children are calm and highly focused in their learning. For example, staff guide children in experimenting in making their own dough. They support children in weighing and measuring ingredients, introducing early mathematical concepts, such as more and less. Children are given time to test out ideas for themselves. If they make mistakes staff support them to have another go. Staff are clear that learning activities are about the process and not the end product.
• Leaders have instilled a holistic approach to help children manage their own emotions. Staff work closely with families to ensure children's behaviour is supported consistently in nursery and at home. Staff lead children in activities, such as yoga, meditation and mindfulness, which help children learn to calm themselves. Staff reinforce positive behaviours, and help children understand how others feel if they have been treated unkindly. This contributes to children being kind to their friends and them becoming increasingly able to regulate their own emotions in a positive manner.
• Overall, staff support all children well with their speech and language development. However, on occasion, some staff do not pronounce words correctly. This does not consistently support and model the correct use of language to children. Consequently, there is scope for children to make even greater progress with their communication and language.
• For children who speak English as an additional language or who are bi-lingual, their language develops at a rapid pace. Home languages are celebrated and incorporated into everyday interactions. Staff work collaboratively with parents, and services within the local authority, to ensure that, where required, children promptly receive the additional support they need. This ensures that all children progress well.
• Staff have given great thought and attention to daily routines to support children's emerging independence. Children practise completing normal home life routines, such as helping to tidy up, or washing dishes after lunch. Children take pride in serving meals to their friends at lunchtime, and confidently use cutlery to feed themselves.
• Leaders and staff act as true advocates for the children in their care. They take swift action to put in place support from other professionals, where children need help in relation to special educational needs and/or disabilities. Therefore, staff are well equipped to meet the needs of all children in their care.
• Staff praise the leaders of the nursery for their support, both professionally and personally. They talk positively about workload expectations and opportunities for professional development. This, alongside a strong team ethos with shared common goals, helps them provide the best education possible for the children who attend.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support all staff to consistently model the correct pronunciation of words to further develop children's speech and language.