Happy Tots Private Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are welcomed by happy and enthusiastic staff as they arrive at this nursery. They separate easily from their parents and settle quickly into activities with their key person. Staff focus on improving children's communication and language, supporting their growing vocabulary and extending their language skills through play and experiences. In the baby room, staff blow bubbles with the babies, who giggle excitedly as they blow them bigger and bigger. Staff model language, such as 'big bubbles' and 'bubble pop' to encourage babies to copy. Older children talk about their constructions, with children making farms and castles. Staff seamlessly provide dolls and animals to extend their play and promote storytelling.

Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. Routines are used well to embed rules and boundaries. Children respond to cues, such as the clean-up song, where they help to tidy away the toys for lunch. This supports children's behaviour expectations, as they know what is expected and what is coming next. Behaviour is positive and well-managed. Leaders encourage children to learn about their local community by providing opportunities to visit local shops, park, the farm, and making links with the local library. Children benefit from outings on the tram, where they learn about road safety, safety around strangers, and how to buy tickets, as well as the experience of the trip.

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

• Leaders have worked closely with the staff to make significant improvements since the last inspection. They have made changes to key areas of the curriculum and provision to ensure they provide a good quality of care and education for children.
• Staff plan activities and experiences to support children's interests and next steps. They extend children's play to further enhance their learning, skilfully weaving in questions to encourage children's thinking. This helps children to make good connections in their learning and develop their ideas.
• The curriculum provides clear expectations on what staff expect children to learn in each room and is well-sequenced to build on previous learning. However, the curriculum for outdoor play and learning is not given the same level of consideration. This means children who prefer to learn outdoors, are not given the variety of opportunities and experiences that they should.
• Staff interactions are positive and effective. Staff get down to children's level when speaking to them and make good eye contact. They provide a narrative to children's play, modelling a two-way flow of communication and introducing new vocabulary. This supports children's developing communication and language skills.
• The key-person system is implemented and well embedded. Staff are knowledgeable when discussing their key children, their needs and their abilities. As such, children are confident and calm, knowing who they can go to for security and comfort.
• Staff support children to build on what they already know and can do, and encourage them to try things for themselves. For example, children try to put on their own aprons for messy play, serve their own meals, and clear up their own spillages. Staff teach children how to manage their own personal hygiene, such as washing their hands in preparation for lunch. This helps children to develop independence and self-confidence in their own abilities.
• The provider works closely with parents and other agencies to ensure the support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is consistent. Children have individual plans which detail their learning targets, including any support from external agencies, to show what they need to work towards. This helps to promote a clear and coordinated approach to children's development.
• Parents are positive about the impact of their children attending this nursery. They have nothing but praise for the staff, who they say are compassionate, friendly, and always on hand to listen and help. Parents talk about their child's learning and are confident that they know what their child's next steps are and what they are learning in nursery. They speak highly of the coordinated approach from the provider and the agency in supporting their child to make progress.
• Leaders support staff to continually improve their practice with regular supervision sessions, observations, and coaching. They identify where there are gaps in knowledge and link this to training opportunities. This supports staff in enhancing their delivery of an effective curriculum.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to develop the curriculum to strengthen opportunities and experiences for children's engagement and learning outdoors.