HappyWoods Bell Lane Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are confident and well settled in this welcoming nursery. They are well behaved and follow the good examples set by staff. Staff know the children well and are always on hand to provide cuddles and comfort.

Staff have constructed a curriculum that is child-centred. They tap into each child's interests and use previous observations of the children to help them to make good progress and achieve positive outcomes. Staff review children's next steps in learning regularly.

Children benefit from a wide range of exciting experiences. For instance, they learn about where their food comes from as they grow fruits and vegetables in the garden. Children look forward to their regular yoga, Spanish, cooking and forest school sessions. Staff plan an exciting and ambitious curriculum for all, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), through which children make good progress in their learning.

Staff support children with their communication and language development. They repeat children's words and sentences to model the correct pronunciation and add new words to extend their vocabulary. Staff ask questions while children play to help them think about what they are doing and engage them in conversation. The setting has put additional capacity/support in place for children who speak English as an additional language; it works closely with families and key workers to ensure that children are developing their English language as well as their first language.

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

• Leaders and managers are passionate about all children achieving. They implement a curriculum that teaches children across all areas of learning. Staff deliver the curriculum through child-led and focused activities that support children to meet their next steps.
• Children's mathematical understanding is well supported. Staff plan lots of opportunities for children to learn about shape and space and to use mathematical language. For example, younger children hear the words 'half' and 'quarter' when filling buckets in water play. Older children create houses out of different shapes, learning the names of the shapes as they cut and stick. Children learn to recognise numbers and count proficiently. This gives them a firm base to build on their understanding.
• Mealtimes and snack times are calm and enjoyable experiences that are filled with opportunities to learn. This helps children to develop good social skills. Children are supported to learn about how to lead a healthy lifestyle. Staff talk to children during activities about the impact of food on their bodies, such as the effect that sugar has on their teeth.
• Staff provide regular opportunities for children to access fresh air and exercise. Children show enjoyment as they play in the outdoor environment. They enthusiastically join in with a range of activities, such as balancing on planks. This helps children develop their physical skills.
• Children benefit from clear, embedded routines and respond to them well. For example, they scrape their plates after snack time and know where to hang their coats when they come in. However, there are some inconsistencies in the arrangements to promote all children's independence and self-reliance skills. Children do not always receive encouragement to try to complete tasks for themselves, for example not being encouraged to wipe their own noses or put their own shoes on.
• Staff provide positive behaviour strategies. When children need to receive reminders about the rules, staff explain the reasons behind them. This ensures children understand why the rules are in place and learn how to self-regulate their behaviour. As a result, children know staff's expectations of them and behave well. Children play cooperatively with each other, share and take turns with minimal support.
• Leaders and managers are dedicated to giving every child the best possible nursery experience. They are highly reflective and have an accurate oversight of the quality of provision. They have already identified some minor areas that require improvement and have plans in place to enhance the provision. Staff say that they feel supported and that their well-being is a priority.
• Parents say that staff are supportive and welcoming and that children enjoy their time at the nursery. However, not all parents receive the information about their children's next steps and what they have done that day. That said, parents are uniformly happy with the setting.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to recognise when children can attempt to do things for themselves, to support their developing independence skills further
• build on the good partnerships with parents to ensure that all parents fully understand the next steps planned for their child and feel reassured about their child's day.