Happy Days Nursery Exeter

Happy Days Day Nursery Estuary House, Peninsula Park, Rydon Lane, Exeter, EX2 7XE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 15/08/2014 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 Previous inspection: Not Applicable How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

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This provision is outstanding

 Staff are highly motivated and the quality of teaching is excellent. Consequently, children make significant progress in relation to their starting points.  There is an excellent focus on learning through play both indoors and in the outside areas. Children use a wide range of equipment and resources independently, enabling them to explore and develop new skills.  Staff build excellent relationships with children and their families. Children are highly valued as individuals.  Adults prioritise children's health and safety. They endeavour to protect them from harm through rigorous risk assessments and daily safety checks.  Management successfully evaluates the provision, involving staff, parents and children to identify any areas for development. Management is fully committed to continuous improvement.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are:  scheduled at least once in every inspection cycle – the current cycle ends on 31 July

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  scheduled at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed teaching and learning indoors, and in the outside areas.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector examined the nursery documentation, including policies, planning, evaluation and children's records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to managers, parents, staff and children, and took their views and written comments into account.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at the nursery's policies and procedures for safeguarding children, and health and safety.

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Information about the setting

Happy Days Day Nursery registered in 2014. It is one of 15 nurseries in the Happy Days South West Limited nursery chain. Happy Days Day Nursery is located in Peninsula Park, Exeter, Devon. Children are cared for in age-related rooms and have access to two enclosed outside play areas. All meals are cooked on site. There is also parking on site. The nursery is registered on both the Early Years Register, and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 78 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age range. The nursery is registered to open from 7am to 7pm and currently is open each weekday, from 7.30am to 6pm for 51 weeks of the year. It is closed for Christmas. The provider is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. Children come from a wide catchment area. Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities,

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Information about the setting

and those who are learning English as an additional language. The provider employs eleven members of staff, three of whom hold Early Years Professional Status (EYPS). All other staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at levels three and two. The nursery also employs a chef.

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 enhance children's learning experiences further by giving them individual responsibilities for planning, preparing and organising some routine events throughout the day.

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who attend

The high quality teaching has an outstanding impact on children's learning and progress, because staff have high expectations of children and successfully motivate them to learn. The highly skilled staff draw on their significant experience to carry out extensive observations of children, assess their progress from their starting points and identify their individual learning styles. Staff demonstrate an excellent understanding of children's expected levels of development and skilfully plan to extend their learning effectively.

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who attend

This new and well-equipped nursery offers a bright and welcoming environment for babies and young children. Staff provide a broad range of attractive toys and resources which they display at the children's level. They label them clearly and make them easily accessible, offering children a wealth of learning opportunities. In order to assess children's initial interests and abilities, staff ask parents to complete a comprehensive questionnaire before their children start with them. Staff keep accurate records of the children's excellent progress in the nursery. Parents can look at these at any time, and many contribute photographs and information to add to their child's profile. These also provide a basis for discussion when the required progress check for children aged two years takes place. Staff provide learning packs and a lending library of age-appropriate activities, to help parents support their child's continued learning at home. Parents

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who attend

appreciate the ideas in these packs and say that their children enjoy doing them at home.

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who attend

The quality of the teaching and learning is extremely good. The educational programmes are full of rich and varied activities, and cover all areas of learning within the Early Years Foundation Stage. As there is free access to a vibrant and highly motivating outdoor area, children choose to learn outdoors for much of the time. The outdoor equipment has been designed to challenge and develop children's thinking, and help them to promote their physical skills and experience of space, shape, and measure. They can climb, balance, swing and use wheeled toys, as well as explore resources and activities that promote all other areas of learning. Children enjoy sand play and purposeful construction. They experiment as they pour water though channels and guttering. There are also opportunities for children to grow their own food and learn about the natural world. They recently planted and grew herbs that they used in their snacks. Staff also provide quieter

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who attend

areas outside where children can read books, experiment with their early writing skills, or take a rest.

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who attend

Staff place a high priority on developing children's communication and language abilities. Staff and babies communicate with gestures and simple signs to support verbal communication. Staff develop and extend children's vocabulary exceptionally well, through ongoing discussion and explanation. For example, at snack time, staff named the fruits and talked to the children introducing words such as pips, seeds and segments. The environment is rich in print to engage children in developing their literacy skills. Similarly, numeracy is included in all activities as children count, sing, and measure. Staff use effective questioning to extend children's thinking, asking them to predict what will happen, for instance, when using the magnets or looking through the magnifying glasses.

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who attend

Staff provide children under two years of age with a large variety of equipment to develop their senses, with visual displays at their level. There are lots of opportunities for them to develop their physical skills on appropriate-sized equipment both indoors and outside. Staff are extremely effective in encouraging the youngest children's exploratory impulses. For example, they help them to discover cause and effect toys, which help them to discover how things work. Babies are developing high levels of confidence as they use wheeled toys and thoroughly enjoy opportunities for role play to develop their imaginative skills. Staff have an expert understanding of how children learn and develop, and they provide individual experiences to help children gain new skills. For instance, staff develop individual programmes to help some children with physical delay to develop more core strength, coordination and to develop their large muscles.

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who attend

Staff plan for all children individually and in depth, and are highly inclusive in their practice. For those children who are bilingual, or for those learning English as an additional language, staff ask parents to provide key words in their home languages. Staff encourage bilingual parents to record stories. This enables children to look at books while using headphones to listen to the stories, which are read in a familiar voice, in their home languages. Staff promote children's respect of other cultures through providing a variety of posters, books, musical instruments and small world toys that reflect diversity. They use translator pens to enhance children's ability to understand and use English. This helps to ensure that all children are ready to benefit from the opportunities available to them when they move to school.

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who attend

Staff enable children to be highly creative and expressive, and they become absorbed and fully engaged in the variety of activities on offer. With staff's positive encouragement, children are keen to experiment. They enthusiastically mixed colours to see what new colours they could create and talked confidently about their favourites. Staff are consistently at hand to give them guidance and show them pictures to further consolidate their learning. Key persons have a secure knowledge of how children learn and they support children to explore and to experiment. Staff encourage children to be active learners and to talk about, and reflect on, their experiences. Consequently, children are extremely well prepared for the next stage of their learning and for starting school.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Staff are highly effective in their support of children's well-being. Children arrive happily at the nursery, because staff greet them and their families warmly, and welcome them into the setting. Children and their parents know the staff very well. The strong key-person system ensures all children quickly, become familiar with the setting and provides emotional security for each child. Each child is also allocated a second key person or a buddy to meet their needs in case of staff absence. Parents are encouraged to provide details of children's likes, dislikes and routines before they start at the nursery. When babies or children require support to settle, staff work with parents to agree on strategies to help them to adjust and to be more independent. Staff take care in getting to know what children like to play with, and spend time with them until they are happily engaged in their play.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Staff care for children's emotional well-being extremely well. On the day of the inspection, several parents praised the staff for supporting their children to settle in to the new environment. They gave clear examples of how staff had supported their children through stressful times, such as moving house, the birth of a new baby or the death of a pet. Parents commented on the calm atmosphere and say that their children are more confident since attending the nursery.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children have a strong sense of belonging and this helps them to settle extremely well. They have their own personal baskets, complete with their photographs, in which they keep their personal belongings. They also have their own coat pegs which they find each day. Staff are diligent about signing children in and out of the nursery. In addition, the older children self-register by finding their name on arrival. Staff provide younger children with photographs of their families, on a board at their eye level. This enables children to feel valued, secure and close to their family at all times. Staff encourage children to take the photographs from the display at any time, if they wish to talk about their family to an adult. Staff understand that their involvement in children's activities has an impact on their learning. Therefore, they allow children to explore activities for themselves, intervening only when they need to in order to extend learning. Staff also intervene to help children to

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

sort out minor disputes. For example, occasionally staff need to remind children that they will need to wait for their turn. This helps children to develop self-control. Children's behaviour is exemplary and staff use extremely positive, and consistent strategies to promote good behaviour and consideration of others.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Adults help children to assess risks for themselves in the outside area and help them to record their findings. Consequently, children begin to take responsibility for their own safety and that of others, and learn how to be safe. For example, children clearly understand that there is a risk of slipping or falling on some of the large equipment. They also work out that they need to hold on to the rails or ropes to prevent this happening. Staff write the children's solutions for all to see and discuss it with them. Therefore, children are learning to protect themselves and others.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Staff teach children about a healthy lifestyle. There are continuous opportunities throughout the day for children to enjoy fresh air and exercise. The nursery chef provides excellent menus and well-balanced meals, so children learn about healthy eating. Snacks are healthy and children learn about different fruits and vegetables. However, they do not always have opportunities to help to choose, plan and prepare their own snacks to enhance their learning further. Staff conscientiously implement the policies in place to support individual dietary needs and allergies.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Staff promote good hygiene routines extremely well. They adhere to well-defined procedures to ensure that the environment is clean. They teach children to wash their hands regularly throughout the day, after outside and messy play, after using the toilet, and before and after eating. Staff have clear routines for changing nappies, affording babies privacy while they remain in the view of colleagues themselves. Parents receive an informative written summary of their children's routines each day, with details of nappy changes, sleep times and food eaten. Staff speak to parents daily about any concerns. In response, for example, a parent thanked staff for 'the fantastic support I received when my baby had nappy rash.'

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Staff encourage children to be as independent as possible. The child-sized toilets and basins enable children to use these facilities confidently, and they soon become able to manage their own personal needs. At snack times and mealtimes, older children decide what they need. They collect their own mugs and plates, pour their own drinks and rinse their utensils after lunch. Staff provide picture prompts to help them to remember the sequence of these activities, and children refer to these to help themselves and to assist their friends. This helps them to understand routines and develop their organisational skills, equipping them well with very good skills for the future.

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provision

The leadership and management of the nursery is outstanding. As the nursery is one of a large chain, management draw on their previous experience of promoting children's learning very effectively. They use the expertise from other nurseries to support staff induction, training and continuous professional development. Staff benefit from regular supervision and opportunities to visit other nurseries, and to work with more experienced members of staff. This helps management to effectively assess their professional development needs. Therefore, new members of staff become skilled quickly. The management has high aspirations for continuous improvement and this underpins all aspects of care and education.

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provision

Management has rigorous and robust recruitment, selection and induction procedures to ensure that all staff are highly competent, and suitable to work with children. All staff receive regular training in safeguarding and in first aid. There is a high commitment to protecting children. Staff have an excellent knowledge of the safeguarding and welfare requirements. They demonstrate very good knowledge of child protection, including possible symptoms of children who may be at risk of harm. All staff are extremely confident about instigating the appropriate procedures, should the need arise.

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provision

Children play in a safe and secure setting. Clear procedures are in place to ensure that staff carry out daily safety checks. Regular risk assessments also take place in order to minimise hazards, and to prevent the risk of accidents and incidents. Should a minor accident occur, there are well-defined recording procedures. Management also conducts a thorough investigation as to why it may have happened. Parents and carers comment that they are confident to leave their children in the care of the staff who they describe as, 'Very efficient'. Staff regularly attend training in first aid, health and safety and food hygiene to ensure they can successfully support children's positive well-being.

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provision

The provider has a thorough understanding of the learning and development requirements. Children benefit from attending a setting with a highly evaluative staff team that continually works to improve outcomes for them and their families. The management team analyses data and sets targets to ensure that all children are making significant progress. Staff monitor children's progress in detail and this helps them to promptly identify any emerging gaps or differences in learning. For instance, staff and management are aware that some of the boys in their care learn better in the outdoor environment. Therefore, staff plan a broad range of stimulating learning experiences outside. This helps to ensure that boys engage in the full range of activities on offer, should they choose to be outdoors for most of the session.

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provision

The highly effective partnership with parents is based on mutual trust and respect. Parents receive comprehensive information about the nursery, and policies and procedures are shared with them. The staff hold parents' evenings each year and parents receive regular newsletters. Parents and carers give their views in questionnaires, which inform nursery action plans. Parents say that feedback on their children is extremely good, and they give examples of how they and the staff work together for the benefit of their child. Staff work very well with other agencies and other professionals to meet the needs of children with additional needs or disabilities. They incorporate other professionals' advice into their planning and they support children very effectively. Parents state that they feel very involved in their child's learning. They comment that, 'Staff are always approachable and have an open door if you need to speak with them.'

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are Met

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Grade 3 Requires improvement The provision is not giving children a good standard of early years education and/or there are minor breaches of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. We re-inspect nurseries and pre-schools judged as requires improvement within 12 months of the date of inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate Provision that is inadequate requires significant improvement and/or enforcement action. The provision is failing to give children an acceptable standard of early years education and/or

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Grade Judgement Description

is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. Met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. The inspection judgement is that the provider does not meet the requirements for registration.

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Inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY476190 Local authority Devon Inspection number 956557 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 78 Number of children on roll 78 Name of provider Happy Days South West Limited Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 01392369741

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Setting details

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises, which are usually the childminder’s own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children,

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Type of provision

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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