Happy Times Pre-School and Day Nursery

Inspection of Happy Times Pre-School and Day Nursery Unit 1a, Stephenson House, Wetherburn Court, Bletchley, Milton Keynes MK2 2AF

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Inadequate

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The provision requires improvement

Children settle quickly and happily when they arrive at the setting. They are greeted warmly by all staff, which gives them a sense of belonging. They confidently explore the activities and resources set up for their play and enjoy their time at the setting. Children are starting to develop important independence skills as they pour their own milk at snack time and put on their own coats as they play outside. Staff remind children to wash their hands before mealtimes and blow their noses. This helps children to understand how to take care of themselves and their own health. Children are beginning to learn about each other's diverse cultural backgrounds, and what makes them unique.

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The provision requires improvement

The recently appointed manager has high expectations for children. She knows the children well and is sensitive to the impact that the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic has had on children's social and communication skills. The manager has clear intentions for children's learning and has made sure that staff understand these. However, staff do not consistently implement the curriculum effectively in their practice. Although staff are attentive and spend time with children as they play, they do not focus their interactions sufficiently well to extend children's knowledge and learning. This inhibits children from making the amount of progress they are capable of. Although children take interest in some of the activities set up for them, at times they soon lose interest and move on before any meaningful learning can take place.

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need to do better?

n The quality of education is inconsistent. Staff accurately assess children's development and what they need to achieve next. However, they do not effectively provide children with the support and challenge they need to get there. For example, one of the intentions of the curriculum is to support children's speech and language development. Although staff spend time playing and interacting with children, they do not always extend children's learning when they initiate conversation. During a story-time activity, children are eager to talk about the story and the pictures. Although staff acknowledge what children are saying, they do not provide opportunities for children to express their thoughts and ideas. n The owner of the setting does not always have good oversight of how well the management team is working to make sure that the needs of all children are met. However, the new manager has an awareness of the strengths and

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need to do better?

development opportunities in the practice of her staff team. She is in the process of changing the systems in place for the support, coaching and supervision of staff but has not been in post long enough to embed these. Consequently, the quality of teaching is not consistently good. Nonetheless, staff report that they

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need to do better?

18 May 2021 feel well supported. n Improvements to the provision and the quality of staff practice tend to be reactive as opposed to proactive. Nonetheless, the manager has identified some priorities for improvement in the short space of time she has been in post. These include enhancements to the outdoor provision to support children's overall learning, and to improve the quality of teaching. However, she has not had time to implement these changes fully. As a result, children do not benefit from a suitably challenging curriculum to help them make good progress. n Previous shortfalls in supporting those children who are the most vulnerable, including those with possible special educational needs and/or disabilities, are being addressed. The manager is working with external agencies and has also identified those children who are eligible for the early years pupil premium. The manager aims to ensure those children get the additional support and funding

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need to do better?

they need to improve their outcomes. n The environment indoors and outdoors is set up fairly well to support children's interests. There are plenty of opportunities for children to develop important physical skills. They enjoy playing with the sand and water tray, using diggers and different containers to scoop, pour and shake. Boys engage in pretend play as police officers as they chase each other on ride-on toys. Younger children enjoy rolling, moulding, cutting shapes and making patterns with the play dough. n Children generally behave well and enjoy playing together and alongside each other. Minor disagreements are dealt with appropriately by staff. Consequently, children learn to share with their friends and understand the impact their actions can have on others' emotional well-being. n Partnerships with parents are positive. Parents receive daily feedback about the care and activities provided for their children. Staff provide regular feedback

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need to do better?

about their children's development, including how parents can support their children's learning at home. Parents report that their children are always happy when they arrive at, and leave, the setting.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Following recent training, all staff understand the process they must follow if they have concerns about a child's welfare or a staff member's behaviour. This includes recognising signs that could indicate a child is being exposed to extreme views or behaviour. Staff also understand their responsibilities to follow up with the designated lead that concerns have been passed on to the appropriate agencies. They understand what could have an impact on their suitability to care for children and the need to disclose this. Staff risk assess appropriately to make sure that the premises are safe and secure for children to play in.

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Due date

develop further the process in place for the supervision of staff, to provide targeted coaching, mentoring and training to improve the quality of teaching and staff understanding of how to implement the curriculum to meet children's needs 30/07/2021

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Due date

improve the quality of staff interactions with children to help them challenge and extend children's learning more effectively as they play, and to better support their communication and language development 30/07/2021

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Due date

ensure the systems in place for reviewing the overall quality of the provision involve all leaders and are used to inform focused ongoing plans for improvement. 30/07/2021

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should:

n develop the curriculum for the provision of outdoor play so that it better supports the intentions for children's learning and provides children with a broader range of opportunities across all areas of learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY559741 Local authority Milton Keynes Inspection number 10145120 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 16 Number of children on roll 10 Name of registered person Jegajeevan, Thanureka

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reference number

Telephone number 07999241676 Date of previous inspection 20 January 2020

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Information about this early years setting

Happy Times Pre-School and Day Nursery registered in 2018. The setting is based in the Bletchley area of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. It is open on weekdays from 8.30am until 6.30pm all year round. All staff hold relevant childcare qualifications.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the provider received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the provider and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the setting. n The manager and the inspector completed a learning walk together. The manager explained how the provision is organised and the focus of the curriculum. n The inspector held discussions with staff to find out about their understanding of the curriculum intention, how they implement this in practice, and their understanding of the policies and procedures in place to keep children safe. n The manager and the inspector completed a joint observation to evaluate the quality of staff interactions with children. n The inspector observed the quality of teaching indoors and outdoors and the impact this has on children's learning. n Parents provided their views on the quality of the provision.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector scrutinised a selection of documentation, including recruitment records, accident and incident logs, and staff declarations of suitability.

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Inspection activities

We carried out this inspection 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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Inspection activities

18 May 2021 regulates and inspects to 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 and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, 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, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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