Happy Days Nursery and Pre-School Tonbridge

Inspection of Junior's Day Nursery 1 Waterloo Road, Tonbridge, Kent TN9 2SN

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Overall effectiveness Good

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

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The provision is good

Children thoroughly enjoy their time at the nursery. They become very independent learners as they spend their days busily exploring and investigating. All children make extremely good progress in their learning and development.

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The provision is good

Babies form strong, trusting bonds with their key person. Their care needs are met very well, ensuring that they are comfortable and ready to play and learn. For example, babies concentrate for long periods as they sit with a member of staff, excitedly pointing to images in a book. Toddlers are very sociable, working together to create wonderfully imaginative games. Although they are developing confidence, they frequently take a moment to get a reassuring cuddle and to share relaxed conversations with staff.

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The provision is good

The skills and knowledge that children gain as they move through the nursery prepare them very well to face the new challenges available in the pre-school room. For example, they safely chop vegetables, confidently discuss dinosaurs, and use the techniques they have learned to create unique artwork.

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The provision is good

Babies and toddlers take part in activities that help them to learn about a range of cultural celebrations, to implant the idea that there are different customs and traditions in society. Pre-school children benefit from in-depth discussions and activities that help them to understand and respect the lives, beliefs and experiences of other people.

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need to do better?

n The leadership team places a great deal of focus on promoting staff's well-being as well as their ongoing professional development. Staff work very effectively together. Their morale is high, which creates a harmonious atmosphere and contributes to children feeling settled and secure. n Teaching across the nursery is strong. Staff working with all age groups spend the majority of their time engaged directly with children. During these interactions, staff very skilfully capture and maintain children's interest. On occasion, staff are so engrossed in the activity they are supporting that they do not notice when other children would benefit from greater encouragement to join in. However, overall, all children receive a good amount of attention and support throughout the day. n Staff have created a very stimulating learning environment. All children have a base room, full of easily accessible resources. They also share use of a garden

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need to do better?

and have an indoor garden area. This creates opportunities for children of different ages to mix together, helping younger children to feel confident as they move up through the nursery. Children make good use of the garden to develop

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need to do better?

14 March 2022 their physical skills. For example, they move with control and coordination as they create and navigate elaborate obstacle courses. n The very positive, friendly atmosphere in the nursery helps children to develop good social skills. They follow the strong example set by staff, speaking to each other nicely and learning to share and take turns. As a result, staff very rarely need to intervene to manage children's behaviour. At times when some guidance is required, most staff provide clear explanations to help children understand why certain behaviour is not wanted. However, some staff are less effective than others at managing these situations. n The member of staff with lead role for overseeing the provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities has a very secure knowledge of her role. She works alongside each child's parents, key person and other professionals to ensure that they receive coordinated support.

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need to do better?

n Staff use effective methods to promote children's good health. They use a large model of teeth to teach children about oral hygiene. They also build on children's fascination with dinosaurs to demonstrate good tooth brushing techniques. Children have fun as they use a two-minute timer to strictly monitor a member of staff as she brushes the teeth of a dinosaur puppet. n Partnerships with parents are very positive. Parents feed back that they are happy with all aspects of the service they receive. They feel well informed and appreciate the work that staff put in to ensure that each child's unique needs are met.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Recruitment arrangements are robust and the manager checks the ongoing suitability of staff . Managers and staff have a secure understanding of their responsibilities to keep children safe. They have a good awareness of the potential signs that may indicate a child is at risk, including the risks associated with extreme views and beliefs. All staff know the procedure to follow if they have concerns about the welfare of any child, or in the event of an allegation against a colleague.

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should:

n support staff to recognise when children would benefit from more encouragement to take part in activities to extend their learning and enjoyment n target support more precisely for individual staff to address minor inconsistencies in the effectiveness of behaviour management.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY490184 Local authority Kent Inspection number 10221112 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 79 Number of children on roll 89 Name of registered person Junior Childcare Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 07515888041 Date of previous inspection 3 October 2016

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Information about this early years setting

Junior's Day Nursery registered in 2015. It is located in Tonbridge, Kent. The nursery is open Monday to Friday, from 7.30am to 6.30pm, all year round, except for the Christmas period and bank holidays. The provider employs 24 members of staff, of whom 18 hold relevant childcare qualifications. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years.

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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 provider. n The manager led the inspector on a tour of the premises and outlined the intent behind the educational programmes. n The inspector observed the interactions of staff and children engaged in a range of activities throughout the nursery. n The views of staff, children and parents were considered. n The inspector viewed a range of relevant documents.

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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

14 March 2022 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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