Happy Little Sunbeams Day Nursery

Inspection of Happy Little Sunbeams Day Nursery 2 Park Road North, Middlesbrough, Yorkshire TS1 3LF

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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 Good

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The provision requires improvement

Staff are friendly as they welcome children into the nursery. Children settle quickly. Leaders have developed a curriculum in which they want children to develop their confidence and independence. However, there are inconsistencies in the quality of education on offer. Some staff lack the understanding to implement clear learning outcomes for children. For instance, staff do not always offer appropriate activities or plan activities that focus on children's next steps in learning and development. In addition, the key-person system is not embedded to provide children with quality care and interactions. This is partly due to staff changes but also inconsistencies within the team in practice, routines and subject knowledge.

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The provision requires improvement

Identified strategies to support children who speak English as an additional language are not applied consistently. Despite this, children develop good relationships with the caring staff team overall. Children play well together and make friends. For example, they explore dough and discuss what they are doing with their friends. Children and staff chat to each other at mealtimes and cooperate during role-play games.

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The provision requires improvement

Staff manage children's behaviours well. They remind children of the rules and praise them for what they do well. Although weaker learning experiences impact on the progress some children make, there are times that children have fun. For example, babies enjoy exploring musical instruments. Children happily play in water. There are also occasions when younger children enjoy making marks with paint and develop their early imagination skills.

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need to do better?

n Leaders have developed a curriculum that covers all areas of learning. However, some staff lack the knowledge to implement the curriculum. Consequently, the teaching and learning experiences children receive is inconsistent. For instance, there are times that staff do not plan age-appropriate experiences and do not meet the overall learning intentions. These weaker learning experiences impact on children's level of engagement and do not support all children to make the full progress they are capable of. n Parents and children are invited to settling-in sessions, which help them to feel safe and secure from the start. Staff gain key information about the children from their parents before children start at the setting. However, some staff do not have a clear enough understanding about their key children. For example, they do not know their key children's home language, their next steps in development and their interests. This does not support children to build effective

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need to do better?

bonds with the staff who are responsible for their care. n Despite weaknesses in the implementation of the curriculum, children with

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need to do better?

30 September 2025 special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive good support. Staff work with parents and external bodies to support children and families. Any additional funding the nursery receives is used to support children's individual needs. Overall, children enjoy their time at nursery. Leaders provide some valuable experiences for children. n Leaders support staff well. They act as positive role models for staff and sensitively intervene to provide guidance as required. Staff well-being is given high priority. Staff benefit from regular supervision meetings. Staff have access to training opportunities, such as safeguarding. As a result, their knowledge of what to do if they have a concern is good. Leaders are working hard to establish a team of staff who work well together. n Staff plan a range of opportunities to support children's physical development. For example, children benefit from regular yoga sessions, where they learn to be

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need to do better?

calm, stretch and move their bodies. Staff enhance children's physical opportunities with trips to local play areas and walks to a local museum. Staff use these opportunities to teach children about road safety. Children are provided with a range of healthy foods throughout the day. This supports children to start to understand how they can live healthy lifestyles. Staff are kind and respectful to children. Children's behaviour is good. n Overall, staff support children's communication and language skills well. They engage well with children, introducing new words and asking questions to encourage children to respond. However, despite having available resources, and strategies in place, staff do not consistently make full use of these to fully support children who speak English as an additional language. n Parents overall are happy with the support and care their children receive. They say that children enjoy coming, and staff share information at the end of the day

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need to do better?

about what children have been doing. However, although there are systems in place to share more detailed information with parents about children's next steps in development to help them fully support children's ongoing learning at home, these are not always effective.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

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Due date

30 September 2025 improve staff's knowledge so that they understand how to implement the curriculum intentions consistently and consider the learning and development needs of all children 31/12/2025

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Due date

develop the key-person system, to improve staff knowledge of their key children and to support children to build positive bonds with staff responsible for their care. 30/11/2025

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should:

n embed strategies to support children who speak English as an additional language n embed systems to provide parents with information about their children's next steps for learning and how they can support these at home.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY559925 Local authority Middlesbrough Inspection number 10408361 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 64 Number of children on roll 86 Name of registered person Happy Little Sunbeams Day Nursery Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 01642 231738 Date of previous inspection 31 January 2020

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Information about this early years setting

Happy Little Sunbeams Day Nursery registered in 2018. The nursery employs 23 members of childcare staff. Of these, seventeen hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 or above. The nursery opens term time only, from Monday to Friday, 7.30am to 6pm. It provides government-funded childcare.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector observed the quality of interactions during activities, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact this had on children's learning. n The inspector held discussions with the managers about the design of the curriculum and how it is being implemented. n The inspector spoke with staff and children during the inspection. She completed two joint observations with the managers of the nursery. n The inspector held a meeting with two managers and the provider. She looked at relevant documentation and evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery. n The inspector spoke to parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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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

30 September 2025 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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