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Early years · Report card

Happy Little Sunbeams Day Nursery

Inspected 29 Jun 2026 · URN EY559925

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Summary

No overall grade in this framework

Michelle Lorains

What we read, and from where

Click a reading to see it highlighted in the report.

  • Achievement verified

    Needs attention

  • Behaviour, attitudes and routines verified

    Urgent improvement

  • Children's welfare and wellbeing verified

    Urgent improvement

  • Curriculum and teaching verified

    Needs attention

  • Inclusion verified

    Urgent improvement

  • Leadership and governance verified

    Urgent improvement

  • Framework verified

    Report card

  • Group verified

    Happy Little Sunbeams Day Nursery Limited

  • Inspection datesingle source

    29 Jun 2026

  • Inspectors verified

    Michelle Lorains

  • Postcode verified

    TS1 3LF

  • Name on report verified

    Happy Little Sunbeams Day Nursery

  • URN verified

    EY559925

Page 2 of 10
Page 2 of the report with the evidence highlighted

Deep dive

What this report says

In plain English

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Grade profile

Each judgement on its scale, weakest to strongest.

  • AchievementNeeds attention
  • Behaviour, attitudes and routinesUrgent improvement
  • Children's welfare and wellbeingUrgent improvement
  • Curriculum and teachingNeeds attention
  • InclusionUrgent improvement
  • Leadership and governanceUrgent improvement

Tone of the report

How positive or critical the inspectors' language is, from the words they chose. No AI involved.

−14Mixedmore positive than 6% of reports of this type

Reads more critically than most reports of this type.

Praiseeffectivelyhappypositivesafeenjoyhigh expectationsthrivesecure
Criticismpoorbreachesweaknessesnot metunsaferisk of harmstruggleconcerns

How the report reads, start to finish

Every paragraph in order, sized by length. Tap one to see it on the page.

FindingsSafeguardingAbout the inspectionWhat needs to improve positive critical
  • Findings557w+23
  • Safeguarding128w−42
  • What needs to improve1212w−18

Strengths

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No standout praise found.

Concerns

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Next steps

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What the report dwells on

Topics by how often they come up, coloured by how they are described. Open one for an example.

Anatomy of the report

How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.

Pages
10
Words of findings
1,897
about usual (typical 1698)
Reading level
Hard
Flesch 46, typical 43
Average sentence
18 words
Next steps
8
typical 3
Hedged sentences
12%
“some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 23%Safeguarding 5%What needs to improve 49%About the inspection 23%

Full report text

Happy Little Sunbeams Day Nursery

Unique reference number (URN): EY559925 Address: 2 Park Road North, Middlesbrough, Yorkshire, TS1 3LF Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 09/05/2018 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Happy Little Sunbeams Day Nursery Limited

p.1

Safeguarding standards not met

Leaders have not ensured that there is an open and positive culture around safeguarding. This puts children at significant risk of harm.

p.2

Safeguarding standards not met

Leaders have not ensured that staff understand and follow procedures to keep children safe in the nursery. For example, staff do not recognise or report incidents of poor and/or inappropriate conduct. Staff do not implement the strategies created to promote children's safety, and staff actions have a negative impact on children's wellbeing. Staff roughly handle children and do not support children's behaviour in a positive manner, which causes children distress. When alerted to these observed concerns, leaders do follow the correct local authority procedures, and these incidents are swiftly dealt with. Ofsted has taken enforcement action to address these breaches of the early years foundation stage.

p.2

How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

p.2

Achievement Needs attention

Children do not make the best possible progress across every area of their learning. This means that some children do not develop all the skills they need to fully prepare them for school or the next stages in their learning. For example, young children and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are not consistently settled or emotionally regulated enough to be ready to learn. This limits their levels of engagement.

p.2

Achievement Needs attention

Babies experience a better start in their learning and development. They show emerging confidence and are curious learners. Babies begin to dance and copy new words. They benefit from trips to the library and develop a love of books from an early age. Some children begin to develop their self-care and independence skills. They know how to wash their own hands and start to use the toilet. Overall, children develop an understanding of the world around them and learn about other people, places and cultures.

p.2

Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders do not provide a purposeful, sequenced curriculum for all children. On occasion, staff's teaching is not tailored to meet children's individual needs. This means that although children show enjoyment in some activities, they are not supported to make adequate progress towards their individual learning goals. For example, young children enjoy playing in the water tray outdoors. They explore flowers, taste lemons and listen as staff model new

p.2

Urgent improvement

words to them. However, some children show an interest in filling and emptying containers, but staff remove the pots because it is not in their plan. As a result, they do not help children to build on their emerging mathematical knowledge.

p.3

Urgent improvement

Older children are not supported to develop all the skills they need to start school. For example, staff do not encourage them to develop their listening skills and concentration. At times, children wander between resources in the room and learning is incidental. In addition, staff are not effective in removing barriers to children's learning, particularly children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For instance, children are not supported to be emotionally ready to join in with experiences, which has an impact on their willingness to participate, and they miss out on social group experiences.

p.3

Urgent improvement

In contrast, babies are supported by staff to develop their physical skills and are keen to explore their surroundings. Staff purposefully plan experiences to help develop babies' sensory play and confidence. They offer praise as babies explore the sensory tray and encourage them to copy words and sounds.

p.3

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Urgent improvement

Children's behaviour is not supported appropriately, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who face barriers to their learning. Although leaders have high expectations for all children's behaviour, staff do not make necessary adaptations to support individual children or implement strategies which help them to regulate their emotions. Staff do not support children to begin to understand about emotions and feelings. When children struggle to meet staff expectations for their behaviour, staff handle children inappropriately, and while the provider takes swift action to address this immediately, this practice falls well short of the expectations of the early years foundation stage requirements. In addition, the weaknesses in staff's teaching mean that some children are not deeply engaged in purposeful experiences, which has an impact on children's attitudes to learning.

p.3

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Urgent improvement

Overall, staff who work with babies promote continuity of care as they gather information from parents before children start. This helps them to understand babies' individual needs and care routines. Children are encouraged to attend the nursery regularly. This helps families who are new to the area to become part of the community, and leaders assist them to build a network of support.

p.3

Children's welfare and wellbeing Urgent improvement

Children's welfare and wellbeing are not prioritised. Staff do not support children's personal, social and emotional development effectively, and their actions have an adverse effect on some children's wellbeing. Children's privacy is not considered when they have their nappy changed or when they use the toilet. For example, staff change young children's nappies in the bathroom, but staff position the children so that their bottom and genitals face the corridor and can be seen from within the entrance hall where parents and visitors wait. Older children use the toilets that are not situated in cubicles and/or do not have privacy screens. While children sit and use the toilets, staff and other children use the same bathroom area at the same time to wash children's hands. This does not help children to learn how to keep themselves safe or provide sufficient privacy.

p.3

Children's welfare and wellbeing Urgent improvement

Overall, children are encouraged to eat healthy foods, have plenty of exercise and fresh air and are provided with spaces to rest and sleep. Babies are taken out of the nursery daily by staff and benefit from close relationships with their key people. Toddlers show interest in tasting new fruits and pull faces as they taste lemon. Staff sit close to children during snack times and supervise them effectively to minimise risks of choking. Older children wait patiently to take part in brushing their teeth. Some staff support them to do this as they model the actions and offer praise.

p.4

Inclusion Urgent improvement

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are not supported effectively in the nursery. Leaders' and staff members' practice has a negative impact on children's emotional wellbeing and creates barriers to learning. For example, some children have specific strategies in place to support them to participate and feel secure. These strategies are included in documents such as their education, health and care plans (EHCPs). Although leaders make documents such as these available to staff, they do not ensure that staff follow them when children with SEND become emotional and struggle to regulate their feelings. For instance, staff hold children tightly and try to hug them in a misguided attempt to comfort them. This action goes against the guidance in children's EHCPs on how to manage these situations and raises the children's levels of distress and discomfort. Although leaders and staff work in partnership with other professionals and

p.4

Inclusion Urgent improvement

children's families, children do not benefit from continuity of learning.

p.4

Inclusion Urgent improvement

In contrast, leaders and staff have a clear understanding of how to celebrate difference and diversity. For example, staff regularly take children out into the local community and visit local churches and mosques. Children take part in weekly themed activities which reflect the different countries that they have lived in or visited. Overall, leaders have used additional funding appropriately to support some children who have gaps in their learning.

p.4

Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Leaders have not sufficiently reflected on or evaluated the effectiveness of the provision. There are several breaches of the requirements of the early years foundations stage, some of which have a negative effect on children's care, learning, wellbeing and safety. Leaders have not ensured that staff fully understand the procedures to keep children safe. Although they provide staff with supervision meetings to discuss personal effectiveness and training, professional development opportunities do not have enough impact to make the necessary improvements to benefit children.

p.4

Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Since the last inspection, leaders have worked on developing communication with families. For example, they ensure parents and carers know who their child's key person is and use an online platform to share information digitally. This supports families who speak English as an additional language as the translate feature breaks down barriers to communication. Leaders have begun to work on developing the curriculum. However, this is still not embedded, and further training is required to raise the quality of staff's teaching, particularly in supporting children's personal, social and emotional development and their mathematical skills.

p.4

Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Leaders work in partnership with other professionals and support families. For instance, they help new families to locate doctors and dental practices when they are new to the country. This helps to promote children's health. Staff complete transition documents and invite teachers into the setting to help promote smooth transitions, such as when children move on to school.

p.5

Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

This setting has not met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

p.5

Register

When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

p.5

Voluntary Childcare Register requirements

This setting has not met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register.

p.5

Register

When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

p.5

What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children are not supported to make the best possible progress or achieve their full potential across every area of their learning. Despite some support from senior leaders, staff do not make appropriate adaptations to effectively support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. On occasion, staff actions have a negative impact on children's wellbeing, which limits their ability to learn. This means some children do not develop secure foundations for future learning, including developing the skills they need to move on to school. The weaknesses in how the curriculum is delivered mean that some areas of learning are not promoted or adequately taught by staff, including children's personal, social and emotional development and their mathematical knowledge. For example, children play in the water tray, but staff do not introduce new concepts or language, such as full and empty.

p.6

What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children begin to develop their physical skills and independence. For example, babies enjoy working with staff as they twist peg jigsaw pieces to fit them into the puzzle. Staff praise them, and they show perseverance and keep trying. Babies benefit from close relationships with nurturing staff. Toddlers and older children show they are keen to take an active part in their self-care and hygiene routine as they wash their hands and brush their teeth. However, staff do not protect their privacy when they change young children's nappies or when older children use the toilet.

p.6

What it's like to be a child at this setting

Most children build relationships with staff who know how to meet their care needs. Children arrive at the nursery and are generally happy to separate from their parents and carers. Families say they feel supported by the leadership team, and they appreciate the help and flexibility offered to them. This helps them to bring their children regularly, and they begin to build relationships in the community.

p.6

Next steps

The provider is not meeting the requirements of the Early years foundation stage and Childcare Register and Ofsted intends to take enforcement action.

p.6

Next steps

We will issue a Welfare Requirements Notice requiring the provider to have taken the following actions by the assigned date:

p.6

Action Completion Date

ensure all staff understand how to identify poor or unsafe practice and know how to respond appropriately in line with the whistleblowing procedures 27/07/2026

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Action Completion Date

provide all staff with focused training and professional development opportunities to ensure they have the appropriate knowledge and skills to keep children safe, 27/07/2026

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Action Completion Date

and provide high-quality learning and development experiences

p.7

Action Completion Date

ensure that staff understand how to support children's behaviour appropriately 27/07/2026

p.7

Action Completion Date

ensure all staff implement the arrangements that are in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities 27/07/2026

p.7

Action Completion Date

ensure children's privacy is considered and respected when they have their nappies changed and use the toilet 27/07/2026

p.7

Action Completion Date

To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must take the following actions by the assigned date:

p.7

Action Completion Date

improve the way staff support all children's personal, social and emotional development to build a secure foundation for them to thrive 02/09/2026

p.7

Action Completion Date

ensure that staff provide frequent and varied opportunities to help children develop the necessary building blocks to excel mathematically 02/09/2026

p.7

Action Completion Date

develop and implement an ambitious, broad and sequenced curriculum for all children, to help them build secure foundations for future learning across every area of their development, and ensure staff's teaching is matched to meet children's individual needs 02/09/2026

p.7

About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, children, the special educational needs coordinator, the designated safeguarding lead and parents during the inspection.

p.7

About this inspection

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.

p.7

Address:

2 Park Road North Middlesbrough Yorkshire TS1 3LF

p.8

Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

p.8

Address:

Registered person: Happy Little Sunbeams Day Nursery Limited

p.8

Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

p.8

Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.

p.9

Strong standard

The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

p.9

Expected standard

The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

p.9

Urgent improvement

The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

p.9

Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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