Happy Minds Kids Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement Recent struggles to recruit staff, particularly a full-time and dedicated manager, have a negative impact on the quality of leadership at the setting.

Although staff receive some guidance and support from the stand-in manager and the deputy manager, this is not yet having a positive impact to raise quality to a consistently good level across the setting. Staff do not always have high enough expectations for all children. Although some staff provide positive interactions, these are not consistently implemented in all rooms.

Children become easily bored. This is because some planned activities do not meet their unique learn...ing needs. Staff, particularly those working with toddlers and pre-school children, do not skilfully adapt their teaching to build on what they know children already know and can do.

This, in turn, has a negative impact on children's communication development and their social skills. However, staff are alert to babies' attempts at communication. For example, when they gesture that they want to sing, staff invite them to sit with them, sing their favourite songs and join in with the actions.

Despite these weaknesses, children are cared for by kind and caring staff. Children arrive full of smiles and are ready to start their day. All children, including those who are new to the setting, are settled and happy.

Children demonstrate good manners as they talk and play with each other. Children develop good independence and self-help skills. They are eager to have a go and do things for themselves.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

The provider is hands on and, overall, has good oversight of the setting. He is available to speak to parents and takes their concerns and complaints seriously. However, he does not keep a written record of all complaints and their outcome as is required.

This means that, in some cases, reflections of practice do not yet have the desired effect. Parents value staff. They say that the staff are 'great' and feel they receive lots of valuable information about their children's learning and development.

The setting has been through a period of change. Recently, a long-standing manager has stepped down. Despite the provider's best endeavours, a new permanent manager has not been found.

The stand-in manager and the deputy manager work well with the provider to ensure that the setting is run as smoothly as possible. However, most of the time, they are needed in the rooms to care for the children. This means they do not get sufficient time to lead staff and support them to further develop their teaching practice.

As a result, some interactions with children are weak and some children do not make the progress they are capable of.The temporary management team is clear about what it intends children to learn as they progress through each room in the setting. However, this curriculum is not being implemented consistently by staff.

Staff do not have a secure understanding of how to sequence children's learning, so that children build on their existing knowledge over time. For example, children are expected to write their name using a pen when they cannot yet hold the pen in the correct way that is needed for formal writing. This means children quickly become frustrated and disengage from the activity.

Staff do not ensure that some activities and routine times of the day are carried out in a way that supports children's preferred way to learn. For example, children who prefer to learn outdoors are taken inside to take part in a daily 'phonics' session. Children complain and become upset at being taken away from their self-chosen play.

Once inside, these children fail to engage in the planned session. This is because they are not yet ready to sit in a large group for extended lengths of time. Furthermore, they do not understand the activity being delivered.

In the main, staff support children's communication and language well. Staff read enthusiastically to children and encourage their love of books and reading. In addition, children enjoy singing their favourite songs and rhymes with staff.

However, some staff do not use the correct pronunciation of words. For example, staff say 'doggie' and 'handies' as they interact with the children. This does not support children to hear the correct word and extend their developing vocabulary.

Children behave well, given their ages and stages of development. Staff are good role models who help children understand the setting's rules and boundaries. However, the way in which some routines and activities are carried out means that children too often become bored and wander off.

This, in turn, has a negative impact on their behaviour. For instance, they become quickly frustrated and start to irritate each other.Food provided for children is healthy and nutritionally balanced.

Children have good independence skills. For example, older children cut up their fruit at snack time, pour their own milk and water, and relish tasks such as putting on their own coats and zipping them up. Children attend lots of visits in the local community and enjoy outings to areas of interest, such as the farm and the zoo.

These help children gain an appreciation of the wider world and support their confidence away from the setting.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.All staff have a thorough knowledge of all aspects of safeguarding, including what to do should they have a concern about another colleague they work with.

Risk assessments are in place and implemented well by the staff, including for outings and trips that the children attend. This further ensures children's safety and well-being. Robust procedures are in place for the recruitment and vetting of staff, which means that children are cared for by suitable adults.

The premises are clean, safe and secure.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must: Due date keep a written record of any complaints and their outcome.31/05/2023 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nimprove the implementation of the curriculum for communication and language to better support children's speaking and vocabulary nimplement a sequential curriculum that builds on what children know and can do over time plan and implement stimulating learning experiences that help all children to engage and remain highly focused nembed staff supervisions and appraisals to raise the quality of education practice to the highest standard consistently across the setting.