Happy Days Day Nursery Falmouth

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children of all ages are very happy and settled at the nursery. They enjoy the company of the caring and nurturing staff and build close bonds with their key person, who supports their emotional well-being effectively.

Babies and toddlers explore their surroundings excitedly. They enjoy snuggling with staff as they prepare for sleep time or sitting on their lap to listen to stories. Staff meet children's care needs successfully and find out about and follow individual routines well.

Older children experience a wide range of learning opportunities, developing key skills to support them as they move on to school. For exa...mple, they recognise their name and are beginning to link sounds to letters. The manager and staff have high expectations for all children and know them well.

They plan effectively a broad curriculum, which supports children to make good progress.Children develop good independence skills from an early age. Babies and toddlers sing songs as they wash their hands, ready to eat their snack.

Older children make choices, serve themselves lunch and pour their drinks confidently. Children's behaviour is good. They play together harmoniously and learn to share and take turns well.

Older children wait their turn patiently to have a go on the rope swing or enjoy pushing one another in the hammock when playing outside.

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

Staff support children's communication and language skills effectively. They interact well with the children and get down to their level.

Staff working with older children use questioning skilfully to encourage children's thinking skills and give them the time that they need to answer questions. They introduced new words, such as 'centipede', extending their vocabulary well, as children excitedly looked for bugs in the outside area.The very successful key-person system effectively contributes to children settling into the nursery quickly.

Staff looking after babies and toddlers tend to their personal needs well, which helps to develop a strong attachment and builds children's confidence and sense of well-being successfully. Parents appreciate and value the good communication between themselves and staff. Parents feel fully involved in their children's learning and are extremely happy with the provision and the progress their children make.

Overall, staff make large-group activities for older children, such as story times, exciting and captivating. Children engage enthusiastically, carrying out the actions and repeating familiar phrases as they act out the story of 'The Three Little Pigs'. However, at times staff do not organise group activities as well as possible to encourage quieter or less confident children to participate or keep them fully focused and engaged.

The provider and manager monitor staff's practice well and provide good opportunities for them to continue their professional development. However, students are not completely clear on their roles and responsibilities.Staff use ideas from training successfully to encourage children's language and support their emotional and physical well-being.

All children are confident talkers.Since the last inspection, the provider has made significant improvements, including making the premises more secure to help keep children safe. The manager and staff regularly reflect on their practice.

They use self-evaluation effectively to identify areas of development which have the most positive impact on children's learning. For example, staff led by the forest-school leader plan a wide range of exciting activities which support children's communication and language skills successfully.Staff make accurate assessments about children's achievements and use their interests well.

They extend children's mathematical knowledge further, for example, by providing additional resources such as large weighing scales outside for children to learn about weight and measure.Children have a positive attitude to learning. They listen well and follow instructions as they help to tidy away resources.

Staff give children lots of praise and encouragement, which effectively boost their confidence and self-esteem.Children have many opportunities to develop their physical skills inside and outdoors. Staff help babies and toddlers to carefully climb the steps to use a slide.

Older children enthusiastically explore outdoors, testing their den-building skills as they explore the undergrowth and erect a den. Staff naturally extend children's learning further as they discuss the properties of the den, such as whether it will keep them dry and whether it will stand up to the weather.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The provider, manager and staff have a secure understanding and knowledge of how to keep children safe. They can recognise the signs and symptoms which may be a cause for concern and know what action to take if necessary. Staff have good knowledge about wider safeguarding issues.

There are now robust systems for monitoring injuries which children sustain away from the setting, and weekly discussions ensure safeguarding is given the highest priority. The manager and staff complete thorough risk assessments to minimise risks and reduce hazards effectively.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: review the organisation of large-group activities to encourage quieter or less confident children to participate, and keep all children fully engaged provide more support and guidance for students to ensure they are clear about their role and responsibilities and to build their confidence further.

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