Joy as nursery goes from Inadequate to Good in less than six months

Manager Claire Thurgood and her team embarked on extra training and embraced a support programme after the disappointing Ofsted result at Happy Days in Creekmoor in July last year.

When inspectors returned in December they praised the setting's "exciting environments to explore and play" and said children "gain strong personal, social and emotional skills."

Claire said: "I am very proud of the team for their exceptional hard work over the last few months. The team have embraced many changes which have seen the nursery go from strength to strength. We have been working with BCP Council on the Getting to Good support programme which my team have fully embraced and committed to.

"Their dedication doesn’t stop there, with many staff attending additional training, team meetings in their own time and participating in local community events to provide positive experiences for the children and families who attend Happy Days."

The nursery offers 81 places for children up to the age of four and currently has a total of 125 children on roll.

It is one of 21 nurseries run by Happy Days Limited and is open from 7am until 7pm.

In their report, inspectors Janet Armstrong and Anne Mitchell said the children are "confident, emotionally secure and develop positive relationships with others."

They added: "Older children are very kind, caring and cooperative. They share, take turns and are helpful during the daily routines. Staff give the children lots of praise for their help."

The report also praises the management of the nursery and said staff provide a positive outlook and role model for how to behave and interact with others.

It said safeguarding is effective and added: "Staff are very clear on their responsibility to protect children from harm."

Inspectors urged the provider to extend teaching, to ensure the older children receive the support they need to improve on their speech and language and to improve communication with parents.