Sunny Days Bridport

Sunny Days Bridport
Unique reference number (URN): 2858068
Address: 1 Kings Square, Bridport, DT6 3QE
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 16/09/2025
Registers: EYR, CCR
Registered person: Sunny Days Bridport Limited
Inspection report: 17 July 2026
Exceptional
Strong standard
Expected standard
Needs attention
Urgent improvement
Safeguarding standards met
The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for
governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open
culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively
identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.
How we evaluate safeguarding
When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:
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.

Expected standard
Achievement Expected standard
All children make steady progress from their starting points across all the areas of learning.
They grow into confident communicators as they share their ideas, thoughts and feelings.
Children show that they feel safe and quickly build secure bonds with staff. Children with
special educational needs and/or disabilities and those known or previously known to social
care thrive with the personalised support they receive.
Across the nursery, children demonstrate high levels of engagement and curiosity. They
benefit from a stimulating learning environment indoors and outdoors, where they explore,
investigate and develop their creativity and problem-solving. As they move through the
nursery, children become increasingly independent. They treat one another and staff with
kindness and respect. These secure foundations ensure they are ready to flourish when
they move on to school.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
The nursery provides a happy environment where warm, respectful relationships help
children feel secure. Children demonstrate kindness and respect for others. Staff frequently
praise children for both their effort and achievement. This helps children to be resilient and
motivated to learn.
Leaders provide bespoke settling-in processes to meet the needs of individual children and
families. Leaders monitor the pattern of attendance for all children and work closely with
parents and carers to promote regular, punctual attendance. They take time to understand
each family's context and put tailored plans in place to remove barriers. Their proactive
approach ensures children benefit fully from the curriculum.
Expectations for behaviour are high for all children. Pre-school children and toddlers move
around the building safely and confidently. They demonstrate that they know and understand
the rules of the setting. Staff model positive interactions and encourage turn taking and
cooperative play. They remind pre-school-age children of how to overcome minor disputes
with their friends. As a result, these children learn about how to manage their feelings and
regulate their behaviour.
Children generally follow the routines of the setting. However, at times, these routines could
be strengthened to help children better understand and negotiate transitions between
activities in the day.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Leaders and staff create a nurturing environment where children are greeted by name as
they arrive in the morning. This helps children to feel emotionally safe and builds warm
respectful relationships.

There is an effective key-person system in place. Staff know their key children well and
respond to their changing needs. For example, in the baby room staff work closely with
parents to achieve continuity between home and setting routines, such as the time and
length of naps.
Leaders ensure that staff implement procedures to support children's health and rest. For
example, staff follow safe-sleeping procedures and check babies regularly to ensure their
safety. They establish secure attachments with babies and are attentive to their needs. This
supports babies' welfare.
Children enjoy nutritious food. At mealtimes, staff sit with children and talk about what foods
help to make their bodies strong. This supports them to learn how to be healthy. Toddlers
become more independent in their personal care needs, as they are encouraged to
independently wash their hands before eating. Leaders ensure there is a clear system to
identify children with dietary requirements. Staff consider where children with dietary
requirements should sit in order to keep them away from food that may harm them.
Leaders and staff focus on helping all children, including those that face barriers to learning,
to become independent from an early age. Staff regularly take children out in the local area,
including walks and litter-picking events. This not only helps children consider how to care
for their environment but also gives them opportunities to learn about road safety and to
understand risks in the wider community.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Overall, leaders have designed and implemented a well-sequenced curriculum that builds
progressively on what children already know and identifies what they need to learn next.
Music is placed at the heart of the curriculum, helping children to make meaningful
connections in their learning and encouraging them to think independently. Leaders focus on
securing children's knowledge, understanding, and skills across the prime areas of learning
within the early years foundation stage framework.
Generally, staff tailor their teaching to deliver an effective communication and language
curriculum for all children. For example, in the baby room they repeat words back and share
books to build vocabulary. Staff engage babies in back-and-forth interactions such as 'peek-
a-boo' so that babies start to develop the social interaction skills necessary to build
relationships in the future.
Children's physical development is prioritised through access to well-planned and resourced
indoor and outdoor areas. For example, children in the toddler room enjoy singing and
manipulating play dough during the daily 'dough disco' session. This playful activity helps
them to build the muscle strength and control needed for writing.
The teaching of mathematics is weaved through the curriculum and staff take opportunities
to extend children's mathematical thinking and knowledge of number and shapes.
Leaders and staff adapt the curriculum for children who face barriers to learning, including
those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. However, at times, leaders do not

ensure that routines support all children to transition smoothly between activities in the day.
This means occasionally children's learning time is reduced.
Inclusion Expected standard
Typically, staff identify, assess and meet children's needs as they emerge. This includes
children who are known or previously known to children's social care, and children with
special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff liaise regularly and effectively with
leaders, specialists, children's social care and parents, to ensure they are responsive to
children's progress and changes in need. They seek to understand the reasons for children's
behaviour, and implement external guidance. Staff make adaptations so all children can
access their entitlement. For example, they ensure planning is flexible enough to
accommodate individual children's interests and fascinations, which supports engagement
and learning.
Overall, these adaptations help to reduce barriers to children's learning and wellbeing.
However, occasionally, staff do not ensure the structure of daily routines support all children
to practise skills associated with their next steps of learning. For example, routines at tidy-up
time do not yet consistently support all toddlers to participate, which means they miss
opportunities to experience teamwork and collaborate with peers.
Effective use and monitoring of early years pupil premium funding means leaders narrow
gaps in children's learning. For example, they purchase resources that they know will
motivate and engage children who face barriers to their learning.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
The newly established leadership team demonstrate a professional and reflective approach.
They understand the strengths of the setting and recognise priorities for improvement.
Leaders have acted swiftly to improve the experiences and environment for younger
children and babies. The positive impact of this is already evident and leaders continue to
monitor and reflect on these changes to ensure the best outcomes for all children.
Leaders prioritise staff wellbeing. They use responsive systems to monitor workloads and
provide professional development that aligns with staff interests and children's needs. Staff
speak positively about the supportive culture and particularly value the support for their
mental health and wellbeing.
Leaders are ambitious for the children who attend. They work collaboratively with all
professionals and families. Leaders endeavour to meet the needs of all children and work
towards ensuring they are ready for their next stage of learning. For example, leaders
maintain effective partnerships with local schools. They work together to facilitate enhanced
transitions for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This
enables children with SEND to have their needs met swiftly at their next place of education
and to settle quickly.
Leaders build partnerships with parents and professionals. Their communication systems
ensure children's learning is celebrated both at home and in the nursery. Parents comment

warmly on the setting, reflecting the positive relationships that support smooth transitions
and a strong sense of belonging.
Compulsory Childcare Register requirements
This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.
How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Compulsory Childcare
Register
When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can
have the following outcomes:
Met
Not met
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children enjoy positive relationships with staff who know them and their families well. This
helps all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)
and those who are known or previously known to children's social care, feel safe and
secure. All children feel included and know they belong. They confidently enter the setting in
the morning and engage in experiences that meet their needs. For example, children who
are active learners, including those with SEND, can run and be energetic in the garden.
Generally, this helps children to stay regulated and reduces barriers to their learning, so they
are ready to engage.
Babies and toddlers form positive relationships with their peers and staff. Toddlers enjoy
playful interactions with staff. They show excitement and giggle with delight as they join an
adult clapping their shaving foam-covered hands together to create 'snow'. Babies establish
secure bonds with staff. This supports babies to confidently explore the world around them.
For example, babies stay close to staff while they build on their early walking skills. They
show resilience and begin to take age-appropriate risks, pulling themselves up to stand at
low equipment, and discovering what their bodies can do.

Inspector:
Sarah Roberts
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2858068
Address:
1 Kings Square
Bridport
DT6 3QE
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 16/09/2025
Children learn important executive function skills such as patience and focused attention, as
they engage in structured developmentally appropriate activities such as music sessions
with a specialist music teacher. These activities help them secure the skills, dispositions and
attitudes necessary for future academic success.
Pre-school-age children, including those with SEND, learn about how their behaviour may
impact others. For example, if children inadvertently upset one another, they show they are
sorry and make amends. This helps them to be better prepared for their next stage of
education. Children benefit from a curriculum that supports them to make friendships and
feel celebrated and valued for who they are.
Next steps
Leaders should strengthen practice so that transitions between routines are smooth and
effective, enabling children to remain engaged in learning and further develop their
independence and self-help skills.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with children, leaders, staff and parents during the 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.

Registered person: Sunny Days Bridport Limited
Register(s): EYR, CCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00
Local authority: Dorset
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 17 July 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
1 to 4
Total number of places
62
Our grades explained
Exceptional
Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.
Strong standard
The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of
them.
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.
Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary
improvements.
Urgent improvement
The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of
education and/or care.
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspects
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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