URN 2886300 · Inspected 2026-08-27 · Published 2026-09-24 · Inspector: Joanne Goldsmith
Smiley Faces Day Nursery (Thorney) Limited Unique reference number (URN): 2886300 Address: The Gatehouse, Bedford Hall, Station Road, Thorney, Peterborough, PE6 0QE Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 27/03/2026 Registers: EYR Registered person: Smiley Faces Day Nursery (Thorney) Limited Inspection report: 27 August 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. Strong standard Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard Leaders and staff create a calm, welcoming environment where children flourish. Key persons understand their roles and responsibilities well and work cohesively as a team. They maintain high expectations for all children and provide support that reflects each child's individual needs. Children actively help shape the room's rules, strengthening their understanding of expectations and promoting a sense of ownership and responsibility. Staff use a range of supportive strategies, including visual cues and sign language, to help children follow the setting's rules and routines confidently. Staff know children well and provide them with meaningful opportunities to challenge themselves, stepping in with support only when it is genuinely needed. This helps children develop confidence, resilience and the ability to work through difficulties independently. Staff act as excellent role models, communicating calmly and with kindness and respect. This positive approach is mirrored in the children, who collaborate effectively to help one another. For example, children work as a team to rebuild a tower after it is accidentally knocked over. Staff play and laugh with the children, joining in with singing, dancing and offering comfort whenever it is needed. They help children to understand and express their emotions and support them in recognising how different family circumstances can influence people's feelings and experiences. Staff and children explore the world together, such as pausing to watch the torrential rain outside and catching the drips falling from the garden shelter, turning it into a shared moment of curiosity and connection. Staff also work closely with parents to ensure they understand the importance of punctuality and regular attendance. Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard Leaders place children's wellbeing at the heart of their work, and their policies and practices ensure children's welfare is consistently promoted. As part of the curriculum, staff teach children how to stay healthy and safe, using everyday routines, such as snack and mealtimes, to help children understand how to make healthy choices. Staff support children to develop key independence skills, including wiping their noses, washing their hands and faces, and serving themselves at mealtimes. Leaders work closely with families to gather detailed information about children's backgrounds and experiences, providing highly individualised support for their health and wellbeing. Staff are fully aware of children's allergies and how to safely manage their dietary and medical needs. They are rigorous in their approach to safer eating and sleeping practices. Children learn effective oral hygiene routines and are given a toothbrush and toothpaste to use at home. Staff are highly responsive to all children, including those who face barriers to their learning. They build loving, secure attachments that give children a positive sense of belonging and high self-esteem. Children actively seek staff out to share their experiences, such as expressing emotions, like 'I am angry'. Staff listen and gently support them. Staff work closely with parents and carers before every new transition, holding thoughtful meetings to Expected standard ensure children feel ready and confident as they move on to the next stage, supporting their readiness for school. Inclusion Strong standard Staff demonstrate a commitment to inclusion and provide effective support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Highly reflective leaders are quick to identify potential barriers and support all children to feel included and happy. Key persons know children well and engage with them sensitively, using a range of supportive communication strategies. For instance, staff implement sign language, simplified language, eye contact and positioning themselves at children's level, to strengthen understanding. Staff also make effective use of visual cues, helping to build children's vocabulary and comprehension to ensure they can follow the daily routine. Leaders demonstrate a secure knowledge of SEND as they work closely with staff, parents and external professionals to ensure children receive consistent and targeted support. Recent professional feedback praises the setting for being welcoming, responsive to advice and providing a solid foundation for children's continued progress. Effective communication and partnership working contribute positively to children's development and wellbeing. Parents and carers are actively involved in their children's learning and regularly discuss progress with staff, strengthening continuity between home and the setting. Starting points are identified swiftly, and funding is used effectively, ensuring tailored resources and training are provided that enhance children's learning experiences, alongside additional adult support. Targeted interventions and consistent support ensure that children make significant progress in all areas. Achievement Expected standard Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, achieve well and make progress from their individual starting points. They engage in a range of learning experiences and develop the skills needed for future learning. Children's communication and language development is very well supported. Babies hear language throughout the day, helping them to use simple sounds and begin to say single words. Toddlers join in with familiar songs and dances and show increasing attention during shared experiences. Older children listen to each other during circle time, answer questions and talk about their feelings and experiences. Children develop their independence. They confidently use cutlery to feed themselves and manage their personal care needs. They take responsibility and complete tasks, such as washing their dishes after snack or wheeling the trolley back to the kitchen after lunch. All children are supported within their next transitions, helping them to be ready for their next stage in learning. They become familiar with the daily routine which, for older children, helps to prepare them for their transition on to school. Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Leaders provide children with an inclusive, ambitious curriculum that prioritises what children know and can do, with a particular focus on communication and language. Staff use assessment accurately to monitor children's development and identify emerging delays in children's learning, making timely adaptations to support learning. They adjust their teaching to meet the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, for example by using visual signs and Makaton to help children make choices alongside their peers. In most cases, staff have age-appropriate expectations for children's learning and development, and their teaching is matched appropriately. However, there are minor inconsistencies where staff do not always use what they know about children to shape learning or adapt activities to keep everyone fully engaged to help build on what they already know and can do. Additionally, although managers ensure that staff have the knowledge required to deliver the curriculum, recently introduced reflection practices are not yet fully embedded and staff expertise is not consistently evident in day-to-day teaching to benefit children. Children benefit from hands on, practical experiences that develop communication, teamwork, problem solving and physical coordination. Mathematical skills and vocabulary are taught clearly and woven through activities. For example, staff encourage children to count how many children feel happy or to use a tape measure to see how tall the structure is that they have built. Leadership and governance Expected standard Leaders are passionate about providing high-quality experiences for all children. They use additional funding effectively to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face other barriers to learning. Timely interventions are put in place to help children make progress from their individual starting points. Leaders follow strict recruitment procedures to ensure that staff are suitable and appropriately qualified. They offer a thorough induction process so that staff know what is expected of them in their role. Regular supervision ensures that staff receive support in their role. Staff attend relevant professional development and use this learning to enhance their practice, but this is not yet consistent across the team, meaning some children benefit more than others. Staff wellbeing is a priority and leaders place a positive emphasis on promoting wellbeing and supporting their workload. Staff report that they feel that they can talk to managers. Leaders have a secure understanding of their areas for improvement and have focused on strengthening partnerships with parents. They actively engage with families and other organisations to support children's development. Staff share information with parents and offer ideas to extend learning at home. Parents speak highly of the leaders and staff, describing the setting as a very special place, nurturing through the experience of the leaders. What it's like to be a child at this setting Children arrive at the nursery full of enthusiasm, eager to begin their day in this warm and welcoming environment. They demonstrate the positive, trusting relationships they have built with the caring staff, happily seeking them out. Staff interactions are warm and caring, which helps children feel safe, allowing them to grow in confidence and curiosity, supporting them to 'have a go' at new experiences. Leaders ensure that parents and carers are well informed about the importance of regular attendance and as a result, children attend regularly and on time. Staff and families also share children's learning between home and nursery, strengthening children's progress and confidence. Leaders have created a clear, well-planned curriculum that builds on children's everyday experiences, helping them stay excited about learning. All children benefit from a highly inclusive environment, where every child is supported to be involved. All children enjoy the varied learning opportunities available to them, both indoors and outdoors. Children typically make appropriate progress from their individual starting points across all areas of learning. They develop age-appropriate independence skills, such as taking care of their own personal hygiene needs and helping to clear away after mealtimes. They also develop healthy attitudes towards eating nutritious food and caring for their oral health. Children form firm friendships with other children and staff work hard to ensure that children are included in all activities and are encouraged to play collaboratively. For example, they move guttering together to allow water to flow or wait their turn to pop the bubbles, cheering when their peer catches a bubble. Staff use enriched language, visual prompts and sign language to support communication, and children respond positively to these approaches. Children are building secure foundations and progressing towards the next stage in their learning, such as moving to school. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or those children who face other barriers to their learning. Next steps Leaders should strengthen the consistency of teaching across the setting and continue refining the curriculum, so all staff deliver it with confidence and consistency to benefit Inspector: Joanne Goldsmith About this setting Unique reference number (URN): 2886300 Address: The Gatehouse, Bedford Hall, Station Road, Thorney Peterborough PE6 0QE Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 27/03/2026 Registered person: Smiley Faces Day Nursery (Thorney) Limited Register(s): EYR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00 Local authority: Peterborough Facts and figures used on inspection children's development. Leaders should provide staff with professional development that deepens their understanding of children's play and its role in effective learning to help build on what children already know and can do. About this inspection The inspector spoke with parents, leaders, the special educational needs coordinator, staff and children 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. This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 27 August 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 0 to 4 Total number of places 37 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. 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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