Sunny Skies Academy

Sunny Skies Academy
Unique reference number (URN): 2795258
Address: Balby Court Ltd, Balby Court, Carr Hill, Doncaster, DN4 8DE
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 02/07/2024
Registers: EYR
Registered person: Sunny Skies Academy Ltd
Inspection report: 6 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.

Exceptional
Strong standard
Inclusion Exceptional
Tremendous thought and dedication has gone into this nursery to ensure it is fully inclusive.
Leaders' actions, passion for their work and dedication have a transformational impact on
the lives of children at the nursery. Leaders have developed their own assessment tool to
support them to identify any additional support needs at the earliest opportunity. This helps
to ensure support is put in place early.
All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and
those who face other barriers to their learning, are extremely well supported. Knowledgeable
staff who are passionate abut their work ensure children's individual needs are consistently
met. Children learn about difference and diversity and show respect and acceptance of one
another.
Thorough transition procedures ensure that key information is shared before children start at
the setting. Those with oversight of SEND meet with parents to build a picture of the child,
and further training is accessed as required and disseminated through the staff team. This
ensures children are very well supported from the start. Ongoing observation and
assessment practices ensure early identification of any emerging needs and enable leaders
to act swiftly to take action.
Additional funding is used effectively to provide children with specialist support. For
example, funding supports lower ratios and additional staff training. The early years pupil
premium is used highly effectively to support children it is intended for. Staff use a range of
communication methods with children, including Makaton. This is consistently embedded in
each of the rooms. This supports all children with their communication and language,
especially those children who are non-verbal or pre-verbal.
Leaders are beginning to share their success, expertise and experience in the local early
years community. They have done this by inviting other professionals into the setting. This
means they are not only having a transformational impact on children and families in their
setting, but they are also beginning to have a positive impact on children and families in the
local area.
Achievement Strong standard
Children are very well prepared for their next stage of learning, such as school. They learn a
range of lifelong skills. Children learn the importance of washing their hands and do this
independently. Children proudly become the 'snack helper' and help staff to set the tables.
Children develop their understanding of number and early mathematical concepts. Young
children learn early counting skills as they build towers. Older children learn more complex

skills, such as recognising numbers and matching them to the same amounts. This helps to
embed early core mathematical skills.
Children learn about difference and diversity through their daily experiences and discussions
from staff. They learn that some children may be allergic to some foods and are taught to
ensure they do not share foods. Additionally, they learn about other languages. They enjoy
songs led by an external singer. Children are becoming highly confident communicators and
are learning to communicate in a range of ways. In the pre-school classroom, children play
together and build narratives as they do. They make suggestions about what happens next
and negotiate, taking account of what each other says to ensure everyone's ideas are
included. When playing with small-world toys, children excitedly explain that their characters
'are going on holiday in a flying car'.
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face other barriers
to learning make exceptionally positive progress.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard
Children's behaviour is consistently well managed across the setting. Leaders prioritise
positive relationships with families and children. This is embedded through a well-
established key-person approach. Leaders promote the importance of regular attendance.
They work closely with parents and go above and beyond their role to ensure children are
able to attend their planned sessions. This helps to establish routines as children prepare for
school and ensure children are accessing their full entitlement.
Leaders and staff have high expectations of what children can achieve. They model values
that help to support children, such as kindness and respect to others. Children display high
levels of respect for their peers. Skilled staff calmly respond to any incidents of unwanted
behaviour. Effective strategies are consistently embedded in a way that is appropriate for
the age and stage of development of individual children. For example, at times, they redirect
children's attention to ensure they draw on paper rather than on unwanted areas.
Staff have worked particularly hard to embed the nursery routine. This has, at times, been
challenging as the nursery has expanded. They have supported children to understand new
routines and to build on their listening skills. This has helped children to build on their
attention skills, and, as a result, they show high levels of engagement and become deeply
immersed in their learning.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard
Leaders ensure that policies and procedures are consistently embedded across the nursery
to ensure children's safety and overall wellbeing. Careful consideration is given to children
with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff consistently consider individual
children's routines. For example, they are receptive to when babies require milk and their
individual sleep patterns. Staff have formed positive relationships with babies. They snuggle
into staff as they enjoy their bottle of milk. Staff ensure children are safe while they are
sleeping, including monitoring the room temperature and regularly checking sleeping
children.

Through detailed discussions with parents when children first start, leaders recognise some
children's limited experiences when they begin at the setting. They work with parents, in a
non-judgemental way, to support and guide them. For example, they work with parents with
ideas of how they can reduce children's screen time. Staff teach children about aspects of
self-care. They learn to wash their hands independently and take part in tooth brushing. This
helps children to learn about oral hygiene.
Staff across the nursery use a calm and consistent approach to behaviour management.
Children are taught strategies to help them manage conflict and how to recognise and
respond to their emotions. For example, staff sensitively encourage turn-taking on bikes in
the toddler garden, teaching children to share.
Curriculum and teaching Strong standard
Leaders reflect on the individual needs of children, with expertise, to develop a highly
inclusive curriculum that inspires. Leaders ensure that staff are well equipped to deliver the
curriculum through consistently high-quality teaching. They prioritise professional
development, enabling staff to attend quality training that deepens their understanding of the
educational programmes they teach. As a result, children make significant progress from
their starting points.
Teaching across the nursery is consistently successful. All staff are knowledgeable about
what they want children to learn. This is based on children's next steps in learning and
builds on what they already know. They provide stimulating learning experiences that
develop children's engagement, motivation and thinking skills. For example, children in the
pre-school room learn about quantity through play with 'treasure' in sand. Staff teach them
strategies to count with accuracy and challenge them through thoughtful questioning. In their
play, children practise these skills and begin to think critically. They say, 'I am taller' with
delight when measuring and comparing their heights. Communication and language
development is prioritised and is especially well taught. Staff model spoken language,
alongside other communication methods such as visual prompts or signing. This
consistency helps children to make excellent progress from their starting points.
The curriculum is purposefully designed to consider the individual children who attend the
nursery. Activities are thoughtfully adapted to ensure all children can take part.
Leadership and governance Strong standard
Leaders have an in-depth knowledge of the children and families that attend their setting
and fully understand the community that they serve. Staff are very well supported. They
express high levels of wellbeing. Leaders are mindful of the challenges that staff face in their
day-to-day role. They provide a highly effective induction process for new staff and ongoing
mentoring. Staff have access to high-quality and effective training
Leaders are highly reflective. They evaluate the provision and are proactive in making
changes where required. Leaders have exceptionally high expectations and a clear vision
for delivering high-quality education and care for all children. Prior to their expansion, they
have carefully considered the needs of children and how they can ensure their individual
needs are met when creating new designated spaces. Leaders continue to reflect and have

a detailed development plan. For example, they have further plans in place to develop the
baby room garden.
Leaders are passionate about providing young people with opportunities for employment.
They have worked with local colleges and specialist provision to support young people to
gain vital work experience. Apprentices are very well supported by in-house mentors.
Leaders inspire and support staff to support them further with their careers.
Leaders and staff have formed positive and highly effective relationships with parents and
families. Leaders provide parents with guidance, for example on how to support their
understanding of screen time and how this could impact on children's learning and
development. Respectful relationships enable staff to have regular, open conversations with
families and identify when they need further support.
Staff work effectively with other professionals. For example, they share progress checks at
age 2 with health visitors. This helps to promote a joined-up approach and further helps to
identify any concerns at the earliest possible stage.
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children thrive at this highly inclusive setting. They are welcomed by dedicated and friendly
staff who are highly knowledgeable in their roles. They make a highly positive impact on
children and their families, providing tailored and individualised learning. This is particularly
transformational for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Children are
included in all aspects of nursery life and routines in a way that meets their individual needs
and specific barriers to learning. Some children thrive in their dedicated rooms. Others
benefit from a more unique and tailored curriculum in a space that has been designed to suit
their individual needs, such as to include resources that support their emotional regulation
and sensory needs.
The support for children who face other barriers to their learning and wellbeing, such as
disadvantaged children and children who are known or previously known to children's social
care, is equally as inspiring. Children make strides in their own learning, and progress is
evident across the nursery. Additionally, staff and leaders ensure children have ample
access to a large outdoor space. This ensures children have opportunities such as learning
to ride a bike or have opportunities to play outside that they may not have at home.
Children's social skills develop as they learn to play alongside and cooperatively with others.
This is something that some children have never had the opportunity, or have had limited

Inspectors:
Amy Whiting
Leah Selfridge
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2795258
Address:
Balby Court Ltd
Balby Court, Carr Hill
Doncaster
DN4 8DE
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 02/07/2024
Registered person: Sunny Skies Academy Ltd
opportunities, to do. Staff work with parents to support children who speak English as an
additional language. They learn some words in children's home languages to help support
them. They also have some bilingual staff who are able to converse with parents in both
English and other languages. This helps to further strengthen relationships and support
children, especially when they are new to the setting.
Next steps
Leaders should continue to sustain their work to ensure continued improvement and high
standards. They should focus on creating a transformational impact on children's
achievement through ensuring exceptionally high levels of teaching.
About this inspection
The inspectors spoke with staff, leaders, parents, children and the nursery special
educational needs coordinator 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.

Register(s): EYR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00
Local authority: Doncaster
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 6 July 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
0 to 4
Total number of places
138
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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