URN EY559925 · Inspected 2026-06-29 · Published 2026-10-05 · Inspector: Michelle Lorains
Happy Little Sunbeams Day Nursery Unique reference number (URN): EY559925 Address: 2 Park Road North, Middlesbrough, Yorkshire, TS1 3LF Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 09/05/2018 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Happy Little Sunbeams Day Nursery Limited Inspection report: 29 June 2026 Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement Needs attention Safeguarding standards not met Leaders have not ensured that there is an open and positive culture around safeguarding. This puts children at significant risk of harm. Leaders have not ensured that staff understand and follow procedures to keep children safe in the nursery. For example, staff do not recognise or report incidents of poor and/or inappropriate conduct. Staff do not implement the strategies created to promote children's safety, and staff actions have a negative impact on children's wellbeing. Staff roughly handle children and do not support children's behaviour in a positive manner, which causes children distress. When alerted to these observed concerns, leaders do follow the correct local authority procedures, and these incidents are swiftly dealt with. Ofsted has taken enforcement action to address these breaches of the early years foundation stage. 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. Achievement Needs attention Children do not make the best possible progress across every area of their learning. This means that some children do not develop all the skills they need to fully prepare them for school or the next stages in their learning. For example, young children and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are not consistently settled or emotionally regulated enough to be ready to learn. This limits their levels of engagement. Babies experience a better start in their learning and development. They show emerging confidence and are curious learners. Babies begin to dance and copy new words. They benefit from trips to the library and develop a love of books from an early age. Some children begin to develop their self-care and independence skills. They know how to wash their own hands and start to use the toilet. Overall, children develop an understanding of the world around them and learn about other people, places and cultures. Curriculum and teaching Needs attention Leaders do not provide a purposeful, sequenced curriculum for all children. On occasion, staff's teaching is not tailored to meet children's individual needs. This means that although children show enjoyment in some activities, they are not supported to make adequate progress towards their individual learning goals. For example, young children enjoy playing in the water tray outdoors. They explore flowers, taste lemons and listen as staff model new Urgent improvement words to them. However, some children show an interest in filling and emptying containers, but staff remove the pots because it is not in their plan. As a result, they do not help children to build on their emerging mathematical knowledge. Older children are not supported to develop all the skills they need to start school. For example, staff do not encourage them to develop their listening skills and concentration. At times, children wander between resources in the room and learning is incidental. In addition, staff are not effective in removing barriers to children's learning, particularly children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For instance, children are not supported to be emotionally ready to join in with experiences, which has an impact on their willingness to participate, and they miss out on social group experiences. In contrast, babies are supported by staff to develop their physical skills and are keen to explore their surroundings. Staff purposefully plan experiences to help develop babies' sensory play and confidence. They offer praise as babies explore the sensory tray and encourage them to copy words and sounds. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Urgent improvement Children's behaviour is not supported appropriately, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who face barriers to their learning. Although leaders have high expectations for all children's behaviour, staff do not make necessary adaptations to support individual children or implement strategies which help them to regulate their emotions. Staff do not support children to begin to understand about emotions and feelings. When children struggle to meet staff expectations for their behaviour, staff handle children inappropriately, and while the provider takes swift action to address this immediately, this practice falls well short of the expectations of the early years foundation stage requirements. In addition, the weaknesses in staff's teaching mean that some children are not deeply engaged in purposeful experiences, which has an impact on children's attitudes to learning. Overall, staff who work with babies promote continuity of care as they gather information from parents before children start. This helps them to understand babies' individual needs and care routines. Children are encouraged to attend the nursery regularly. This helps families who are new to the area to become part of the community, and leaders assist them to build a network of support. Children's welfare and wellbeing Urgent improvement Children's welfare and wellbeing are not prioritised. Staff do not support children's personal, social and emotional development effectively, and their actions have an adverse effect on some children's wellbeing. Children's privacy is not considered when they have their nappy changed or when they use the toilet. For example, staff change young children's nappies in the bathroom, but staff position the children so that their bottom and genitals face the corridor and can be seen from within the entrance hall where parents and visitors wait. Older children use the toilets that are not situated in cubicles and/or do not have privacy screens. While children sit and use the toilets, staff and other children use the same bathroom area at the same time to wash children's hands. This does not help children to learn how to keep themselves safe or provide sufficient privacy. Overall, children are encouraged to eat healthy foods, have plenty of exercise and fresh air and are provided with spaces to rest and sleep. Babies are taken out of the nursery daily by staff and benefit from close relationships with their key people. Toddlers show interest in tasting new fruits and pull faces as they taste lemon. Staff sit close to children during snack times and supervise them effectively to minimise risks of choking. Older children wait patiently to take part in brushing their teeth. Some staff support them to do this as they model the actions and offer praise. Inclusion Urgent improvement Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are not supported effectively in the nursery. Leaders' and staff members' practice has a negative impact on children's emotional wellbeing and creates barriers to learning. For example, some children have specific strategies in place to support them to participate and feel secure. These strategies are included in documents such as their education, health and care plans (EHCPs). Although leaders make documents such as these available to staff, they do not ensure that staff follow them when children with SEND become emotional and struggle to regulate their feelings. For instance, staff hold children tightly and try to hug them in a misguided attempt to comfort them. This action goes against the guidance in children's EHCPs on how to manage these situations and raises the children's levels of distress and discomfort. Although leaders and staff work in partnership with other professionals and children's families, children do not benefit from continuity of learning. In contrast, leaders and staff have a clear understanding of how to celebrate difference and diversity. For example, staff regularly take children out into the local community and visit local churches and mosques. Children take part in weekly themed activities which reflect the different countries that they have lived in or visited. Overall, leaders have used additional funding appropriately to support some children who have gaps in their learning. Leadership and governance Urgent improvement Leaders have not sufficiently reflected on or evaluated the effectiveness of the provision. There are several breaches of the requirements of the early years foundations stage, some of which have a negative effect on children's care, learning, wellbeing and safety. Leaders have not ensured that staff fully understand the procedures to keep children safe. Although they provide staff with supervision meetings to discuss personal effectiveness and training, professional development opportunities do not have enough impact to make the necessary improvements to benefit children. Since the last inspection, leaders have worked on developing communication with families. For example, they ensure parents and carers know who their child's key person is and use an online platform to share information digitally. This supports families who speak English as an additional language as the translate feature breaks down barriers to communication. Leaders have begun to work on developing the curriculum. However, this is still not embedded, and further training is required to raise the quality of staff's teaching, particularly in supporting children's personal, social and emotional development and their mathematical skills. Leaders work in partnership with other professionals and support families. For instance, they help new families to locate doctors and dental practices when they are new to the country. This helps to promote children's health. Staff complete transition documents and invite teachers into the setting to help promote smooth transitions, such as when children move on to school. Compulsory Childcare Register requirements This setting has not 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 Voluntary Childcare Register requirements This setting has not met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register. How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Voluntary Childcare Register When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes: Met Not met What it's like to be a child at this setting Children are not supported to make the best possible progress or achieve their full potential across every area of their learning. Despite some support from senior leaders, staff do not make appropriate adaptations to effectively support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. On occasion, staff actions have a negative impact on children's wellbeing, which limits their ability to learn. This means some children do not develop secure foundations for future learning, including developing the skills they need to move on to school. The weaknesses in how the curriculum is delivered mean that some areas of learning are not promoted or adequately taught by staff, including children's personal, social and emotional development and their mathematical knowledge. For example, children play in the water tray, but staff do not introduce new concepts or language, such as full and empty. Children begin to develop their physical skills and independence. For example, babies enjoy working with staff as they twist peg jigsaw pieces to fit them into the puzzle. Staff praise them, and they show perseverance and keep trying. Babies benefit from close relationships with nurturing staff. Toddlers and older children show they are keen to take an active part in their self-care and hygiene routine as they wash their hands and brush their teeth. However, staff do not protect their privacy when they change young children's nappies or when older children use the toilet. Most children build relationships with staff who know how to meet their care needs. Children arrive at the nursery and are generally happy to separate from their parents and carers. Families say they feel supported by the leadership team, and they appreciate the help and flexibility offered to them. This helps them to bring their children regularly, and they begin to build relationships in the community. Next steps The provider is not meeting the requirements of the Early years foundation stage and Childcare Register and Ofsted intends to take enforcement action. We will issue a Welfare Requirements Notice requiring the provider to have taken the following actions by the assigned date: Action Completion Date ensure all staff understand how to identify poor or unsafe practice and know how to respond appropriately in line with the whistleblowing procedures 27/07/2026 provide all staff with focused training and professional development opportunities to ensure they have the appropriate knowledge and skills to keep children safe, 27/07/2026 Action Completion Date and provide high-quality learning and development experiences ensure that staff understand how to support children's behaviour appropriately 27/07/2026 ensure all staff implement the arrangements that are in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities 27/07/2026 ensure children's privacy is considered and respected when they have their nappies changed and use the toilet 27/07/2026 To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must take the following actions by the assigned date: Action Completion Date improve the way staff support all children's personal, social and emotional development to build a secure foundation for them to thrive 02/09/2026 ensure that staff provide frequent and varied opportunities to help children develop the necessary building blocks to excel mathematically 02/09/2026 develop and implement an ambitious, broad and sequenced curriculum for all children, to help them build secure foundations for future learning across every area of their development, and ensure staff's teaching is matched to meet children's individual needs 02/09/2026 About this inspection The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, children, the special educational needs coordinator, the designated safeguarding lead 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. Inspector: Michelle Lorains About this setting Unique reference number (URN): EY559925 Address: 2 Park Road North Middlesbrough Yorkshire TS1 3LF Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 09/05/2018 Registered person: Happy Little Sunbeams Day Nursery Limited Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00 Local authority: Middlesbrough Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 29 June 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 0 to 7 Total number of places 64 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. You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence, write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk. This publication is available at https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk. Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn. 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