Happy Kids Education Centre Ltd

Happy Kids Education Centre Ltd
Unique reference number (URN): EY556695
Address: Unit 6, Manchester Park, Tewkesbury Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL51 9EJ
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 08/05/2018
Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR
Registered person: Happy Kids Education Centre Ltd
Inspection report: 10 September 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.

Needs attention
Achievement Needs attention
Not all children receive learning opportunities that fully support their progress. The
consistency and effectiveness of staff interactions with children vary across the setting. At
times, interactions do not extend children's thinking or respond closely enough to what
individual children already know and can do. This means children are not as well prepared
for the next stage of learning. This particularly affects children who require additional help to
participate and learn, as support is not always purposeful or matched to the barriers they
experience.
Children benefit from clear routines, which have a positive impact on children's enjoyment
and engagement in learning at the setting. They receive encouragement to take
responsibility for everyday tasks. Children confidently select activities and equipment that
interest them from resources placed within their reach. Familiar routines also promote
independence. Children know to wash their hands at appropriate times and, when preparing
for outdoor play, they find their coats and shoes and attempt to put them on themselves.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention
Leaders and staff do not establish routines consistently enough to help children understand
what is expected of them throughout the day. At times, transitions lack clear direction. For
example, after children collect their coats and shoes in preparation for outdoor play, some
return to the playroom. They wander around because they are unsure what will happen
next. During circle time, some younger children find it difficult to remain engaged and need
additional support to maintain their interest.
Staff generally model kind and respectful behaviour. They remind children to listen, share
and consider the needs of others. There are many warm interactions between staff and
children. Parents and carers describe staff as caring, approachable and supportive. They
value the positive relationships staff have established with their children. Staff encourage
children to attend regularly and monitor their attendance through an online app, offering
support to families when required. Leaders recognise that routines need to be strengthened
so that children experience the same clear expectations throughout the setting. However,
this work is not yet fully embedded in everyday practice.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention
Staff do not consistently put their knowledge of safer eating into practice. They do not
always prepare food in a way that is suitable for children's ages and stages of development
or consistently remain seated with children throughout mealtimes. However, staff remain
present and supervise children while they eat. Staff have recently completed safer eating
training and demonstrate a clear understanding of how to support children to eat safely.
Leaders have not yet ensured that staff consistently translate this knowledge into practice.
Staff understand children's individual dietary requirements. However, arrangements for

managing these and ensuring that food is suitable for children's individual needs are not
implemented consistently.
Children form warm and trusting relationships with staff. They comfortably approach familiar
adults for reassurance and support and are confident in expressing how they feel. Staff
respond with affection and kindness, which helps children to feel secure and valued.
Staff implement safe sleep procedures well and always remain with sleeping children. They
check on children regularly while they rest. Appropriate cots and sleeping mats are
available, and each child has their own bedding. Staff have recently completed safer sleep
training. They demonstrate a secure understanding of the procedures they must follow. Staff
complete risk assessments each morning and continue to monitor the environment
throughout the day. When a potential hazard is identified, staff respond promptly and take
appropriate steps to remove or reduce the risk. This helps to maintain a safe environment
for children.
Curriculum and teaching Needs attention
The curriculum is not yet implemented consistently across the nursery. Children have
considerable freedom to choose their play, but staff do not provide enough purposeful
learning alongside this. This is particularly noticeable for younger children, who have access
to resources but do not consistently benefit from planned activities that reflect their interests,
needs and stages of development. As a result, children's learning is not supported equally
well across all areas of the early years curriculum. Staff have responded to advice to make
learning more child-led. However, they have not yet achieved the right balance between
independent exploration and focused support.
Staff sometimes do not consistently build on children's emerging interests. For example,
during an activity where children learn about themselves, children start arranging beads into
patterns. Staff do not recognise or extend this learning through questions, suggestions or
additional activities.
There are some positive learning opportunities for children in the setting. Older children
enjoy using mirrors to explore their faces and different expressions. Children also draw
freely at the creative station and access resources, such as trains and construction toys.
Some staff know their key children's next steps, and discuss children's development during
weekly staff meetings. However, some staff are not always clear about how they support the
next steps of children who already attend the setting. Leaders recognise that staff need
further support to translate their planning and knowledge of children into consistent and
purposeful interactions and learning opportunities.
Inclusion Needs attention
Leaders and staff do not yet use inclusive strategies consistently across the setting. Staff do
not always adapt their interactions and the learning environment to reflect children's
individual communication and learning needs. For example, leaders have introduced visual
lanyards to support children, including those who speak English as an additional language.
However, very few staff use these lanyards. Consequently, children do not benefit

consistently from the approaches introduced to help them communicate, understand
routines and take part in learning.
Leaders understand the importance of identifying and supporting children who face barriers
to learning. Managers, who are also the special educational needs coordinators, work
closely with parents and carers and the local inclusion team. Children have plans that
identify their needs, the support they will receive and the goals everyone is working towards,
or more detailed plans if they have more complex needs, where appropriate. Managers
ensure that parents contribute to these plans and that their views are considered when
decisions are made about their children.
Some staff have considerable experience of supporting children with special educational
needs and/or disabilities. They help colleagues to plan suitable activities and support
families when needed. These arrangements provide a positive foundation for inclusive
practice. However, leaders need to ensure that agreed strategies are understood and
implemented consistently by the whole team before they can make a sustained difference to
children's experiences and progress.
Leadership and governance Needs attention
Leadership and oversight are developing. Managers hold several key responsibilities,
including designated safeguarding lead and special educational needs coordinator. They are
also regularly included in the staff-to-child ratios and work directly with children. While this
supports the daily running of the setting, it reduces the time available for managers to
monitor practice and support staff development. Weekly team meetings take place and
include an appropriate focus on safeguarding and children's welfare. However, leaders do
not yet give enough attention during these meetings to the quality of education. Staff need
clearer guidance about what they want children to learn and how activities and interactions
should build on children's existing knowledge and identified next steps.
Formal staff supervision arrangements are not currently in place. Consequently, leaders
cannot routinely review staff's individual practice, identify gaps in their knowledge or provide
targeted professional development. However, leaders have recently started to focus more
on staff wellbeing, including additional emotional support and opportunities to discuss
workload.
Managers are committed to improving the setting and have identified several areas requiring
development. They seek advice and work closely with external agencies. Managers also
respond positively to professional recommendations. To strengthen the curriculum, leaders
have started to make changes in staff practice, including plans for further training. However,
this work remains at an early stage and is not yet consistently embedded across the team.

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
Voluntary Childcare Register requirements
This setting has 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's experiences across the setting are variable. While they can freely select from
available resources, activities are not always planned or supported in ways that help
children to remain interested and develop their learning. Some children move between play
areas without settling to a clear purpose. Staff do not consistently recognise opportunities to
build on children's ideas or adapt activities to their individual abilities and interests. This
means that children do not consistently receive the support they need to build securely on
what they already know and can do.

Children appear happy and comfortable at the setting and form warm relationships with
staff. They seek reassurance from familiar staff when needed. Children respond positively
when staff encourage them to participate. During circle time, children enthusiastically join
staff in singing songs they know well. When children find it difficult to engage, staff choose a
favourite song, which successfully encourages children to join in.
Children know the staff well and learn to play positively with other children. Staff support
their individual care needs, including nappy changing and sleep routines, effectively. This
helps children to feel settled and secure and develop a sense of belonging.
Children enjoy making choices about their play, including drawing and exploring creative
materials. Children listen attentively and participate enthusiastically in a story after lunch.
Children of all ages have opportunities to play outdoors. They enjoy riding bicycles and
using the slide and play imaginatively in the playhouse. For example, children use sand to
pretend to prepare food. These experiences support their enjoyment, physical development
and imaginations.
Next steps
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
strengthen monitoring to ensure that all staff understand
and consistently implement the safer eating policies
09/10/2026
ensure that the curriculum is implemented consistently
to support all children's learning and progress
09/10/2026
improve the quality of teaching and interactions so that
all children make better and sustained progress from
their individual starting points
09/10/2026
implement regular and effective supervision
arrangements to identify staff's individual development
needs
09/10/2026
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with a manager, staff, parents and carers 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

Inspector:
Kelly Whitley-Jones
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): EY556695
Address:
Unit 6
Manchester Park
Tewkesbury Road
Cheltenham
Gloucestershire
GL51 9EJ
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 08/05/2018
Registered person: Happy Kids Education Centre Ltd
Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00
Local authority: Gloucestershire
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 10 September 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
1 to 3
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.

Total number of places
24
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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