Happytime Preschool

Giant tyres used for drawing and a wormery used for counting give Happytime Preschool's November 2022 nursery day a recognisable character: practical, exploratory and built around children's interests. The overall judgement on 18 November 2022 was Good, with improvements needed in children's independence and the planning of adult-led learning.

Happytime occupies North Bersted Youth Centre in Bognor Regis and has capacity for 50 children. In November 2022, the children attending were aged two to four. The strongest examples from that period involved children choosing their play and adults extending it through conversation.

In November 2022, children could select their activities and spend sustained periods exploring them. Drawing inside giant tyres, peeling stickers and handling sensory materials gave them different ways to practise using their hands. Rocket construction brought making and imaginative play together.

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: learning through play sits alongside support for communication and practical skills. In November 2022, staff introduced vocabulary during wet-sand play, used puppets with stories and encouraged singing. Investigating worms from the wormery also created opportunities to compare sizes and count, connecting early mathematics with something children wanted to explore.

In November 2022, additional funding supported encounters with local authors, visits to the book bus and learning about animals through real-life visits. These opportunities connected their learning with books and animals beyond their usual play resources.

At the November 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities responsive to their individual learning needs. Those are dated judgements.

In November 2022, children sought reassurance from familiar staff and shared their discoveries with them. Friendships were evident in cooperative play, including children helping one another with bicycles outdoors. Staff also used signing to support understanding and communication, giving children another way to connect words with meaning.

Partnerships with families began early in children's attendance in November 2022, with communication helping to connect care and learning at home and preschool.

The address is North Bersted Youth Centre, 14 North Bersted Street, Bognor Regis, PO22 9AD.

In November 2022, Happytime's opening hours were Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 8.45am to 4.15pm, and Monday and Wednesday, 8.45am to 1.15pm, during school terms only. It received funding for free early education for children aged two, three and four. These were its arrangements at that time.

• Learning independence. In November 2022, staff sometimes completed tasks children could have attempted themselves. On a visit, ask how practitioners now balance helping your child with giving them time to try, and how group activities are adapted to their needs.
• Circle-time teaching. In November 2022, some adult-led activities did not match children's learning needs closely enough, and children lost interest during circle time. The balance between freely chosen play and purposeful group teaching matters here.
• Wednesday timetable. The November 2022 opening hours give Wednesday both a 1.15pm and a 4.15pm finish. Ask about the current timetable and which finish would apply to your child's attendance.

Happytime's November 2022 experience would suit children who enjoy making, sensory exploration and learning through conversation. The wormery and practical play examples give that judgement substance. Its Good inspection judgement sits alongside clear development points: adults needed to leave more tasks to children and make group teaching more responsive.