Happy Days Nursery

Canal walks to feed the ducks and an open-plan toddler room give Happy Days Nursery a recognisable character: everyday learning extends beyond the playroom. Based at Sacred Heart Church in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, it has capacity for 27 children, with a current age range of three months to five years. That whole-nursery capacity is separate from the size of any individual room.

At its November 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall and found safeguarding effective. The strongest detail beneath that judgement concerns children's relationships, language development and growing independence. There was also a clear improvement point: experienced practitioners needed to share their teaching skills more effectively with less-experienced colleagues.

Full-day and sessional care sit alongside an opening calendar covering 51 weeks of the year. For families, the appeal combines a long opening window with outings into the surrounding community, rather than keeping the nursery day entirely within the building.

Rooms and Ages

The Caterpillar Baby Room serves children aged zero to two, while the Ladybirds Toddler Room serves two- to three-year-olds. The baby room has a lead practitioner responsible for its day-to-day running. These named rooms give families a useful starting point for understanding where their child's early nursery experience will take place.

An open-plan toddler room provides space for play and learning. Outdoors, children have a play area for exploration. In November 2022, older children could choose between indoor and outdoor activities; staff also arranged physical activity for those who preferred to stay inside. Choice extended to how children took part, rather than requiring everyone to follow the same activity.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for children's learning, development and care. In parent terms, it connects play and everyday routines with developing communication, movement, relationships and early understanding of the world.

In November 2022, small objects made mathematical ideas tangible: children used buttons to investigate shape, size and ordering, and represented numbers with their fingers. These were practical encounters with concepts, using objects children could handle rather than relying only on adult explanation.

Language work was equally concrete in November 2022. Staff assessed children's understanding through communication screening, then planned speech activities around their next steps. Familiar words from children's home languages and stories connected to their experiences helped link nursery learning with life at home. For a child learning English alongside another language, that connection matters.

Outdoor and Community Life

Regular outings include the museum, local park and library, plus canal walks to feed ducks. The different destinations give children experiences beyond their usual rooms: books, outdoor exploration and encounters with the surrounding area all become part of nursery life. The frequency is regular, rather than tied to a fixed weekly timetable.

Relationships and Communication

In November 2022, children sought out familiar adults for help with sleep, and staff allowed them to finish playing before changing activities. Those small adjustments made routines responsive to the child. A secondary key-person arrangement also gave children a familiar source of support when their main key person was absent.

Parents contributed information about their child when joining, which staff used in planning in November 2022. An online system supported further exchanges with families. Where children attended another setting too, practitioners worked with their counterparts, helping connect learning across the child's different childcare arrangements.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The current team includes a SENCo lead, providing a specific role for coordinating special educational needs support. At the November 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that staff recognised children needing additional help and worked with professionals, including speech and language therapists, to address barriers to learning. Resources bought with additional funding included cards that helped children talk about feelings.

Independence was built through ordinary routines in November 2022. Babies practised feeding themselves with a spoon, while older children fetched drinks and used cutlery themselves. This gave children opportunities to do things for themselves as their skills developed.

A cook prepares meals and snacks on site each day. The nursery aims to accommodate dietary needs arising from allergies, cultural requirements and preferences, so food arrangements need to be considered around the individual child.

Sessions and Attendance

Happy Days offers full-day and sessional childcare. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday; these are the nursery's opening window. It operates for 51 weeks annually, closing for bank holidays and the week between Christmas and New Year. The Christmas closure is a concrete planning point for families whose work continues through that period.

Enquiries can be made by telephone or through the contact form. Current prices are supplied directly by the nursery, allowing families to consider the cost against their proposed attendance pattern.

Getting There

The address is Sacred Heart Church, Downey Street Entrance, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 3BY. The Downey Street entrance is the useful detail to retain when planning a visit.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for eligible two-year-olds and for children aged three and four. The funding information describes the 15-hour entitlement and up to 30 hours for qualifying working families. Eligibility conditions matter: the working-family entitlement is not a universal offer to every family.

Funding and private childcare are separate parts of the booking decision. Current prices are supplied directly by the nursery; families should consider their attendance needs alongside the funded entitlement that applies to them.

• Teaching consistency. In November 2022, teaching approaches varied because experienced staff's skills were not being shared effectively enough. Ask how mentoring now helps practitioners maintain consistent teaching and care across the rooms.
• Matching sessions and funding. Both full-day and sessional care are offered, alongside funded childcare. At a visit, ask how your intended attendance would use funded hours and what meals, consumables and any additional hours would cost.
• Dietary needs. The nursery aims to accommodate allergies and other dietary requests. Families managing an allergy should confirm the current preparation and serving arrangements for their child.

Happy Days suits families seeking either full-day childcare or a sessional pattern, with community outings and an open-plan toddler environment adding useful variety. The November 2022 picture gives substance to the Good judgement: familiar adults, practical language work and steps towards independence all feature in children's day.

The qualification is teaching consistency. The mentoring improvement point deserves attention alongside the positive account of relationships and support. For families, the decision rests on how that care translates into their child's room and attendance pattern, with the Christmas closure factored into wider childcare plans.