Happy Days Nurseries & Pre-Schools is delighted to announce that our setting in Derriford has received a GOOD Ofsted result, following an unannounced inspection in early November. Opened in 2008, the nursery is situated in Derriford Business Park and offers children wonderfully spacious environments to support children’s learning and growth, with their own woodland area and outdoor space.

The report highlights how ‘children are cared for by welcoming and nurturing staff. Strong settling-in procedures and staff’s attentiveness to children’s care needs result in children who are happy and well settled. Staff have high expectations for all children. They help children to develop friendships with their peers and be kind to each other. Children behave extremely well. Staff are excellent role models.’

Zara Austin, Nursery Manager, shares her gratitude and pride for her team, “I am immensely proud of the team for their exceptional and consistent work and dedication to the children and families in our care”.  

If you want to work in this exceptional environment with our professional knowledgeable team or, are a parent looking for the best care and education for your child, then contact Zara, or the Derriford team, on 01752 786318 or email derriford@happydaysnurseries.com.

We are delighted to announce that Happy Days Nurseries and Pre-Schools have now launched the Boogie Mites programme in our nurseries to support goals underpinned by the ‘Strong and Confident Communicators’ aspect of our unique ‘Where Children Shine’ curriculum. Boogie Mites aims to offer early years educators and parents the knowledge, confidence, and resources to harness the brain-boosting power of music every day, encouraging children to move and develop through music.

In preparation for this exciting launch, our colleagues took part in training, hosted by Liv McLennan. Alex Venter, Quality Lead Manager, who attended training, shares her admiration for the team and excitement for this new instalment, “We had a brilliant time at training – it was incredibly engaging, and I cannot wait to continue sessions in the nursery. The children really enjoy this activity and training has only allowed us to enrich these experiences even further.”

Sue Newman, Operations Director at Boogie Mites, shares her excitement for this partnership, “We are delighted to be introducing Boogie Mites School Ready Music Programme to Happy Days Nurseries. Our trainer, Liv McLennan, has enjoyed working with such an enthusiastic team over the three Saturday training sessions. We look forward to working with Happy Days, supporting implementation, and extending music knowledge, confidence, and resources via our monthly webinars”.

Starting children on a musical journey in pre-school, develops auditory processing and rhythmic skills, laying strong foundations for language, literacy, and learning in a school environment. Click here to find out more about Boogie Mites, their missions, and how the programme can be implemented at home or nursery.

Happy Days are delighted to announce that they have commenced the roll out of ParentZone across their nurseries, with 80% of settings now using the app. This award-winning app is designed to build stronger partnerships with parents and caregivers, providing instant updates to involve families in their children’s day at nursery.

ParentZone has been developed by Connect Childcare and has been in the industry for over 18 years. They have won a number of awards and are loved and trusted by over 3,400 nurseries, 77,000 practitioners & 180,000 parents.

With ParentZone, parents can receive updates on the activities their child has been participating in throughout the day along with professional observations of their child’s learning and development through photos, videos and notes. It also allows the child’s Key Person to share important daily information like what food their child has eaten, nap times or nappy changes, too.

The ParentZone App allows parents to upload their own experiences with their child at home, making it quick and easy to share activities and their child’s developmental milestones between home and nursery. It even has a full parent hub that helps families facilitate their child’s learning from home.

At Happy Days, we believe that building relationships with our families is extremely instrumental to the delivery of care, and ParentZone has already highlighted strengths in communication.

Jackie Cambridge, Head of Quality, stated, “The introduction of the app has reduced the time practitioners spend completing paperwork to track children’s progress, make observations and assessments, allowing more time to be spent engaged in meaningful interactions with children.

The app has also strengthened parent partnerships providing an interactive two way communication between parents, nursery and the child’s Key Person, which effectively supports children’s learning and development both at home and at Nursery.”

Our parents are also delighted with the App.

Helen, a parent at Happy Days, Treloweth, commented, “I just wanted to say how much I love the ParentZone app and to tell you how much I appreciate it. I think it’s a credit to yourselves that this app is kept up to date daily regardless of what’s happening at the nursery. It’s great to see what she’s been eating but the best bit is the snap shots! These are amazing and gives us parents insight into what they are up to at nursery.”

Samantha, also a parent at Happy Days, Treloweth, stated, “ParentZone is fantastic! It’s so great to see snapshots of our daughter’s time at nursery and she loves looking at the photos each evening and talking us through her day. We like to upload things from home too, to share with her key worker, it’s perfect for creating a full picture of her early years.”

To find out more about ParentZone, including its features and set-up information, click here: https://connectchildcare.com/information-for-parentzone-users/

Happy Days Nurseries and Pre-Schools is delighted to have been given the opportunity to expand its portfolio further with the acquisition of The Yew Tree Nursery & Pre-School, Yeovil. This is the second setting in Somerset and demonstrates its desire to grow in the South West of England as part of its ambitious expansion plans.

The Yew Tree Nursery & Pre-School is located in a beautiful and historic building, providing care for children from 3 months to 5 years old, as well as offering After School Care and Holiday Clubs for children at school ages. The nursery offers safe and secure provision in dedicated spaces, providing opportunities for children to explore, investigate and develop their creativity within a caring and stimulating learning environment.

Kim Herbert, Managing Director for Happy Days Nurseries and Pre-Schools stated, “We are thrilled to be growing our portfolio again with the acquisition of this fantastic nursery whose ethos of nurturing children in a warm, friendly environment aligns with our own and we are looking forward to building on this. The staff team at the Yew Tree Nursery will remain in place and we look forward to working with them to support children to become strong and motivated learners for life and provide a top class service to enable parents to work and live their daily lives knowing their children are cherished and cared for to the highest standard.”

Heidi McCarthy, outgoing owner of the Yew Tree Nursery said; “I am very impressed with Happy Days professionalism and their commitment in providing the best nursery experience for all children. I am very pleased that Yew Tree Nursery is now part of Happy Day`s family.”

Fiona Blackwell, Operations Director, added, “The Yew Tree Nursery is the perfect fit for us, and we look forward to welcoming our new colleagues and families into the Happy Days Group.”

The sale was brokered by Redwoods Dowling Kerr. Jenna Caldwell, Director of Childcare & Education for Redwoods Dowling Kerr, commented “It was a pleasure to assist both Heidi and Happy Days with the sale of Yew Tree Nursery and we wish Happy Days all of the best with their latest acquisition”.

Happy Days Nurseries and Pre-Schools has now increased its total number of settings to 22, with more new nurseries in the pipeline. Anyone interested in selling their business, or a developer looking for a nursery provider to partner with, should contact

Kevin Higgs: kevin.higgs@happydaysnurseries.com;

Kim Herbert kim.herbert@happydaysnureries.com or

Marcia Viccars marcia.viccars@happydaysnurseries.com

On Thursday 5 October, Happy Days Nurseries and Pre-Schools were delighted to welcome the Mayor of Droitwich Spa, Councillor Kate Fellows, to officially open their nursery in Droitwich. The Mayor was joined by members of the Happy Days Senior Team along with parents, colleagues and a resident and colleagues from Woodland View Care Home.

Guests received a tour of the nursery and were treated to a Happy Days cake and cupcakes made by the nursery chef, Dawn Evans.

The nursery was then officially declared open but the Mayor of Droitwich who cut the ribbon with assistance from some of the children and Sheila, a resident at Woodland View Care Home.

Mark Beadle, Chairman for Happy Days stated, “I would like to congratulate Happy Days Nursery, and it is a pleasure to be here. It is wonderful to see this building transform. It is so lovely to see the vacant space turn out how it has. Thank you to everyone who has been involved in making this possible.”

Mayor, Councillor Kate Fellows commented; “The nursery is just wonderful, and it is a pleasure to be here today meeting the team and parents. From the soft flooring to the garden furniture, I am so impressed – the environments are beautiful. I am excited to see this nursery flourish, and huge congratulations to Happy Days.”

Manger, Ashley Webb, welcomed everyone to the nursery and stated “This is an exciting opportunity for staff and children to experience a purpose built nursery with stimulating resources and a unique curriculum offering the children the opportunity to develop to their full potential”

Nestled in the heart of Yew Tree Village, the nursery is a welcome addition to the local community and has already formed partnership with local businesses, including Woodland View Care Home and the local dessert shop, Droitwich Desserts.

The team at Happy Days Droitwich look forward to welcoming more families into the nursery as they continue to grow.

Click here for more information or to book a tour.

We are delighted to announce that Happy Days Nurseries has partnered with Realise to deliver quality training. Read our joint press release below:

Expanding group Happy Days Nurseries & Pre-Schools has demonstrated its commitment to developing apprentices by appointing Realise as its new principal training provider.

Happy Days has elected to partner with Realise to offer its learners greater consistency and quality in their development.

With 47 apprentices taking on level 2 or 3 qualifications operating across its 21 settings – and plans to increase this number as new sites are opened and acquired – Kay Howick, Head of HR at Happy Days, described it as the perfect time to seek a new training provider which could support a growing nationwide company.

She said: “Apprentices are crucial for our success as a nursery group in the short, medium and long-term. 

“Our mission at Happy Days is to provide inspiring childcare ‘where every child shines’ and our partnership with Realise allows both new and existing staff to grow and develop through apprenticeships, enabling us to deliver on our ethos.

“As we have expanded into different areas of the country, our apprenticeship provision has been shared across a number of different providers which can become difficult to manage so we were looking to consolidate under one provider.

“Realise is a provider that has been on our radar for the past few months and the reputation it has in the industry is growing all the time.

“We were delighted to hear about the innovative and forward-thinking programmes the trainers will be delivering and it’s fantastic that we have a provider which offers nationwide coverage.”

Karen Derbyshire, Head of Early Years at Realise, said: “This is a fantastic new partnership and one we are very much looking forward to working on.

“Happy Days is renowned for nurseries which offer the highest quality of care and the way the group is expanding across the UK is fantastic and testament to its success.

“The Realise philosophy is ‘right learner, right programme’ and we will work with each of the individual settings of Happy Days to tailor the apprenticeship curriculum to their specific needs.

“Ultimately, our main aim is to produce fantastic early years practitioners for Happy Days, whether that be introducing new people to the sector or adding to the skills, knowledge and experience of existing staff members.”

Click here for more information about Realise.

Click here for more information on Happy Days.

Happy Days Nurseries are delighted to be hosting community events at their nurseries across the South West in recognition of Friendship Month. 

We all rely on our friends and family in one way or another, helping us feel emotionally happy and socially fulfilled. Friendship Month is all about highlighting the importance of what friends mean and celebrating what friendship brings to all our lives every day! 

Happy Days are therefore taking this opportunity to hold their Autumn open day on Saturday 30 September, inviting parents and the community to bring along their friends and family to enjoy a fun filled morning.  

Along with fun and interactive activities for the whole family to enjoy, there will be the opportunity to meet and chat with the nursery teams, have a tour of the fantastic facilities and have a family portrait taken, just in time for Christmas! 

Everyone is welcome, no need to book, just turn up! 

We are delighted to be working with 1^st Waste Management to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions through carbon offsetting!

At Happy Days, we pride ourselves in making conscious efforts to promote sustainability within our nurseries and beyond, implementing activities such as recycling, the Eco-Schools Programme, and reducing waste.

This year we are working in partnership with 1^st Waste to minimise our contributions to landfill and to calculate the carbon created from our generated waste and recycling, alongside our offsetting activities such as tree planting and wind turbine energy projects. Between March 2023 and March 2024, we will aim to reduce our emissions by 200.46 tonnes by balancing our greenhouse gas emissions associated with our waste services through changes to our internal practices and carbon offsetting.

Through this scheme, we are already seeing a remarkable difference; we were able to reduce landfill to 0.086 tonnes out of 10.230 tonnes in April alone! Jemma Fernley, our Facilities Assistant, shares her enthusiasm for this new initiative, “We are making some really good progress with our waste disposal and hope to improve our internal processes to further reduce our contribution to landfill sites.”

1^st Waste Management kindly sent a certificate in celebration to confirm this offset. We are excited to be continuing this partnership and to continue our efforts in conserving the environment.  

To find out more, click here: https://www.1stwaste.co.uk/about-1stwaste-management.php 

Happy Days are delighted to be sponsoring Emily Lewis, Nursery Practitioner at Happy Days, Cheswick, to help her on her way to Kenya to build one of the FIRST Play Action International Playgrounds.

Play Action International are a play-based charity that is passionate about giving all children the chance to play. They go out to Uganda and now expanding into Kenya with a group of volunteers to build playgrounds, transforming their empty field into one that is bursting with colour and fun, and in the meantime leaving a legacy for children to learn and develop those essential life skills and nurturing their physical, psychological and social development through what children know best… Play!  

After previously volunteering with them last August in Uganda, Emily has been given the chance to go out with them to Kenya and build a Play Action International playgrounds but needs to raise £1,350 to be able to do this. Happy Days were more than happy to donate to help Emily achieve her target.

Emily said, “After my previous experience, I haven’t stopped thinking about how incredible the experience was and haven’t stopped saying to my colleagues at Happy Days how much I would love to go back and do this again. Play is something I am so passionate about after my studies at university and my experiences at Happy Days and I want to be able to provide this knowledge to everyone around me! Play is such an amazing thing, the happiness it can bring to children’s faces and the learning that comes from a child’s play is so unexpected sometimes! I am so passionate about giving every child the opportunity to play, so this is why I am working with Play Action International again to make this happen!”

Jackie Cambridge, Head of Quality, commented, “Play influences the way a child’s brain develops and it is therefore fundamental that we recognise the importance of providing high quality play environments and experiences which nurture a child’s learning and development. Play enables children to explore and discover the world around them. During play children practise new skills as well as learning about themselves and those around them. The positive effects of play are far reaching, all children have the right to play!”

We wish Emily all the best and can’t wait to see the photos from her amazing trip!

Anyone wishing to donate can visit Emily’s Just Giving page:  www.justgiving.com/fundraising/emilyinkenya

Happy Days are calling on students, teachers and anyone else who has spare time on their hands during the summer months, to join them and spend the summer in one of their local nurseries, having the best time with the children.

Whether you love working outside in the garden or woodland areas, are excited by STEM, or want to pass on your drama skills by reading and performing stories with the children; there’s something for everyone to enjoy!

Their nurseries are opening their doors this summer to support anyone interested in a career in childcare to develop their skills and learn more about the opportunities available in a caring and fun environment.

Even if you’re not looking for a career in childcare but have a passion for caring for children and want to earn an income over the summer, then there are positions available for you.

Working in childcare empowers you to inspire a generation of children, who in turn will shape the future of the world. Where else can you becoming a train, a doctor, an astronaut, a tiger, and a gardener all in one day?

So, if you want to have a Summer of Fun with the children and earn a wage at the same time, get in touch today – we have seasonal vacancies across the South West – why not spend your summer in sunny Cornwall or vibrant Bristol?

Come and inspire their future and inspire your future, with a summer job in childcare.

Email: recruitment@happydaysnurseries.com for more information