Founded in Cornwall and now supporting thousands of families across the South of England and Wales, Happy Days Nurseries & Pre-Schools is celebrating a period of significant growth and national recognition.

Over the past five years, the nursery group has expanded from 18 settings to 43 nurseries, reflecting continued investment in high-quality early years education and care across local communities.

Alongside this growth, Happy Days has recently received several prestigious national accolades. At the Nursery Management Today (NMT) Power List Awards 2026, two senior leaders were recognised for their outstanding contribution to the sector. Toni Kilby received the CFO of the Year award, while Jackie Cambridge was named Education/Quality Director of the Year.

The organisation was also once again recognised as one of the Top 20 Large Nursery Groups in the UK in the DayNurseries Awards 2026, with four individual settings receiving additional recognition for excellence and parent satisfaction.

These achievements build on previous national success, including recognition at last year’s Nursery World Awards, further reinforcing Happy Days’ reputation for delivering high-quality childcare and early years education.

Chief Executive Officer Kim Herbert said: “Over the past few years, we have continued to grow thoughtfully and sustainably, always with children, families and our people at the heart of every decision. To receive this level of national recognition while continuing to expand is something we are incredibly proud of.

“As a company that began in Cornwall, it is especially meaningful to see our teams recognised on a national stage. These awards reflect the passion, professionalism and dedication shown by colleagues across all of our nurseries every single day.”

Originally established in Cornwall, Happy Days now operates across a wide geographical area while remaining committed to its core ethos of supporting children to become confident, capable learners in nurturing environments.

Recent expansion has included the acquisition of Boys & Girls Nursery Group and the opening of new settings including Boorley Green, helping to meet increasing demand from families for high-quality childcare.

The organisation continues to invest in its people, curriculum and nursery environments, with a focus on creating inspiring spaces where children can shine emotionally, socially and academically.

Happy Days Nurseries & Pre-Schools are delighted to invite families to this year’s Happy Days Fest, a festival-inspired summer open event taking place across participating nurseries this June and July.

Designed especially for children under 5, Happy Days Fest will give families the opportunity to explore nursery environments, meet friendly early years teams and enjoy a wide range of playful, child-led activities in a relaxed and welcoming setting.

The event celebrates everything families love about summer, music, creativity, outdoor play and community connection, while also giving parents and carers the chance to discover more about nursery life at Happy Days.

Children attending can enjoy activities including music and movement sessions with Boogie Mites and Sing & Sign, sensory and outdoor play, festival crafts, glitter face paints, shaker making and World Music Day inspired experiences from around the globe.

Alongside the fun, families will also have access to funding information and support, helping parents better understand the childcare options available to them.

Many nurseries will also be fundraising for Children’s Hospice South West throughout the events, supporting the incredible work they do for local children and families.

Every family attending will also be automatically entered into a prize draw to win a summer hamper.

The main Happy Days Fest event will take place on Saturday 27th June 2026 from 10am–1pm, with some nurseries hosting on alternative dates.

Alternative dates include:
• Poole – 6th June
• Derriford, Saltford Nursery & Pre-School, Portsmouth – 20th June
• Summercourt & Boorley Green – 4th July

Additional events:
• Verwood – Character Day featuring everyone’s favourite marmalade-loving bear
• Yate – Summer Fete supporting Bristol Children’s Hospital
• Playbox, Truro City & Penair will attend Truro Play Day on 20th June instead.

Families do not need to book and are welcome to simply drop in and enjoy the celebrations.

For more information or to find your nearest nursery, contact Happy Days Nurseries & Pre-Schools on 0800 783 3431 or email enquiries@happydaysnurseries.com.

Happy Days Nursery Droitwich is delighted to be working in partnership with the local Family Hub and Action for Children to offer a new series of supportive workshops and community sessions for families.

Beginning on Monday 8th June, the nursery will host a six-week Fussy Eating Workshop designed to support parents and carers with practical advice, reassurance and ideas around children’s eating habits and family mealtimes.

Led by a Family Hub Practitioner, the sessions will explore topics including introducing new foods, understanding child-friendly nutrition, encouraging positive eating experiences and helping make mealtimes feel calmer and more enjoyable for the whole family.

The workshops form part of a growing partnership between Happy Days Droitwich and the Family Hub, with additional support sessions planned for the future around sleep, behaviour and parenting.

Alongside the workshops, the nursery will also host monthly drop-in weighing sessions for the local community. These sessions will take place on the second Monday of every month from 10am–11am, offering families an informal opportunity to access support and guidance in a welcoming environment.

At Happy Days, supporting families goes beyond the nursery day itself. Partnerships like this help strengthen community connections while ensuring parents and carers have access to trusted support, advice and early years guidance close to home.

Families interested in joining the Fussy Eating Workshop can book via the nursery or by emailing Teresa.baggott@actionforchildren.org.uk. Spaces are limited.

At Happy Days Nurseries, we know that outdoor play is a vital part of children’s learning and wellbeing, but it’s just as important to ensure that children are protected from the sun while they explore and play.

That’s why we’re proud to be working in partnership with SKCIN, the UK’s leading skin cancer awareness charity, to promote vital sun safety education across our nurseries, families and wider communities.

Why Sun Safety Matters from the Start

Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK, and over-exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation is the direct cause of around 90% of cases. Research shows that most lifetime UV exposure occurs before the age of 18, making early years education a critical time for building lifelong protective habits.

Even one blistering sunburn in childhood or adolescence can more than double the risk of developing melanoma (the most serious form of skin cancer) later in life. The good news is that around 90% of all skin cancers are preventable simply by adopting effective sun-safe behaviours from a young age.

Building Healthy Habits for Life

Through our partnership with SKCIN and their Sun Safe Nurseries accreditation, our nurseries are helping children learn simple but powerful sun safety habits, such as:

☀️ Slip on protective clothing
☀️ Slop on sunscreen
☀️ Slap on a wide-brimmed hat
☀️ Slide on sunglasses
☀️ Shade from the sun, especially between 11am–3pm

These “Five S’s” help to embed awareness and independence in children, showing them how to look after themselves in a fun and age-appropriate way.

We also work closely with parents and carers to reinforce these messages at home, because consistent habits, both at nursery and beyond, are what make the difference.

A Shared Commitment to Prevention

“We’re delighted to be working in partnership with Happy Days Nurseries to promote vital sun safety awareness among children, staff, and families. At SKCIN, our mission is to prevent skin cancer through education, and collaborations like this are key to reaching communities where early habits are formed. By embedding sun safe practices within nursery life, we can help children understand the importance of protecting their skin from a young age, knowledge that will stay with them for life. It’s inspiring to see Happy Days taking such a proactive approach and setting a fantastic example for the early years sector.”
~ Marie Tudor, CEO of SKCIN

At Happy Days, we take pride in ensuring that sun safety is a central part of our quality standards and wellbeing programmes across all nurseries.

“Sun safety is a critical focus for us at Happy Days Nurseries as we know that children’s delicate skin is highly susceptible to sun damage, with most lifetime UV exposure happening before age 18, which increases the future skin cancer risk. We use SKCIN and its Sun Safe Nursery accreditation to assist us in educating children by empowering them with the knowledge of how to keep safe whilst in the sun. We also work with parents and carers to reinforce safe habits whilst outside.”
~ Alex Venter, Quality Lead Manager, Happy Days Nurseries

Together with SKCIN, we’re shining a light on the importance of early education in protecting children’s health, today and for the future.

🔗 Learn more about SKCIN and their Sun Safe Nursery accreditation here: https://www.skcin.org/

Happy Days Nurseries & Pre-Schools is proud to celebrate an incredible evening of success at the NMT Power List Awards 2026, with two members of our leadership team receiving national recognition for their outstanding contributions to the early years sector.

We are delighted to share that Toni Kilby, Chief Finance Officer, was named CFO of the Year, while Jackie Cambridge, Head of Quality, received the award for Education/Quality Director of the Year.

These prestigious awards recognise the leaders shaping the future of the nursery sector, celebrating innovation, excellence and impact across the UK.
Toni’s award reflects her exceptional leadership in driving sustainable growth, strengthening operational systems and helping make high-quality childcare more accessible for families. From supporting the expansion of Happy Days across new regions to leading the successful rollout of our SHINE funding model, Toni’s strategic vision continues to play a vital role in our journey.

Jackie’s recognition celebrates her unwavering commitment to children, teams and quality across every nursery. As the driving force behind our Where Children Shine curriculum, Jackie has transformed practice across the group, ensuring children are supported to become confident communicators, inquisitive thinkers, healthy explorers and resilient learners.

Adding to the celebrations, Happy Days was also proud to sponsor an award at this year’s event, presented on the evening by our CEO, Kim Herbert, further reflecting our commitment to championing excellence across the early years sector.

Kim Herbert, Chief Executive Officer at Happy Days Nurseries & Pre-Schools, said:
“We are incredibly proud of both Toni and Jackie for this well-deserved recognition. Their passion, leadership and dedication have had a huge impact not only within Happy Days but across the wider sector. To see their work celebrated on a national stage is truly wonderful.”

This double win is a reflection of the incredible people behind Happy Days and the commitment we all share to giving children the very best start in life.
A huge congratulations to Toni and Jackie on this amazing achievement.

Happy Days Nurseries & Pre-Schools is delighted to announce its continued recognition in the DayNurseries Awards 2026, once again securing a place among the Top 20 Large Nursery Groups in the UK.

In addition to this national achievement, four individual nurseries have been recognised for their outstanding quality and parent satisfaction. Congratulations to Happy Days Bradley Stoke, Happy Days Verwood, and Happy Days Charlton Heights, Happy Days Playbox in Truro all receiving special recognition among this year’s top performing settings.

The DayNurseries Awards are based entirely on reviews from parents and guardians, making this a true reflection of the positive experiences of families across the Happy Days community. This recognition highlights the trust placed in the organisation and the consistent dedication of its teams.

With nurseries across Wales and the South of England, Happy Days continue to be known for delivering high-quality early years education and care. These latest accolades celebrate the commitment, passion, and professionalism shown by teams across multiple settings.

Fiona Blackwell, Chief Operating Officer at Happy Days Nurseries, said:

“We are absolutely delighted to once again be recognised in the DayNurseries Awards. To be named in the Top 20 Large Nursery Groups, alongside seeing four of our individual nurseries receive recognition, is a fantastic achievement. What makes this especially meaningful is that it is based on feedback from our families. It truly reflects the dedication and hard work of our teams, who go above and beyond every day to provide exceptional care and learning experiences for children.”

This continued recognition reinforces Happy Days Nurseries’ commitment to providing nurturing environments where children can thrive, and to building strong, lasting partnerships with families.

We are delighted to share the wonderful news that Happy Days Nursery and Pre-School, Swindon has been recognised as meeting the Expected Standard in all areas during our recent Ofsted inspection on 10 February 2026. We are also pleased to confirm that our safeguarding practices were judged as Met, reflecting the high priority we place on the safety and well-being of every child in our care.

The heart of the report truly captures what we strive for every day. Inspectors noted that our children “thrive in this welcoming and nurturing setting, where they feel safe, valued, and eager to learn.” This recognition is a testament to the strong bonds our staff build with families and the positive, encouraging environment we have worked so hard to create here in Swindon.

Ofsted has recently moved away from single-word grades to provide a more detailed look at how nurseries perform. Instead of a one-size-fits-all label, settings are now evaluated against specific quality standards:

🔵 Exceptional: Significantly exceeds expectations.
🔵 Strong Standard: Securely above the expected quality.
🔵 Expected Standard: Consistently and reliably meets all requirements.
🔵 Needs Attention / Urgent Improvement: Areas where further work is required.

By achieving the Expected Standard across the board, Happy Days has proven to be a secure, effective, and high-quality environment for early years education.

The inspection team praised our warm and inclusive atmosphere. They observed firsthand how our children; from our curious babies to our confident pre-schoolers – settle in quickly and form deep, trusting relationships with our nursery team.

The report highlighted several key strengths:

🟡 True Engagement: Our children show a genuine love for learning, exploration, and problem-solving.
🟡 Tailored Support: Whether a child has special educational needs (SEND) or speaks English as an additional language, our team adapts their approach to meet them exactly where they are.
🟡 Growing Independence: From sensory play to planting seeds and learning where food comes from, our children are developing the vital social and emotional skills they need for the future.

While we are incredibly proud of this result, we see it as a foundation to build upon. Our leadership team is already moving forward with plans to further enhance our communication with parents and create even more opportunities for our children to grow in independence and resilience.

Happy Days Operations Manager, Tamsin Treves said: “We are so proud that Ofsted recognised what a special community we have here at Happy Days. This report is a tribute to our team’s dedication to making our nursery a place where every child can truly shine. We look forward to continuing this journey alongside our wonderful parents and carers.”

Read the full report here.

Happy Days Opens New Boorley Green Nursery Following 10-Year Journey

Happy Days Nurseries & Pre-Schools proudly celebrated the grand opening of our new Boorley Green setting yesterday, with a special ribbon-cutting ceremony for invited colleagues and members of the local community, where the ribbon was officially cut by Happy Days Executive Chairman, Mark Beadle

The opening marks the result of a decade-long journey, as CEO Kim Herbert reflected on the project’s origins and the challenges overcome along the way. “This has been a long 10-year journey, since our first discussions back in 2016,” she said. “Despite planning delays and the challenges of the pandemic, we remained committed especially as we continued to hear from families in the area who were in need of high-quality childcare. We were delighted to receive planning approval in February 2024 and to open earlier this year. At the heart of everything we do at Happy Days is the simple aim to offer more children the very best opportunities.

“I would like to personally recognise Kevin Higgs, Developments Director, and Nicola Brooks, Head of Development, both of whom have been involved in this project for ten years. Their dedication and commitment have been invaluable throughout the journey. I would also like to extend my thanks to Jackie Cambridge, Head of Quality, for her support in the final stages leading up to opening.

“Finally, I would like to thank Kim Amos for her leadership and commitment, and wish her and her team the very best for the future as they begin this exciting new chapter at Boorley Green.”

The development was delivered in partnership with NH Developments Limited, led by Nick, Jim, and project manager Adrian Long, whose collaboration played a key role in bringing the vision to life.

The new nursery will provide much-needed, high-quality childcare for local families, supporting children to shine and giving them the very best start in life.