Camberwell After School Project

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children settle well into the nursery and enjoy their time playing and learning with their friends. The manager and her team implement a routine that starts with a warm welcome and continues with gentle guidance throughout the day. This helps children to feel comfortable, content and ready to learn. Older children play a key role in demonstrating the daily routine to their younger peers. For example, they show their friends where to bring their bowl and cup when they finish their snack. This helps develop children's independence and pride in making a positive contribution.

Children develop close bonds with staff and parents comment on the emotional support their children receive from their key person and other members of the team. Staff demonstrate the good behaviour expected of the children in their care. Staff consistently implement positive behaviour management strategies that help children understand boundaries and regulate their emotions.

Staff use their observations of children at play to make plans for their key children. The manager displays these plans clearly so that all staff can provide the support children need to make good progress and close any gaps in their learning. This helps ensure that children get consistent support from a well-informed staff team throughout the day. The curriculum is flexible to meet the needs of all children and help them gain the skills they need when they transition to the next stage of their learning, including starting school.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

• The manager and her team work together to deliver a curriculum that supports all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff share information with parents electronically and face to face about what children are learning and what they will learn next. When children need additional support, staff implement plans for individual children and seek further support from outside agencies if required. This helps all children to make good progress in their learning.
• Children have plenty of space, both inside and outside, to enjoy a good range of challenging activities and experiences. Staff consider how activities can support learning for all children attending. Children become increasingly independent in managing their own self-care. They learn to use the toilet independently, wash their hands and pour themselves a cup of water if they are thirsty.
• Staff complete daily risk assessments and continue to be alert to any hazards throughout the day. This helps ensure the environment is safe and secure. Children learn to take appropriate risks and challenges while they play. For example, children understand why it is important to walk in the setting and play safely on climbing apparatus. Staff could further develop this by working with parents to help children gain an effective understanding of when they might be at risk when they access the internet and digital technology at home.
• Many of the children attending speak other languages in addition to English. Staff learn some of the key words from children's languages to help them settle in. Staff promote tolerance and acceptance by teaching children to be respectful and build friendships. This could be enhanced by introducing ways for children to share their diverse cultures within the setting, to celebrate their differences and what makes them unique.
• Parents speak highly of the setting and the learning opportunities their children access. Staff have found creative ways to communicate with parents who speak other languages to ensure they know what progress their children are making and how they can be further supported at home. This helps staff build trusting relationships with parents and ensure children and families get timely support if required.
• The manager and her team work well together and are committed to an open and positive culture that puts children first. Staff are clear about their duty to report any concerns they may have to the manager or an external agency if required. The manager conducts regular supervision sessions to help staff understand the requirements of their role, identify gaps in their knowledge and share any professional or personal difficulties. Staff say their well-being is considered and they feel well supported to be effective practitioners.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support parents to gain an understanding of how to protect children when they use electronic devices with internet access at home
• make the most of opportunities to draw on children's cultural experiences to explore their similarities and differences.