MAGIK Out of School Club

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

MAGIK is a happy, welcoming setting. Right from the start, children enter with smiles on their faces ready to start their day. Staff prioritise, making time to talk with and listen to children. They quickly get to know children's interests, likes and dislikes. As a result, children show great enthusiasm in all activities. They settle quickly and sustain their concentration for lengthy periods of time. They make choices about their learning and show much confidence and independence when they need to. This is evident in their independent dressing for outdoor learning and collecting and returning their trays at lunchtime.

Children use their imaginations to explore new materials and equipment and to act out real and imaginary experiences. They create their own storylines as they play with small-world superhero figures. This helps them to sustain their curiosity, work with others and use their imagination. Children show high levels of respect towards their peers and adults. They clearly know the difference between right and wrong behaviour. They learn to share toys and resources and understand the importance of being kind to each other. For example, a child tells their friend, 'I'm really impressed with you', after they succeeded in removing their sandwiches from the package. Children comment that they have fun at the setting. They explain that they really enjoy playing with the toys and their friends.

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

• Staff fully understand the impact that the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic has had on children. They have prioritised helping children settle, build confidence and to re-establish friendship groups. For example, they have used stories and discussions around what makes a good friend. They have also created opportunities for older children to work together to write notes to their friends. This helps children to develop relationships and a strong sense of belonging.
• The manager and staff work together to tailor the curriculum to meet the needs and interests of children at different stages of their development. Overall, they monitor the progress that children make over time well. However, they do not always clearly identify when children have achieved their next steps in learning, to help them to develop new skills.
• Staff promote children's communication skills well. They encourage them to speak through various discussions and conversations. As a result, children are very confident and can express their opinions well. Staff provide children with a range of opportunities to develop their fine and gross motor skills, which are necessary for writing. However, sometimes, staff do not maximise opportunities to engage boys in these activities to help promote their early writing skills.
• Staff use questions carefully and successfully to prompt children to think, talk and solve problems. For example, staff challenge the children to predict and count how many beads they have threaded on to the pipe cleaner. They then encourage children to have meaningful discussions and to compare which is the longest and which is the shortest. During story time, staff pose questions such as 'why?', 'if' and 'what do you think?' which prompts and helps children to think deeply.
• Staff use the outdoor area well to promote children's physical development. Children splash in the rain puddles, scoop water into containers and transport this around the garden. They stomp their feet on the soil and explain that birds do this to bring the worms to the surface. Staff help children learn how to take precautions to keep themselves safe and healthy. Children understand why they wash their hands before eating and after going to the toilet.
• Staff develop strong partnerships with parents. They gain information from parents about their child's interests and ensure the resources and activities reflect these. This helps children to settle in from the outset. Staff ensure that they have regular chats with parents about their child's time at the setting and pass on information from the school each day.
• The manager provides regular supervision meetings for all staff. Staff discuss any issues about their workload, the children they care for, training and their ongoing suitability to work with children.
• The manager seeks the views of parents, children and staff. This, along with strong partnerships with the on-site schoolteachers, helps her to identify effective targets and drive ongoing improvements that benefit the children attending.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the use of observation and assessment to help staff to clearly identify when to move children on in their learning and make even further progress
• continue to strengthen the good teaching skills of the staff by focusing further on extending the early writing skills for boys through active play.