St.Andrew's Out Of School Clubs

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thoroughly enjoy their time in this setting. They confidently and happily explore the environment and choose their favourite places to play. Children are immersed in the stories that staff read to them. Furthermore, they love to hear and contribute to tales that interest them. Children's literacy and language skills are supported extremely well from the start. They copy well-modelled words from staff, and older children hold meaningful conservations with their peers.

Children demonstrate perseverance in the large, well-equipped outdoor area. They solve problems in teams as they work out how to build their own obstacle courses. Children have very good physical skills and demonstrate a 'can-do' attitude for challenging tasks. They learn how to keep themselves safe and know they can ask for help from staff. As a result, children are secure in their play. High levels of praise and encouragement from staff and each other lead to children showing good levels of self-esteem.

Children are kind and caring towards their friends. As younger children start in the pre-school room, their older peers take charge of showing them where to go and play. Children quickly learn how to access the environment and form friendships. They learn to take turns and share from a young age. The atmosphere within nursery is calm and welcoming.

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

• Children are happy and settle quickly into the setting. Staff support children to understand what behaviour is expected of them and how to follow instructions. However, some routines and transitional periods of the day are not always managed effectively. Some staff struggle to help children remain focused and understand what is being asked of them. For example, some children are asked to wait for long periods of time until they can go outside or until they receive lunch. This occasionally leads to them being unsettled and they disengage from intended learning.
• Staff know children well and, on the whole, know how to respond to their development needs. Occasionally, children's abilities are not swiftly recognised in order to help staff plan and extend their involvement in play even further. For example, the most able children are sometimes not offered as much challenge, meaning they do not make the learning of which they are capable. However, staff do recognise the importance of checking what children remember and can do, before moving on to the next stage in their learning. Children all make good progress.
• Staff assess children well and have a good grasp on expected levels of development for children. They are swift to recognise any delays in progress and confident to implement targeted support plans in order to help close these gaps in learning. Staff work closely with other professionals to help children with special education needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to ensure that they continue to increase their development and help them catch up with peers.
• Parents are well-informed about their children's learning and know how to continue this at home. They are happy with the relationships they, and their children, have formed with staff. This helps parents feel valued and able to help their children develop even further.
• Leaders are passionate about helping all children learn with positive attitudes in the setting. They value each child's differences and provide a high level of support and appropriate intervention for children with SEND. This helps all children be prepared for their next stages in learning and for their move on to school. Good links with the reception teacher ease this transition and ensure that children have the key skills they need to succeed.
• The setting's improvement plans are accurate, and already the impact is being reflected on and noticed with children and their development. Staff feel well supported and are able to embed the curriculum well during play and when planning for further development of children. They complete regular training tailored around children's needs, which helps staff support each child skilfully.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to recognise how to provide suitable challenge for the most able children, to further aide their ongoing progression
• organise transitions more effectively to help support all children to maintain positive attitudes to learning and routines.