Active Day Camps - Marlborough Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This provision meets requirements Children are eager to enter this holiday club, where staff place an emphasis on having fun.

Children separate easily from their parents and are keen to join their friends. Staff are sensitive to children's emotions. They gently encourage more reluctant children to choose something fun to play with.

They greet children warmly and comfort them if they are upset. As a result, new children settle in quickly. Staff support children to develop their independence.

Children know where to hang up their belongings. They fetch their own lunches and snacks and help each other with this. Staff encourage children to put on thei...r coats by themselves.

Children put their rubbish in the bin.Children show high levels of engagement, for example concentrating as they make teddy bear collages. Staff use this opportunity to talk to the children about different shapes.

When a child makes a rocket out of blocks, staff discuss how some things look the same on both sides and introduce the word "symmetry". Children display positive behaviour and conduct. They respectfully request resources from staff and say please and thank you without prompting.

They share with their friends and show consideration to others.

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

Children enjoy taking part in varied activities. They have the opportunity to be active, develop their creativity and play drama games in each session.

For example, they have fun creating a model hippo out of mixed materials. They play imaginatively with dinosaurs, making up stories that they act out with their friends. They take part in obstacle races and movement games.

Children tell the inspector that they have fun at the club.Children enjoy stories, both in groups and individually. They are eager to listen to staff read books.

Staff skilfully use intonation and questions to keep children's interest and provoke them into thinking more deeply about the text. They play games to encourage children to expand their imagination and vocabulary. For example, staff draw pictures and children guess what is being drawn, sharing their thoughts and ideas with each other.

The setting is inclusive. It welcomes children with varying needs. Staff consider all children's needs, for example offering left handed scissors to those that need them.

The manager and staff work hard to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They share information effectively with parents to put strategies in place to support children. Children with SEND participate fully and enjoy their time at the club.

Staff interact well with children at the club. Although, occasionally, for those children who speak English as a second language, opportunities are not always provided by the staff for them to use their home languages in their play or to hear languages other than their own spoken.Behaviour management is a real strength of the club.

Staff are gentle and set clear expectations about how children should behave. They thank children for behaving well, which motivates other children to follow suit. Children flourish in the calm environment and demonstrate high levels of self-control.

Leaders and managers are supportive and monitor practice closely. They model good practice and check that staff understand their responsibilities. They support staff with training opportunities to help them feel more confident in their roles, this helps staff feel well supported and motivated.

Parents are very happy with the club. They like the mix of activities on offer and say that their children love coming to the club. They particularly appreciate the opportunities for children to be active throughout the day.

Children are encouraged to have healthy lifestyles. Parents are aware of the healthy food guidelines, which support children to eat nutritious food. This supports children's well-being and good health.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The leadership and staff keep children safe on site. Staff are effectively deployed to supervise all areas that children are in.

Registers and headcounts ensure that staff keep track of children's whereabouts. Leaders organise training sessions before each camp, to refresh staff knowledge about safeguarding. This is effective and staff know safeguarding procedures to follow if they think a child is at risk of harm.

They are confident in identifying signs of abuse and know how to manage this. Leaders are aware of wider safeguarding issues. For example, they attend training that takes place in the host school about county lines.

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