Little Dragons

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This provision meets requirements All children are happy, settled and confident and they are excited to arrive at the club. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

They are enthusiastic to join in with the motivating and challenging activities that staff plan for them. Children are independent. For example, they are confident to choose their own play, serve their own meals and complete their own tasks.

Children enjoy friendly competitions as they play interesting games, such as pool, air hockey and table football. They are graceful if they do not win and congratulate their opponent. Children behave well and are polite and... kind to each other.

Children are encouraged to share their ideas and thoughts and they communicate these with confidence. Staff encourage children to talk about their day at school and have meaningful conversations with them. Children are keen to be creative and express themselves.

They enjoy making origami flowers and thread pom-poms using wool. Children gain a secure understanding of the importance of healthy lifestyles. They follow good health and hygiene routines and discuss the importance of washing away germs.

Children enjoy recycling and discuss the benefits of looking after the environment.

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

Staff get to know children and their personalities well. This includes their likes and dislikes.

This helps staff plan activities at the club that they know children will enjoy. As a result, children remain engaged in their play experiences. Staff listen to children and include their ideas into their plans.

This helps children feel valued and listened to. Children enjoy the company of staff and their friends. They establish secure relationships and trust and respect each other.

All staff build and maintain positive relationships with parents. They help keep them fully involved and informed. For instance, staff communicate with parents daily and share what their child has enjoyed doing at the club.

Staff pass on any information from teachers about their child's time at school. Staff encourage children to build on their interest of reading. They encourage them to take home their favourite story book to share with their parents.

Children share with their friends what they liked about the story and who their favourite character was when they return to the club. Staff successfully help provide a positive link between home and the club.The managers and staff effectively evaluate their practice together.

For example, the managers highlight that they wish to build even more on the already positive partnerships with parents. They discuss that they wish to include an effective way to share photos with them of their children's day. Each day, staff discuss how well they engaged children in their play and use their findings to support their future practice.

Staff are keen to build on their skills and knowledge further. They attend regular training. For instance, they have recently learned about how to ensure their play environments are inclusive and diverse.

The managers closely monitor the quality of care and play opportunities staff offer all children. For example, they routinely observe staff as they interact and play with them. The managers provide staff with helpful advice to help enhance their future performance.

All staff build and maintain positive partnerships with the teachers at the school they collect children from. Staff support children's experiences from the school and provide children with consistent play opportunities. For instance, they talk to children about what they have been doing and what they have learned at school.

Staff support children to develop good social skills and build meaningful friendships. Children follow rules and instructions and enjoy a variety of team games. This includes football, basketball, netball and group dancing activities.

The managers and staff encourage all children to learn about and respect other peoples' similarities and differences, outside of their own communities. This includes race, traditions, and religious beliefs. For example, children talk about Diwali and how this is traditionally celebrated.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.All staff, including the managers, have a secure knowledge and understanding of the safeguarding and child protection policies. They know who to contact to seek advice and understand how to raise and follow up any potential concerns.

Staff keep their safeguarding knowledge up to date. For instance, they complete routine training. Staff complete detailed risk assessments to ensure they keep children safe.

Children have an active role in keeping themselves and each other safe. For example, they remind each other of the rules and know what staff expect of them. This includes children being aware of others as they climb on large equipment and being able to negotiate themselves back down safely and independently.

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