Atlas Camps Stroud

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This provision meets requirements All children thoroughly enjoy attending the holiday camps, including those who are new to the setting and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

They arrive with enthusiasm, link up with children they know and quickly join in planned activities, such as colouring, construction, and games. Staff energetically challenge children to indoor tennis. Children know the planned routine and tidy up initial activities ready for the morning briefing.

Staff use the daily briefing highly effectively to help children to understand behavioural expectations. They encourage children to recall Atlas Camp's five... values and children are quick to say 'kindness, perseverance, honesty, respect' and 'team work'. Staff encourage children to play an active role in planning the day's activities.

Children are keen to suggest dodgeball, collage and art activities, and water games as favourite activities.Children clearly enjoy the company of the staff, who make sure every child is occupied and happy. Children report that they have a lot of fun and that the staff tell jokes and make them laugh.

The children of different ages, from different schools, play well together and are very well behaved. They follow instructions promptly and are polite and considerate of others. The oldest children are quick to offer assistance to younger children.

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

Staff have an excellent awareness of children's individual needs, interests, life experiences, and family backgrounds. They use this knowledge very well to ensure that every child is included and valued. Staff know when children need extra emotional support.

They listen carefully to the children and are highly responsive to their needs.The staff team are highly competent and enthusiastic in their roles. Team spirit is very evident.

Each staff member understands their role and responsibilities and instinctively knows when to play an active role in children's play and when to let them play freely.The provider works highly effectively with their senior management team to monitor the effectiveness of the provision. They implement an effective staffing structure, recruitment and induction processes, and ensure staff are suitably trained to ably fulfil their roles.

Holiday club activities include plenty of opportunities for children to be physically active indoors and outdoors. For example, they run, play chase games, use the trim trail and other outdoor play equipment. They thoroughly enjoy team games, such as 'stuck in the mud' and dodgeball, negotiating the hall space at speed, showing great agility and accurate ball-throwing skills.

Children who prefer quieter activities are well catered for. For example, children and staff play circle games, showing good listening, observation and deduction skills to determine who manages to whisk away 'grandma's keys' and who the culprit is in 'blink murder'.Staff respond quickly when children do not want to join in planned activities.

They ask children what they would like to do and offer suggestions. They also join in with children's chosen play and they chat happily together, for example sharing small block construction design ideas and discussing experiences at the camp and with their families.Staff plan arts and crafts activities that introduce children to new painting techniques and ways to combine different materials creatively.

For example, children practise different ways to flick paint of chosen colours to create colourful paintings.All activities during the camp are on site. Staff plan topical activities and invite visitors of interest, such as representatives from the Dogs Trust, Police, and Fire Service.

Children recall such visits with great enthusiasm.Parents give high praise to the staff and report that their children love attending. Children also say that they enjoy coming to the holiday club.

Parents appreciate the way that staff accommodate theirs and their children's needs and provide daily feedback from staff when they collect their children.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

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