Barracudas (Cobham)

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This provision meets requirements Children enjoy the time they spend in the setting. They are happy, safe and secure in the welcoming environment.

Children benefit from a wide range of activities, including participation in swimming, fencing and woodland walks. Children learn to share and take turns, waiting patiently for their turn on the Aqua slide or their turn in a snakes and ladders game. Children share the coloured pens they use to decorate their rockets and remind each other to put the lids on 'to stop them drying up'.

Children eagerly talk about their favourite activities, of which swimming is one. They say they make lots of new friends when they a...re at the setting, as well as meeting up with old friends. Staff engage with children, and they chat easily together about their experiences and activities.

This helps to inform future planning to ensure that popular activities are included on the timetable. Children follow established routines. They move around the setting in an orderly manner.

At mealtimes, after washing their hands, children find their bags and sit down to eat. Children know to choose one item from their lunch box to eat at break time. Children understand signals and sensibly begin to tidy up when asked to do so.

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

Parents say their children enjoy their time at the club and are disappointed when they cannot attend. They are confident their children are safe and well cared for and particularly praise the safeguarding arrangements, including the new system to verify parental collection.Staff support children's use of language effectively.

For example, when making rockets, staff discuss with the children where the rockets might go to, prompting the use of the names of different planets.Children are encouraged to be independent in unwrapping their sandwiches and fastening their bags. The manager recognises occasions when staff could further foster children's independence, such as in relation to independently choosing resources for activities and independently practising skills they are learning at school, such as cutting.

Children are well behaved overall. They respond to instruction and listen attentively. However, occasionally, particularly when they have to wait for others to finish, such as at lunchtime, children become restless and there are minor behavioural indiscretions, which a few, less-experienced staff lack the strategies to deal with effectively.

Many activities take place outside in the fresh air. There are wide ranging opportunities for children to develop their physical skills, using appropriately-sized resources. Children particularly enjoy fencing, where they learn new skills and understand the procedures relating to safety.

In the swimming pool, children develop confidence in the water as they play happily together, splashing each other and playing with balls.Inside, children find support for their fine-motor skills. They engage in a variety of craft activities, such as clay modelling.

Children attentively listen to a story, which helps to support them in managing their emotions. They follow this up by creating their own pictures of different emotions and discuss how different colours are linked to feelings.Staff are vigilant and insistent on all aspects of safety.

For example, at the start of every activity, safety procedures are explained. Children put on sun cream and have water bottles with them at all times. This helps children to understand the need for protecting themselves from the sun and keeping hydrated.

Leaders hold regular meetings with staff to discuss their practice and they provide guidance and support to help them improve. Staff say they have thorough induction training before starting work with the company. Leaders are very reflective, reviewing their practice and activities weekly to ensure that the needs of the children are met.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Regular training, organised by leaders before the start of every camp, ensures that staff know the signs and symptoms to be aware of, including those of radicalisation, that may indicate a child at risk of harm. Staff know the protocols to follow should they have a concern about a child's safety or welfare.

Leaders work with the host school staff to ensure the site is safe for children to use. All activities are risk assessed and these are reviewed weekly to ensure that children are safe. Only staff with appropriate qualifications are permitted to give instruction in high risk activities, such as fencing or motor sports.

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