Club Excel @ St Hilda’s Harpenden

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This provision meets requirements When children arrive at the club, they receive a warm, enthusiastic welcome from the friendly staff. Those who find separating from their parents difficult, are soon playing happily with others.

Children enjoy exploring the wide range of activities and play together very well. They spend time carefully colouring pictures and talk about how the bright colours make the animals look like rainbows. Children enjoy role play, such as pretending to cook meals.

They build on this play when they go outside. For example, they mix mud, sand and water together and pretend to cook it in the toy microwave. Children engage in self-chosen... play and organised activities extremely well and their behaviour is good.

Children benefit from being outdoors. They enjoy exploring the garden area, such as finding what is made of metal as they use magnets. Children take great delight is using gymnastic ribbons.

They twirl them around and watch what patterns they can make. At other times, children engage in team games on the school field. They have space to run and use their larger muscles in physical activity.

They know when to find a shady spot when they get too hot, and to have a drink of water to cool down.

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

Staff think carefully about how to help the youngest children to feel secure at the club. They use their knowledge and experience of other early years settings to set out an environment that is familiar to children.

Children comment on how to use resources, such as dough tools and balance beams. They say, 'I know how to use this because there is one at my nursery.' This gives children a sense of belonging and positively promotes their well-being.

The provider has strong recruitment procedures in place. This helps to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. Induction procedures help new staff to gain a good understanding of safeguarding, health and safety procedures and the day-to-day running of the club.

Staff plan activities that link together well and keep children engaged. For example, the theme of jungle animals is linked through small-world play with toy animals, to art activities and hide-and-seek games. Children enjoy making colourful parrots using feathers and demonstrate strong skills when using scissors.

Outdoors, children hide animals and give others clues as to where they might find them.Children have opportunities to get to know each other. At groups times they introduce themselves and staff encourage children to say one thing about themselves, such as their favourite colour.

Children show respect for others as they listen and take note of what is said. They enjoy group story times and confidently contribute their thoughts and ideas.Parents speak positively about the club and staff.

They say their children are very happy to attend and enjoy returning each year. Parents say they have confidence leaving their children, as they feel they are safe and the staff care for them well. Staff encourage parents to give their feedback on the club using questionnaires.

The provider, managers and staff evaluate the service they provide and look for ways to improve. They use a whole company staff meeting after the summer clubs have ended to review, evaluate and plan. The provider seeks training for staff to help them to continually develop their knowledge and skills.

An area of practice that is currently looking to be developed is working with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The managers feel this will help them to more closely support children and families.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The provider, managers and staff understand how to recognise the signs that children may be at risk of harm or abuse. They know how to swiftly make referrals both within the setting and to relevant agencies. Staff undertake training to help them to gain further knowledge and skills, such as on how to look out for signs of extremist behaviour.

The staff proactively implement the health and safety procedures into their practice. For example, they supervise children closely and use radios to communicate with others. Staff make sure all children are clearly signed in the register and find out, from parents, who will be collecting children at the end of the day.

Also at this postcode