Elizabeth’s After School Club - Northcote Scout Hall

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This provision meets requirements Children enjoy their time and the social opportunities at the club.

They happily chat with staff on the walk from school, telling them about their day. They spend time with their friends at different activities, having fun during ball games and role play. They construct towers and become engrossed in imaginative scenarios with trains and toy people.

Children show respect for others and listen to the manager's and staff's reminders and explanations on safe practices, adapting their behaviour appropriately. They interact kindly with each other to share toys and resources. Any occasional instances of minor disagreements are s...upported by the manager and staff quickly and effectively.

Children enthusiastically explore the craft activity and materials on offer. They follow their ideas readily, finding resources to adapt their creations. Staff offer children sensitive support, ensuring they let children create in their own preferred way, and try out and persevere with new or slightly challenging tasks.

In this way, the younger children do well to use different materials and master equipment, such as hole punches and scissors. They adapt the resources to make hats or tails to go with their rabbit ears and excitedly hop about. They show positive attitudes and eagerly test out their ideas, developing their skills very well.

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

Children are happy and their well-being supported successfully at the club. The manager and staff focus on children's interests well. They incorporate a 'choice time' at the beginning of the session, so that children can request any additional toys and resources they would like.

During the session, staff notice if a child may want other items out or if a younger child needs help and support this promptly. And at the end of the session, they thoughtfully join the smaller group of children together for a game and they all have fun playing 'granny's footsteps'.Staff build positive and beneficial relationships with children.

They work with parents, gaining information when children first start and discussing things on an ongoing basis, to get to know children well. Staff support children with complex medical needs closely and parents are very thankful for this. Parents comment positively on the kind and caring staff, who provide a welcoming and friendly club for their children.

Staff work in close partnership with teachers at the school. They liaise about children's needs and use this information to support children while at the club. They are particularly mindful to speak with Reception Year class teachers at pick up and teachers of children that need additional support.

They then put in place extra arrangements or help for these children at the club, mirroring arrangements at school and providing a beneficial consistent approach for children.Children are suitably involved in club life. They take care of their belongings, putting them in their designated area and keeping them tidy.

However, at times staff do not support children to develop their sense of responsibility fully. Snack time at the club is very relaxed. Children often walk about with their food and sometimes start to play or join games while still eating.

Staff are mindful of children's safety and encourage children to find a place to sit down to eat but their routines do not promote children to manage this independently.The manager adapts the planned setup and use of the areas flexibly, depending on the numbers of children and weather, to provide suitable spaces and activities for children. She thinks about what the club provides and gains the views of parents and children, using questionnaires and discussion to help review and enhance practice.

Parents are complimentary about the opportunities and activities available and say their children love attending.The manager leads appropriate staff recruitment and has undertaken training to help her lead these practices. She ensures staff are suitable to work with children and that they receive a thorough induction, and ongoing supervision and support.

Staff undertake food hygiene, first aid and child protection training and renew these as required. The staff team have completed a range of additional training to help them support practice at the club and meet children's varying needs.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The manager leads suitable practice and is particularly mindful of children's safety. She ensures staff are deployed effectively to supervise and support children. She makes sure staff with first-aid training are in both the upstairs and downstairs rooms.

She offers timely reminders to children as they play, to ensure they follow safe practices. Routines and procedures for collecting children from school and the walk back to the club are robust. Security and pick up arrangements are conducted thoroughly.

Staff implement these carefully, ensuring children's safety and well-being. Staff know what to do if they are worried about a child's welfare, including reporting any concerns about staff within the club. The manager and staff check, and risk assess all areas to minimise risks to children.