Evergreen Out of School Club

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This provision meets requirements Children are confident and demonstrate high levels of self-esteem. They are motivated and fully engaged in purposeful and enjoyable activities.

Children come into the setting and enthusiastically talk to staff about what they have been doing at school. They are happy, well settled and benefit from a warm, welcoming environment and exceptionally kind and caring staff. Children are well cared for and staff have a secure understanding of how to keep themselves safe.

They manage their own risks as they balance and climb on outdoor equipment. Children enjoy a wealth of opportunities to develop physical skills. For example, they... have space to run around freely outside and hop, skip and jump, when playing hopscotch.

They behave impeccably. They have a clear understanding of what is expected of them and are respectful towards staff and each other. Children of all ages play together in harmony.

They develop excellent manners and social skills when they sit together at snack time. Children independently share and take turns. They use phrases such as, 'It's my turn, then it's your turn'.

Due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, the setting reviewed its arrangements for collecting children to reduce contact. Parents are supportive of the changes to collecting their children and share extremely positive feedback about the setting.

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

Staff work extremely closely with teachers at the school and discuss how they can complement children's learning.

They provide experiences that help to support children to build on what they are learning in school. For example, staff support children with reading and engage them in number games. This helps children to enhance their literacy development and mathematical skills.

Children are totally engrossed in everything that they do. For example, children demonstrate excellent creative skills when they make wands out of cardboard and feathers. They constantly find materials and resources to make dens, both inside and outside.

Staff encourage children to problem solve and initiate their own play. For example, they ask questions such as, 'What do you think you could use to decorate the den?' Children explain that they are using cones to hold the material down so that the wind does not blow it off. They take soft toys and wind-up torches into dens to relax and play quietly.

This helps to promote their health and emotional well-being.Staff encourage children to be independent. Children choose what they want to do, manage their personal care needs and make their own sandwiches at snack time.

Staff are excellent role models and respect each other and children.Children are respectful and demonstrate a kind, caring attitude towards staff and each other.Children are confident communicators and feel safe and secure in the setting.

They are confident to interact with unfamiliar people. Children talk to and interact with the inspector and tell her about their friends and family with great enthusiasm.The provider and manager use self-evaluation to target areas for further development in the setting.

Staff constantly reflect on their practice and make changes to enhance children's experiences. Children are well listened to and their views and opinions given high priority. For instance, staff gather their feedback regularly, analyse the results and then act on them swiftly.

However, the provider identifies, through self-evaluation, that she does not consistently seek the views of parents to help to identify additional areas for improvement.Staff create an ethos of mutual respect and tolerance within the setting. They teach children about festivals such as Eid and Christmas and tell stories about people from different countries.

However, staff do not make the best use of everyday activities to help children to learn about people and communities beyond their own experience.The provider regularly observes staff practice and carries out supervision meetings to manage their performance. A targeted programme of continuous professional development and training focuses on gaps in staff's learning and children's ever changing needs.

For example, recent training entitled 'Understanding Children's Emotions' has helped staff to be more aware of how children's behaviour and facial expressions do not always reflect how they are feeling. Consequently, staff feel that they are able to work more effectively when managing children's behaviour because they see the bigger picture.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Rigorous security measures help to ensure that children cannot leave the premises unsupervised and are protected from unwanted visitors. The manager implements the safeguarding policy and procedures effectively. She ensures that staff have a secure knowledge of what to do and who to contact should they have concerns about the safety or welfare of a child.

The manager consistently reviews the policies to ensure that they are up to date with current legislation. The provider follows safer recruitment procedures to ensure that all staff are suitable to work with children. Children comment that they feel safe and well cared for in the setting.

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