Kids R Us St Matthews

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This provision meets requirements Children flourish in this stimulating and inclusive club. They enter the club excited to see the variety of activities available to them.

Staff give thought to the children's needs following a busy day at school. For instance, healthy and nutritious snack ingredients await children to access, so they can refuel for the busy afternoon ahead. Quiet spaces have been incorporated around the book corner for children wishing to listen to a story and relax.

Outdoor spaces are readily available for those that require more physical exertion.Children are supported to engage in a variety of well-considered experiences that are adapte...d to meet their individual needs. For example, children less interested in mark making, access dough with tools, such as drills, files and screwdrivers.

Staff use subtle interactions with children to help them identify the patterns they are creating. Children enjoy access to the forest school. They learn how to take appropriate risks while exploring.

Staff extend learning based on their interests. For instance, children build stories based on fairies and elves they believe to inhabit the forest. Children create fairy homes, built from sticks.

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

The manager and staff have an excellent understanding of children's emotional needs and strive to ensure children feel safe and settled at the club. They offer a well-planned gradual settling-in procedure. This includes, utilising the part-time sessions the school runs in September.

This enables children to access the club with their parents while it is quieter and for shorter periods of time while they settle in Staff work extremely closely with the host school. They communicate with teachers daily to support children's needs and development. This helps to provide children with consistency in their care.

The key-person system is effective and staff know the children well. Key persons plan a diverse range of activities based on children's interests and needs. This helps to support the next steps in their learning.

The experienced staff sequence children's learning exceptionally well to develop their knowledge and skills. For example, children learn fireside rules and fire construction over a six week period. Once these skills have been demonstrated, children are taught to use flints prior to their campfire feast on week six.

Children enjoy excellent support from dedicated staff that interact well with them. They are encouraged to be confident in their abilities and to have a go. For instance, children construct a water shoot from guttering and rocks.

Staff talk meaningfully to the children about what they can do when they work together. They use open-ended questions to allow children to overcome the challenge of collecting and transporting the water to their construction.Older children welcome staff interaction in their activities.

They encourage children to explore materials and combine them to see what happens. Children enjoy a wide range of outdoor physical play opportunities. Staff are enthusiastic and engage with children in games, such as tennis, badminton, football and tag.

Children's behaviour and attitudes are excellent. Staff act as exceptional role models to help children develop conflict resolution. For example, minor disagreements are quickly resolved as staff talk calmly to children.

They encourage them to consider their actions and think of solutions. This supports children's social and emotional development.The staff have an excellent relationship with parents.

They comment on children asking for additional sessions and the welcoming and stimulating environment the staff team create. Parents value the additional efforts staff go to, enabling children to still attend school events while at the club. Such as, accompanying them to school discos and summer fairs.

Additionally, parents value the club opening for school inset days. This helps to accommodate for working parents.Leadership and management of the club are exceptional.

Staff comment that they feel extremely well supported and can access training independently to support their practice. Robust links with the school support children to make excellent progress. The manager ensures children attending from outside schools in the holidays also benefit from a joined-up approach.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The safeguarding procedures are robust and extremely effective. All staff receive regular safeguarding training.

Updates are shared with staff through weekly discussions to ensure they are informed of any changes. The manager provides regular supervision meetings with staff. As such, staff are confident in their knowledge and ability to notice the possible signs and symptoms of abuse and/or neglect.

They have good understanding of the broader areas of safeguarding, including female genital mutilation, county lines and extremism. Staff know how to report any concerns they may have regarding a child or adult at the setting. The manager implements safer recruitment procedures to ensure staff are suitable to work with children.

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