Kidsland Limited at St Joseph’s Church Hall Darwen

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This provision meets requirements Children follow a well-established routine, which allows them to feel secure. They enter confidently and know where to place their bags and coats. Staff ensure that a choice of games and equipment is available in the hall when children arrive.

This enables children to settle quickly and begin playing with their favourite toys. Children can ask for other toys and these are brought from the storeroom. Children interact well and play cooperatively while enjoying a range of imaginative play.

For example, they play with dolls and prams. They enjoy the sensory experience as they run toy cars through oats, cornflakes, stones and ...wooden blocks. Children demonstrate their creativity as they draw freely and enjoy craft activities planned by staff.

Children behave very well. Staff focus on supporting children's emotional well-being and talk to children about their interests. With staff support, children adapted well to closures and a move to a different building, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Children come from a range of different schools and play well together at this club. Staff help them to build up their social and communication skills as they develop new friendships. Children also form secure attachments with the staff.

Parents' comments include that the staff are 'nurturing' and 'brilliant' and that 'children are keen to attend'.

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

The provider evaluates all aspects of the service regularly. The views of parents and children are considered and help to identify areas to enhance.

Since registration, a wooded area easily accessed from the car park has been securely fenced. This area is being developed further to provide children with greater opportunities to develop their understanding of nature through activities, such as bug hunting. At children's request, dolls and prams have been bought to enhance their imaginative play.

The range of board games has been increased, which provides opportunities for children to take turns and develop thinking skills.Children demonstrate a knowledge of good hygiene procedures. They know to wash their hands before eating their snack.

They collect their healthy snack from the kitchen hatch and sit together, happily talking about their day.Children have plenty of opportunities to talk to each other and develop good language and literacy skills. They make very good use of communication friendly spaces thoughtfully provided by staff.

For example, children, including younger and less confident children, chat animatedly to others and share books while sat in a tepee. Children help themselves to pencils and crayons and are keen to draw and write.Staff make good use of opportunities to complement children's learning in school.

As they play, children accurately count and match the pips on dominoes. They recognise numbers and count spaces as they move counters on board games, such as snakes and ladders. Games, such as these, help to support children's developing mathematical skills.

Staff receive a detailed induction, which enables them to carry out their roles and responsibilities well. They are a stable staff team, who work well together, know the children well and meet their individual needs. Staff receive feedback on their practice regularly from each other and from the management team.

This enables practice to continually improve.Each staff member has a designated role and responsibility, and the provider ensures that they receive regular training to support them to be effective in this role. Staff share what they learn from training to benefit everyone.

For example, a new system for recording children's allergies and food preferences has been introduced to make the information clearer.Children learn about their cultures and faiths and those of others in a range of ways. They taste different foods and enjoy craft activities linked to calendar events, such as Eid and Chinese New Year.

The local priest talks to children about the history of the building.Staff have a good partnership with the children's parents and teachers at the schools that children attend. Parents continue to collect their children from the door to help limit the numbers of people entering the building, due to COVID-19.

Although parents do not routinely enter the club, they talk to staff when collecting their child. Parents access useful information about the club on the website and in an information pack.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The provider implements safer recruitment procedures to check the suitability of staff to work with children. Staff update their safeguarding training regularly. They clearly understand how to identify, and report concerns about children's welfare.

Children learn about how to stay safe from visiting agencies. For example, community police officers visit to talk to children about how to cross roads safely and what to do if they get lost. Children understand the reasons for wearing high-visibility jackets and why they walk in pairs from school to the club.