Kirkdale Out of School Club

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This provision meets requirements Children excitedly enter the safe, vibrant and richly resourced environment. They are very much at ease and show high levels of confidence.

Staff meticulously plan a wealth of inspiring activities and outings. This extends and complements children's knowledge and experiences superbly and reinforces essential skills, required for successful learning in school. For example, children are engrossed as they watch in amazement how the compost discs expand when they add water.

They carefully measure ingredients during activities and show an excellent approach to new challenges, such as using electronic scales. Children develop a ...strong sense of belonging through their first-class involvement in shaping how the club is run. For example, children share ideas through the 'Our Interests' document, such as making bird feeders, a bird house and robots.

Children show great independence, for instance, as they access the self-serve breakfast table.Children thoroughly enjoy staff's warm and positive interactions. For example, as they explain how adding more oil to the mixture will make the dough less crumbly.

Children delight in taking part in group activities designed to promote positive behaviour, build friendships and instil social skills. For example, as they bake chocolate chip cookies, children wait patiently for their turn to help.

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

Staff effectively foster new children's emotional well-being.

They find out about each child's uniqueness through completing documents, such as comprehensive 'All about me' booklets and conversations with parents, children and other providers. Staff also use school transition photograph booklets to support children settling in to school and the club. New children show they feel safe and secure.

For example, they snuggle up to staff for a favourite story.Staff work in excellent consultation with the children's Reception teacher, who shares newsletters, activity planning and children's individual targets. Staff contribute to teacher assessments and share their own observations.

Staff base inspiring activities around a breadth of themes, such as 'Space'. As part of this, children dress up in astronaut costumes, learn about planets and make star-shaped biscuits. They engage in craft activities, such as creating a spaceship and an alien.

Staff design their own model as a visual aid, to help spark children's ideas.Staff motivate children with their own enthusiasm and expert interactions. For example, staff introduce new words, such as 'expanding'.

They encourage children to closely observe the increasing numbers on the electronic scales while measuring ingredients. Staff reassure children that cookie dough shapes do not have to be perfect, as they place the mixture onto the baking tray.Staff help children to create their own memory books and holiday books, which reflect their time at the club and at home.

Staff create bright and interactive displays. This generates conversations about what children have been learning about in the club and celebrate children's creations.Staff provide extensive opportunities for children to learn about living a healthy lifestyle.

For example, children make collages reflecting healthy and unhealthy food. They help to prepare vegetables for meals, such as stew, and take home herbs and tomatoes they have grown. Children have immense fun engaging in indoor physical activity when the extreme weather prevents outdoor play.

Staff instil a respect for difference in many ways. For example, children compare family photographs and create flags representing different countries. They experience multicultural foods and engage in craft activities based around festivals, such as Chinese New Year.

Children create tiger artwork and dragon models, after watching a video of a dragon dance. Children also visit different villages on the bus, learning about different communities.Staff provide wide ranging initiatives and visual aids to help children manage their feelings and behaviour.

They constantly praise children, which boosts their self-esteem and helps them to develop a sense of pride in their achievements.There are exhaustive and impressive systems for reflecting on and improving practice. Children and parents share their views through comprehensive questionnaires.

Feedback is extremely complimentary.The manager and staff's qualifications, and continued professional development, have a significant impact on staff and children's well-being and the high-quality provision.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff complete extensive training to help them promote children's safety and welfare. They have in-depth knowledge of the possible signs of abuse and know what to do should they have concerns of this nature. The provider takes part in local authority initiatives, to help safeguard vulnerable children during school holidays.

Staff undertake rigorous risk assessments to minimise the spread of infection and reduce hazards to children indoors, outdoors and on outings. Children undertake their own risk assessments for activities and staff use displays and posters to reinforce messages to children about keeping themselves safe and healthy. Furthermore, staff make booklets about online safety with the children.