Little Gems Kids Club

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This provision meets requirements Children are happy and enjoy their time at the club. They are collected from their school classroom by staff, who exchange important information with teachers about the child's day in school. This information is used to generate discussions with children about how their day has been.

It is also shared with parents when they arrive to collect children from the club, ensuring all involved in the child's care are suitably informed.Children store their belongings and swiftly settle in at the club, choosing the activities they would like to engage in. Younger children confidently interact with older peers and the staff.

They in...volve each other in their play and games, such as inviting children to join in with a creative activity. They sit together to cut paper plates into the desired shape with scissors and to prepare the colours needed to paint a rainbow. They concentrate while they create their artwork, confidently chatting as they complete the task.

Children behave well and work to the rules they have helped to create. These include being kind, walking when indoors, and being respectful of each other and the equipment. Children know what is expected of them.

For example, they are keen to help give out plates to prepare for snack time and willingly help to tidy away. Staff offer gentle reminders to ensure all children have an opportunity with the ball during a game of football. They praise children for their positive behaviours, which boosts children's self-esteem.

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

Leaders, managers and staff are committed to ensuring children feel safe and well looked after as well as being able to have fun in this out-of-school club. Children eagerly share their experiences and enjoyment in attending, openly telling visitors about what they like to do and how great the staff are.All staff, including the manager, receive regular appraisals and supervision sessions to reflect on their practice and consider any development or training needs.

A conversational approach is taken to look at what is going well and what could be enhanced further for the benefit of children attending. This approach is also taken when looking at the quality of the provision as a whole to identify any ways that children's experiences could be improved.The manager and staff understand their safeguarding roles and responsibilities.

They have a clear knowledge of the referral procedures to follow should they have a concern about a child or colleague. Effective risk assessments, including checks before children arrive, ensure the environment is safe and secure. Children are well supervised by staff, who take the time to sit and chat with the children and engage in their play.

Managers and staff work closely to design and provide a wide range of play and learning experiences for children to enjoy. These include creative activities, such as making bracelets for themselves and their friends and art sessions using a variety of materials. Children get involved in designing cities, constructing these from the available resources and adding their ideas to create, for example, a castle or zoo.

However, the book area is less appealing to children and so it goes unnoticed.Children enjoy a healthy snack shortly after their arrival from school, such as a cheese and cucumber wrap, which they make independently. They have their own water bottles and are encouraged by staff to stay hydrated.

Children are keen to play outdoors, confidently suggesting they join for a game of football or a run around. Staff swiftly respond, showing that children's ideas are valued and acted on.Staff get to know children and their families before they start to attend.

Parents complete 'All About Me' information for their child, which staff use to plan and provide experiences they know children will be interested in.Parents speak highly of the service provided. The flexible booking system allows them to access childcare provision for the hours required by their working patterns and family needs.

Parents appreciate how staff work so carefully with children to help them settle, enabling them to gain confidence to attend.Strong partnerships with teachers from the host school are evident. The staff meet with them each term to exchange information about the children who attend and to discuss what they are learning about in school.

Activities and play experiences are designed around these themes to enhance children's learning through play.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

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