Little Oaks After School Club

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This provision meets requirements Children arrive happily at this fun and welcoming club, eager to explore the toys and games set up for them. Staff provide children with a range of stimulating resources. For example, young children spend a long time persevering to complete a jigsaw.

Older children enjoy making models with play dough. This encourages their concentration skills successfully. Staff promote children's positive attitudes to their play.

They praise children and celebrate their achievements with them. Children delight in sharing with them the models they had made. Staff are enthusiastic and positive.

They play alongside children and eng...age in conversations with them. This helps develop children's social and communication skills effectively. Children play well together.

They share the toys and take turns, offering solutions so that their friends can join in. For example, children use craft resources to make more pretend money to use in the role-play shop. Where children need support, staff are good role models, reminding them of the club rules.

Children respond well to staff's instructions and staff promote children's safety well. They encourage children to recall what they need to keep safe outside. Children are eager to help, putting on their high-visibility jackets and gathering cones to mark out where they are playing.

This helps develop their understanding effectively.

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

Children demonstrate good behaviour. They know the routines of the club well.

Older children enjoy working with staff to make a den, gathering chairs to make it larger. Children quickly get into their care groups when staff ask them to go and wash their hands before snack.Staff know the children well and plan opportunities that will interest them.

Children appear happy and relaxed as they explore around the club. They are encouraged to make choices about what they want to do and play. This helps them feel secure and comfortable.

Staff promote children's independence well. They settle well, putting their own coats and bags away when they arrive. They delight in choosing watermelon for their snack and help put things away when they have finished.

This helps support children's confidence.Staff know the children well. They use children's interests to engage them in activities that will motivate them.

For example, children sustain high levels of concentration making different models, talking about the shapes and colours.Children benefit from a large, well-planned space, where they have space to relax. Children enjoy sitting in the cosy book area sharing stories together.

Staff encourage children to try different activities. This helps develop their personal and social skills.Leaders and managers utilise support from their nearby linked setting to enhance provision.

For example, staff share different toys and games for children to explore. They ensure staff receive supervision opportunities and prioritise staff training to continue to offer good-quality care for children and families.Staff work well together.

They have effective processes in place for the collection of children from school. They ensure they risk assess the space before children arrive and know what to do if they have concerns about children or members of staff. This ensures children are safe when at the club.

Some children spend the last hour of the day at the nearby sister setting and staff make sure there are effective links to support continuity of care for children and families. Staff ensure they share detailed information with parents about what their children have been doing at the club and pass on important messages from the school.Communication with parents is effective.

Parents are warmly welcomed at the club by staff. They talk highly of the friendliness of staff. They report that since attending the club their children have developed their confidence and made new friends.

They appreciate the flexible settling-in processes that help their children feel secure when starting.

Safeguarding

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