Little Oaks Wraparound Colne Engaine

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This provision meets requirements Children arrive at the club, happy to see staff and their friends.

They enthusiastically greet each other before exploring what is available to play with. Children are kind, behave well and are considerate of each other. They take turns, share, and wait for their friends before starting joint, planned activities.

Children learn about good hygiene practices, going off to wash their hands before starting a cooking activity. They clearly enjoy cooking and work well together to measure out all the different ingredients to make biscuits. Older children gently support and help their younger peers.

Staff encourage childr...en to think about mathematical concepts, such as 'double' and 'half' as children weigh out the required quantities of sugar, butter and flour.Children delight in the opportunity to learn new skills, such as cracking an egg without dropping any shell into the bowl. They recognise and remember that they need to add some flour when the mixture curdles after adding the egg.

Children discuss with each other and staff how they are going to decorate their cooked biscuits. They recall a previous activity, using yellow and blue paint to make green, and try to see if other materials, such as coloured pencils and modelling dough, will produce the same effect. This helps children to have the confidence to test out their ideas and learn from the results.

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

Staff make good use of children's emerging interests to help extend their knowledge. For example, children use coloured modelling dough to create intricate ladybugs and spiders. They chat away to each other as they build their insects, discussing their time at school and what they are making.

Children independently go off to find reference books to help them decide what the insect is. For example, they try to find out the differences between crickets and grasshoppers.Staff provide additional resources to support children's creativity and interest.

Children skilfully use scissors to cut out a body and legs to make a paper spider. The manager provides them with a hole punch to enable children to attach 'moving' legs to the spider's body. Children chat as they attach each leg, telling staff that they do not like spiders.

However, they share that they know that spiders are more scared of them, than they are of the spiders. Trays of mixed resources, such as toy insects and magnifying glasses, capture the imaginative skills of the younger children, who embark on bug hunts trying to find as many spiders, crickets and caterpillars as they can.The manager is keen to develop the club further and is constantly looking for new activities and ideas.

She meets regularly with staff to identify aspects of the club and their individual practice to extend further. The manager makes good use of online training providers to assist staff in learning more about supporting children's play and exploration. This helps staff to develop their skills and continually provide children with exciting activities.

Partnerships with parents are effective. Parents are really happy with the care and choice of activities their children enjoy. They appreciate the information shared by staff when they collect their children.

This helps parents to be aware of what is happening at school and in the club. Parents comment that staff are quick to pick up on any changes in children, such as when they are not feeling well or just had a tough day at school. This enables staff to provide additional care and support until their parents arrive.

Staff work closely with the school teachers and teaching assistants to provide high levels of continuity in children's care while in the club. Information shared between school teachers and the club staff helps to provide further opportunities for children to practise and consolidate new skills.There is a wide range of activities available to children.

They are encouraged to play outside in the fresh air. Some choose to go outside, while other children are content looking at books or being creative. Snacks, when children first arrive, consist of fresh fruit, while later on children enjoy making their own wraps with ham, cheese and salad.

The manager completes regular risk assessments at the start of each session. This helps to ensure that the hall, toilets and outside spaces are safe. Children demonstrate their own awareness of safety, as they pass scissors carefully to each other and point knives downwards.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff show a secure understanding of their role and responsibility to protect children. Regular training helps staff to have a good knowledge of the signs and symptoms that may indicate children are at risk of harm or abuse.

They are clear about the procedures to follow to ensure that any concerns are reported in a timely manner. Staff are aware of the dangers posed to children through radicalisation and extremist behaviour. This helps to keep children safe.

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