Mighty Oaks

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This provision meets requirements Children happily greet the familiar and friendly club staff at school collection time.

They have a clear understanding of daily routines and expectations. For example, children know that when they leave their classroom, they need to sit on the side of the sandpit and wait for their peers. When they are all together, they move on to the next playground to collect the older children.

Children wear colour-coded waistcoats that relate to their age. They 'buddy up' with an older child to walk back to the club. Younger children hold hands with their 'buddy' and engage in lively conversations.

They display good friendshi...ps as they talk to each other and reflect on their day at school. Children listen attentively to staff and understand the importance of behaving well. This promotes children's understanding of the importance of safety guidelines.

Staff provide children with a range of meaningful activities to take part in. Children independently decide if they would like to have a snack or begin their play right away. Young children quickly become absorbed in imaginative play.

They display good social skills and play with dinosaurs in a small group. Children work together to role play a wedding celebration. They work as a team and assign small tasks to each other.

For example, children create flowers from crepe paper and others twist pipe cleaners to make wedding rings.

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

Managers and staff form strong partnerships with the local school. At school collection time, staff speak with the children's class teacher to gather any additional information about their school day.

Staff share this information with children's parents at collection time.The club promotes behavioural expectations in line with the school's behaviour policy. This supports clear and consistent information for the children who attend.

Children behave well. They have a clear understanding of the club's rules and boundaries. For example, they know that when staff show them a yellow card, they need to stop and think carefully about their actions.

They understand that when staff show children a red card, it is time to swap activities and discuss the consequences of their actions with staff.Staff support children to follow a healthy lifestyle. They encourage children to drink water regularly and wash their hands before eating.

Children enjoy healthy and nutritious snacks provided by the club. Some children bring snacks from home. However, on occasion, the snacks children bring in from home are not nutritious.

The manager recognises this and plans to strengthen guidance shared with parents about healthy snacks.Children enjoy the time they spend outside in the club garden. They dress up as their favourite superhero and proudly join in with older children as they use their strength to climb and balance on ropes.

The club recently installed a climbing wall. Children are learning how to use this safely with close adult supervision and support before this can be a self-chosen activity.The manager reflects on the club's service to identify areas for improvement.

She meets regularly with staff to offer support and guidance. The manager offers staff a wide range of online training to develop their knowledge and skills. However, the manager does not always target staff training to their individual needs.

Staff well-being is given a high priority. The manager recently organised a team-building event to develop staff relationships further. Staff state that they thoroughly enjoy their role at the club and 'cannot imagine not working with children.'

Their patient interactions are natural and effortless. In turn, children are calm and persist at tricky tasks. For example, they persevere as staff teach them how to finger knit.

Partnerships with parents are good. They report that they are happy with the service provided and that their children thoroughly enjoy the wide range of activities on offer. Parents value the care the club provides and state that their children 'often ask to stay longer.'

Staff spend time speaking with parents at the end of the day to pass on information from school and any activities the children particularly enjoyed participating in.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The premises are safe and secure.

Staff reinforce safety guidelines to support children to learn how to keep themselves safe. For example, children know that when walking back from school, they must walk sensibly in pairs. Staff attend regular safeguarding training to ensure their knowledge and skills remain up to date.

They display an effective understanding of the signs and symptoms of abuse and/or neglect. Staff understand the importance of maintaining records about children, such as monitoring existing injuries, to help them identify any concerns. They are aware of the procedures to follow should they need to report a concern about a child or colleague.