Peg Activities - Fairfield Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This provision meets requirements Children have great fun at the after-school club. School staff bring the younger children to the hall, making sure they arrive safely.

Children have plenty of time to settle. They try out the craft activities, sports and other games they choose themselves before older children from the junior school join them. Children work out how to wrap elastic bands around corks to make boats.

They decorate paper sails before floating the boats in a tray of water. Qualified sports coaches introduce children to a variety of popular sports, building on their skills as the weeks go by. Children play with their friends and siblings, workin...g out how many of them they need to make a team.

They have space both inside and outside to run, dance and play, allowing others to sit and relax or join in quieter activities. Children gather as a group and work out if the weather is good enough for them to use the climbing apparatus on the field. They understand that when the equipment is wet, it is not suitable.

Children sit together to eat a cooked meal. Staff help the youngest children decide which hand to use for their knife and their fork. Older children are good role models, demonstrating good manners at the table.

Younger children copy what they see, contributing to the good behaviour throughout the session.

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

The well-qualified manager acts as key person for children attending from the nursery and Reception class. She observes children's progress and contributes to ongoing assessments on an electronic system used in the school.

Parents are kept up to date with what children enjoy and have been doing, helping to maintain good relationships.New children settle quickly in the club. Familiar staff, who children see during their school day, offer reassurance and support.

In addition, all the children help to make club rules. These rules follow the same values promoted by the host school.The provider ensures all staff are suitably qualified for the roles in which they are employed.

Robust recruitment and induction procedures ensure that all staff receive mandatory training to help support them in their work.Children follow their interests. They ask staff for additional toys and equipment to use on their own and with their friends.

For example, they ask for and play with action figures, pretending they are flying to a city.Weekly themes give staff a focus for craft activities. The manager and staff plan these in advance, helping to ensure they have all the resources they need for children to use.

Children show an interest in the planning and are curious to find out what they can do in the days to come. The club has a display board that the children look at. They point out which children have birthdays during the month and talk about how they might be celebrated.

Staff are deployed well. The manager makes sure that sufficient numbers of staff supervise the children, both inside and outside. Older children use a 'walking bus' to come to the club from the junior school.

They understand and follow the very clear rules to help them stay safe on their journey. Staff encourage the youngest children to listen and follow the rules. They support children to regulate their feelings and behaviour.

This helps to prepare children as they move between school and the club.The manager and her staff have very good relationships with senior leaders and other staff within the schools. This helps to maintain two-way communication channels effectively.

The manager checks that all the children she is expecting to attend the club are in school and that they are well and able to come to the club.Parents say they are happy with the club. They report that communication is very good and that staff are supportive.

The manager is considering ways to strengthen communication even more. For example, she intends to share information about healthy eating.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The provider ensures that policies and procedures about safeguarding are reviewed and updated regularly. This includes checking that telephone numbers used to contact children's services are correct. Staff demonstrate a good knowledge of safeguarding.

They know how to report and record any concerns they might have about children's well-being. The manager, who takes the lead role for protecting children, has a good relationship with safeguarding leads within schools that children attend. This helps to ensure that, when necessary, information to keep children safe is shared with the most appropriate people.

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