Playkidds

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This provision meets requirements Children arrive excitedly and rush into this vibrant club. They are brought from school by kind and enthusiastic staff, who know them well. Children are emotionally secure and settle well.

They quickly become engrossed in play and exploration. Staff set up the room based on a current theme. Children eagerly engage in animated pretend play at the role-play police station.

Some well-planned activities help children to learn to cross the road safely. For example, children wait for a friend to turn the stop-and-go sign around and show the green traffic light before crossing the road. Children immerse themselves in games which ...promote their awareness of the emergency services.

This helps them to develop important life skills ready for the future. Children are familiar with the consistent routines and understand the club rules. These include to use kind hands and kind feet.

Children behave very well as they know what is expected of them. Children are caring and well mannered. They speak to others with kindness and interactions are of a high quality.

Older children help younger children to dress in superhero costumes. Children cheer on their peers when they succeed during a computer game. Relationships are strong.

Children demonstrate positive attitudes towards their play. They develop many skills to support school learning. Children concentrate while expertly using scissors to snip coloured dough.

They use creativity and imagination as they follow their own ideas to make their models. Children are keen to share their creations with their friends.

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

Leaders are passionate about their vision.

They want every child to flourish through play. Leaders and staff work hard to give the children the very best experiences. The ethos of 'working together to help young minds grow', runs throughout this high-quality setting.

Leaders' capacity to bring about change and drive forward improvement is good. They reflect on practice and are continually looking at ways to further enhance the good quality provided.Staff and children celebrate a range of festivals.

Staff encourage children's awareness of different countries, including Spain, Brazil and Africa. Activities, such as these, help children to become aware of their own community and the wider world. Children are beginning to recognise what makes them unique.

Children's similarities and differences are accepted and celebrated. Staff are trained to identify if a child requires a little more support. This means any additional help is implemented swiftly and all children are included and involved.

Children are provided with healthy snacks. They confidently talk about the food they eat and discuss becoming healthy. Even young children know to wash their hands before eating and help themselves to drinks from the water station.

Leaders have devised their own books to promote children's awareness of healthy lifestyle choices. These books are used to support the activities and routines adopted. Children are helped to develop an understanding of the benefits of good health and hygiene practices.

A range of high-quality opportunities and experiences are provided by staff. The environment is a hive of activity. Staff take great pride in organising the play areas to entice children and capture their imaginations.

Children also devise their own activities and games. For example, boys enjoy playing a game where they swap picture cards, based on a current interest. Children also choose to rest in the relaxing book area after their busy school day.

Partnership working is good. Links with local primary schools are in place and are being strengthened further. Staff want to gather more detailed information about all children's learning in school.

Parents praise the setting and staff and say that their children do not want to leave. However, parents would like more precise feedback on individual children's experiences in order to complement school learning.Leaders prioritise staff well-being.

They ensure that staff workload is manageable. Staff say that leaders are hugely supportive and the staff team are like a family. Staff receive relevant support and coaching during regular supervision sessions.

A lot of focus has been on giving staff the confidence and skills they require. All staff attend mandatory training, such as safeguarding. Leaders strive for excellence.

They are continually looking at ways to continue to raise the already strong staff practice. For example, they outsource specific training to ensure staff have exactly what they need.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The premises are safe and suitable for childcare. Risk assessments are effective and staff teach children about keeping themselves safe, for example, during a road safety awareness session. Staff attend child protection training and keep up to date with changes in policy and practice.

Leaders ensure that staff understand safeguarding issues, such as how to identify signs of domestic violence. Staff are aware of the referral procedure and know the steps to take if they are concerned with the conduct of a colleague. Recruitment and vetting systems are robust.

Mealtime procedures have recently been strengthened. For example, staff check food contents to ensure that foods provided for children are suitable. Effective systems are in place to check the identification of visitors and no unauthorised person can gain entry to the premises.