Smiles Of Quorn

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This provision meets requirements Children show positive relationships with staff. They are keen to greet staff at the end of their school day.

Children confidently talk to staff about what they have been doing at school. Children's safety is given the highest importance. For instance, when they walk from school to the club, children wear high-visibility sashes so they can easily be seen.

Children receive gentle reminders from staff to hold hands, walk in two's and to move to the side to let pedestrians pass. Children behave well. They take an active part in developing some of the club rules.

This contributes to them feeling valued and to have a v...oice in how the club runs. Children say that they need to 'be kind all the time' and to 'say nice words to other people'. Children are very happy and excited to play outdoors.

They say that their favourite activity in the club is 'playing football' and 'playing with their friends'. Children are physically active when they play ball games outdoors. They show good balance and coordination when they kick a ball to staff, and as they take on the role of goalkeeper.

Children blow bubble mixture and move their bodies in different ways to try to catch the bubbles as they float into the air.

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

Staff say that they feel supported by the manager. They attend regular staff supervision meetings to help them to reflect on their practice.

Staff continue their professional development through a range of online training. This helps to keep their knowledge up to date of how to keep children safe. For instance, staff have attended recent training to secure their understanding of safeguarding.

The manager and staff reflect on the service they provide for children and their families. They listen to children's comments and make changes to improve the experiences they have at the club. For instance, improvements have been made to the snack bar to encourage children to make more independent choices about what foods they would like to eat.

Staff introduce initiatives to praise children's achievements and to promote positive behaviour. One example of this is to encourage children to show safe walking to and from school. Children proudly receive a certificate and small gift to show that they are 'Smiles Star Walker of the Week'.

When new children start attending the club, staff help them to settle and to feel comfortable. For instance, they find out about children's interests and use this information to plan activities they know children enjoy. Children are keen to play with these and the other activities available when they arrive at the club.

For example, they show a good imagination when they play with toy dinosaurs. However, at times, staff do not help to reduce the noise levels in the room to promote children's concentration and engagement in activities.Staff find out from school teachers about what children have been learning during their day at school.

They use this information to complement children's experiences. For instance, when children do activities to manipulate dough at school, staff provide further opportunities for children to make dough themselves. Children work together as a team to add and mix ingredients in a bowl.

They share the dough with their friends and ensure that everyone has a piece.Parents provide positive comments about the club. They say that children are cared for by 'kind' and 'friendly' staff.

Parents know that their children have fun and are cared for well.Staff encourage children to make healthy choices. For instance, they offer children a range of healthy foods for snack.

They provide plenty of opportunities for children to play outdoors. Staff support children to make up their own energetic games, such as running races. Children say 'one, two, three, four, go' and sprint to the opposite side of a football pitch alongside their friends.

They begin to understand the physical effects of exercise on their bodies. For instance, when they have finished their race, they say to their friends, 'I'm out of breath now'.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The manager and staff have a good safeguarding knowledge and know what they should do if they have a concern about children's welfare. This includes being able to recognise if a child is being subject to abuse or radical views and beliefs. The manager and staff know the procedure to follow if they have concerns about a member of staff's behaviour with children.

The manager follows a robust recruitment procedure to ensure that all staff are suitable to work with children. Staff deploy themselves well, indoors and outside. This helps to ensure good levels of supervision and support for children.

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