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About Smilies
Name
Smilies
Address
Height Methodist Church, King Street, Salford, Greater Manchester, M6 7GY
Phase
Childcare on Non-Domestic Premises, Out-of day care
Gender
Mixed
Local Authority
Salford
Highlights from Latest Inspection
What is it like to attend this early years setting?
This provision meets requirements Children look forward to coming to this lively and welcoming club.
They benefit from consistent and mutually respectful relationships with friendly and caring staff. There is an abundance of adult support and a real sense that every child matters. Having been collected from school by their key people, children enter the club enthusiastically.
They excitedly join in a wide range of fun, purposeful activities, which complement the learning that takes place in school. Staff excel in promoting children's personal development. They know individual children extremely well.
They know and remember what is important to eac...h child, what they can do and what they need help with. Children feel valued and important. Staff encourage children to play a full role in making decisions that influence the activities and projects carried out.
For example, children vote on the charity they would like to support, and they contribute ideas for making the club even better. Leaders are reflective and highly motivated to continually adapt and improve the provision in response to children's needs. Children's health and social skills are mostly promoted very well during breakfast and after-school snack.
Children are lively and demonstrate extremely positive attitudes to being physically active. They vigorously play indoor football and table tennis in the large hall. Staff are excellent role models and give children clear guidance about expected behaviour.
Children share, take turns and enjoy the company of staff and each other.
What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?
Leaders strive to maintain high-quality provision for children and their families. They establish strong relationships with parents who are very complimentary about the club.
Parents typically comment on the caring and approachable staff who often go 'above and beyond' to meet the needs of individual children.The manager provides regular one-to-one meetings with staff and promotes their professional development. Staff observe each other's practice and attend regular training to help keep children safe.
Staff's well-being is prioritised in the supportive team. Many staff are long-serving and this consistency is valued by families and helps children feel safe.Partnership working with the local schools served by the club is well established.
Consistent staff collect children from each school and use information from school to help them plan activities that further enhance children's development. Staff take care to record messages from school and share these with parents, which helps to ensure children's needs are known and met.Staff mostly make very good use of the extensive space for children to play in.
They plan a wide range of activities, which respond to different interests and needs. Children move around freely and safely, making independent decisions and following through their own ideas. Leaders know that children do not benefit from activities in the garden as much as they would like.
They have plans to improve the garden to support play in all weather.Staff promote good behaviour and positive attitudes. Children respond positively to the consistent routines and expectations.
They are keen to take on responsibilities, such as helping to do the register or clean up. Children thrive when rewarded with a 'golden ticket', which they collect to win a prize. Staff notice and show children that they value positive attitudes, such as kindness, and they record such examples on the 'special mention tree'.
Staff encourage children to adopt healthy lifestyles. They provide healthy breakfasts and after-school snacks. Parents subsequently notice that children learn to enjoy healthier cereals at home.
Staff encourage self-care and enable children to freely access drinks when they are thirsty. They are considering ways to improve the planning of after-school snack time to further promote children's awareness of mealtime etiquette.Children enjoy staff's involvement in their play.
Staff promote the development of children's character, following their ideas, joking and having fun as they play together. Children squeal with laughter as they design silly hair and moustaches on the portraits they have drawn. Staff extend children's ideas to help them get even more from the activity on offer.
For example, they skilfully ask questions that inspire new ideas to add to the underwater scene that children have moulded with dough. Staff also plan activities that help children to learn new skills. Children enjoy learning how to play new party games and how to knit.
This gives them a sense of achievement and builds their confidence. Staff explain and demonstrate clearly during new activities, so that children of all ages can play and learn alongside each other.
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
The manager and staff understand their roles and responsibilities in helping to keep children safe. All staff attend child protection training. They have a secure awareness of the procedures to follow should they have concerns about a child's welfare.
Staff know the children who need support to behave well and they help all children learn how to stay safe. Children are taught about safety procedures in relation to mobile phones. They know that they benefit by not having screen time while they are at the club.
The manager organises the walks to and from school consistently and safely. Risk assessment is well considered. Staff are well deployed around the building to ensure children can move between rooms and activities freely and safely.
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