TH Holiday Childcare St Anne’s and Guardian Angels School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This provision meets requirements The enthusiasm and excitement displayed by children in the scheme are captivating.

Children engage and are focused in a vast array of exciting and stimulating activities, such as planting, baking, constructing and mathematical investigations. Outdoors, children take turns to travel through a tunnel, with some children navigating their way around the outdoor area pretending to be caterpillars. Children enjoy sitting in a circle, listening attentively to staff reading them a story.

Children are familiar with the routines and follow the agreements they have helped create. They chant these agreements every morning, which helps... them to regulate their behaviour and manage their emotions well. Staff are excellent role models and demonstrate exceptional conduct and behaviour, which children copy.

Staff provide a language-rich environment. Children are introduced to a wide variety of vocabulary which they are encouraged to use in their play. For example, when children mix the ingredients to make banana bread, they use the word 'mix'.

Children confidently discuss the ingredients they use. Managers are actively involved in supporting staff to settle children. Staff support children to remember to take turns, be polite and learn about the world around them.

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

Staff have exceptional partnerships with parents and other professionals to meet the needs of all children. They work closely with different professionals at the local authority, as well as professionals across the different schools in the borough.The manager has effective systems and processes in place and to support staff's development.

They provide an effective induction to new staff. Staff are offered a bespoke training package to keep their knowledge up to date.The manager takes account of the feedback received from staff, parents and children to evaluate and improve the service which they offer.

This is shared in a newsletter at the end of the scheme. Staff, children and parents welcome this and say it makes them feel valued.Staff develop children's understanding on how to stay safe.

For example, children learn not to speak to any adults, except for those staff wearing a blue uniform. This helps children to exercise being safe when they attend trips off site.The manager liaises with special educational needs coordinators from schools to meet the needs of children attending with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

He also provides extensive training to individual staff to support children with SEND exceptionally well. There is also an alternative chill- out hub for children with SEND to relax in.The manager has established excellent partnerships with the local farm and museum.

Children benefit from these partnerships and enjoy their trips there. They enjoy character-building activities using a variety of arts and crafts resources provided by the museum.Staff have high expectations regarding healthy eating.

Staff encourage parents to send a healthy packed lunch for their children. They discuss healthy eating with children at lunchtime.The key-person system is effectively implemented.

Children have a dedicated key person who places a focus on developing children's personal, social and emotional development. This enables children to become increasingly confident in making friends and to access all areas of the scheme in a safe and secure manner.Staff work in partnership with a national initiative to support children with their well-being, mental health and emotional literacy.

They help children to develop skills such as communication, listening, critical thinking, empathy and how to collaborate effectively.Parents are extremely pleased with the high-quality childcare provided to their children. They appreciate the excellent communication.

Parents comment on the wide range of activities on offer that keep their children engaged and excited.Staff plan activities related to children's interests. For example, when children show a particular interest in some plants in the outdoor area, staff set up an adult-led activity to give children an opportunity to do their own planting.

Children thoroughly enjoy this activity and are introduced to new vocabulary such as 'seed', 'sunlight' and 'soil'.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Leaders, managers and staff go above and beyond to ensure a positive culture and ethos of safeguarding.

All staff receive personalised safeguarding training. The provider also implements safer recruitment processes to ensure that staff have the relevant training and suitability to work with children in the scheme. Leaders, managers and staff have an exceptional understanding of the systems and processes to follow to safeguard children from risk of harm.

The provider ensures that arrangements to protect children and promote their welfare are built into staff's daily practice. Staff explore different scenarios to develop their understanding of safeguarding issues or when children may be at risk of harm. They support children to be familiar with the steps they can take if they feel unsafe, upset or have a concern about something.

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