The Base

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This provision meets requirements Staff greet children warmly and make time to talk to each child as they arrive at the club. Children are keen and happy to be there and get straight on with activities, such as drawing alongside their friends.

The club has a calm, warm and friendly atmosphere. Children talk about their day. Staff show genuine interest and knowledge of each child as they ask questions about sports and activities that they know children enjoy away from the club.

Children draw, read and write while staff prepare and serve the snack children have chosen from the healthy range available. This helps children to make the most of their time at the... club. Staff have created a secure base for children who attend the club.

The room is warm, well organised and resources are accessible. Children independently choose games and activities that they want to play with. Favourite resources, such as the train track, are left out so that children can carry on and extend their play from previous sessions.

Children are developing good understanding and awareness of how to keep themselves safe. For example, they know that they must not let adults into the building and they can explain why. Clear and simple internet safety information is available to all children.

Children explain that they cannot currently use the laptops as they are being updated 'because of pop ups' to make sure they stay safe online.

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

The manager leads the staff team extremely well in close consultation with the chair of the committee. They have a clear focus for what they want the setting to provide for children and how they are going to do this.

Parents speak very highly of the club. They provide feedback and offer their thoughts about ways the club can improve further. Where parents make suggestions, the manager takes this seriously.

She speaks with parents and addresses individual feedback directly.Children talk about and show that they are happy with the range of activities they can take part in at the club. They have clear favourite activities, which they sometimes miss because they arrive later to the club.

The manager is reflecting on how she can adapt routines so that they can overcome this for the children involved.Staff gather and share a good range of information before children start in the club to make sure their needs can be met. Staff continue to share information with parents and make good links with school, particularly during key times of the school year.

Staff support children's learning in school. For example, children and staff read together. Children practise their reading skills, blending sounds together to read whole words.

Staff are enthusiastic. They encourage children to look closely and talk about what they can see on each page. Children access a range of writing resources and use other tools, such as scissors, to cut paper and other craft materials.

Children's dietary needs are fully considered for meals prepared and eaten on the premises and for baking activities. The manager makes sure that she collects, and keeps, up-to-date information about each child's specific health needs. All staff are aware of how to safely store, and serve, food and drinks to minimise risks to children's health.

The experienced staff team work well together. Through regular supervision meetings, the manager and staff identify individual skills that staff have. For example, staff have expertise in baking, art and health and safety.

The manager organises the club in such a way as to make the most of staff skills. This positive culture is an excellent example to the children of effective teamwork and how they celebrate each other as individuals.Older children are excellent role models for younger children.

They show younger children how to hold the bow and shoot the arrow when using the archery equipment. Younger children sometimes find it hard to wait for their turn. Older children are very patient and allow them to help by retrieving their arrows from the board.

Children and staff talk about the number that they have scored for each turn, practising their number skills.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

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