The Hollow Lane Club Exeter

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This provision meets requirements Children thoroughly enjoy their time at the club. Dedicated and passionate staff plan stimulating activities to keep children engaged and motivated.

Staff value children's ideas and incorporate these into routines. For instance, they provide children with choice on whether to participate in the activities, relax in a quiet space or help prepare dinner. Children enjoy placing toppings on their pizza and staff encourage them to do so independently.

Children feel safe and secure. Staff support them extremely well. Those who work in the on-site school also work in the club, helping to provide familiarity for the children.
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Staff and children have formed positive relationships. Staff know children exceptionally well and cater for all their individual requirements at the highest level. They ensure children can communicate their needs using a variety of effective strategies, such as through a picture exchange system.

Children behave well. Staff provide them with consistent routines and boundaries to help children understand what is expected. They actively support children when they find tasks difficult and encourage them to persevere until they succeed.

For example, staff help children to squeeze icing out of a tube onto their biscuits. This helps to support their confidence.

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

Parents speak highly of the club and of the amazing support staff provide for the whole family.

They report on how their child has developed their social skills and communication since joining. Following COVID-19 restrictions, parents comment how staff provided their children with 'social stories' to help ease their way back into the club.Staff comment on the effective leadership team, who encourage them to pursue their professional development.

Staff receive plenty of training to help keep their knowledge up to date. Staff have cheerful dispositions and high levels of well-being. They say they enjoy working as a team to help benefit the children in their care.

Children enjoy sensory play. Younger children relish finding hard objects hidden within mashed up jelly. They love the feeling of squeezing the mixture in their hands.

Older children learn how to make play dough using a visual recipe card. They follow the pictures to ascertain how much flour, water and salt they will need to create a dough mixture. They enjoy kneading and manipulating the ingredients together.

Staff encourage children to develop their physical skills, both inside and out. Younger children enjoy swinging on hammocks attached by a hoist from the ceiling and climbing on the equipment in the garden. Older children have opportunities to participate in adventure activities, such as paddle boarding, sailing, rock climbing and yoga.

Additionally, all children can make use of the heated swimming pool on the school site.Staff support children who, sometimes, find it difficult to communicate how they are feeling. They encourage children who dislike loud noises to wear their personal ear defenders, so they can continue to engage in activities.

For those children who are very active, staff provide them with frequent 'movement breaks' to enable them to be active in between focused activities. This enables children to sustain their concentration for short periods during activities of their choosing.Children enjoy decorating biscuits as part of creative play.

They choose which coloured icing they would like to use and design their own pattern or face. For instance, some children make smiley faces with icing on their biscuit. They talk to visitors and staff about how the face is 'happy'.

Staff help children to recognise pictures of charity mascots, such as 'Pudsey Bear' for 'Children in Need'. Children choose to either paint or colour in these pictures, enabling them to express their creativity and imagination.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff are confident in child protection procedures and are alert to when children's welfare may be compromised. They know to contact relevant local safeguarding partners should they have any concerns about children or staff. Leaders ensure all staff keep their safeguarding knowledge up to date in line with current legislation to ensure they can act on any concerns.

The premises are secure. Visitors have their identity and suitability rigorously checked before they have any contact with children. A secure keypad system on the club doors helps to prevent any potential unauthorised visitors from gaining access to the building where children play.

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