The Lime Trees at Ernehale Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This provision meets requirements Children enjoy their time at the club. They arrive happily and are eager to explore the engaging activities. The session is well organised.

Children feel safe in this familiar environment and have close relationships with staff. Staff encourage children to socialise with their friends and to be creative as they play. For example, children share ideas as they thoroughly enjoy craft activities.

They build complex structures with the construction toys and talk to staff about their creations.Staff support children to explore the outdoors and exercise in the fresh air. For example, children blow bubbles and staff encourage them... to move around to stamp on the bubbles that land on the wet ground.

Staff adapt activities well to include everyone. They recognise that some children prefer a quieter time after school, such as exploring sensory toys and sharing books in a quiet area.Children behave well.

Staff encourage them to listen to instructions during play. For example, staff show children recipe cards to make play dough. Children listen to staff as they explain how to measure out cups of flour and add water to make their dough.

Staff encourage children to feel the textures of the flour and explain how soft it feels.

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

Staff focus on children's mental health well-being and encourage children to talk about their feelings. Staff listen carefully to children's ideas and include them in the planning and choice of activities.

As a result, children thrive at the club and are extremely motivated to explore and engage in their play. Staff explain to children at the beginning of the session about the wide range of activities on offer. Children listen enthusiastically and are eager to join in.

Staff clearly explain to children their expectations and, as a result, children behave well. For example, children listen to staff's instructions to sit on the mat and choose a book to look at. Staff compliment children on their beautiful sitting as they answer their names from the register.

Children listen carefully as staff ask them to put their books away before they go to play.Staff encourage children to explore their ideas and imagination as they play cooperatively in a small group. For example, staff support children to write out a menu on a clip board, as children pretend to make a Sunday lunch.

Staff encourage children to decide who is going to be a waiter and who is going to be the chef. Children safely use knives to cut up vegetables, peel sweetcorn, and add their ingredients to a bowl for the chef to prepare in the pretend oven.Staff support children to learn to be independent.

For example, children operate a tap to pour a drink from the water container. They serve themselves a snack of blueberries, oranges, tortilla chips and bread rolls. Children wash up their plates in the sink after they have finished and place them on the draining board to dry.

Staff encourage children to think about how things grow, as part of learning about a healthy lifestyle. Staff have back-and-forth conversations with children about growing raspberries in the garden. They discuss how slugs and snails come out at night to eat the plants, and about how the plants need lots of water to help them grow.

The senior leadership team support the manager well to ensure the smooth running of the club. There are effective systems in place to ensure that the manager and staff benefit from regular training to help increase their skills. Leaders have regular meetings to discuss ways to improve practice even further.

Leaders work closely with the on-site school to help provide a consistent approach for children who may need extra help.Parents state that they are happy and that their children do not want to leave at the end of the session. They speak of the good communication from the staff and that the play includes children's individual interests and needs.

Staff provide families with ideas to take home, such as craft packs and play dough.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff are aware of their obligations to keep children safe.

They can identify signs and symptoms of abuse and know what to do if they are concerned about a child's welfare. Staff know how to report a concern about an adult working with children. Staff attend child protection training to keep their knowledge up to date.

They are aware of safeguarding issues, such as county lines and online safety. Staff are vigilant to the security of the premises and procedures are in place to ensure that children are only collected by authorised persons. Staff ensure that children are safely supervised throughout their time at the club.

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