The Lime Trees at King Edwin

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This provision meets requirements Children show positive relationships with staff and their peers.

They happily call staff by name when staff get down to their level to greet them at the end of the school day. Children throw their arms around staff and give them a cuddle. They are keen to talk to staff about their day at school and show them crafts they make.

When children first arrive at the club, staff complete a register to ensure that everyone is present, to promote their safety. They use this time to help develop children's confidence in group situations. For instance, staff ask children to choose a question for others to answer.

Children ask... their peers what is their favourite shop. Children reply 'chip shop, cookie shop' and 'toy store'.Children know the rules and daily routines in the club.

For example, when staff say 'hocus-pocus' children reply 'everybody focus'. They stop what they are doing and listen for instructions, such as when staff ask them if they would like to play outdoors. Children thoroughly enjoy being physically active in the host school playground.

They take it in turns with staff to throw and catch balls. Children develop their strength and balance when they climb and step across a trim trail. Children are keen to take part in team games.

They play dodge ball and understand that the ball is soft, so they do not get hurt. This shows their understanding of safety practices.

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

Staff know the children well.

They provide resources to encourage children to develop their own creative ideas. For example, children make 'sensory bottles'. They choose small objects and glow sticks to put into a bottle, add water and securely fasten the lid.

Children watch in fascination when they move the bottles and the objects inside move in different directions.Mealtimes are sociable occasions, when staff sit with children and talk to them, encouraging them to take part in conversations. Children are offered a nutritious range of foods.

Staff encourage children to try different foods, to help extend their diet. Children say that they ate bagels for the first time in the club and they liked them. Toothbrushes and toothpaste are available for children to take home to encourage their oral health.

Parents are very complimentary about the club. They say that their children are excited to attend. Parents appreciate how staff support their children when they first start, getting to know them, their interests and distracting children if they become upset.

The provider and management team support the manager and staff well. Staff have opportunities to reflect on their practice through, for example, supervision meetings. They are supported to extend their professional development.

This helps staff to refresh their knowledge of how to promote children's safety. Staff say that they feel supported with their well-being.The manager gathers feedback from all people involved in the club to help identify improvements.

Recent changes provides further opportunities for children to be independent. For example, children wash their bowls and plates after breakfast and snack times. They choose what foods they would like to eat.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well. For example, the manager works closely with school teachers and other professionals to meet the needs of individual children. One example of this is when staff follow the same strategies as the host school to provide a calm space for children to go when they struggle to manage their behaviour.

Staff encourage children to take an active part in developing the rules and boundaries in the club. This helps them to understand what is expected of them. Staff reward positive behaviour.

For example, each child has a picture of an owl and this moves higher on a tree when they show kindness. When the owl reaches the top of the tree, children receive a small gift to praise their achievements, helping to raise their self-esteem.The manager and staff complement the learning children receive during their school day.

If children do not have opportunities to complete homework, they support children to do this in the club. For example, children construct and build a pretend house to take to school when they learn about a story about pigs, a wolf and houses.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The manager and staff carry out safety checks in the environment to help provide a safe space for children to play. They supervise children well and use walkie-talkies to communicate with each other about children's individual needs when they use different areas in the host school. The provider follows a robust recruitment procedure when employing staff.

Staff's ongoing suitability is checked to ensure they are appropriate in their role. The provider, management team, manager and staff know the signs that may suggest a child is at risk of harm, abuse or radicalisation. They know the procedure to follow to report concerns about a child's safety.

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