The Play Professionals at Reay

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This provision meets requirements Children enjoy their time in this exciting, welcoming setting. They come in happily, exchanging greetings with staff and other children.

Staff take great care in getting to know the children. They also have robust procedures to exchange information with class teachers, meaning that they are fully aware of children's needs and interests. These procedures contribute to children feeling secure, settling quickly and building warm relationships with staff.

Children respond to the positive environment and are eager to try new experiences, persevering when faced with challenges. For instance, children work out how to make the art...s and craft fish stand up. These daily experiences support children in building the skills that aid their learning.

Children are independent and confident, competently asking for help when needed. Children follow the very good example from genuinely kind and caring staff. For example, older children notice younger children new to the setting are unsettled and join them in their play, to support them.

Staff help children to learn about keeping safe and healthy, as they support them in assessing risks as they play. For example, when practising gymnastics, children are reminded to use the mats and keep a distance from each other. Children enjoy celebrating each other's similarities and differences as they greet each other in their home languages.

This is because staff support children's uniqueness.

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

Staff promote children's personal development well. They encourage children to take responsibility for their own belongings and staff supervise children while they manage their self-care and hygiene needs.

Staff help children understand the importance of healthy lifestyles. For instance, children enjoy a range of healthy snacks and have continual access to water. Children have opportunities to use the outdoor areas daily.

Staff encourage them to enjoy the fresh air and open spaces, supporting their overall well-being.Children are actively involved in making decisions about resources and activities. They thoroughly enjoy their play and quickly become engrossed in this.

For example, they eagerly organise dance routines to follow. They experiment, develop their creativity and solve problems as they work out how best to join the pieces to make enclosures for animals.The manager has strong links with the staff from the host school.

Their information sharing means that staff at the club know how to support all children well. There is a strong key-person system for additional support for the youngest children. Consequently, the youngest children demonstrate confidence and settle in at the club very well.

Staff understand the basic needs of children with emerging special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and they monitor the children carefully. The manager understands the importance of continuing to build links with other professionals and teaching staff, for the care of children with SEND, to help them provide even better targeted support and continuity of care. Children with SEND are content in their surroundings at the club and in the care of the manager and staff.

The manager and staff work hard to involve parents in the club and communication is effective. This helps parents gain a good overview of the club and what their children do while they attend. Parents say their children enjoy attending and that staff are friendly and approachable.

The effective communication supports consistency in children's care.Children behave well at the club; staff help children to learn about rules and boundaries. Children listen carefully to adults and respond positively to their requests.

For example, they willingly tidy away resources and help set the table at mealtimes. However, at times children become distracted and fidgety during large-group activities and at transitions throughout the afternoon. These can be too long and are often not organised to support children to maintain their good behaviour.

Staff, including the manager, feel well supported by the management team. They attend regular supervision meetings, where they discuss their workload and well-being. The manager monitors staff's performance to help her identify any areas for improvement or training needs, which helps to promote consistently strong practice.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Senior managers and the manager ensure that staff complete regular safeguarding training to keep their knowledge and understanding of child protection up to date. All staff know the signs that a child may be at risk of abuse and neglect.

They understand the processes to follow if they have concerns about children or adults. Staff complete daily checks of the environment to help identify and minimise potential risk for children. Additionally, staff inform children of the fire evacuation procedure, which the children eagerly explain to visitors, to ensure the safety of all individuals on the premises.

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