The Strings Club - Hackney Holiday Camp (Gainsborough School)

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This provision meets requirements The manager and staff create an exceptionally warm and friendly environment, and children are delighted to attend. Children are joyful and excited to take part in the wide array of activities on offer. For example, they work cooperatively in small groups, taking turns to build a model using the building bricks.

Children mirror the exceptional way that staff conduct themselves when interacting with them. The attentive and caring attitude of staff helps children feel safe and secure.Children enjoy spending time with their friends at the club.

Activities are carefully planned, factoring in children's feedback, interests, like...s and dislikes. Children excitedly engage in physical activities in the very spacious outdoor area. Staff plan a range of activities to support children to enhance their physical development, such as skipping, playing football and completing obstacle courses.

Children enjoy listening to music from different parts of the world. For example, they listen to music by a West African musician and then create their own artwork to express themselves. Children use their imagination and select resources from the upcycling box to create models.

At the same time, they are learning about developing respect for the resources and taking care of the environment.The provider's 'Your child's development is key' programme focuses on developing specific skills, including musicianship, communication and language, mathematics, and personal, social and emotional development. This enables children to develop self-confidence and positive communication, and they learn how to manage their feelings and behaviour well.

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

Staff have worked hard to establish routines and expectations, which are securely embedded. This allows for the smooth running of the club, where children consistently follow rules, routines and expectations. All staff have high expectations for children and build in opportunities to develop children's independence skills.

Children use the resources, such as scissors, safely and independently. They help to tidy up between activities and independently use the toilet, which staff monitor frequently to ensure it is clean and safe for children to use.Staff are highly attentive to each child and their individual needs.

They keep children motivated and engaged in their play by actively interacting with them during play. Staff ensure they seek children's opinions on activities and engage them in conversation, valuing their response. This helps children to show good levels of engagement.

The specialist music teacher supports children to develop a good understanding of different musical instruments and how they work. Children learn about music from around the world. The music teacher supports children to develop their self-esteem and confidence by allowing opportunities for them to express themselves in a creative way, such as dancing and singing.

Children benefit from taking home instruments they are learning to play, such as the guitar, ukelele or violin, to further develop their skills.All staff benefit from attending the provider's mandatory bespoke induction training programme, which includes rigorous training on safeguarding, child protection and the programmes on offer for the children. Following the induction process, staff benefit from accessing a plethora of online training available to enhance their professional development.

The provider is highly inclusive and supportive of their staff team.Staff help children to develop a good understanding of how to stay safe. For example, they remind children to drink water and about the importance of staying hydrated and how to stay safe in the sun.

Staff act as exemplary role models for the children, demonstrating exceptional kindness, behaviour and conduct. Children mirror the staff's excellent behaviour and are polite, respectful and kind.The provider has a rigorous recruitment process, led by the designated administration and recruitment manager for the company.

The dedicated manager and the passionate director work closely to support staff to reach their full potential. Staff feel extremely valued and supported.Managers and staff develop good relationships with parents.

Parents are happy with the service provided and appreciate the communication and sharing of photos of their children engaging in different activities.The provider works closely with children, staff and parents to evaluate the provision on offer. They act on the feedback to enhance the quality of the service.

The director works closely with the manager and staff to identify areas for development. Leaders, managers and staff are extremely committed and passionate about providing an exceptional service for all children.Staff support children to gain a good understanding on how to stay healthy.

They discuss the importance of healthy eating and the benefits of staying active by taking part in regular exercise and physical activities outside. Staff also monitor children's packed lunches to support parents in providing healthy, nutritious meals.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders and managers ensure all staff complete mandatory safeguarding training to develop a good knowledge of how to protect children from harm. Managers quiz staff on different safeguarding themes to identify any gaps in knowledge and provide additional training to support their understanding. Staff are aware of the different signs of abuse and know how to report any concerns about a child's safety and welfare.

The manager and staff carry out effective daily risk assessments to ensure the environments children access and the resources they use are well maintained and safe. Staff carry out headcounts when moving from one environment to another to ensure all children are accounted for. The recruitment manager carries out thorough checks on staff to check they are suitable to work with children.

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