Ultimate Activity Camps at Micklefield School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This provision meets requirements Children and their families are warmly greeted at this happy and fun activity camp. Children enter eagerly to play with their friends. New children settle well and immediately join in with the wide range of activities on offer.

This helps children develop positive attitudes and confidence. Staff promote children's understanding of how to keep themselves healthy effectively. For example, children enthusiastically join in with yoga and meditation sessions, sharing their own ways to keep themselves fit.

Staff frequently praise children's efforts and ideas. This successfully promotes children's self-esteem. Staff organise a di...verse range of activities to captivate and inspire children.

They effectively foster children's communication and imaginative abilities. Children maintain a keen interest while listening to stories. Staff skilfully extend children's understanding of planets, patiently explaining about the planet Saturn.

Staff are calm in their approach. They take time to explain to children how propellers work and children delight in constructing their own models, excited by the prospect of them going 'super-fast'. Children stay engaged while creating their own sea creatures, eagerly discussing the number of suckers on an octopus.

This encourages children's creativity and understanding. Children are encouraged to collaborate during team games. They wait patiently for their friends to take their turns and cheer them on.

This nurtures their positive behaviour and social skills.

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

Staff have high expectations for children. They consistently remind them of the camp's code of conduct in a gentle manner.

Children pay close attention during the daily welcome sessions and listen well. Staff are good role models. They celebrate children's achievements, expressing they would rate their efforts as '10 out of 10'.

Staff actively participate in play with children, contributing positively, which in turn fosters children's good behaviour and attitudes.Children appear comfortable and confident within this small and friendly camp. New children make friends easily.

Children take pleasure in telling jokes to both their friends and staff, who respond with laughter and encouragement. Such interactions contribute significantly to nurturing children's positive well-being.Staff provide children with a wide range of experiences and activities.

Younger children enjoy exploring role-play clothes, excitedly talking about what they are wearing and what characters they are. Older children look forward to the bouncy castle later in the afternoon. This helps support children's personal and social skills.

Staff provide opportunities for children to play games and to be creative. For example, older children enjoy playing 'sleeping lions' and remain highly engaged.Younger children have great fun painting.

They enjoy learning about shoals of fish and counting how many sea creatures they have painted.Children know the rules and routines of the camp and follow these happily. For instance, they explain confidently what they need to do if there is a fire drill.

They are helpful and assist staff in setting up for activities and putting things away. However, occasionally, staff do not recognise when loud background noise impacts children's ability to listen and follow instructions well. Nevertheless, children are motivated to behave well and express enjoyment of their time at the camp.

Children enjoy exploring their particular interests and staff provide effective support for them to do this. For instance, children excitedly discuss the different woodland creatures with staff after reading 'The Gruffalo'. They focus well and engage happily in activities.

Leaders and managers have effective oversight of the camp. They have robust procedures in place for the recruitment of staff and provide good support. However, the induction process for occasional staff members is not as comprehensive as it is for the more permanent staff, This means that some staff have a slightly less confident understanding of their role and responsibilities.

There are effective arrangements in place with the school to ensure children are safe when on the premises. Staff work well together and enjoy their jobs.Communication with parents is effective.

Parents are well informed through the camp's website and daily interactions with the managers at the entrance. Parents value the staff's friendliness and their willingness to adapt provision to meet their children's needs. Staff incorporate parents' feedback into their planning, ensuring that each child's unique needs and interests are met.

Parents express that their children are happy to attend and look forward to coming.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

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