WrapAroundCare4u @ Western House Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This provision meets requirements Children are happy, confident and independent at this well-organised after-school club. There is a strong emphasis placed on their health, emotional and physical well-being. Children are warmly greeted by staff when collected from the host school.

Quality time is spent to support their transition to the club. The attentive and nurturing staff ask children about their day at school. This helps staff to continually develop close bonds with children, particularly those new to the club.

Well-established routines are firmly in place. Children show great independence as they place their belongings away, use antibacterial gel on ...hands and sit together at the tables in preparation for snack. Children's high levels of engagement and commitment continues during snack time, as they readily talk about various topics of interest, such as their favourite foods.

Staff provide a fun and appealing range of activities. To include, an opportunity for children to relax, choose a book to share with friends or participate in physical games, such as badminton. Children clearly show that they feel safe and comfortable at this setting.

Behaviour expectations are clear and consistent. Staff support children to remember ways to help manage their safety and those of others, such as putting away resources after use to minimise the risk of tripping. Children demonstrate plenty of kindness towards each other.

Older children happily play with the younger ones. For example, they make models together using different materials. Children's ideas are valued, such as when they intelligently create their own rules and boundaries when at the club.

In addition, they generate rules for staff, similar to theirs. This creates a mutually respectful and calm environment for all.

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

Experienced leaders have an accurate understanding of the club's strengths and areas for improvement.

They continually strive to provide high standards of care. Leaders meticulously gather children's, staff's and parents' views of the provision. They act on these to enhance children's experiences even more.

For instance, leaders give children a budget to collectively decide any resources they would like at the club. This involves children of all ages working collaboratively to not exceed the amount they can spend. This helps to heighten their sense of responsibility and belonging.

Children confidently move around the club, independently choosing activities from an array of available resources. This includes role-play, sharing books, arts and crafts, and team games. Children show impressive interest in developing their creative skills.

They take pride in producing play dough and sand creations. Children beam with delight as they share their designs with staff, relishing in the praise they receive. This supports children's self-esteem.

Children thoroughly enjoy participating in role-play opportunities. They use their imaginations to make up scenarios. This is supported well by staff, who eagerly join in.

For example, children new to the setting happily use the hairdressers kit to comb their cuddly toys and pretend to dry the fur using a toy hairdryer. Staff skilfully intervene to extend children's play, suggesting they could add hair clips or create a voluminous blow-dry. These quality interactions help children settle quickly and feel part of the group.

One of the key priorities for improvement that has been identified by leaders is to support children's understanding of how to lead a healthy lifestyle. Recent changes include offering children a 'buffet style' meal with a selection of fillings to make their own sandwiches and choose fruit from the variety available. This is proving successful as children try fruits they may not have eaten before.

Staff promote how sweet some of the fruits are, which in turn entices children to try them. Children learn about different food groups and the impact these have on their bodies, such as yogurt contains calcium, which is good for healthy bones. In this way, children develop sensible habits to stay fit and well.

Leaders and staff form strong working relationships with children's class teachers. Two-way conversations regularly take place about children's care needs and how their day at school has been. Staff at the club use this information to personalise their approach with these children, adapting their support to help make each child's time enjoyable.

They also share any key messages relayed to them by the class teachers, with parents. This helps to create continuity in children's care and well-being.Parents express extremely positive views about the club.

They are impressed with the caring and committed staff, who know their children well. Parents report how excited their children are to attend the club. They thoroughly enjoy listening to their children's accounts about what they did, ate and any new friends they made.

Parents appreciate the extra touches that staff do to support their children's development, such as hearing children reading their school reading books.

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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