YMCA London City and North

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This provision meets requirements Leaders operate a well-organised club. Staff greet children with smiles and laugh and interact well with them throughout the session.

Staff have high expectations of the children and create a relaxed environment with a range of areas for children to unwind, play and engage in physical exercise. Children access a well-resourced play environment. Children are busy at play, as they quickly engage in board games with their friends, such as 'Guess Who?', while other children become deeply involved in their pretend play as they feed and care for the dolls.

Children's behaviour is good. During play, staff engage with children to ...help them build relationships with each other and understand how to take turns and share. Children are kind and share well.

They take turns rolling the dice, supported by staff, and decide as a group who will go first. Staff provide children with many opportunities to voice their views and opinions. For instance, children decorate and display 'All About Me' cards.

They practise writing their names, date of birth, favourite films, and draw a self-portrait. This enables them to feel valued and included in making decisions.

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

Children enjoy their time at the club.

Staff play and interact with children in a positive way. They encourage children to keep trying when tasks are difficult. For example, staff skilfully stand back during a game of snakes and ladders, to encourage children to count independently and develop their early addition skills.

Staff plan a curriculum that introduces different themes, festivals, and celebrations for the wider world. They incorporate children's interests and are mindful to include and complement the seven areas of learning into their planning for the younger children. This helps staff to offer suitably challenging activities.

Staff promote children's hygiene practices well. Children understand the importance of washing their hands. For instance, they wash them before eating and before handling food during activities and after going to the toilet.

Children have ample opportunities to become active outdoors.Children benefit from a range of healthy and nutritious foods at mealtimes. For example, children enjoy making their own wraps, sprinkling cheese, chicken pieces, cucumber, and peppers.

Children learn about healthy eating and are encouraged to try new foods, such as hummus and olives. They know to regularly drink water to keep them hydrated. In the main, they develop suitable levels of independence.

However, occasionally, during activities, staff complete tasks for children that they are capable of doing themselves.Staff exchange information with teachers at school to support children's well-being. This includes finding out how children have been throughout the day.

Staff pass on these messages to parents and communicate generally well.The centre manager has appointed a capable manager and well-qualified staff. He is committed and passionate and wants to develop the staff's skills and knowledge.

The centre manager supports staff to access a range of training opportunities. He gives staff feedback on their performance and holds regular staff meetings. Staff discuss any challenges that they encounter and make changes.

This helps them to strive for continual progress and make the changes to drive improvement in the setting.Behaviour is managed very well as staff have high expectations for children. Staff model positive behaviours and help children to develop a sense of right and wrong.

This is reflected in children's positive attitudes and behaviours.Leaders have robust recruitment and induction procedures in place. They carry out robust checks on staff to ensure that they are suitable for their roles.

Leaders reflect on the provision and have a good awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of the club. Staff consult with parents and value their views and suggestions for improvement. Parents are complimentary about the care that club staff provide for their children.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff know the local authority reporting procedures to use if they are concerned about a child's welfare. They can explain a wide variety of indicators that a child may be at risk of harm.

They have arrangements to keep children safe around technology, including not using mobile phones at the setting. The manager completes regular quizzes with safeguarding questions to help the team keep its knowledge up to date. The team completes checks every day to ensure the environment indoors and outdoors is safe for children.

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