Ants Out of School Club

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This provision does not meet requirements Children are not kept safe because the arrangements for staffing do not meet their needs. At times, children are not adequately supervised. This includes when using climbing equipment, where children are at risk of falling.

Children move around the club while eating and drinking, and staff do not encourage them to sit down. This increases the risk of children choking. The provider fails to ensure that at least one member of staff holds a current and valid paediatric first-aid certificate, which further impacts on the safety of children.

Nevertheless, children arrive happily at the club. They are welcoming of new pe...ople and show that they are confident to talk to visitors. Children form respectful relationships with each other.

Some children seek out their friends to play with and make choices about what they would like to do. For example, they play football together and enjoy exploring the natural outdoor space to look for bugs in the mud. However, for some children, their needs are not met because routines do not allow them to make choices about where they wish to play.

They ask to go inside and tell staff they are cold. Staff respond by telling them they can not go inside until later. This is because there are not enough staff, so they keep all children outdoors.

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

The provider, who is also the manager, has not maintained her knowledge and understanding of the requirements of the 'Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage'. As a result, there are significant breaches, which impact on the quality of the provision and safeguarding of children.Risk assessment is not effective.

Although staff are aware of safety measures identified for the equipment that children use, they do not implement these successfully to reduce the risk to children's safety. Consequently, children are at risk of harm.The deployment of staff means that children are not always adequately supervised.

Children spend long periods of time playing in the large outdoor area. However, staff are sometimes engaged in speaking to parents or completing tasks inside the playroom. This means that those available to work with children cannot always see or hear them, which compromises children's safety.

The manager fails to implement effective systems to maintain information about the suitability of staff. Information about the identity of staff and vetting checks have not been recorded. In addition, the manager has not maintained records of the recruitment and vetting procedures followed to demonstrate that staff are suitable to work with children.

This means children are not safeguarded.The manager does not store information and records safely and securely. Some information and records are not available or accessible at all times.

Staff do not ensure that they maintain an accurate record of children's full names and hours of attendance. This impacts on the safeguarding of children.The manager fails to ensure that there is always at least one person who has a current paediatric first-aid certificate available to work with children.

She has identified that staff's current training has expired, but has not taken action to help staff access training to keep their knowledge up to date. This means that children are not safeguarded.The club does not implement a key-person system.

Therefore, children do not have a named key person to provide tailored care that meets their individual needs. Staff have not established successful partnerships with the school that children attend. They do not exchange information in order to fully extend children's learning and experiences at the club.

Children behave well at the club. They help to devise rules, which are displayed for them to see. Children respectfully follow the rules, which helps them to understand the expectations that the manager and staff have of them.

Children are encouraged to share their ideas for how to improve their experiences at the club. They contribute to planning by recording what activities and resources they would like to play with. Children and parents are provided with surveys to complete, to share their feedback about the club.

Parents and children speak positively about their experiences at the club. Parents report that staff are friendly and approachable, and that their children enjoy attending. Children comment that they like the environment and enjoy the creative activities on offer.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.Significant weaknesses in risk assessment and the deployment of staff compromise the safety of children. The manager fails to maintain appropriate records required for the safe and efficient management of the setting.

There is no evidence of an enhanced criminal records check to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. Children are exposed to risk of harm due to the lack of appropriately trained staff in paediatric first aid, should an emergency arise. That said, staff complete regular training to keep their knowledge of safeguarding issues up to date.

They understand their responsibilities to refer information of a safeguarding nature to other agencies in a timely way.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

The provision is not meeting requirements and Ofsted intends to take enforcement action.

We will issue a Welfare Requirements Notice requiring the provider to: Due date implement effective risk assessment so that all risks to children's health and safety are identified and action is taken to remove or minimise any risks and hazards in a timely manner 14/02/2022 improve the deployment of staff so that children are adequately supervised at all times to ensure their safety 14/02/2022 ensure that there is at least one person who has a current paediatric first-aid certificate on the premises and available at all times when children are present in order to respond to emergencies quickly 14/02/2022 ensure that information is recorded about the identity and vetting checks completed for all staff 14/02/2022 implement effective recruitment procedures to ensure that practitioners, and any other person who is likely to have regular contact with children, are suitable 14/02/2022 ensure that all information and records are held securely and are easily accessible and available to promote the safe and efficient management of the setting 14/02/2022 ensure that all children have a named key person, who helps to provide tailored care that meets their individual needs and builds a relationship with their parents 14/02/2022 maintain an accurate daily record of the full names of every child being cared for and their hours of attendance.

14/02/2022

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