Barracudas (Godalming)

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This provision does not meet requirements Staff do not make effective arrangements to support children's emotional well-being. At times, children wander about and are unsure of what to do.

Although there are arrangements in place for a key-person system, this does not fully support children. Some children struggle to settle in and do not fully engage with staff, other children or the activities staff provide for them. Staff are not fully organised, and children's play time is wasted unnecessarily.

Transitions between activities and poorly thought out daily routines restrict the time children are able to freely play. Although children are supervised effecti...vely, staff do not fully understand or implement procedures, including managing site security. Overall, staff provide children with choices and a variety of activities to take part in, although these are not organised well.

However, most children clearly enjoy their time and chatter excitedly to each other as they play. They play games with parachutes, for instance, and make sock puppets. Some staff are attentive and caring, offering children warm praise and encouragement.

This supports their self-esteem effectively. Generally, children behave well. Some children require more support to manage their feelings and behaviour.

Some staff are very effective at helping children to gain an understanding of how to calm down when they are upset.

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

The early years leader has a clear plan of her intentions for children at the holiday club. She aims for children to develop socially during their time in the care of staff.

However, poor systems in place and poor staff practice do not support these intentions.The key-person system is not effective in ensuring that all children are happy and confident. For instance, staff do not find out adequate information about children before they start.

Staff do not introduce themselves to children, who are left not knowing which staff to call on for help. Children are not supported to build bonds with their key person, or with other children. Additionally, parents do not know which members of staff care for their children.

The daily routine is not effective. Staff take too long to organise themselves, the activities and children. They do not communicate to each other effectively or deploy themselves well.

Some staff are unsure what to do to support children. This means that children miss out on the planned activities, and they lack opportunities to play and have fun. For example, during some activities, children waiting for their turn had very little to engage them, and they stood and watched their friends.

Although staff who are new to the job have support and training to carry out their roles, this is not effective. They are unsure of procedures on the site to keep children safe. For instance, the overall site is open and potentially allows unknown people to access the grounds.

Staff do not check the identify or purpose of persons they meet on site, such as visiting school staff who are unknown to them. Staff are not confident in their roles to ensure children's safety at all times.Children listen to what staff say and generally follow instructions swiftly.

Children demonstrate their knowledge of some boundaries, such as to stay with the staff who are looking after them.The early years leader plans activities to complement children's learning at school. For instance, children practise using scissors and listening to stories.

They develop their attention and focus.When activities are organised well, children are engaged. For instance, they play cricket, explore the nature trail and take part in bowling and rounders games.

Most children are keen to join in and have fun.Staff offer children appropriate opportunities to be physically active and develop healthy lifestyles. They support children to wash their hands before eating, for example, and chat to children about healthy options to eat at snack time.

Staff and parents provide feedback about the holiday club. Although managers use these evaluations as part of their practice, the implementation of improvements is not fully effective in ensuring that the holiday club is well run.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

Leaders and managers follow a robust recruitment process. This helps to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. There is a strong focus on supporting staff to have a good knowledge of safeguarding, including signs and indicators of possible abuse.

All staff receive regular training to keep their knowledge current. They understand their role to protect children from abuse. Staff know what actions to take if they have any concerns about children's welfare.

Staff understand the procedures to follow if they have any concerns about their colleagues. However, weaknesses in staff's knowledge of site security procedures mean that children's safety is potentially compromised.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must: Due date improve the key-person system to tailor care to children's individual needs, and ensure that key persons consistently support children's emotional well-being 09/08/2023 ensure staff have the training and support they need to improve the organisation of the daily routine, including around times of transition and during adult-led activities, to support children's engagement and to ensure that children do not wait unnecessarily 09/08/2023 ensure that all staff fully understand their roles and responsibilities to implement the setting's policies and procedures, including those that involve risk assessments and site security.

09/08/2023

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