Chucklebox@clare House

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This provision meets requirements Children arrive happily at the club and greet their friends and staff. They choose activities they want to play with and settle quickly, creating a calm and relaxed atmosphere. Children are very well behaved.

The club promotes family grouping, enabling children of all ages to play together. As a result, younger children learn from their older peers and older children show consideration and support younger children during play. Good progress has been made since the last inspection.

The provider, who manages the setting, and the staff team have successfully met all the actions raised. They have improved planning and extended... the range of resources and equipment, resulting in children's individual needs being met effectively. Staff show high regard to seeking children's views through discussions and questionnaires.

Older children also act as club counsellors and lead small-group activities, such as board games, and they continuously share children's views with staff. As a result, staff provide new resources and activities, which are are tailored to meet children's interests. Staff use well-established routines to help younger children to understand what happens next.

For example, at snack time, children stop playing and cooperatively line up and wash their hands. They independently clear away their plate and cup when they have finished eating, ready for the next group to have their snack. Children also tidy away toys after use and ask staff for other toys they want to play with.

This promotes children's independence skills as they make choices and follow their own interests during their play.

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

The key-person system is now fully established, ensuring that children in the early years age range, and those who have additional needs, are well supported. The provider works closely with parents and the school to make sure that they have a consistent approach to children's care.

Staff organise a range of indoor sports and team games during poor weather. Children enjoy challenging obstacle courses and playing team games. They develop good spatial awareness as they race around the circle to get back to their space before their opponent.

Occasionally, staff do not consistently give younger children more instructions to help them to understand the game, but, overall, children of all ages join in well and enthusiastically play the games together.Younger children concentrate well as they use large construction sets and proudly show staff what they have made. They work cooperatively to build train tracks and show good negotiating skills as they discuss how to fix the bridge into place.

Children enjoy being creative. They use a paints, ink stampers and glitter to create their own artwork, which they show with pride. However, children comment that there is nowhere for them to display their artwork in their club hall.

There are good systems in place to ensure that all the required documentation is well maintained and accessible at all times. Staff show high regard to monitoring children's attendance. Staff work as a team, communicating well so that the daily routines and activities are well organised, and children's well-being and security is prioritised effectively.

Staff have reviewed their safeguarding procedures and recently attended safeguarding training. As a result, they can identify the different the signs of abuse and neglect and know the procedure to follow if they have any concerns about children's welfare, or if any concerns are raised against staff. Staff implement good routines to ensure that children are appropriately supervised at all times.

Children enjoy using indoor play equipment, such as the balance beams and stepping stones. Younger children develop their coordination, such as when they carefully move around the circuit. Older children confidently move at speed and go around the younger ones, showing good consideration for others.

Children develop their understanding of the world as they use a pretend minibeast set. They catch their bugs in nets and put them in magnifying pots, then match them to the words cards. Children keenly talk about the bugs they like and the colours and patterns they can see.

Parents who shared their views during the inspection comment that their children are happy at the setting. The report that their children come home with lots of different artwork and keenly tell them what they have been doing at the club. Parents comment in questionnaires that staff are supportive and understand their children's needs well.

They are also kept well informed about different events, festivals and club activities through regular newsletters.Children enjoy a variety of healthy hot and cold snacks after school. Snack time is relaxed and sociable as children make choices and talk about the foods they like to eat.

Staff encourage children to try different foods, such as celery, and children contribute their ideas for the snack menu.

Safeguarding

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