Acorns at Woodfield Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This provision meets requirements Children benefit from attending this high-quality club, that is led by a committed provider and passionate manager.

Staff adapt the varied range of activities on offer to children's individual interests. They utilise their knowledge and skills well to enhance children's play. There is a strong key-person system in place.

This helps children to build close relationships with key staff when they first start. Children quickly develop a secure base to explore the environment and build wider relationships in the club, once they are settled. Children's and parents' feedback on the club and their experiences is very positive.
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Children repeatedly use the word 'love' to describe their feelings of attending. For instance, outside, children use their writing skills to write 'I love acorns' on the playground using chalk. When it is time for children to leave, while they are pleased to see their parents, they are disappointed to leave the fun activities they are engrossed in.

Children's behaviour is excellent. Staff manage this skilfully in line with the values of the club, which are set out by the provider, including 'good conduct'. There is a strong focus on rewards and incentives to promote children's positive behaviour.

For example, children are eager to behave well to receive a chocolate scented sticker and to be in with a chance of being the 'golden acorn'. Staff also have an understanding of the behaviour policy of the host school. Therefore, they promote positive behaviour in line with the principles of good behaviour used in the school.

This helps to promote children's consistent understanding of behaviour expectations.

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

Leaders are ambitious. They achieve high standards in the service they provide through a strong focus on maintaining values and evaluating the provision over time.

The provider and manager both stringently monitor the service provided, and staff practice. For example, they gain feedback from parents and children, and observe staff. This helps to ensure the quality of care provided is consistently good for all children and staff performance develops continuously, while maintaining positive staff well-being.

Staff ensure that each child is treated as the unique individual that they are. They cater for the needs of all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. The environment and activities are organised, so that they are accessible to and inclusive to all children.

This allows for independence regardless of ability.The manager carefully considers the allocation of key persons. She pairs up children with key persons, who speak children's home language or the language of their parents.

This enables children to hear and use their home language with their key person, in addition to using English in their play. This also helps to contribute to children's sense of belonging.The manager is a strong advocate for children having opportunities to explore how their lives differ from others, both in their own community and around the world.

Children gain an understanding about how they are similar to and different from children who live in countries where this is conflict, and they can show support for these children.Staff ensure modern British values are promoted through all aspects of practice in this club. Children demonstrate positive values in their play, such as showing respect for the views of others.

Health and nutrition is another key value of the club. Children benefit from a nutritious and healthy snack. They follow good hygiene routines.

There are daily opportunities for children to experience a wide range of physical activities outside. Some of these promote exercise, such as ball games, parachute games and chasing bubbles.Children show high levels of curiosity and engagement.

They concentrate intently while they work with a member of staff, who is also an illustrator, to paint rocks to look like bees.The manager is very experienced in working in schools. She understands how to organise the club to provide opportunities for children to practise skills they learn at school.

The club also benefits from staff who work in the host school. These staff share information about what the children have done in school and then provide opportunities for children to practise this learning in the club. For example, staff enable children to continue their recent learning about space by making 'space packs' at the club.

Staff provide activities to build on children's experiences in school on an ad-hoc basis. There is scope to work even closer with school staff to allow this to happen more regularly.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The manager understands her responsibilities as the safeguarding lead for the club. She is alert to potential contextual safeguarding risks to children. Staff know how to identify and respond to safeguarding matters, such as incidents of peer-on-peer abuse.

Training helps to keep staff knowledge up to date. This includes being alert to indicators of a child being drawn into radicalisation and extremism. Staff know the procedures to follow to help families to get the right support and to report any concerns for a child's welfare.

The provider has appropriate procedures for the management of safeguarding, including responding to concerns and allegations against staff. Staff understand these procedures very well. The provider follows safer recruitment processes to help to check the suitability of staff.

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