Wild Wanderers

Wild Wanderers

Unique reference number (URN): 2785554 Address: The field, Main street, Duncote, Northamptonshire, NN12 8AQ Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 01/05/2024 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Wild Wanderers Partnership

p.1

Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

p.1

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children arrive happy and eager for their day. They approach staff happily and give them a cuddle. Children demonstrate close relationships with staff. Parents comment that their children talk about staff at home and cannot wait to go back to see them again. There are clear expectations for punctuality and attendance. Because of this, children enjoy uninterrupted play and have a secure understanding of the daily routine, including home time.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children benefit from very clear expectations for their behaviour. On arrival, children take a seat and change into their outdoor clothes while they wait for their friends to arrive. There is a calm atmosphere as children engage in conversations and wait patiently. Staff take a proactive approach to managing children's behaviour. Where children face barriers to participating, which means that they struggle to tolerate delays, staff give them a job to complete. Children enjoy the responsibility of helping to load the trailer with bags and water bottles.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children become highly engrossed in collaborative play with their peers. In the stream, children work together to build elaborate structures for water to run down. Some children lift and carry pipes down the bank and to the water's edge. When other children enter the stream, they listen to each others ideas and manoeuvre and balance the pipes into position. Leaders model giving praise and maintain positive attitudes to play. Children copy this, complimenting one another.

p.2

Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders implement a routine that prioritises free time for children to explore the natural environment. Parents and carers praise the sense of freedom that the holiday club gives for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff weave physical development throughout. Children regularly run, jump and climb as well as lifting and carrying a range of resources. Where children feel tired, staff support them to take a break. Hammocks, chairs and blankets are readily available. This supports children to learn to listen to their bodies. Mealtimes are a positive social occasion. Children sit around the fire and engage in conversations as they enjoy their packed lunches.

p.2

Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Staff teach personal safety explicitly. These skills are practised daily. During a woodwork session, children choose from pieces of wood. Staff outline the characteristics of different types of wood, for example explaining how hard wood is more tricky to cut with a knife. Children use this information to make informed choices, setting them up for success. They carefully listen to instructions and move the knife away from their body to prevent injury. Where needed, children benefit from more basic tools to practise their skills. Clear instructions provided from highly engaged staff means that children quickly progress to more complex tools and techniques. They proudly show off their hedgehog creations.

p.2

Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children develop positive relationships with responsive staff at this setting. Staff know which children may require further support, such as those who are known or previously known to children's social care. Where children feel unsure about who or what to play with, they approach staff for help. Staff support them by finding them a buddy with similar interests. This supports children to develop their social skills and develop their emotional wellbeing.

p.2

Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders regularly consider new ways to reduce barriers to participation and make outdoor learning accessible for all children. They regularly share information on government schemes to reduce childcare costs. Individual payment plans are available for families facing financial hardship. Staff make spare waterproofs and warm layers available to ensure all children can access all of the play opportunities in the holiday club.

p.3

Inclusion Strong standard

At the point of booking, leaders identify children's individual needs or barriers to participation. With support from the local authority advisers, leaders have taken action to reconsider the wording of their registration questions to allow them to gain a more comprehensive understanding of children's individual needs. This supports staff to adapt their practice, plan appropriate activities and ensure risk assessments are updated as required.

p.3

Inclusion Strong standard

During children's play, staff seamlessly adapt activities to suit the needs of all children. They demonstrate that they know all children well. Where children who face barriers to their participation or struggle to focus through an entire project, staff encourage them to take breaks and come back later. Staff are careful not to limit children, who want to challenge themselves further. Instead, they adapt their support to help children achieve even further.

p.3

Inclusion Strong standard

Partnerships with parents and carers are very effective. Consideration is taken for families who cannot or choose not to share photos of their children on social media, including those currently known or previously known to children's social care. Because of this, leaders are looking into introducing a new communication platform to allow for more individualised information-sharing with all parents.

p.3

Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of their holiday club, including its strengths and areas for development. They have a clear ethos and shared vision that informs decision-making. Children are at the heart of these decisions. Leaders take children's thoughts and opinions into account when reflecting on the play environment. They talk about enhancing an area of the stream, where children can observe crayfish. Children excitedly join in offering ideas for a floating platform. They talk about the materials that could be used and what this might look like.

p.3

Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders demonstrate a shared passion for the outdoors and making this accessible for children. They take time to understand their local demographic, including access to outdoor learning opportunities for local children. Leaders have invested time into their own professional development, including completing a forest school leader training course. This has broadened the range of activities available to children. They have started to work with local schools to share their knowledge and expertise. Despite this commitment to continued development, leaders are mindful of staff's wellbeing and workload. They carefully choose training opportunities to ensure maximum impact on the holiday club and the children that attend. They network regularly with fellow forest school leaders to support the ongoing generation of new ideas and to share best practice. Leaders seek out support from the local authority and external consultants to enhance areas that

p.3

Leadership and governance Strong standard

they feel less confident in. Feedback from these professionals is acted on swiftly.

p.4

Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

p.4

Register

When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

p.4

Voluntary Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register.

p.4

Register

When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

p.4

What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children are happy to arrive at this captivating holiday club. They benefit from a consistent routine that helps them to settle quickly on arrival. Leaders outline the rules and boundaries at the start of each session. This supports children who have not attended before. The learning environment is highly engaging. When children go off to choose activities, they very quickly settle into purposeful play. Children find the hammocks and take time to carefully put these up before climbing in with their friends. They sing songs as they swing on the rope swing. Staff support children as they access the stream. Children giggle and squeal as they jump off of the low bank and into the water. At the end of the day, children gather by the fire to wind down. They enjoy a hot chocolate or warm squash alongside their friends.

p.5

What it's like to be a child at this setting

Parents, particularly those of children who face barriers to learning, are overwhelmingly positive about the care their children receive. They comment on the leaders' natural approach to supporting their children's individual needs. Parents and carers say that their children make friendships at the holiday club that continue at home. Leaders are ambitious for the future of their club. They regularly review policies and procedures to ensure barriers to children's participation are reduced. Ongoing updates to their website makes information more easily accessible for parents.

p.5

What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children receive encouragement to develop a positive sense of self. Staff introduce children to one another, supporting new friendships to develop. Staff regularly praise children and support them to take on new and unfamiliar tasks. They purposefully offer activities at varying difficulty levels. Where children want to access the stream, there are multiple points of entry and exit offering a range of physical challenges. Children enjoy taking part in den building. They build elaborate structures with a range of loose parts. Together, they carry planks of wood and carefully balance these on top of palettes to create a snug. Children work together to build stories and role plays around these structures.

p.5

Next steps

Leaders and those responsible for governance should sustain their work to ensure continued improvement and high standards. They should focus on creating a transformational impact on the outcomes and experiences of disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who are known (or previously known) to children's social care, and those who may face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing.

p.5

About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders and parents and carers during the inspection.

p.5

About this inspection

We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The

p.5

Address:

The field Main street Duncote Northamptonshire NN12 8AQ

p.6

Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

p.6

Address:

Registered person: Wild Wanderers Partnership

p.6

Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00

p.6

Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

p.6

4 to 12

registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

p.6

Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.

p.7

Strong standard

The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

p.7

Expected standard

The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

p.7

Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

p.7

Urgent improvement

The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

p.7

Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

p.7

Urgent improvement

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

Urgent improvement

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk . Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8