Woodcote After School Club

Woodcote After School Club

Unique reference number (URN): 2780634 Address: Woodcote Primary School, Reading Road, Woodcote, Reading, RG8 0QY Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 07/03/2024 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Woodcote After School Club CIO

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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.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

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

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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.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Leaders and staff provide a positive and welcoming environment and typically implement routines that support children to move smoothly between one activity to another. Staff build warm and trusting relationships with children, especially those who face barriers to their development. Children understand staff's expectations, such as when younger children arrive at the club, independently put away their belongings and select activities that interest them. Mealtimes are generally sociable occasions, particularly for older children, who chat among themselves.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Overall, children show a willingness to engage in the activities on offer. For instance, during a forest school session, they patiently wait for their turn to use handheld tools under the instruction of a qualified practitioner and remain focused as they create patterns on slices of wood. Younger children often join in older children's play, benefiting from the positive example they set. For example, children are closely monitored as they grate chalks with a small grater, mix the powder in water and explore colour changes, while older children show younger ones that combining all the colours makes brown.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Leaders and staff promote regular attendance. They maintain accurate systems to record children's arrival and departure and promptly follow up any unexplained absences with parents. Leaders also work closely with the host school to monitor attendance patterns and collaborate with families to help children settle into club life.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Overall, leaders take action to ensure staff have a sound understanding of how to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who may experience levels of disadvantage. Most staff also work at the host school during the day, where they provide one-to-one support for children with SEND. As a result, relationships between staff and children are familiar. Staff have completed relevant training and are equipped to meet these children's individual care needs.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders have effective procedures in place for sharing information with school staff to promote continuity in children's care and support. Relevant information about individual children's school day is communicated when class teachers bring them to the club. This includes implementing strategies from children's support plans to help staff understand how best to support them. For example, children with SEND who need time to relax after a busy school day, spend time with designated key persons who share their favourite stories. This is effective at supporting these children to feel settled and emotionally supported.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders successfully source extra funding to enhance children's experiences at the club. For example, this funding is used to provide forest school sessions fortnightly run by an external professional. Enrichment activities such as these broaden children's experiences and provide opportunities they may not otherwise access. In addition, children of all ages

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Needs attention

know to follow staff's instructions to manage their safety. They sit at an appropriate distance from the campfire while enjoying hot chocolate.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

Leaders and staff do not consistently promote children's welfare during afternoon mealtimes. During these times, on occasion, they prioritise routine tasks rather than maintaining close supervision of younger children. This does not fully support the effective monitoring of young children to help minimise all potential risks.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

Children benefit from the familiarity of club staff, many of whom also work at the host school. This continuity helps to promote children's confidence and emotional wellbeing. Staff know children well, including their interests, unique personalities and individual needs, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders gather relevant information from parents and school staff to help ensure children's care needs are met. For example, some children with SEND receive extra support as they develop independence in managing their toileting needs. Staff work closely with families and the school to implement consistent approaches, helping to provide continuity in children's self-care.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

Overall, leaders and staff support children to develop appropriate hygiene habits. Children are encouraged to wash their hands thoroughly after outdoor play and before eating. Staff also help to promote healthy lifestyles by providing regular opportunities for physical play in the fresh air, which supports children's emotional and physical wellbeing. Outdoors, children happily develop their balance, body control and coordination through a range of active play experiences.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders do not maintain sufficiently effective oversight of the provision. They have not fully considered or embedded all of the requirements of the early years foundation stage to secure children's best interests. Although leaders demonstrate a sound understanding of some of their statutory responsibilities, these are not fully implemented in practice.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders and staff complete mandatory training. However, opportunities for further development are limited and do not sufficiently support staff to deepen their knowledge and strengthen their practice, including during mealtime routines. Systems for supervisions are not firmly established, and therefore do not effectively identify areas for improvement or help leaders and staff fully understand and implement their responsibilities by following the early years foundation stage.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

That said, leaders have successfully secured extra funding and used this to enhance children's outdoor experiences. For example, children take part in outdoor activities led by an external professional, helping them to develop valuable life skills. This initiative is having a positive impact, particularly for those children who may not otherwise have access to these opportunities. Leaders and staff establish positive partnerships with parents and school staff, regularly sharing important information about children's individual needs and experiences. This effective communication helps maintain consistent care and support across the different settings children attend. This is particularly beneficial for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who face barriers to learning.

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Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

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

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Register

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

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Voluntary Childcare Register requirements

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

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Register

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

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

There are some inconsistencies in meeting all the requirements of the early years foundation stage. As a result, children's interests are not always fully promoted. This includes during mealtime routines, when there are occasions children are not consistently supervised well enough, to help minimise all potential associated risks. On the whole, other aspects of individual children's care needs, particularly for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are managed more effectively and addressed. For instance, children who require additional support with toileting benefit from a shared and consistent approach, which helps to promote their wellbeing and independence.

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

Children arrive happily and settle quickly. They confidently put away their belongings, seek out their friends and choose from a range of resources. Children demonstrate a familiarity with the club staff, several of whom also work at the host school. This helps to foster a genuine sense of belonging. Children with SEND develop warm and nurturing relationships with staff, which helps them feel secure and supported. They enjoy spending quality time with their key person, who, for example, reads their favourite story book to help them feel emotionally secure. Children speak enthusiastically about attending the club. They discuss the games they enjoy playing with their friends and talk about how they are looking forward to the home-cooked meal later.

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

Children benefit from additional activities, led by external professionals, including opportunities to spend time outdoors and develop an appreciation for the natural world through exploration. For instance, they are instructed to use hand tools to make holes in slices of wood, paint half of a butterfly to then fold over to make each wing match and talk about the smell of burning wood from the enclosed campfire. Children are adequately supervised as they develop an understanding of the rules and boundaries in place to ensure they remain safe. For instance, they sit patiently at a safe distance from the campfire while waiting for water to boil in preparation for their hot chocolate drink. They receive regular positive praise, which helps to boost their confidence and self-esteem. Leaders promote children's regular attendance, recognising the importance of continuity in children's play experiences and care.

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Next steps

To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must take the following actions by the assigned date:

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Action Completion Date

ensure that procedures for safer eating are consistently implemented by all staff to minimise risks to children's health and wellbeing 02/07/2026

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Action Completion Date

ensure leaders gain a more strategic oversight of the provision to ensure a culture of mutual understanding and continuous improvement across the whole setting 02/07/2026

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Address:

Woodcote Primary School, Reading Road Woodcote Reading RG8 0QY

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Woodcote After School Club CIO

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 15:15 - 18:00

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Action Completion Date

ensure that all staff receive effective supervisions, training and coaching to fully understand their roles and responsibilities and consistently embed new knowledge and skills in practice to improve provision for children 02/07/2026

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke to leaders, staff, children and parents during the inspection.

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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 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.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

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

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Exceptional

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

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Strong standard

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

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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.

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Needs attention

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

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Urgent improvement

The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care. services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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

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