City Kids Afterschool Club

City Kids Afterschool Club

Unique reference number (URN): 2563988 Address: Unit 2, Palmerston Street, Stoke-On-Trent, Staffordshire, ST1 3EU Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 18/11/2019 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Eastwood Neighbourhood Nursery 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 Needs attention

Staff know some of the barriers children face to learning. However, support is not consistently well coordinated with other settings and professionals to ensure children receive targeted help. Staff do not consistently share information about children's needs or use this effectively to plan support. As a result, some children do not receive help quickly enough to build on their interests, join in fully and benefit from activities that support their development.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

Children enjoy attending the club. They say they like seeing their friends and taking part in the range of activities available. Children know the club's routines and understand what is expected of them. They show respect for each other during group activities, such as when making aeroplanes and playing football. This helps them take part safely and cooperatively.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

Leaders and staff understand the importance of positive attendance and communicate their expectations clearly to parents and carers. They know the actions to take if children do not attend, which helps to promote children's safety and wellbeing. Staff are positive role models. They model kindness, respect and positive manners, and children respond well to this. Staff use praise consistently throughout the day to help children feel valued and to reinforce the club's expectations.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

Leaders do not ensure that policies and procedures to support children's welfare and wellbeing are followed consistently. This includes procedures for identifying and sharing information about children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Although staff identify when children may need additional support, this information is not always acted on quickly enough or used well enough to plan targeted support. As a result, some children do not benefit from timely and coordinated support. This affects how securely their welfare and wellbeing needs are met.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

Children are happy and settled in the setting. They are greeted by familiar staff when they arrive, which helps them feel secure and ready to take part in the day. Staff promote children's independence throughout daily routines and activities, encouraging them to make choices and manage simple tasks for themselves. Children follow familiar routines well and understand positive hygiene practices, such as washing their hands before eating. Mealtimes are sociable occasions. Staff sit with children and use these opportunities to talk about healthy choices, including exercise, fruit and vegetables. Children understand the importance of drinking water to stay healthy and hydrated. They also enjoy local outings, such as visits to the park, where staff help them to understand risks. For example, children talk confidently about road safety when walking to and from the park. These experiences help children to build confidence and develop positive relationships with staff and their

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Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders do not take appropriate or timely action to support children's individual needs. Although leaders have conversations with parents and carers, they do not consistently use this information to identify children's needs quickly or plan effective support. As a result, staff do not reduce potential barriers to children's participation and wellbeing swiftly enough. This means some children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), do not receive the targeted help they need to fully access activities and have a consistently positive experience at the setting.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Knowledge from local authority training and referral processes is not yet embedded well enough across the staff team. Staff are not consistently clear about how children's individual needs are identified, what information is shared with them, or how advice from other professionals is used to plan support. Leaders recognise that staff need further training to strengthen their understanding of how to support children with SEND. Consequently, staff do not always respond confidently or consistently to children's individual needs. This means some children do not receive support quickly enough to help them join in fully and feel included.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders have not established a clear action plan to address the club's identified areas for development or drive continuous or consistent improvement. Although leaders and staff complete mandatory training, staff do not have enough opportunities to develop their knowledge and understanding beyond this. This limits how well staff understand all children attending, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and how consistently they meet children's individual needs. Leaders have a broad understanding of the club's strengths and areas for development. They have established a clear key-person system for early years children, which provides continuity of care and clarity for parents. Relationships with parents and carers are positive. Parents say staff are approachable and friendly, and that communication is effective because they receive daily handovers. They report that their children are happy to attend, have developed confidence and enjoy the wide

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

range of activities available. Parents also say their children have developed positive relationships with staff and peers.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Links with other professionals are developing, but information-sharing about children's needs is not yet consistent. Discussions showed that staff do not always have the information they need from other professionals and schools to support children's individual needs. As a result, continuity of support is not yet secure for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who may face barriers to learning.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders support staff effectively. Staff say leaders are supportive and approachable, which helps them feel valued as members of the team. Leaders have an open-door policy and are mindful of staff's wellbeing and workload, offering support where necessary. They also complete regular supervision sessions.

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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

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities do not always receive targeted support throughout their time at the club. Procedures for identifying, recording and sharing information about children's individual needs are not followed consistently. Staff are not consistently clear about the specific support some children require or how information from parents and carers and other professionals is used to plan their experiences. Staff discuss children who require support to manage their behaviour. However, this information has not been used consistently to plan targeted strategies or provide continuity of support. As a result, some children do not receive timely or consistent guidance to help them regulate their behaviour, join in fully, sustain involvement and feel included alongside their peers.

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

Children are cared for in a safe, welcoming and familiar environment. They arrive happily and staff greet them warmly, which helps them settle at the start of the session. Children choose from a suitable range of activities, including ball games, creative play and role play. Staff listen to children, join in their play and encourage them to share their ideas. Children talk to staff confidently and show that they know the routines of the club. For example, they understand what to do when preparing to go outside and follow road-safety expectations during local outings. These familiar routines help most children to feel secure and understand what is expected of them.

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

Staff promote children's independence during daily routines. Children butter their own toast, pour drinks and prepare themselves to go outside, which helps them develop confidence and self-care skills. Mealtimes are sociable, and staff encourage children to talk about healthy choices, such as drinking water and eating fruit. Children benefit from regular opportunities to be active outdoors, including visits to local parks, where they use play equipment and take part in ball games. Leaders follow attendance and absence procedures promptly, which supports children's safety and helps staff know when children are expected to attend. Overall, children enjoy their time at the setting. However, the inconsistent use of information about individual needs means some children's experiences are not as well planned or supported effectively.

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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 leaders and staff understand and follow the setting's policies and procedures effectively, specifically around supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities 30/09/2026

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Action Completion Date

ensure staff give support to those children who need help with their behaviour and target this to their individual needs 30/09/2026

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Action Completion Date

ensure children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive support that is targeted and work with local schools and other professionals to support continuity of care 30/09/2026

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Address:

Unit 2 Palmerston Street Stoke-On-Trent Staffordshire ST1 3EU

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Eastwood Neighbourhood Nursery CIO

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 15:30 - 18:00,Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00

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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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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, the special educational needs coordinator, the designated safeguarding lead, parents and carers and children 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. This data is from 18 August 2026

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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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