S4A@ Barley Hill SchoolOfsted report card, 1 Oct 2026

S4A@ Barley Hill School

Unique reference number (URN): 2856327 Address: Barley Hill Cp School, Ludsden Grove, Thame, OX9 3DH Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 10/08/2025 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: S4A Group Ltd

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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 Strong standard

Leaders have created a wonderfully harmonious and respectful culture. They acknowledge and implement the same behaviour strategies that school staff use. This means children benefit from the same approach being applied by all adults who care for them. Leaders and staff consistently work in partnership with teachers and families to promote and monitor children's attendance effectively.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children's behaviour is excellent. Staff act as inspirational role models, consistently displaying care and respect. Children listen intently, share resources and help one another, continually displaying positive attitudes. For instance, children actively help their peers with trickier crafts and hold hands to reassure their friends.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Staff act as excellent role models and have established very clear boundaries and expectations for all children. They encourage children and praise them enthusiastically, when they attempt new things or demonstrate resilience. This helps to raise children's self- esteem, and promotes a 'can-do' attitude, helping them to forge positive relationships.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Leaders and staff use a range of effective strategies to support children, who face barriers to their experiences. For example, children can access a range of resources that helps them to regulate their emotions in quieter spaces when required. Thoughtful arrangements and predictable routines help all children to become happy and confident participants at the club.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders consistently prioritise children's welfare and wellbeing. Staff build warm attachments with children, and the key-person system is highly effective. When children seem disengaged, staff sensitively and swiftly intervene to help them acknowledge and manage their feelings. They know children's preferences and use this knowledge to guide them towards activities and regain their sense of wellbeing. Children are happy, involved and well cared for.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Staff provide children with nutritious snacks, help them to understand about making healthy choices and have daily activities outside, where they access a wide range of physical experiences. Well-structured routines help children to develop healthy habits around their self-care, physical health and emotional wellbeing.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Staff support children's welfare and wellbeing superbly. They nurture young children and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities extremely well. For example, staff place children into appropriate age groups and rooms to help them transition smoothly from their school days. They set individual plans and targets for children, over time, and monitor these to ensure children's needs are being met effectively.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Staff encourage children to share their ideas for the club. Children learn that their voices are important. Consequently, children become extremely confident communicators, who demonstrate that they are extremely settled and thoroughly enjoy their time in the club.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders ensure that the setting is consistently highly inclusive for all children. They keenly help staff to identify potential barriers and support all children to feel included and happy. Managers and room leaders attend training to assure children facing barriers are consistently well supported, and that they have equal access to what the club has to offer.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The knowledgeable and experienced staff know children extremely well. They find out about individual children and any children with special educational needs and/or disabilities on entry. Staff work closely with parents and carers, school staff and other professionals, including occupational health therapists. This collaborative approach provides continuity of care for children and means that suitable adaptations are in place to help children make the most of their time at the club. Consequently, children's experiences are enriched, helping every child to feel welcomed and included.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Staff support children who speak English as an additional language exceptionally well. They value the importance of children speaking their home languages, alongside learning English. Children learn about a wide range of cultural celebrations and contribute to displays about different ethnicities. Staff identify any barriers to children's participation. They support children to appreciate similarities and differences between people. This makes a demonstrable difference to children's experiences.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders ensure the vision for the club is strategic in providing highly effective and inclusive care for all children. They lead by example through frequent drop-ins and holding reflective discussions with managers and staff. This ensures they are continually guided and supported, resulting in high-quality care.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Appraisals and supervision sessions are well structured and focus on staff's wellbeing and areas of development that benefit the children in attendance. Leaders provide staff with a wealth of training opportunities to develop their own knowledge and skills. This includes access to a group of professionals that advise and support staff, when working with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Consequently, staff feel highly supported and state that leaders manage their workload thoughtfully. Established and embedded systems for safeguarding, monitoring attendance and ensuring ongoing effective communication with parents and carers help leaders and staff to swiftly act should concerns arise.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Both leaders and staff know children exceptionally well and use this knowledge to mould their daily provision. This includes planning activities tailored to children's interest or current topics at school. Leaders understand the need to balance physical and nurturing roles at the club. They appreciate that young children gravitate towards differing types of care and ensure that staffing reflects this exceptionally well.

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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 happily enter the club after their school day, eagerly chatting to staff and searching for their friends. Teachers bring younger children from their classroom and walk them down to the club to ensure a safe handover. Children confidently talk about their day and ask staff about the activities on offer. They benefit from the calm environment, where routines are embedded and children show genuine excitement to be attending the club.

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

Children have built extremely close attachments with staff, who nurture and support their needs very well. Children who face barriers to their experiences are supported by staff

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About this setting

making sensitive adaptations, such as quieter areas or offering smaller group activities. Younger children receive sensitive advice and guidance, when completing activities. For instance, when crafting, staff help to draw templates for children to cut around. This promotes children's independence skills, while ensuring their needs are met, and that they remain engaged. Consequently, all children feel valued and gain a firm sense of belonging at the setting.

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About this setting

Children benefit from how the experienced and knowledgeable staff present activities in a way that engages and excites them. After discovering a hedgehog during breakfast club, staff explore this with curiosity and excitement while ensuring its safety. Children subsequently later delight in taking part in the planned craft activities linked to their find.

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About this setting

Children thoroughly enjoy their time at the club. They demonstrate positive relationships as they play and interact with one another. Children cooperate, share and take turns. Older children willingly invite younger ones to join their games and play with the toys and resources as a group together.

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About this setting

Staff value the contributions that parents and carers make. They monitor children's attendance, alongside teachers, to ensure that children get the very best out of the opportunities the club has to offer. Children access an abundance of exciting activities as they develop new skills. Children flourish and thrive at this setting.

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Next steps

Leaders should sustain their work to ensure continued improvement and high standards for all children in attendance at the club.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke to leaders, staff, 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. Unique reference number (URN): 2856327

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Address:

Barley Hill Cp School Ludsden Grove Thame OX9 3DH

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 15:00 - 18:00,Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 08:45

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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.

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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.

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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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