A RECENT unannounced inspection of Longniddry Out Of School Club has seen it handed a glowing review.

Caring for 45 children between the ages of four and 12 at any one time, the club is situated within the Longniddry Primary School premises, utilising its dining hall, playground and gym hall.

Following a visit from the Care Inspectorate last month, the club was evaluated as ‘very good’ for care, play and learning, setting, and leadership.

The assessor observed that children were “happy and enthusiastic” about being in the club. 

In a subsequent Care Inspectorate report, they said: “Staff provided a very good level of nurturing care through ensuring that children were happy and settled, observing if children were quiet or withdrawn and through their warm and kind interactions with children. 

“This had helped to develop a confident and independent group of children.”

It notes that children are given the chance to choose their activities, with options to play indoors and outdoors, and dedicated sports coaches are employed by the organisation to encourage sporting skills.

'Really enjoy coming'

The report also praised the club’s use of community spaces, with regular access to the local library and tennis courts, as well as the nearby woods and playparks.

As part of the assessment, the inspector also spoke to children, parents, staff and the managing director.

One parent commented: “They really enjoy coming to the service and all the staff. Feel like they have a voice and decide what they will be doing day to day.”

Another said: “Sports and dance activities are a firm favourite but it's also the group conversation where everyone gets the opportunity to talk – this is great for confidence and personal development.”

These remarks led the inspector to comment that "children were at the heart of the service".

Staff at the out-of-school club were praised for their skills and experience, backed up with a range of additional courses alongside the manager’s BA in childhood studies.

However, the service received an ‘adequate’ in answer to ‘how good is our staff team’ as it was noted that there were “gaps” in staffing, with sports coaching filling in. 

Overall, the staff worked "well as a team", which the inspector said "helped to promote the ethos of respect in the setting".