Earlyworld Kids Club

Earlyworld Club

Inspection report for early years provision

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Earlyworld Club

511153 Unique Reference Number 25 September 2006 Inspection date Juliette Jennings Inspector

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Earlyworld Club

Oxon Primary School, Racecourse Lane, Bicton Heath, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY3 5BJ

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E-mail

Earlyworld Ltd Registered person Childcare Type of inspection Out of School care Type of care

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E-mail

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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ABOUT THIS INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality of childcare and, if applicable, of nursery education. The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004; the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding; and, where nursery education is provided, the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage. The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration or 1 April 2004 whichever is the later.

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

For more information about early years inspections, please see the booklet Are you ready for your inspection? which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Earlyworld Club has been open since 1998. It operates from a pre-fabricated building consisting of five activity rooms and an office and is located in the grounds of Oxon Primary School, in Shrewsbury. The group also has use of the main school's toilets, library and hall. There are adjacent outdoor play areas.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The club has 28 children aged from four years to eight years on roll. There are also facilities for children aged from eight to 14 years. The club is open five days a week from 15:00 until 18:00 during school term times. During the school holidays, sessions are offered each day from 08:30 until 18:00.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are seven staff members working with the children, of whom four have appropriate childcare qualifications. The setting receives support from the Local Authority.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children are encouraged to eat healthily and enjoy a balanced menu that offers a variety of snacks and drinks, for example apple, banana and plain biscuits. Staff provide drinks on a regular basis and children can access drinks when they are thirsty. Children talk about what they like to eat and that certain foods are good for you and themework helps to encourage a greater understanding of keeping healthy.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children have good access to the outdoor area and can engage in free play or planned activities which help to promote their physical development well. Staff are good at supporting children in their chosen activities and develop activities depending on what they are interested in. Children enjoy frisbees, football, skipping and running and developing their ball skills and awareness of space.

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Helping children to be healthy

Good organisational hygiene procedures ensure that the environment children use is clean, with staff aware of what they are required to do. Children are reminded to wash their hands and are encouraged to keep the space that they use clean and tidy. Staff have accessed training to ensure that they know how to implement the thorough procedures that are in place.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children use a space which is colourful, stimulating and gives them the opportunity to relax after a busy day at school. They readily and confidently access a wide variety of favourite toys and resources which are all available within their reach. There are procedures in place for ensuring that the environment is largely safe, however there was a safety issue highlighted at inspection in relation to the security of the children. The setting was not secure for the first half of the session and adults who were not staff were able to walk into the setting without question. This compromised the children's safety and security.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's welfare is promoted effectively through thorough policies and procedures which clearly detail what staff should do if they have a concern about any of the children in relation to child protection. Arrangements for fire safety are appropriate and clearly outline procedures so that staff would be able to deal with an evacuation situation, thus helping to ensure that children remain safe.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. The space is organised well so that children can choose to relax and engage in their favourite pastimes, for example, making models with Mobilo, reading books, engaging in role play, participating in outdoor games such as football or spending time chatting with their friends. Children are relaxed, happy, secure and confident in the environment. They develop good relationships with staff and can spend time with their friends in a child-orientated space.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 Activities, toys and resources are age-appropriate, engage the children and keep them busy and occupied.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children's choice and child-initiated play is accommodated well within the routine, with good support from adults who have a relaxed, friendly manner to which children relate well. Planned activities support this free play environment, with staff giving some structure by including a range of interesting, motivating and exciting structured activities which children obviously enjoy, although children's independence skills are sometimes limited during routine activities.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are able to choose freely from the range of resources on offer and know what is available to them, readily accessing their favourite activities. Their individual needs, likes and dislikes are accommodated and staff seem to know them very well, having a friendly and relaxed relationship with them. Children's understanding of diversity and the world around them is developed through planned activities, themework, posters, books, small world toys and other recourses. There are appropriate procedures in place for supporting children with learning difficulties or learning disabilities.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are well-behaved and know what is acceptable behaviour within the setting. Staff talk to children in an age-appropriate way, supporting good manners and a respectful ethos. There are clear guidelines available to ensure that inappropriate behaviour is dealt with quickly and in a way which children can understand. Children are busy, occupied and engaged in activities and work together, for example, building complex model using Mobilo or playing a game of football.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents is good with staff able to discuss issues in an informal way on a daily basis. Documentation is very detailed and allows the setting to accommodate children's individual needs, likes and dislikes thus ensuring a consistent care approach.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The club is well organised and operates smoothly, with detailed policies and procedures which work in practice for much of the time. Records and documentation are maintained mostly in line with requirements and in good order. The organisational procedures are extremely detailed and there are good systems, including a thorough induction, in place to make sure that staff know about how these work in practice.

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Organisation

Children benefit from staff who work well together as a team, access regular training and know about their responsibilities and this helps to ensure that the club facility is exciting and interesting to children. This has been particularly evident at the recent change in senior staff where the impact to children has been minimal. Most staff are appropriately qualified in play work and staffing ratios are maintained appropriately. Appropriate procedures have been used to ensure that children are cared for by adults who are suitable to do so.

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Organisation

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 The space is organised well and allows children to happily engage in their favourite activities with their friends. Staff are aware of the importance of allowing children to relax after a busy day at school. Overall, children's needs are met.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the previous inspection, the setting were asked to address a number of documentation issues which have now been addressed so that national standard requirements are met. In addition, the setting were asked to ensure that the toilet facilities met environmental health requirements. The toilets have now been updated so that they meet the requirements and ensure that children can access a hygienic environment.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the since 1 April 2004 there have been no complaints made to Ofsted that required the provider or Ofsted to take any action in order to meet the National Standards. The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaints record may contain complaints other than those made to Ofsted.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • make sure that the premises are secure, so preventing unwanted access and keeping children safe at all times • encourage children's independence skills by allowing them to be more actively involved in routine activities.

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The quality and standards of the care

set out in the leaflet Building better childcare: Compliments and concerns about inspectors' judgements which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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The quality and standards of the care

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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