St Gregory's Breakfast and After School Club

St Gregory's Breakfast and After School Club

Inspection report for early years provision

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St Gregory's Breakfast and After School Club

EY337856 Unique Reference Number 12 January 2007 Inspection date Michele Anne Villiers Inspector

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St Gregory's Breakfast and After School Club

St Gregory's Church Hall, 41 Damson Road, Netherley, Liverpool, L27 8XR

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Setting Address

01514876421 Telephone number gregyouth05@aol.com E-mail St Gregorys youth and community Initiative Registered person Childcare Type of inspection Out of School care Type of care

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Setting Address

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?

St Gregory's Breakfast and After School Club opened in 2006. It operates from the main hall in St. Gregory's Church. It is situated in the Netherley area of Liverpool. A maximum of 24 children may attend at any one time. All children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The club is open each weekday from 08.00 to 09.00 and 15.15 to 17.30, term time only.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 31 children on roll. The provision supports children with learning difficulties and disabilities, and also children who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The setting employs five staff who work directly with the children. Of these, three hold appropriate qualifications and one is working towards a qualification. There are also named volunteers who support the children's activities.

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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. Staff take positive steps to help protect children from the risk of cross infection. The premises are clean and well maintained and staff ensure tables are washed regularly and use a table cloth at snack times. Children are protected when they are sick and parental consent is obtained for the administration of any medication. All staff hold a current first aid certificate in order to deal with minor injuries. Accidents are recorded and the information is shared with parents. Children learn about personal hygiene throughout the daily routine, and know to wash their hands at appropriate times. However, there are no pictorial images or posters above wash basins to further reinforce the children's learning about the importance of hand washing.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are well nourished and benefit from healthy, nutritional food. They tuck into different meals, such as pasta with tuna and cucumber at snack time, and have free access to sliced kiwi or orange. They have a choice of cereals for breakfast, with toast and fruit. Meal times are social occasions and staff sit with children to chat about events in their lives. They discuss the benefits of healthy food and staff ask why they think eating cucumber is good for them. Children reply 'To help our bones grow strong', and 'To avoid wrinkles!'. Children further learn about different foods through activities, such as cutting out pictures of different fruit and vegetables, and making pizzas with different toppings.

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Helping children to be healthy

Physical activity is very much encouraged and children enjoy a good amount of space in which to freely move around. Indoors they have fun skipping. Two staff turn the large skipping rope and children confidently take turns to skip, competently gaining very good body control and coordination. They enjoy table tennis and pool, and dancing to music. Children occasionally access the outside car parking area to play. This is under close supervision and during times when the club have sole use of the premises and cars are not arriving or departing. They play on wheeled toys, and staff organise games, such as cricket and football, helping to foster the children's strength and stamina.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. The premises are safe and secure with a good amount of well organised space for the children to play. The main entrance is kept locked at all times and staff vigilantly monitor visitors, helping to protect children from unknown persons entering the provision. Authorisation is obtained from parents, and a password system is used, for the collection of children. A sufficient range of safe and suitable toys and resources are provided for children to independently access. Staff create a welcoming environment for children, with designated areas for play. Sufficient furniture is available for children to sit together at any one time, and comfortable cushions are used to create an area for rest and relaxation.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff take positive steps to help protect children from harm. Comprehensive risk assessment is conducted daily on the toys and premises and staff follow written health and safety procedures. Children learn about safety throughout the daily routine and during planned

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

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. They practise the fire evacuation procedure with staff, developing an awareness of what to do in the event of an emergency. Planned activities include discussion and books on road safety, and children draw pictures of traffic lights, zebra crossings and cars to help reinforce their understanding. Staff closely supervise the children and remind them to be careful when running around.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The children's welfare is further safeguarded as staff have a good understanding of child protection issues. The manager is the designated child protection coordinator and she has accessed some training. Comprehensive written policies and procedures are in place for staff to follow. Written information and pictorial images are also displayed on the notice board to identify the various types of abuse and possible signs and symptoms.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children eagerly enter the provision and happily settle, taking an active part in choosing their toys and equipment. They are interested in the activities provided. Staff deployment is good and they enthusiastically support and motivate the children's play, often providing children with individual attention. Staff generally use planning well to organise a variety of activities. They complete information sheets about focused activities that identify the learning intentions. However, during some activities there are insufficient props and supporting materials to fully promote the children's learning. For example, during art and craft children colour in and paint pictures of pigs for Chinese New Year and the 'Year of the pig'. However, some children do not know why they are colouring in pigs or understand the association. Staff do not always provide supporting materials, such as books, pictures or posters to reinforce their learning and

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children enjoy a range of art and craft activities and explore different textured materials to make colourful and tactile displays. They create three dimensional pictures of the River Mersey with boats, buildings and the cathedral. Children have the opportunity to paint their own interpretations and ideas and make colourful block prints and displayed collage work. Their imagination is further fostered through role play and dressing up in different outfits and clothes. Many opportunities are provided to help children develop good mathematical concepts. During board games, children count the number of spots on the dice and move their marker the corresponding number of squares. They learn to recognise written numerals and enjoy joining the numbers to create a picture.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff talk and listen to children and use good questioning to encourage children to use language for thinking. They discuss past and present events and children confidently speak out in a group and talk about their home life. Children relate very well to staff and enjoy their interaction whilst playing various games, such as pool and board games. A computer is available for children to access, plus a music centre, helping children to learn about technology.

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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

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children confidently contribute to the provision and develop a strong sense of belonging. Their achievements are valued with displays of their artwork and photographs of different activities. Children learn about their own culture and the culture of others. They enjoy celebrating different festivals, such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, Diwali and Chinese New Year. A painted wall mural depicts the different activities that operate within the church hall and represents people of different ethnic backgrounds and age. For example, the painting is of parents attending the parent toddler group, elderly people attending the bingo session and children attending the out of school club, providing children with some knowledge about the diversity within their local community. They further learn about other cultures through some books, toys and posters that reflect positive images of race and culture. However, there are few resources and displayed

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Helping children make a positive contribution

images of disability and non-stereotypical gender roles to further enhanced the children's awareness of the world in which they live.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Staff create a positive environment that reinforces the children's good behaviour and promotes their confidence and self-esteem. Children are polite, considerate and learn to share and take turns. Staff constantly use praise and encouragement and are calm and consistent in their approach and manner. There is a written behaviour management policy, and anti-bullying rules are displayed for staff and children to follow and to contribute their ideas and thoughts.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children benefit from the good relationship staff have with parents. Staff warmly greet parents and make them welcome. Information is shared through daily discussion, and parents may post their written comments and ideas in the suggestion box at the entrance. Policies, procedures and the week's activity list is displayed on the notice board, along with information about the staff and their photographs. Parents speak positively about the provision and the care provided.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Most staff are qualified and experienced and use their skills to provide a stimulating and interesting environment to help children to settle. There are effective procedures in place for the recruitment and vetting of staff and Ofsted are informed of any changes. Good staffing ratios are met, helping to protect children and promote their welfare. Staff training needs are identified through regular staff meetings and appraisal sessions.

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Organisation

The space and play resources are well organised to create a welcoming environment for both children and parents. All regulatory documentation is in place, plus many written policies and procedures for the effective management of the provision. Documentation is kept up-to-date and well organised. It is stored securely for confidentiality and records about individual children are shared with the child's parents. Overall, the provision meets the needs of the range of the children for whom it provides.

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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

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection 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.

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Complaints since the last inspection

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): • plan and provide appropriate supporting material and resources during focused activities that help to reinforce the children's learning and understanding of the activity • display above wash basins notices, signs and pictorial images to promote good hygiene practices for children • increase toys, resources and displays of positive images to reflect non-stereotypical gender roles and disability.

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The quality and standards of the care

set out in the leaflet Complaints about Ofsted Early Years: concerns or complaints about Ofsted's role in regulating and inspecting childcare and early education (HMI ref no 2599) 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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