Idsall School

Grover Out of School Club

Inspection report for early years provision

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Grover Out of School Club

Unique Reference Number 140922 Inspection date 04 August 2005 Inspector Jane Plested

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Grover Out of School Club

Setting Address Ingram Avenue, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP21 9DJ

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E-mail

Registered person Pamela Ann Lesley Brown Type of inspection Childcare Type of care Out of School 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 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 satisfactory. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The Grover Out of School Club is a privately owned group that opened in July 2000. It operates from Bedgrove Infant School. There are 2 rooms generally used to care for children plus a kitchen and toilet facilities for children and staff. They use the school playing field for children's outside play. The club serves parents form the local community in Aylesbury. The club accommodates children from 4 to 8 years. There are currently 79 children on roll. This includes 31 children who are over 8yrs. The club is currently supporting

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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 children with special needs. The club opens five days a week and offers breakfast from 07.30 to 09:00 and after school facilities from 15.00 to 18.30 during term-time. It also runs a play scheme that operates from 07.30 to 18.00 in the holidays. There are six staff working with the children. Of these two are qualified to level three in childcare or education and two to a level two. One member of staff is completing a level two course in childcare and education. The setting receives support from the local authority.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children enjoy outdoor play and physical exercise. They use the outside play area to ride bikes and scooters. Children have opportunities to climb on adventure play equipment and to develop skills such as balance on beams. As a result, they are increasing control of their bodies and keeping fit. Children’s good health is a priority. Staff ensure children wash their hands before they eat. They wipe down tables before and after meals to keep them clean. These procedures contribute to reducing the spread of germs and keeping children healthy. Children can access drinks easily and experience healthy choices in the snacks provided. They can help themselves from a jug in the hall throughout session. Staff offer children a choice of water or fruit juice routinely at snack and meal times. As a result, they support children’s good health and ensure that children have plenty to drink. Snacks for children include sliced fruit such as apples, pears and oranges

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Helping children to be healthy

followed by plain biscuits. Children know that fruit is a healthy choice but comment they like biscuits too.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children benefit as staff demonstrate a good understanding of how to prevent accidents. They minimise the dangers to children by providing a well laid out setting and by having clear rules and expectations for behaviour. For example, they ensure all children wear helmets when riding bicycles and there are agreed areas for children to play. There are effective systems in place for ensuring the toys and resources that children use are of good quality and are safe to use. Therefore, children are able to move around and play in a safe and well-organised environment. Children’s welfare is at some risk from the inconsistent practice within the setting. For example, a member of staff for whom clearances are still unavailable, works unsupervised with children for short periods. The club’s child protection statement does not relate clearly to this group. Although, staff are familiar with the signs that

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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 cause concern and the procedures to follow, some records supporting children’s welfare are not always completed. As a result, procedures relating to the protection of children are not sufficient.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are confident in their relationships with their peers, staff and the inspector. For example, children are self-assured as they chat happily about their pictures and musical activities. Children play well together in small groups at times generating their own ideas for activities. They share resources well, such as the computer, without intervention by adults. As a result, children experience a setting where their ideas are valued and in which they are happy and secure. Children have opportunities to participate in a good range of activities. They enjoy and experience a variety of creative and imaginative pursuits and benefit from staff support during these. Children show delight as they demonstrate flying helicopters and show off ceiling mobiles that they have constructed. They describe taking part in enjoyable musical activities such as dancing to popular music. This means that

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

children are busy, active and experience a challenging range of activities and resources.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children are valued as individuals. Staff promote equality of opportunity as they encourage and support younger or less able children. For example, they offer support to children using equipment such as stilts. The records show the setting takes account of special dietary needs and health issues and there are effective systems in place to support these. Therefore, children have good opportunities to participate fully and staff meet their individual needs. Children behave well and respond to the staff’s requests. Most children know and are aware of staff’s expectations and play well together. However, staff do not make new children aware of the rules for behaviour. Neither do these children know what to do in an emergency. Staff use a satisfactory range of strategies to support children’s behaviour. For example, they offer praise and describe to children about feelings and

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Helping children make a positive contribution

effects of behaviour on others. As a result, children experience harmonious atmosphere. However, not all children have a clear understanding of the boundaries and emergency procedures to follow.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Children benefit from the attention given to organising a good range of interesting activities in a well set out environment. As a result, they enjoy their time in the setting,

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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 move around freely and are busy and well occupied. Most policies and procedures for managing children’s care are in place but some are not specific to the setting. Strategies for ensuring all staff are familiar with the settings policies are not effective. For example, some staff are not able to describe the behaviour management policy. Additionally the club has overlooked the requirement to devise a written procedure for what will happen if a child is lost or uncollected. Therefore, the setting has not considered the impact these oversights will have on the safety and well-being of children fully. Most aspects of children’s care is agreed and records are kept of their individual needs. Staff manage most of these well. For example, they show helpful information on children’s health and allergies. The accident record is detailed, confidential and

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Organisation

signed by parents. However, staff do not always record incidents or visitors to the setting during the holidays. Therefore, the records support the partnership with parents regarding the care of their children. However, they miss some detail relating to the protection of children. The club meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The club agreed to make available to parents a written statement that provides details of the procedure to be follow if they have a complaint. They also agreed to ensure that the child protection procedure for the out of school club complies with local Area Child Protection Committee (ACPC) procedures and keep a record of all medication administered. Additionally the setting agreed to devise and implement a policy about the exclusion of children who are ill or infectious and make sure parents are aware of it. The club now has an appropriate complaints procedure for parents. Therefore, they know who to speak to if they have a concern about the well-being of their child and can ensure that appropriate levels of care are offered. The club now has several child protection statements in place but these are insufficiently detailed and do not always refer to this setting. As a result, there is confusion about the setting’s roles and responsibilities in the protection of children.

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Improvements since the last inspection

There are clear records of all medication administered to children. This ensures that parents authorise and are informed of all medication children receive. The policy that refers to heath and sickness is not relevant to the setting as it refers to the school. As a result, parents may not be clear about what rules and expectations are in place to protect children from those that are ill or infectious within this setting.

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Improvements since the last inspection

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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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 satisfactory. 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): • ensure that vetting procedures are implemented fully and make sure that unchecked staff are not left alone with children. • ensure that all the required policies and procedures relate to this setting and devise statement that set out the procedure to follow in the event of a child being lost or uncollected • introduce procedures to inform new children of the rules and expectation for behaviour and plans for emergencies • revise the procedure for recording visitors to the setting during school holidays and make sure staff implement it. • make sure all of the staff are aware of the settings policies and procedures

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The quality and standards of the care

procedures 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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