Little Adults After School Club

Little Adults After School Club Inspection report for early years provision

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155065 Unique Reference Number 18 September 2007 Inspection date Jennifer Liverpool Inspector

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149 Canterbury Road, Leyton, London, E10 6EH Setting Address

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E-mail

Elizabeth Campbell 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 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?

Little Adult After school club is run by a private individual. It opened in 1998 and operates from a large hall and a small room in a modern Church of England community centre in Leyton within the London borough of Waltham Forest. A maximum of 32 children may attend the club at any one time. The club is open each week day from 15.00 to 18.30 during term time. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 40 children on roll. The club provides care for children aged from four to under eight years and children aged over eight years to 11 years also attends.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The club employs nine members of staff. Over half of the staff hold appropriate Early Years qualifications and one is working towards a qualification.

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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 satisfactory. Children's health is adequately promoted because staff know and understand how to protect children from infection. This is because children who are infectious are not allowed to attend. Children work and play in a generally clean environment as staff follow basic simple hygiene procedures, for example, ensuring that preparation surfaces and table tops are wiped before use and provide paper napkins for children at snack times. However, there are inconsistent measures in place as there is no protective clothing for food handlers. Also, food handlers use their hands to pick up sandwiches to serve to children, which can result in the risk of the spread of germs. Some staff are qualified to administer first aid and can appropriately treat children in the event that they sustain minor injuries.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children benefit from being provided with varied and nutritious snacks that contributes to their well-being. This includes sandwiches with tuna and ham fillings; crackers and chocolate spread; slices of melons and orange pieces. They helped themselves to a choice of orange squash or water. Children have daily access to an outdoor play area where they enjoy running around and chasing others and they have access to a suitable range of equipment such as hoops and skipping ropes. In addition to this, opportunities for music and dance sessions extend their physical skills and are planned as part of developing children's healthy lifestyle.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children are protected from potential hazards in the setting and therefore the risks to accidental injuries is minimised. This is because staff carry out basic daily risk assessments at the beginning of the session and before children go out to play. For example, all electrical sockets are inaccessible; litter is removed from the outdoor play area and any water spills are immediately cleared to prevent slip hazards. Although fire safety equipment are maintained and all fire exit routes are kept unobstructed for in the event of emergency evacuation, there is no confirmation that children and staff have practised regular fire drills since 2002 as the fire drill book is misplaced.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

There are appropriate procedures for outings that ensure the safety of children. Each day some children are transported to the setting by a mini bus and some important documents such as the drivers' licence and vehicle insurance is readily available. Systems are in place for monitoring visitors on the premises, promoting children's security. Children choose an adequate range of toys and resources that are age appropriate, generally maintained and conform to safety standards. They have ample space for quiet activities and adventurous play as the hall is spacious and there is a small room available for homework sessions.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff have a satisfactory understanding of child protection issues and know how to proceed if they have concerns about a child in their care. There are procedures in place to ensure that new staff members who are waiting for check clearances are not left alone with children. This supports children's wellbeing.

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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

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children come from the school next door and other neighbouring schools. Some children are brought in by teachers whilst others are collected by staff from their schools and transported to the setting via a minibus service. All children are happy to attend and eager to participate in activities and games. A suitable range of activities that appeal to children's interests and appropriate for their age and stage of development is available each day. Children enjoy playing with the air power hockey electronic game and a table top football game. They cooperate well together, taking turns and sharing resources. Children openly express their emotions when winning and losing during team games. Children have access to a range of word games such as hangman, scrabble and link letters. All of which, encourages children to develop spelling skills and extend their vocabulary.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children relate very well to staff and others. Staff develop positive relationships with children and respond to their questions and requests for change of activities or games. Children express themselves creatively through many planned activities such as making face masks, animal puppets, woollen dolls and sun visors for sun protection. The homework club ensures that children have allocated quiet time and space to complete their home work.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff invite guest speakers and specialist teachers to extend children's knowledge and widen their experiences. For example, children enthusiastically participated in learning to dance quadrille; listening attentively to the dance teacher; responding appropriately to the clear instructions given and following by example. In addition, children learn to acknowledge their own and respect other cultures through enjoyable activities.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children individual needs such as their dietary and health requirements are known through the information staff obtain from parents prior to children's admission. This ensures that children's welfare is promoted. Children are encouraged to acknowledge and respect differences and similarities as they talk about their experiences of eating sugar cane during a group activity. Children learn about themselves and the world around them through discussion and planned activities. For example, children have had opportunities to taste Greek food; celebrate Jewish New Year and learn to dance quadrille, which is of African Caribbean origin. They have also had a guest speaker who visited the setting to help them to become familiar and learn basic French words.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children generally behave well and are occasionally reminded of the ground rules that they helped to devise. Staff encourage children to make decisions about their play and help plan the curriculum. This helps to promote their self esteem and in addition, has resulted in them being offered a varied range of interesting activities. There are appropriate systems in place to support children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. All children are encouraged to participate in a range of activities on offer.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Staff develop positive working relationships with parents through making sure that policies and procedures are readily available so that they can be clear about the provision for their children. Staff have some knowledge of the procedures for dealing with complaints; however they are less clear about how to record complaints and the length of time required to retain

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Helping children make a positive contribution

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 such records. Parents have opportunities to talk to staff when they collect their children and the regular sharing of information ensures continuity of care.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The areas of work and play are appropriately set up and organised to meet children's individual needs. They are able to play outside throughout the session, a room is available for home work and physical activities are also offered indoors. Children cooperate well together and there are positive relationships between them and the staff. Children are kept secure and procedures are in place to minimise potential hazards, although the practising of regular fire drills is unconfirmed. Some aspects of daily routines contributes towards children's health, however there are inconsistencies in practices. Children are provided with a suitable range of activities and resources. The opportunities for children to have visits from guest speakers and specialist teachers are particularly worthwhile and beneficial to their development and learning.

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Organisation

Acceptable recruitment procedures are in place to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children as cleared police checks and medical references are required. However, not all staff records such as employment references, qualifications and training certificates are available on site. Other records not available for inspection are the fire drill and vehicle test records. Overall, not all documentation for the safe and effective management of children is in place. There are clear procedures for ensuring that all children are accounted for throughout the session; however on occasions, not all children arrive at the same time and although children names are listed, a few of the late arrival times are not recorded. Overall, the setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection, a recommendation was made to ensure that all staff are fully vetted.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The provider understands her responsibility for safeguarding children and has put in place satisfactory recruitment procedures. This means that suitable persons look after children.

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Complaints since the last inspection

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.

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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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Complaints 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 any one responsible for food handling is aware of, and complies with, Environmental Health requirements • further develop own knowledge and understanding of the procedures for dealing with complaints • make sure that written documentation for children's attendance is accurately recorded • make sure that documentation relating to day care activities are readily available for inspection at all times.

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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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