Barracudas Activity Camp

Barracudas Activity Camp Inspection report for early years provision

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EY258083 Unique Reference Number 07 August 2007 Inspection date Jane Davenport Inspector

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Queen Elizabeths School, Queens Road, Barnet, Hertfordshire, EN5 4DQ Setting Address

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0845 123 5299 Telephone number info@barracudas.co.uk E-mail Young World Leisure Group Limited Registered person Childcare Type of inspection Out of School care Type of care

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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 outstanding. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Barracudas Activity Camp was registered in 2003. It is one of a growing chain of privately run summer holiday schemes owned and operated by Barracudas in and around the M25 area. It operates from a purpose built, private secondary school building, which is situated in High Barnet in the London borough of Barnet.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

A maximum of 120 children from four years to under eight years may attend the provision at any one time. Care is also provided for children over eight years. The group operates each weekday during school holidays from 08:00 to 18:00. All children share access to the large, enclosed school grounds.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 58 children aged from four years to under eight years on roll. The group supports children with learning difficulties and disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The provision employs 17 staff, including the manager; over half the staff who work with children under eight hold appropriate early years play or teaching qualifications. The provision is registered with the quality assurance scheme, "Aiming High".

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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 outstanding. Children's individual health requirements are extremely well met. The staff team's excellent knowledge and understanding of the setting's health policies and procedures ensure that children's wellbeing is robustly supported. Children learn from an early age about the importance of washing their hands after using the toilet and before eating and this is effectively reinforced by strategically placed signs encouraging the children to flush the toilet and wash and dry their hands properly.

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Helping children to be healthy

Staff members have a good knowledge of first aid procedures and several hold a current first aid certificate. This means that they can give appropriate care if there is an accident. Accident and medication records are kept appropriately and parents give prior written consent to administer medication, which ensures children receive the correct dosage according to their needs. There are also members of staff on hand who have received training in how to administer epi-pens in the case of serious allergic reactions.

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Helping children to be healthy

Staff gather all relevant information regarding diet and medical history, which ensures children's dietary and medical needs are met. Children bring in a packed lunch from home with enough drinks and snacks to last for the day, and parents are encouraged to include an ice pack or an iced drink in order to keep them cool and fresh. At snack and meal times children discuss the healthy items they have in their packed lunches, and a certificate is awarded at the end of each week for the healthiest lunch box. Staff also use the "five a day challenge" in which children are given a slip and receive a stamp every time they eat a portion of fruit or vegetables, either at home or at the camp. Children enthusiastically buy fresh fruit from the camp fruit shop and receive a raffle ticket with each purchase, which, with the prospect of winning a prize, provides them with extra encouragement. These are all excellent strategies to encourage the children

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are able to help themselves to easily accessible drinking water throughout the day. They carry their water bottles around with them and these are regularly re-filled from large water containers. Staff explain the dangers to children of becoming dehydrated in hot weather, when they are being very active, and the children receive constant reminders and encouragement to drink.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is outstanding. Children learn to keep themselves safe in a welcoming and stimulating facility, where they are able to freely move around the learning environment. Staff members are vigilant about children’s safety and ensure this by the highly effective implementation of thorough daily risk assessments and exceptionally detailed health and safety policies and procedures across the provision. Children are safeguarded effectively in emergencies and practise emergency evacuation procedures regularly.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children use high quality equipment appropriate to their age and stage of development. Children and staff discuss the appropriate use of equipment such as the trampoline, quad bikes, fencing and archery resources prior to their use, and this helps to ensure that children participate in a sensible way and take responsibility for keeping themselves safe.

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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 Children are well protected because practitioners have a very good knowledge of child protection issues, recognise their role and responsibilities and know how to implement child protection procedures. The recording of all staff, children and visitors to and from the scheme, detailed policies for the collection and non-collection of children and arrangements for recording pre-existing injuries contribute to ensuring children are safeguarded from harm.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. Children arrive happily at the summer camp and are eager to become involved in the vast range of activities and experiences on offer. They quickly settle into their base rooms and get to know their staff members very well. Team spirit and pride in achievement is very effectively fostered and there is a sense of fun and excitement at camp. Children are grouped according to age and all have opportunities to take part in swimming, fencing, the bouncy castle and many other pursuits.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

For children who wish to be involved in quieter activities, drawing, reading or sitting and chatting with their friends is an option too. There is also the "Lab rats" facility for children to take part in scientific projects and experiments. On the day of the inspection, a group of children were busy building paper towers, discussing which were the tallest and the strongest, what objects will balance on top of them and the reasons why some worked more successfully than others. Children are very well occupied and concentrate extremely well, supported by the friendly staff members.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children benefit from some excellent opportunities to become physically active, as they participate in the many physical challenges that are on offer. They learn to jump, bounce and control their bodies on the trampoline, run and slide on the aqua slide and develop their hand and eye co-ordination as they practise archery on the archery range. Intelligent interaction from staff helps children to learn about the changes that take place to their bodies after healthy exertion.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is outstanding. Children play extremely well together, learning to share and take turns, and they negotiate this with confidence. They show genuine concern for one another and benefit enormously from the example set to them by the excellent staff team. All children are positively welcomed and respected and play an active part in the play scheme. Visiting instructors attend on a regular basis and children have learned to play the African drums; they have also participated in themed activities such as "around the world", "ourselves" and "the animal kingdom", which have been very effective in promoting diversity and encouraging the children to take care of the world around them.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

There are excellent systems in place to support children who have special educational needs. Close liaison exists with parents and outside agencies to ensure children's needs are well planned for. Staff plan in advance, complete additional needs forms alongside the child's essential information form and adapt activities and staffing ratios to ensure all children are fully included and receive the support they need.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children behave very well and receive lots of praise and affirmation to positively reinforce this. The club has produced a range of certificates that are awarded to children based on the different

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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 outcomes for children; for example, under the outcome "Staying safe", children might receive a certificate for "listening carefully to instructions" and under the outcome "Positive contribution", they might receive a certificate for "helping others to learn". This is an excellent way of promoting children's confidence and self-esteem and of encouraging them to behave in a positive way.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

An excellent partnership with parents contributes significantly to children's well-being in the play scheme. They receive comprehensive information about the provision by means of the informative brochure, which includes frequently asked questions, and from interaction with staff who provide written and oral feedback on a daily basis.

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Organisation

The organisation is outstanding. The setting meets the needs of the range of children attending. The staff team use their knowledge exceptionally well to ensure that children make the optimum use of their time spent at the provision. Practitioners demonstrate excellent knowledge of the setting's policies and procedures and implement these most effectively to ensure that children are kept safe and well.

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Organisation

Children enjoy a rich variety of play experiences in the well-organised environment. There is an ethos of reflective practice throughout the setting with staff making excellent evaluations of what they do in order that children continue to flourish. Children benefit from good staff ratios which ensures that they are consistently well supported.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection, recommendations were set to ensure that staff are effectively deployed at break times to provide adequate supervision of children, to provide children with adequate supervision and facilities to eat lunch comfortably and to plan a range of activities and play opportunities to ensure that children are not spending extended periods waiting.

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Improvements since the last inspection

These issues have all been appropriately addressed; children eat their lunch in the dining hall, which is comfortable and well-maintained, staff sit with the children at such times and breaks are planned so that at least half the staff remain on duty to provide adequate supervision. At popular activities, such as the trampoline and the quad biking, other games and pursuits are available and run parallel with these activities so that children are occupied and engaged whilst they wait for their turn.

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Improvements since the last inspection

These improvements have had a positive impact on the care provided for children at the camp.

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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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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 outstanding. 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

No recommendations for improvement are made because the quality and standards of care are outstanding.

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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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