Lift Plumberow

Bromley Out Of School Club Inspection report for early years provision

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137381 Unique Reference Number 08 August 2007 Inspection date Anita Rickaby Inspector

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Hawes Lane, West Wickham, Kent, BR4 9AE Setting Address

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E-mail

The Partnership of Joy Bassett and Andrew Bowes 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?

Bromley Out of School Club was registered in 1990. It operates from one main hall, gym, arts and crafts room and coffee bar that is part of a Youth Centre set in the Phoenix school premises, situated in a residential area of West Wickham. There is an enclosed playground and use of the school playing field for outside activities.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The club is registered for 80 children. There are currently an average of 55 children aged from four to 11 years attending at any one time. The group supports a number of children who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The group opens after school from 15.00 to 1800 during school term times. During school holidays the group operates from 8.00 to 18.00. Children are mainly collected after school from four local primary schools. Allocated members of staff attend each school and escort the children to the club in Youth Centre vehicles. Some parents make independent arrangements for their children's transfer between school and the club.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

An average of eight members of staff work in the club at any one time. Over half the staff employed have appropriate child care qualifications, two members of staff have a qualification in sports and recreation.

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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's health is well promoted by the club. Staff take all necessary precautions to prevent the spread of infection. Children are learning about good personal hygiene as staff remind them to wash their hands before eating and after using the toilet. Children have lots of opportunities to take part in physical activity such as football, cricket and rounders games.

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Helping children to be healthy

A good proportion of staff working each day have valid First Aid certificates and some staff are trained in the use of Epi-pens ensuring that they are well prepared to care for children who are injured or unwell. The required documentation including permission from parents to seek emergency medical treatment and accident records are kept ensuring continuity of care for children.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children bring their own packed lunches, staff take care to remind parents to include a cool pack in lunch boxes ensuring children's lunch is kept cool. Children are able to help themselves freely to a drink of water or squash whenever they wish. Children have a snack each morning which includes healthy options such as fruit. Children are learning about healthy eating through activities such as making their own fruit kebabs.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Good attention is paid to children's security. Although the club does not have sole use of the premises staff are vigilant and supervise children closely when they move about the building. There is a password system in place to ensure children are always collected by authorised persons.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Daily safety checks are carried out on the equipment and premises. However, these are not formally recorded and therefore there is no system to ensure all potential hazards are regularly checked.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's welfare is well protected. The owner demonstrates through discussion an awareness of child protection issues and procedures. The required policies and guidance, including contact numbers, are to hand if needed and staff have received safeguarding training.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enjoy their time at the club. They take part a wide variety of fun activities and games such as teddy bears picnics, bouncy castle and football. There is a choice of art and craft activities and table top games to keep them busy. Children move freely around the setting choosing activities and playing with their friends. Children approach staff easily calling them by their first names. Staff are responsive to their needs.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

There is ample on offer to keep children occupied. However, the rooms do become noisy at times and there is little provision for children who wish to rest or sit quietly.

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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 Children at the summer club have the opportunity to go on a variety of outings including trips to Christmas Tree Farm, pitch and put and horse riding where they learn to groom and care for the horses as well as riding them. Children have their own council where they contribute their own ideas for outings, activities and snacks.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children learn about the world around them and their local community through a variety of outings and activities. There is a positive attitude towards the inclusion of all children. They are treated as individuals and their individual needs are met.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The setting works with parents to ensure children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are fully integrated into activities, where necessary extra staff are employed to support them. Staff have attended training in subjects such as autism to help them support children.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are well behaved as there is plenty to keep them busy. They generally play well together co-operating to play games and complete puzzles. Staff respond quickly to children's disagreements talking quietly with them to help them resolve conflicts.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

There are good partnerships with parents. Each child attending the after school club is allocated a key worker who is responsible for maintaining links between children's home school and the club. Good information is available for parents about activities in the club. The staff work closely with parents to gather information about children to ensure consistency of care.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides. Effective deployment of suitably qualified staff ensures that there are sufficient numbers of adults to work directly with children supporting their play. Robust recruitment and induction procedures ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. Space and resources are generally well organised to meet children's needs.

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Organisation

The smooth running of the setting is underpinned by a comprehensive set of policies and procedures. The required documentation is generally well kept and available for inspection. The provider communicates regularly with Ofsted ensuring that the regulator is informed of significant events.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The provision has made satisfactory improvement since the last inspection. At the last inspection the provider was asked to improve documentation by ensuring that all accident records are countersigned by parents/carers and documents and information clarifies the role of Ofsted. Accidents are now countersigned and the role of Ofsted is clarified throughout the clubs written policies. The provider was also asked to improve recruitment and induction procedures for new staff. Robust recruitment and induction systems are now in place to ensure staff are suitable to work with children.

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Improvements since the last inspection

A recommendation was raised to make arrangements to ensure access to the provision is organised and monitored to provide security for the children, and full details of visitors to the

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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 premises are recorded appropriately. Visitors to the club are now asked to sign in and out of a visitors book. Adequate numbers of staff are employed to ensure children are appropriately supervised when using communal parts of the building.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The provider was asked to review risk assessments on a regular basis to ensure all aspects of the provision are covered and recorded. Regular risk assessments are completed but are not recorded. A further recommendation has been raised regarding this. In addition the provider was asked to ensure that children have access to an appropriate range of play resources and books that promote equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice. A range of multi-cultural books, puzzles and dressing up clothes are now available for children.

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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): • devise a written risk assessment to ensure all aspects of safety and security are regularly assessed • provide children with a quiet area where they can rest and relax

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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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