Ravensthorpe Community Childcare

Ravensthorpe Community Childcare Inspection report for early years provision

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500879 Unique Reference Number 07 March 2008 Inspection date Helen Blackburn Inspector

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24 Garden Street, Ravensthorpe, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, WF13 3AR Setting Address

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E-mail

RCC Community Childcare Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Sessional care, Out of School care, Crèche 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 AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

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 AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Ravensthorpe Community Childcare is managed by the directors of Ravensthorpe Centre Company Limited. The group is also a registered charity. The group registered in 2001 and operates from rooms within the community centre. It is situated in a residential area in the Ravensthorpe area of Dewsbury. A maximum of 56 children may attend the group at any one time. The sessional care is open each weekday between 09.15 to 11.45 and 12.30 to 15.00, term time only. The crèche operates at various times dependent on courses operating within the community centre. The out of school provision is currently not operating.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 67 children on roll, of these six children attend the crèche and 17 children receive funding for early education. Children attend from the local catchment area. The setting currently supports a number of children with learning difficulties, disabilities or who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The group employs seven members of staff. Of these, six hold appropriate early years qualifications and one is working towards a qualification. The group is a member of the Pre-School Learning Alliance.

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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. The environment for children is clean. Through good hygiene procedures the staff maintain this and, consequently, minimise the risk of spreading infection for children. For example, they have clear routines regarding the cleaning of the environment and equipment, which includes colour coded systems to minimise cross-contamination. To support these practices the group has detailed written health and hygiene policies. Through everyday practical routines, the children are developing a good understanding of the importance of personal hygiene. For instance, the children know to wash their hands before they eat and before baking. Through discussions, stories and activities the children are learning that germs can make them ill and that good personal care keeps them healthy. For example, when washing dolls the children talk about brushing their teeth and daily washing routines.

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Helping children to be healthy

There are detailed procedures in place regarding managing illness, such as written policies that clearly outline children with infectious illness need to stay at home. This protects children’s health and minimises the risk of cross-infection. Staff record good information regarding any medicines they administer to children at the group, which also includes individual health plans to meet children’s well-being and health needs.

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Helping children to be healthy

To promote children’s health they have regular opportunities to access fresh air through walks and outings. Through activity planning, the children have regular opportunities to exercise and to be active, which supports them in leading a healthy lifestyle. The children enjoy taking part in a good range of activities that support their physical development. They climb, balance on beams, ride bikes, play with bats and balls, and dance and move to music to develop their balance, coordination and control skills. For example, children jump like frogs, slither like snakes and move fast like lions. The education programme also incorporates raising children’s awareness of the effects of exercise on their bodies. The children talk about having red faces, being out of breath and their hearts beating faster after they been active. The children’s fine motor skills and dexterity are developing well as they use resources, such as pencils, paintbrushes, scissors

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Helping children to be healthy

The group understands the benefits of promoting healthy eating to support children’s healthy growth and development. The children enjoy healthy and nutritious snacks during the session, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, which fully incorporate any specific dietary requirements. Through fun activities, the children are developing a good understanding of eating healthily. For example, they make fruit smoothies, talk about healthy options when making pizza pictures and staff explain how foods help them to grow. Snack time is an enjoyable and relaxing experience for children. They sit together and socially interact with staff and their peers.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. The children are cared for in an environment which is safe, secure and maintained in good condition. Staff are vigilant in maintaining this and ensure good safety precautions are in place to minimise accidents and risks to children. For example, they supervise children well and through risk assessments, they regularly check the environment and resources to make sure they are safe for children’s use. These practices are supported through detailed written safety policies and procedures. The children are developing a good understanding of how they can

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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 keep themselves safe. They take part in regular evacuation practises to develop their understanding of what to do in an emergency. They access activities and resources that promote safety, for example, they talk about road safety on outings and themes and topics cover safety awareness. During play, staff actively reinforce children’s understanding of safe boundaries, such as explaining how they need to walk around the setting. If an accident occurs, the staff maintain detailed records.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The children access a good range of well-maintained and safe play resources that support their developmental needs. These continue to extend as the group regularly purchase items to support new themes and topics, such as buying items for the post office. The organisation of the room and these resources enable children to explore their environment safely and without hazard. For example, they independently select toys stored on child-height units.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The staff’s good understanding of child protection enables them to protect children from harm. The named workers who deal with child protection are aware of their responsibilities; this includes mentoring staff to ensure they all develop a good understanding of safeguarding children. This effectively contributes to staff knowing what to do if they have concerns about a child, such as keeping records and liaising with appropriate agencies. Child protection policies clearly reflect the Local Safeguarding Children Board guidelines and support staff in following appropriate procedures if they have concerns. There is clear recruitment and vetting procedures to ensure staff are suitable to care for children. In addition, security on the premises means that staff know who is entering the provision and they establish who will be collecting children. This contributes to safeguarding and protecting children’s welfare.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. The friendly approach of the staff ensures the children are cared for in a welcoming and relaxing environment. This results in children being happy and settled. There are a number of attractive displays of children’s work and posters around the setting to contribute to this welcoming feel. This includes a good reflection of the children’s local community and home, which contributes to promoting a sense of belonging for children.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The children have good relationships with other children and staff. The staff have worked hard to settle new children and to build up these positive relationships. The staff are actively involved in children’s play; they interact with them well and this means they have a good knowledge of individual children’s needs. This contributes to staff effectively meeting these needs and ensures they promote, support and challenge children’s learning. To promote these successful relationships with the children the staff operate a key person system. This includes ensuring young children in the crèche are cared for by consistent staff to promote continuity.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The staff have a good understanding of child development and this supports them in planning a challenging and stimulating range of play opportunities for children. They are beginning to base their planning systems and children’s progress records on the Early Years Foundation Stage in preparation for changes in September 2008. This ensures staff plan play to support children’s individual needs and to help them progress across all areas of development. Staff observe children’s play and use their findings to record children's progress and to plan for their next steps in learning. These planning systems and children’s progress records are new and the staff have not yet had the time to evaluate their effectiveness in ensuring they are covering all elements; this also relates to the nursery education programme. When playing with the children, the staff use their skills to adapt activities to support children’s individual needs, for

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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 example, simplifying activities for the younger children attending the crèche. Through providing an interesting range of play experiences, the children enthusiastically join in the activities. For example, they thoroughly enjoy playing in the post office, they laugh as they explore the foam and they eagerly look at books.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Although the group has been registered for a number of years, they have only just started to provide nursery education funding. The staff are experienced in implementing the ‘Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage’. This contributes to them offering a good range of activities that cover all areas of learning. For example, there is a good range of continuous play provision available. In addition, staff plan activities that have specific learning intentions in mind. All staff contribute their ideas to the planning and this ensures children’s key workers incorporate children’s next steps into the plans. This positively supports children's progress and development. The staff use a good range of teaching methods to support children’s learning. For example, they ask them a good range of open-ended questions that include what, how and why. This type of questioning encourages

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

children to use their initiative and to think for themselves.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Through staff’s understanding of how young children learn and their good teaching methods, they help children to make good progress towards the stepping stones, given their capabilities and starting points. The children are happy; they show an interest in their learning and eagerly join in activities. For example, children enthusiastically play in the hall, paint, look at books and build with the bricks. They have good relationships with others, which contributes to promoting their personal, social and emotional development.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children's communication, language and literacy skills are developing well. The majority of children have English as an additional language and staff support this well to encourage them to become confident to speak and engage in conversations with others, using English and their home language. For example, children talk to their peers during play and initiate conversations with adults. The children participate in a good range of activities that support their early writing skills. This includes drawing, painting and making marks. For example, the children eagerly make their own letters, address envelopes and make marks on forms in the post office. Through looking at books and listening to stories the children’s early reading skills are developing well. Through labelling and texts around the setting, they access print in different formats to help them to recognise simple words, such as their name.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The children take part in a good range of practical and fun activities to support their mathematical development. The children use a good range of mathematical language during play. For example, children talk about going under and over the bridge, their big towers and they describe how they cut the fruit in half. The children’s counting skills are developing well as they eagerly join in number rhymes and enjoy games that involve number.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are curious and inquisitive learners. They eagerly ask questions, explore their environment and take an interest in what they see. For example, children talk about the weather and how the dough and foam feels on their hands. Through the activity planning, children experience planting and growing activities and they talk about mini beasts, which support them in understanding about caring for living things. These activities support children’s development in a knowledge and understanding of the world.

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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 use their imagination well to express themselves and to share their ideas and thoughts. For example, children dress up and engage in role play activities, such as working in the post office, labelling and posting letters. The children explore a wide range of media, texture, musical instruments and art activities to develop their creativity. For example, children create sticky pictures, paint, explore the properties of dough and build models of roads using three-dimensional shapes.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. The children’s behaviour is good and appropriate for their ages and stages of development. The staff focus on promoting children’s positive behaviour and they effectively do this by praising their achievements. This promotes children’s self-esteem and self-worth. Staff deal with minor disagreements well to support children in understanding right from wrong. For example, they explain why certain behaviour is unacceptable. These strategies support children in developing their relationships with others and, consequently, they play well together. This includes them learning about sharing and taking turns. The group’s written policy supports the good practice in place.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The children have a sense of belonging within the group. For example, they begin to contribute their own ideas and freely choose what they want to play with. The children are developing a good awareness of their local community and the world in which they live. For example, the group work closely with other organisations, such as health services, the mosque, schools and action groups in the area to help them understand the community needs. The children go on local outings and walks and through sourcing foods locally for snacks the group support businesses in the area. The group also welcome visitors to the setting, such as local health visitors to help support children’s learning. This promotes children’s positive self-image, a sense of place and community. There is a varied range of resources that provide positive images of others to help children learn about diversity. For example, books, dolls, dressing up outfits and

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Helping children make a positive contribution

activities that involve children celebrating religious and cultural festivals. These activities, help children develop an understanding and respect for others.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The staff have worked hard to establish consistent routines to ensure children are cared for in an environment that offers continuity. This includes settling the new children and building children’s individual routines into the day. For example, providing facilities for younger children to sleep and rest. In addition, staff provide good support for children with disabilities, learning difficulties or with English as an additional language. This includes devising individual plans for children, liaison with parents and other professionals.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers is good. There are positive relationships between the staff and parents and they work well together to promote children’s welfare. They regularly share and exchange information, such as children’s likes, dislikes and routines. This includes written information for younger children attending the crèche. The staff understand the importance of parents being involved in children’s development and they are working hard to encourage them to contribute to their child’s learning. The parents have access to the planning records and newsletters share ideas for parents to continue children’s learning at home. Through settling visits and home visits, the staff obtain information about children’s abilities so that they can build on this when planning play.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Notice boards, policies and procedures, newsletters and discussions with staff outline to parents the service provided for children. Through plans and information on themes and topics, parents

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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 are informed about the education programme in place for their child. Information is available through leaflets and discussions regarding the process for accessing funded education. Children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The staff work well together; they are organised and make good use their time to meet children’s needs. For example, they have established routines to ensure they are aware of their duties and responsibilities, which contributes to the smooth operation of the day. The deployment of staff ensures adult to child ratios are met and this contributes to staff supervising children well. This includes increasing staff ratios when younger children are been cared for in the crèche.

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Organisation

There is good documentation in place to meet regulation requirements. This supports the safe management of the setting and effectively promotes children’s welfare. The policies and procedures provide good detail to outline most aspects of the service provided for children. However, the operational plan does not fully reflect the different services available, such as the out of school provision or how they group children. Detailed records are kept on the children, such as contact numbers and care needs so that staff can care for them effectively. Staff review all these documents to ensure they are up to date. They are organised and stored confidentially.

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Organisation

The leadership and management of the group is good. Management and staff are open to ideas and suggestions to develop the service they provide for children. They demonstrate a good commitment to develop the group, for example, they have clear action plans that outline their development plans. Staff attend training courses and work closely with colleagues in the local authority to promote the education programme and service. Although the group has been registered for a number of years, they have only just started to provide a service for children. The staff understand the importance of monitoring and evaluating the education programme and service; systems for this are still evolving. For example, staff have introduced staff meetings and they evaluate their plans to support how they monitor the provision. However, clear directions and secure systems to monitor and evaluate the setting's strengths and weaknesses

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Organisation

are still lacking. Through appraisals, the staff’s personal development is supported. Through induction programmes, the staff are aware of their role and responsibilities and clearly know what is expected of them. Overall, the provision meets the needs of the range of the children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection, the provider agreed to improve fire safety procedures and to develop the group’s policies and procedures. Through children taking part in regular fire evacuation practises, they know what to do in an emergency. These practises are recorded and available for inspection. By maintaining a record, staff are able to review how the practises went so that they can explore ways to improve this, which contributes to keeping children safe. The group’s policy file is available to parents and is an integral part of the staff induction. This contributes to everyone clearly understanding what service is offered 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

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 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 AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

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 AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

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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 the operational plan reflects all the different services provided and how children are grouped • continue to review and evaluate the effectiveness of the new planning records and children's progress records to ensure they incorporate all the required elements (also applies to nursery education).

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

To improve the quality and standards of nursery education further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • establish clear systems for monitoring the effectiveness of the nursery education provision and service (also applies to care).

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

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 nursery education

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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