The Grange Play Centre

The Grange Playcentre Inspection report for early years provision

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EY233794 Unique Reference Number 23 June 2008 Inspection date Sandra Patricia Jeffrey Inspector

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Beddington Park, London Road, Wallington, Surrey, SM6 7BT Setting Address

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E-mail

London Borough of Sutton Play Service 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?

The Grange Play centre was registered in 2003 and is owned and managed by the London Borough of Sutton. It operates from a single storey building situated in the grounds of Beddington Park in Sutton. The Grange serves families in the local area by providing a Toddler Group, an After School Club and a Holiday Play Scheme.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

It is registered to care for not more than 48 children aged four to eight years, although older children up to the age of 12 may attend. There is one large play room, a soft play area and a quiet zone available for the children. The grounds outside are fully enclosed and provide children with a range of fixed apparatus in park land surroundings.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The Grange operates from 15:15 until 18:00 during term times when children are collected by staff from the local school and during the holidays from 08:45 until 17:15. Children may attend for the full day or sessions from 09:30 until 12:30 and 14:00 until 17:00. Attendance numbers vary each day, however on the day of the inspection, there were 35 children on roll.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The Grange supports children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and children who have English as an additional language and employs staff in line with required staff to child ratios. The manager is supernumerary and works with two other contracted staff members, all

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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 of whom are qualified. There are also a number of fully vetted, casual staff members, who work directly with the children.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children understand the importance of good health through daily routines, they are independent in self-care skills such as washing their hands after using the toilet and before eating their snacks. Children's health and well-being is further promoted because the premises are clean and well maintained.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children's well being is nurtured, because staff are knowledgeable about children's health and care matters. To safeguard children, first aid boxes are complete and there are effective systems in place for recording accidents. Children's safety is not fully protected however, as limited staff hold a valid first aid certificate. This hampers their ability to treat children appropriately if they have an accident or minor injury.

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Helping children to be healthy

Dietary needs are known by staff and respected. Children attending receive nutritious snacks including pancakes, waffles, breadsticks and a selection of fresh fruit. They can also choose a drink of squash or water. Children's independence is hindered however, because staff do not allow children to self select their snack or to pour their own drinks during tuck time. The tuck session observed during the inspection, was also very time consuming, which resulted in some children becoming bored and fractious. The setting has agreed to look at ways to improve this system. Children were however, encouraged to think about the benefits of healthy eating and brushing their teeth daily by staff who sat with them at the tables.

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Helping children to be healthy

All children have daily opportunities to enjoy physical activities that help to keep them in good health. Children participate eagerly in such activities, using the play equipment freely available to them. This gives children the opportunity to practise and develop physical skills. Children benefit from having daily use of the large playing fields, park play equipment and courtyard; where they enjoy group games and sport based activities. They also have access to a safe indoor soft play area. Children's physical development is promoted well.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children benefit from playing in a spacious environment, where staff organise the indoor space effectively allowing the children to move around freely and play safely. The daily risk assessment is mostly effective which minimises the potential hazards to children whilst they play. However, on the day of the inspection a masonry nail was found outside in the courtyard where children were later playing football. Items such as this pose a safety risk to the children and demonstrates the importance of being vigilant with the risk assessment process.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The children enter happily and soon become involved in the activities that are available to them. They are cared for in a bright, cheerful and welcoming environment where they feel a sense of belonging. The children are kept safe because they are supervised when moving from one area to another and are aware of the need to inform staff when they need to use the toilet, this is so staff are aware of their whereabouts.

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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 benefit from a range of safety measures, for example, the security systems in place ensure children cannot leave the premises without a suitable adult. There are also effective procedures in place to prevent unwanted visitors gaining access to the setting. Fire safety precautions are also suitable, including regular fire evacuation practices.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Toys and equipment used by children are maintained and in good condition with enough resources available to meet the needs of the children attending. Staff organise space and equipment to minimise potential hazards for children, this means the children move freely and safely around the premises and outdoor area. Staff ensure that all resources are clean and safe for the children to use.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's welfare is protected by a staff team who have a suitable knowledge of the Safeguarding Children procedures. They are aware of the signs and symptoms of abuse and know what action to take if they have any cause for concern.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children are welcomed into the club by familiar, friendly staff. They settle quickly in the activities on offer and make independent choices. Children relate well to the staff and to their peers. They confidently approach adults for support, indicating that good trusting relationships are in place. Children feel secure and confident at the setting due to good relationships with the staff team who know them well and take an active interest in their play. Children take pride in their work and are encouraged to show off their artistic skills.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children enjoy participating in a varied and interesting range of activities which develop their all round skills. They enjoy stimulating activities such as drawing and colouring, junk modelling, playing with the construction and small world toys and playing in the soft play area. Children particularly enjoy being able to play in the large outdoor areas including the field, the courtyard and on the climbing frame. These activities help their physical development and their confidence, whilst providing a fun filled session. Activities are set out before the children's arrival. Requests for additional or different toys are happily met by the staff. Children are also able to access additional equipment they may want from the storage cupboards in the main room.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children relate well to each other and need very little direction from staff, however, staff are available to support and offer advice to children in their chosen activities. Children are generally happy and enjoy their time in the club. They are able to express their views confidently and indicate that they like attending because the activities are good and they can spend more time with their friends.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children know each other well and have forged good and secure friendships. They get along well with each other and have a respectful relationship with the adults. They are developing self-esteem and confidence as they voice their opinions and make choices from what is available.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are valued as individuals. They attend regularly and staff know them well. Children are helped to develop a positive attitude about others and diversity through playing with a suitable range of books and play resources reflecting positive images of culture, disability, race and gender. Children enjoy playing in an environment where they have equality of access to

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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 all equipment regardless of their gender. For example when playing ball games outside, teams include boys and girls.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are well behaved, polite and considerate to staff and each other, staff have realistic expectations of their behaviour and support the children well. Staff act as good role models to the children who are aware of the rules. Children receive praise and encouragement, which promotes their self-esteem. This creates a fun and relaxed environment where children can play with little interruption. Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are supported by the staff. Close communication with parents ensures their individual needs are met.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Relationships with parents are friendly. They are made welcome into the group and information about the children's individual needs is shared. The parents do not currently have easy access to the club's policies and procedures, as these are being updated, and although copies are available on the computer, the manager was not aware of how to access these. Parents are kept informed of any changes or upcoming events however.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Children are cared for by suitably qualified staff who have a clear knowledge and understanding of child development, which enables them to meet children's individual needs well. A robust recruitment procedure is in place to make sure, only suitable people are employed to work with the children; this supports children's safety and well-being.

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Organisation

Children in the club are well cared for in an organised environment. They receive close support through effective deployment of staff and consistent implementation of the club's policies, procedures and daily routines. Regulatory documentation is in place.

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Organisation

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, the after school club was asked to make improvements in the following areas: - improve arrangements for informing parents about all policies and procedures and continue to increase resources which promote the development of children with special needs and reflect diversity.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Steps were taken to ensure parents were informed about the policies and procedures by highlighting to presence of these on the parents' notice board. Whilst this has gone some way to informing the parents of their existence, the policies and procedures were not readily available at the time of the inspection, as the paper copies had been removed to the head office for updating. Therefore, another recommendation has been set following this inspection to ensure that the policies and procedures are readily available for parents and staff to refer to.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Suitable steps have now been taken to increase resources which promote the development of children with special needs and reflect diversity. This improves the setting's inclusive access.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection there has been one complaint that was made to Ofsted that required the provider to take action in order to continue to meet that National Standards. The complaint

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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 related to National Standard 6 – Safety, National Standard 13 - Child protection and National Standard 14 – Documentation.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Concerns were raised that following an incident at the provision, where adequate supervision was in question, the provider failed to implement Ofsted's safeguarding children's procedures. Ofsted took action to liaise with an outside agency, and following this asked the provider to conduct an investigation and report back. A full response was received from the provider. A review of this information confirmed that the provider had failed to meet the requirements of National Standard 14 and an action was set to “Ensure that Ofsted is informed of all significant events at the earliest opportunity.” A suitable response to this action was received from the provider and no further action was taken. The provider remains qualified for registration.

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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 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): • consider ways to improve the current tuck system - including ways to promote children's independence during tuck time • ensure there is at least one member of staff with a current first aid training certificate on the premises or on outings at any one time - (the first aid qualification must include training in first aid for infants and young children) • ensure daily risk assessments are effectively carried out to maintain the children's safety • ensure that polices and procedures are made readily available for parents and staff.

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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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