Victoria House Out of School Club

Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated. Victoria House Out of School Club Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY388614 Inspection date 23/06/2009 Inspector Saida Cummings

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Setting address Our Lady Queen of Peace Church Hall, Bransford Road, St. Johns, WORCESTER, Worcestershire, WR2 4EN Telephone number 07598 313 761 Email Type of setting Childcare on non-domestic premises This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of the registered early years provision. ‘Early years provision’ refers to provision regulated by Ofsted for children from birth to 31 August following their fifth birthday (the early years age group). The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and welfare, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Introduction

The provider must provide a copy of this report to all parents with children at the setting where reasonably practicable. The provider must provide a copy of the report to any other person who asks for one, but may charge a fee for this service (The Childcare (Inspection) Regulations 2008 regulations 9 and 10).

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Introduction

Children only attend this setting before and/or after the school day and/or during the school holidays. The judgements in this report reflect the quality of early years provision offered to children during those periods.

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Introduction

The setting also makes provision for children older than the early years age group which is registered on the voluntary and/or compulsory part(s) of the Childcare Register. This report does not include an evaluation of that provision, but a comment about compliance with the requirements of the Childcare Register is included in Annex B. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Description of the setting

Victoria House Out of School Club is one of four settings managed by Victoria House Day Nursery Limited. The out of school club was registered in 2008 and operates from Our Lady Queen of Peace Church Hall situated in the St. Johns area of Worcester city. Children are cared for in the main hall and have use of the adjacent school playground for outdoor play. A maximum of 37 children may attend the setting at any one time. Children from the age of four to 12 years attend the out of school club. The club is open each week day from 07.30 to 08.45 and from 15.00 to 18.00 during term-time. A holiday club is offered during school holidays which operates from another nearby out of school club managed by the same organisation. The setting mainly serves children who attend the neighbouring schools.

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Description of the setting

There are currently three children attending who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). There are also 42 older children currently on roll. This provision is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. The setting offers support to children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, and children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The out of school club employs five staff who work with the children. Of these, three hold appropriate qualifications and one staff member is currently working towards a relevant qualification. The setting receives support from the local authority.

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Overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is good. Children’s learning and development is well supported as staff ensure that daily planned activities and spontaneous play are tailored towards each child's individual learning needs. Their right to choose, make decisions and voice their thoughts and opinions is supported so that they are fully included and develop a strong sense of belonging and self-esteem. There are effective partnerships with parents and carers as the manager and staff have developed a good liaison system to ensure they are kept fully informed of their children’s care arrangements and developmental progress. The provider, manager and staff are committed to maintaining a good quality service for the children attending and take positive steps to evaluate and improve the provision.

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 improve hygiene procedures by ensuring a more robust system is implemented for hand washing routines  develop planning and evaluations to ensure that individual children in the EYFS are given opportunities to move on to the next stage in their This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 development.

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provision

The manager and staff are enthusiastic, dedicated and work well together as a strong and supportive team. Children's care is enhanced because of the expertise of staff and the good quality organisation. The professional development of staff is encouraged through a system of appraisal and training. Children are encouraged to play a full part in the life of the setting because staff fully understand, respect and value their unique needs. The effective partnership with parents, carers and outside agencies plays a key part in providing high-quality care and education for individual children. Staff are aware of the importance of involving parents and carers in their children’s care needs and initially seek information from them concerning their children’s interests and preferences such as the types of activities they enjoy doing at home. As a result, staff are able to specifically plan activities and make appropriate resources available to ensure individual children’s needs and

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provision

Children are safeguarded because of the effective policies and procedures which are successfully implemented. Robust systems for the recruitment, vetting and induction of staff ensure that children are cared for by suitable and knowledgeable adults. Children are well protected because staff have a good understanding of child protection procedures and are aware of Safeguarding Children procedures to follow should they have any concerns. Children’s safety is safeguarded within the environment, indoors and outdoors, as staff are vigilant and ensure all areas are free from hazards. Robust risk assessments are carried out regularly and a daily safety check ensures any potential hazards to children are minimised. The manager and staff have developed an effective self-evaluation system through their current overall review of the organisation, policies and procedures. This includes reviewing the learning and development programme and making links

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provision

with the local schools attended by the children who are within the EYFS. Those in charge have high aspirations for quality, which is reflected in the setting's daily practice and is evident in the plans for ongoing improvements.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children are settled, happy and enjoy their time in the welcoming and homely environment. Their independence is developed as they confidently make decisions about what they would like to play with. The staff regularly consult children, adapt activities and organise resources effectively to enable them to make decisions about their play. Children develop a strong sense of belonging within the setting, enjoy the attention of caring staff and engage in both self-selected and planned activities individually and also with their peers. Older children often help the younger children and involve them in their instigated play. There are good strategies for dealing with children’s behaviour and staff help children to develop their confidence through daily routines. An example of this is when children take turns to carry out tasks, such as helping to dry up when staff are washing up. As a result, children’s independence, self-esteem and confidence is encouraged and

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 nurtured through appropriate activities and everyday routines.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children have many opportunities to explore and investigate, extend their imagination and creative skills. They enthusiastically join in with art and craft activities, such as painting, cutting and gluing to create brightly coloured pictures and collages. Children develop their problem solving skills when making up jigsaws or playing board games, such as when they try to guess which person their opponent is by asking questions as to what features the person has and solving the game through a process of elimination. Children are encouraged to develop their language skills through relaxed conversation with the staff and their peers. They use descriptive language when holding discussions about their hobbies, what sort of day they have had and any plans they have for the evening or weekend. There are effective systems for observing children and assessing their progress. However, this information is not always successfully used to inform planning to

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

ensure that individual children who are within the EYFS are considered and catered for in line with their individual stage of development.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children's good health and well-being is promoted as all children have daily opportunities for physical indoor and outdoor activities. They relish playing and exercising out in the fresh air where they participate in some of their favourite activities. For example, they play team games and enjoy playing hide and seek with their friends. They receive freshly-prepared healthy and nutritious snack teas and have access to drinks throughout the session. However, although children are encouraged to wash their hands before eating this is not always fully supervised to ensure that every child carries this out. The systems at busy eating times are not sufficiently robust to ensure children’s health and welfare is fully protected. A true partnership with parents and carers is achieved and staff ensure continuity and coherence by working closely with the local schools. Newly-devised communication forms are used to help staff continue with the aims under the six areas of learning

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

for individual children who are within the EYFS. As a result, children are fully supported and making good progress in all the areas of learning and development. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

Grade 1 is Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Grade 2 is Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Grade 3 is Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Grade 4 is Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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of children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

How well does the provision promote inclusive practice? 2 The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement.

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Foundation Stage led and managed?

How effective is the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement? How well does the setting work in partnership with parents and others? How well are children safeguarded? 2

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Years Foundation Stage promoted?

How well are children helped to stay safe? 2 How well are children helped to be healthy? 2 How well are children helped to enjoy and achieve? 2 How well are children helped to make a positive contribution? How well are children helped develop skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being?

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Years Foundation Stage promoted?

procedures set out in the guidance available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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