Rascals After School Club

Rascals After School Club

Inspection report for early years provision

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Rascals After School Club

Unique Reference Number EY304994 Inspection date 05 October 2005 Inspector Kerry Iden

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Rascals After School Club

Setting Address East Preston Youth Club, Lashmar Road, East Preston, Littlehampton, West Sussex, BN16 1ES Telephone number 01903 772689

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E-mail

Registered person Rascals After School Club Type of inspection Childcare Type of care Out of School 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 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?

Rascals after school club was registered in 2005. It operates from the whole of the youth club building in the village of East Preston, close to the town of Worthing, West Sussex. It is situated within a residential area and adjacent to primary and junior schools. A maximum of 40 children may attend at any one time. The after school club is open each weekday from 07:00 until entry into school and then collection from school until 18:00 term time only. Through the school holidays the group are open from 08:00 until 18:00. All children share access to an outdoor play area. There are currently 30 children attending the after school club and 21 children

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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 attending the breakfast club. Children come from several schools in the local vicinity The setting employs six staff, of which two, including the manager, hold appropriate qualifications and one member of staff is working towards a qualification.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children enjoy a clean and welcoming environment because staff make regular hygiene checks on the premises and equipment. There are clear procedures in place to reduce the spread of infection, although these are not always followed through and children do not always get reminders about developing good self-care skills especially before snack time. Children have access to a choice of water or squash at all times throughout the session and can independently choose and pour their own drinks. They are offered snacks when they return from school, this is limited to either toast or biscuits. The fruit bowl is also placed on the drinks table with a small selection of apples and Satsuma's. One staff member sits with the children, they inform her that they would prefer strawberries, grapes, plums and pineapple for their fruit bowl. Snack time is ongoing as children arrive later after school activities. Some negotiations take place

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Helping children to be healthy

with individual children about snacks as time gets later, giving clear explanations to the children about how they won't eat their tea if they carry on snacking at club. The children have opportunities to promote their gross motor skills both indoors and outdoors. Hula hoops, skipping, bats and balls and the favourite thing of all the children is the very large stability ball which they can use their imagination to come up with as many different uses as possible. Indoors, the children can participate in parachute games, dancing and organised party type games to keep them active.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are able to move around the hall safely and independently as it is set up to allow for different types of play to go on in different areas due to a good arrangement of furniture. The setting provides a varied range of equipment, toys and resources, which are in good condition. They are checked regularly for damage and cleanliness to safeguard children. Children are collected safely from several schools because the staff member collecting has made arrangements with the children as to where they will always meet. Some children return to the club by foot and others are transported, the co-owners are aware of number limitations of using the car. The children's safety is maintained in the provision because there are regular daily checks of equipment and furniture and a safety check is carried out on the outside

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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 area. The manager is developing a written risk assessment to record any concerns. Children are protected because the manager has a good understanding of her role in child protection and is able to put appropriate procedures in place where necessary. The manager and the co-owners both know to refer to the local child protection committee procedures and have a clear detailed policy in place to share with the parents.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are happy and settled in their play, most of them move around the hall with focus and a purpose, they are able to partake in activities of their choosing. There is a good selection of activities on offer to the children. They can sprawl across the floor as if at home as there is soft matting laid out for the floor activities such as a train set, cars, a garage and a car mat. Chess set and other board games are made available to the children to encourage them in playing co-operatively together or in small groups. Games machines and computers are available as are outdoor activities where the children can use their imagination or join in organised games and sports. A good range of both fiction and non-fiction books are available to children to encourage reading for pleasure. The staff organise activities that can be finished in one session and others that can go on for the week or even longer projects. The children show a pride in their

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

creations as they are currently preparing for a Halloween party and are busy making many decorations, masks and other items from a good range of art and craft materials. Children are happy and confident in the setting, they were observed confidently asking for help from the staff and all had a good rapport with the staff. The children were observed co-operating very well together, some children helped out others at the craft table as they created Halloween masks, others assisted younger children with the games machines.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children's individual needs are met, staff judge the mood of the children very quickly as they come out of school in order to know how they will react to the afternoon. Some children need some transition time from school, staff identify this allowing the children to highlight when they are ready to join in with the club's activities. Activities and experiences for children are adapted to ensure all the children reach their full potential. Children generally behave well in the setting, some children show real consideration to others as they assist them with craft activities and help other children on the games consoles. The staff encourage positive behaviour and manage unwanted

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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 behaviour calmly and effectively, ensuring rules and boundaries are in place, which helps to promote children's confidence. Staff chat with parents in a relaxed manner as they collect their children to ensure they receive verbal daily feedback about their child's time within the setting. Parents are made aware of how to make a complaint through the complaints procedure in the policy file, however they are unaware of any actions taken by the providers following complaints. Further information is sent out to parents in a monthly newsletter and policies and procedures are made available for them to read.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Most children are occupied and engaged with a varied range of play opportunities, ensuring they have fun, stimulation and relaxation at the setting. Staff organise the daily routines and resources well, however clear planning of staff deployment is not in place leading to some disorganisation of responsibilities. There are good staffing levels present with different staff coming in to collect children from school so as not to effect the staff within the setting. The providers have designed detailed policies and procedures to support their service, this is made available to the parents. Most required documentation, such as attendance register, accident recording and children's information records are in place, however a complaints log is not in place. The provider and staff are well aware of the need to maintain all documents securely and confidentially. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since registration there have been two complaints made to Ofsted. The first relates to Standard 6, safety. Children were seen unattended and an incident occurred whereby one child pushed another into a road. Ofsted asked the provider to investigate these concerns and report back within seven working days. The provider addressed the concerns raised through a detailed report and evidence was provided to support that they are adhering to the National Standards. The provider remains qualified for registration. The second complaint which relates to Standard 2 is currently under investigation. The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they

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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 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): • ensure that children and staff follow clear hygenic procedures especially around snack time. • ensure the children receive a variety in their snack menu • ensure effective deployment of staff throughout the whole setting. • introduce and maintain a written record of complaints and implement effective procedures to share the outcome with parents

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The quality and standards of the care

procedures set out in the leaflet Building better childcare: Compliments and concerns about inspectors' judgements 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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