St. John Vianney Primary School Childcare

St John Vianney Primary School

Inspection report for early years provision

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St John Vianney Primary School

Unique Reference Number EY234239 Inspection date 19 October 2005 Inspector Elizabeth Patricia Edmond

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St John Vianney Primary School

Setting Address King Oswy Drive, Hartlepool, TS24 9PA

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E-mail

Registered person St John Vianney Primary School Type of inspection Childcare Type of care Full day 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 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?

St John Vianney Primary School “schools of care”, is situated in the north of Hartlepool, is run by St John Vianney's Primary School governors. It opened in 2002 originally to provide wrap-around care for children attending the school and nursery. This is now in the process of developing further to offer full day care for children aged birth to under 8 years. At the time of the inspection care for children aged under 3 was not available. Care is provided in specially designed premises adjacent to the school. Some parts of the school building are also used. Each area used has its own adjacent facilities and enclosed outdoor areas.

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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 The setting is open from 07.45 to 18.00 throughout the year. The arrangement of the care includes a variety of child care sessions; the staff escort children to and from their classes in school. The care is an integral part of the school day providing a comprehensive child care service mainly to families who use the school. In the school holidays children from other local schools are invited to attend the care scheme. A maximum of 66 children may attend the setting at any one time. There are currently 74 children aged under 8 years on roll. Older children are also cared for. The setting supports children with special educational needs. The school employs seven care staff. Most staff, including the manager, hold appropriate early years qualifications. Qualified teaching staff form part of the

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

management structure and provide support in several areas.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. The children are cared for in a warm clean environment where they learn about good hygiene practices. The pre-school children are reminded to wash their hands before they prepare their snack; older children attend to their own personal care and hygiene needs independently. The pre-school children develop an excellent approach to being active in the outdoors due to the free-flow arrangement into the interesting garden and play area. They exuberantly engage in an impromptu game of football and ride the tricycles with increasing strength and accuracy. Close links with the school's nursery class provide further opportunities for physical play in the school hall for example with the parachute. The children attending after school enjoy playing outdoors but do not have access to this every day. The children enjoy the meals and snacks provided. The sensible approach to healthy eating is of benefit to the children; the pre-school children enjoy preparing vegetables

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Helping children to be healthy

for their soup and dipping their fruit and carrot sticks into the cheese spread. The younger children also learn about the food and exercise they need to build their muscles. Older children sometimes choose fruit with their breakfast or at tea time but there is less emphasis on healthy eating before and after school; although they all enjoy a good amount of breakfast, they usually choose sugary breakfast cereals and white bread for their toast. Meal times are a pleasant experience for the children; they look forward to the social contact with their friends and they develop good table manners.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. The children are able to play freely as risks are identified and minimised. The younger children learn to keep themselves safe because the adults working with the pre-school children have a good understanding of how achieve an effective balance

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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 between an element of risk and supervision. This means that they learn to play carefully on the slide and they use knives well to cut the vegetables for their snack. The careful attention to risk assessment for off-site activities means that older children can enjoy regular visits to local attractions in the school holidays. The children are able to self-select freely from the range of equipment indoors and out because it is all very good quality. Emergency evacuation procedures are well documented and the older children talk confidently about how to leave the building in an emergency. Children are safe and well protected because of the sensible approach to child protection. The care staff have attended child protection training and are supported effectively by specialist teaching staff.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. All the children are relaxed and self assured in the welcoming environment provided by the staff. On the whole they enjoy their time there; the younger children delight in the broad range of activities which enable them to express themselves creatively. Careful planning and close links with the school nursery class further enhances the quality of the care and education provided. The children learn about the seasons as they collect fallen leaves and they talk knowledgeably about their cress seeds needing water to grow. They develop their mathematical understanding as they act out well known number songs. The care staff consistently engage the pre-school children in conversation about what they are doing and they help them to pronounce awkward words; this helps them to develop their language skills. The older children attending after school are motivated and are interested in the

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

activities provided, they help themselves freely to the various resources; they particularly enjoy craft and construction. Sometimes they prefer to relax in the television lounge; this addresses their need for rest after a busy day in school. The children complete suggestion slips about activities they would like to take part in and staff act on this when they feel that it is practical; this increases the choices for these children. The children attending before school do not have access to the play facilities; they enjoy circus club or gardening club when this occurs in school but otherwise the activities at this time are very limited. The younger children confidently make their own cress sandwiches at snack time and capably pour their own drinks; the older children do not develop their independence by serving their own breakfast or snack after school. The integrated approach to care and education means that children get to know most

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

of the teaching and non-teaching staff throughout the building. The children are therefore settled and confident when changes occur in their school life, for example, when they start school or move to a new class. The clear links with teaching staff mean also that homework issues can be followed up effectively; this enables children to consolidate their learning and provides them with increased opportunities to relax with their families when they get home.

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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

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. The children are valued and respected as individuals because the staff get to know them and their families very well. The children enjoy a strong sense of stability and continuity in their lives because the care staff work very effectively with other school staff. All the children are relaxed, confident and behave very well. The pre-school staff confidently use praise and encouragement with great effect to keep the children's self esteem high. The adults working with children after school are also beginning to be more confident in the use of praise and encouragement. The pre-school children join in with a prayer of thanks before they have their snack which helps them to appreciate the work needed to provide them with food. There is a very strong emphasis on the Christian ethos throughout the care; the children also demonstrate their acceptance of diversity in society by happily playing with a range of

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Helping children make a positive contribution

resources which show people from other backgrounds in a positive light. Positive relationships with parents also help the children to feel settled. The children are clearly relaxed about the arrangements as they observe their parents and the staff discuss their care needs. Details of events both in the care setting and during class are vigilantly communicated by staff to parents; this promotes good continuity of care and learning. There is a high level of verbal communications with parents in all care groups. Information for parents is in writing in the form of a home-book for the younger children; parents mention this, and the friendly staff as a key strength of the care provided.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The children benefit from the continually developing quality of care. The staff are motivated and continue to attend relevant short courses; many of them also work towards higher levels of qualification. The management have a professional approach to evaluating the provision and are on the whole successful in this. This has highlighted the fact that some first aid certificates are not specific to paediatric care; they are working to address this. The day to day management of the child care is well organised; this means that the children are kept safe as they are taken to and from their classes during periods of renovation work. The premises are arranged practically; this promotes the children's safety and provides opportunities for most children to have a varied choice in their activities. The co-ordinated approach to care and education works very well in practice; the children are effectively supported through the clear liaison of care and teaching staff.

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Organisation

The management team are further developing policies to fully reflect the school's integrated approach to care and education as this aspect continues to develop. Overall the needs of all the children attending are met.

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Organisation

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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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the group were asked to ensure that registration arrangements show the children's actual attendance more clearly. The registration sheets now show when the children leave the care provision to attend extra-curricular activities. In response to a further recommendation raised at the last inspection, the school have put in place a complaints procedure which parents now have access to. The recent change in legislation means that this is being reviewed again.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There are no complaints to report. 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): • provide increased opportunities for older children, particularly those attending before school, to develop their self help skills and make choices in their play.

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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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