Little Angels Childcare

Little Angels Childcare Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY356060 Inspection date 15/03/2010 Inspector Alan Parkinson

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Setting address St. Mary of the Angels Catholic Primary School, Rossall Grov, Little Sutton, ELLESMERE PORT, CH66 1NN Telephone number 0151 3382430 Email Type of setting Childcare on non-domestic premises to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It rates council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M2 7LA

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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk 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

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.

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Introduction

Please see our website for more information about each childcare provider. We publish inspection reports, conditions of registration and details of complaints we receive where we or the provider take action to meet the requirements of registration. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Description of the setting

Little Angels Childcare was registered in 2007 and is owned and managed by a joint partnership. It offers pre-school, out of school and holiday provision to children from the local community and operates from within St Mary of the Angels Catholic Primary School, in the residential area of Little Sutton in Cheshire. The setting is open all year except for the two-week Christmas holiday period. The pre- school opens each weekday from 9am until 3pm in term time only. A maximum of 26 children aged two to five years may attend the pre-school at any one time. There are currently 49 children on roll in the pre-school who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage, of these, 37 are in receipt of funding for nursery education. The holiday club is open on weekdays from 8am to 6pm during the school holidays. A breakfast club runs from 8am until 9am and an after-school club runs from 3pm until 5.30pm. A maximum of 42 children up to the age of eight years

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Description of the setting

may attend the holiday club and out of school clubs at any one time. The holiday club and out of school clubs currently take children from three years of age and also offer care to children up to 11 years. There are currently 215 children on roll in the holiday club, of these, 114 are under eight years and of these 41 are within the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Description of the setting

The setting supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and also children who speak English as an additional language. The setting is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the setting

There are eight members of staff, including the two managers, who work directly with the children. Seven of the staff hold appropriate early years qualifications to at least level 2, and one is working towards level 2. Five members of staff are qualified to level 3. One manager is working towards the Early Years Professional Status. The setting receives support from the local authority Children’s and Family Services, and is a member of the Pre-School Learning Alliance.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Little Angels Childcare is effective in meeting the needs of children in the Early Years Foundation Stage. The good leadership and management ensures that inclusive practices are promoted well. The staff are effectively deployed and support the children well. This well organised and welcoming setting provides an environment in which the children feel safe and secure. Overall, the self-evaluation processes are good and the capacity to make further improvements is good.

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should: This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  further develop the recording of children’s progress and outcomes more specifically against the six areas of learning and development so that the next steps in learning and development are more clearly identified  further develop the setting’s self-evaluation systems to more effectively monitor the impact of the provision on children’s outcomes and to secure future improvements.

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the early years provision

Effective vetting and recruitment procedures are in place to check that staff are suitable to work with children. The setting has the required policies and procedures in place for safeguarding children. Risk assessments are completed to cover aspects of the setting and any outings organised during holiday provision. Clear site security procedures are in place to monitor the safe arrival and collection of children.

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the early years provision

The staff know children well. The accommodation is appropriate and provides a welcoming and safe environment. The setting is well organised and the deployment of staff is very effective and enables them to support the children well. As a result children make good progress.

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the early years provision

All staff are involved in the self-evaluation and review processes that are used to inform the planning of the children’s weekly activities. The setting uses information to monitor and review its provision. However, information is not used fully to evaluate the impact on the outcomes for children or inform and secure future improvements of the provision. The staff monitor the children’s progress in relation to the early learning goals. Currently, information gained from observations is not wholly effective in identifying the next steps in each child’s learning and development. The setting provides opportunities to promote diversity through a range of multicultural resources and activities; for example, during Chinese New Year children were offered Chinese food to taste and on Shrove Tuesday pancakes were made. The relationships between the setting’s staff, and parents and carers, are excellent. Discussions with parents show that they are very happy with the

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the early years provision

organisation of the setting and feedback from parents included comments such as 'children are happy' and they 'don’t want to come home sometimes'. The setting responds well to requests from parents and carers and as such provides information on the setting’s routines, children’s activities and daily snack menu. The setting has established very good links with the host school's staff and with the local authority. This good partnership working has a positive impact on the outcomes for children. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

The indoor and outdoor play areas are exceptionally well organised and utilised, and provide stimulating learning environments for the children. The setting has clear daily routines which are known and understood by the children. Children are well catered for, their behaviour is very good and they move about the setting in a very orderly and calm manner. They work well together, share resources and also demonstrate that they can work independently. Staff encourage the children well and help them to develop their personal and social skills. Discussions with the children show that they enjoy their time in the setting. The children are confident and communicate well with staff and with each other. During ‘circle time’ they demonstrate a sense of belonging through sharing any important news they have.

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and outcomes for children

The children are fully involved in a range of activities throughout the session and have access to a wide range of suitable resources. Their creative skills are developed through a variety of activities, such as drawing, painting, colouring, modelling with play dough and construction activities. Children’s creativity is also promoted well through music and singing nursery rhymes and songs. They develop their information and communication technology skills as they complete simple computer games, and know how to operate the digital camera and other mechanical and audio toys.

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and outcomes for children

The children’s knowledge and understanding of the wider world is effectively promoted as they celebrate aspects of different cultures and festivals. They also develop an interest in the natural world; for example, children grow carrots, radishes, potatoes and parsnips. They also look after two rabbits and are able to see how fertilised chicken eggs hatch in an incubator. The setting also has two egg-laying chickens. The children enjoy taking the eggs home and then report back on how they were cooked and how they tasted.

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and outcomes for children

The setting has effective systems in place to monitor the achievement and progress of children and all children have a designated key worker. This is recorded in the child’s profile book and includes details of their achievements, together with photographic evidence and examples of their work. The healthy food choices, the wonderful outdoor play areas, and the good hygiene routines, such as washing hands before snacks, all make a positive contribution to children developing a healthy lifestyle. 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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children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement

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and managed?

The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement The effectiveness with which the setting deploys resources 1 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s engagement with parents and carers

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Stage

The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 The extent to which children feel safe 2 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 2 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 2

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Stage

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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