Ashmount Infant School

Beaufort Childcare Groups Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 100433 Inspection date 07/06/2010 Inspector Maria Lumley

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Setting address Beaufort Road, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH6 5LB

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Telephone number 01202 417 143 Email sue@beaufortcommunitycentre.com 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 . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as

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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

Beaufort Childcare Groups opened the out of school care in 1993 and the pre- school opened in 2001. The group is run by the committee of Beaufort Community Centre, Southbourne, Bournemouth. It operates from the community centre in Southbourne, Bournemouth. Children have access to rooms five to eight, the cafeteria, the gymnasium and toilet facilities. There is a fenced play area for outdoor play during term time and a portion of the adjoining school playground is used during school holidays. The children attending mainly come from the local area.

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Description of the setting

Beaufort Childcare Groups is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register to care for no more than 42 children under eight years all may be in the early years age group. There are currently 47 children on roll. This includes 34 who receive funding for nursery education. The pre-school opens Monday to Friday from 9.00am to 3.00pm during term times. There is a breakfast club, and an after school club which accepts children aged from four years to eight years and opens Monday to Friday from 08.00am until 09.00am and 3.00pm to 6.00pm during term times. The holiday club is open Monday to Friday from 8.00am to 6.00pm during school holidays for children aged over four years. The group supports children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Description of the setting

A team of nine staff work on a rota basis with the children, of these five, including the manager, hold an early years qualification and four are on training programmes.

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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

Children are happy and settled at this welcoming and friendly group. Staff work co- operatively to care for the children, support their play and enhance their learning. The group is inclusive, and makes sure all children can benefit from its provision. It has close links with the adjacent infant school, and with a range of external support agencies. These enables them to respond to the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff have responded well to the recommendation of the last inspection, and clearly demonstrate sound skills and determination to continue its improvement in the future.

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure all staff are consistent when recording assessments and planning to clearly show identified next steps for children’s progress which can then be measured against their achievements This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  improve the organisation of snack time to ensure children are not queuing for prolong periods  review the recording and storage of incident logs to ensure that they can be fully monitored whilst remaining confidential

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the early years provision

Staff are watchful of the children and attentive to their safety. There are effective procedures for emergency evacuation in place, which is regularly practised. Risk assessments are undertaken for the premises, the equipment and for outings, to minimise risks to children and premises are kept secure. Staff are vigilant and make sure that incidents are dealt with promptly. For example, mopping up split milk at snack time to ensure that children do not slip. A member of staff is deployed at the entrance during arrival and collection times immediately documenting children's attendances. Children attend a summer outing and an annual trip to a pantomime. Staff visit these venues prior to taking children to ensure that they are suitable and safe places for children to visit. Staff at the group are checked for suitability and visitors are required to sign in and out when they visit. Consequently, there is an accurate record of the names and numbers of

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the early years provision

people on site at any one time. Children are effectively safeguarded because staff have an understanding of child protection issues. However, there are some inconsistencies and weaknesses in the use and storage of safeguarding documentation. This does not fully support monitoring concerns or regard for confidentiality.

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the early years provision

The leadership and management of the group is good. The systems in place to evaluate the setting are sound and include clear identification of the strengths and areas for continuous improvement. Management, staff, parents and children are all included in the self-evaluation systems. The new manager demonstrates a strong commitment to the group, staff and children. She has methodically worked her way through the policies and practices and has implemented some new procedures that are having a positive impact on outcomes for children. This includes the introduction of behaviour plans helping meet the needs of every child according to their abilities, and consistency cards for all staff ensuring these plans are carried out effectively. Staffing levels are good resulting in children being carefully supervised and very good individual attention for those who want or need it. Staff have clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities and work well as a

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the early years provision

team. They have daily duties such as supporting various activities, greeting parents and preparing snacks. This supports the smooth running of the group on most occasions. However, the organisation of snack time is not effective as children queue up for their food. Children's independence is well promoted as they are encouraged to spoon fresh and dried fruit onto their plates and to spread butter, jam or marmite onto their toast. However, this process takes considerable time and some children wait 30 minutes in the queue. During this time some children's behaviour deteriorates as they become restless and hungry.

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the early years provision

Engagement with parents is good. Parents report that they are happy with the provision and that their children love to attend. A parent stated that their child had This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 really missed not going to the group over half term as they missed their friends, staff and all the activities. Parents have free access to their child's learning and development files at all times and parent consultation appointments are in place for July 2010, providing parents with quality time with children's key workers. Most files provide parents with information about their child's ongoing developmental progression. However, there are some inconsistencies in the quality of these records and some staff have not followed through on children's next steps. Parents are fully included in the group and well informed about events. Parents are encouraged to use the comments box and to complete questionnaires so that staff

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the early years provision

are aware of their views. Regular newsletters, parents notice board and daily informal chats help to maintain good links. Parents are invited to a coffee morning every half term so that they can see how the group run and to express their views or concerns to staff. Staff also liaise closely with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage, which ensures inclusion for all children on roll. They have positive relationships with Bournemouth early years special educational needs team, health visitors and speech therapists. This multi-agency approach supports the needs of individual children and ensures a consistent approach to their care and education. The group have regular contact with the adjacent school, Stourfield juniors and infants which means that staff can support children's transition when they leave the group and move on to school.

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy at the group and most settle quickly, a child rushes in saying, 'I can't wait to play'. They form positive relationships with staff and their peers and confidently approach staff to share their news and views. For example, a child tells staff about the adventures that 'Weekend bear' has been on with them over half term. Children’s individuality is embraced and welcomed and children are treated with kindness and respect. Their behaviour is generally good and staff use a consistent approach, working closely with parents when required, to help children learn how to manage their emotions and behaviour appropriately. When a child sees that their friend's foot has been trodden on they ask a member of staff for the cold compress, placing 'Mr Bump' on their friend's foot. Children wait excitedly at circle time to learn if they have received a sticker or certificate for good behaviour or kind acts. A child proudly shows off their certificate for helping a

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and outcomes for children

Children are beginning to recognise the importance of a healthy lifestyle and those things that contribute to this. They learn about the importance of washing the germs off their hands through routines and through demonstrations by the staff of how to do this properly. Children explore healthy eating through activities and discussions, and are provided with a range of fruits during snack times. They help themselves to water from the dispenser throughout the day. Children rush over the planting area when they go outside, watering and tending the strawberry and tomato plants. A child tells the visitor that the plants need water to grow. Their friend adds, 'They need sunshine too'. The children talk about how tall the plants have grown and compare this with the small plants they had planted. Children enjoy lots of opportunities to be physical such as using climbing and balance This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

equipment in the garden, and joining in with music and movement activities. Children use a broad range of equipment to develop their small muscle movement, including paint brushes to make pictures, scissors for cutting and gluing activities.

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and outcomes for children

Children are beginning to recognise the importance of keeping themselves safe. They are all involved in the fire evacuation procedures of the setting. A member of staff reads a book titled, 'Police officer' and the children listen attentively as they learn about the role of the Police and how they need to call 999 in an emergency. This activity prompts discussions about other emergency services and children talk about how to stay safe when using fireworks. Children show they feel safe within the setting as they enjoy the company of their peers and the adults that care for them. They are confident and independent and staff encourage them to 'try for themselves'. For example, when a child asks a member of staff to put their apron on for them the member of staff says, 'Have a go, take it slowly, I'm sure you can do it'. The child is then keen to impress and focuses on the task, they successfully put on the apron. The member of staff praises the child for their achievement and

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy imaginary play as they use the home corner. A boy and girl brush and style a dolls hair. One of the children comments, 'I have my hair cut at the hairdressers and sometimes my brother cuts it'. Their friend replies, 'My mummy goes and has her hair cut and I watch'. Children freely express themselves through art and craft activities. They experiment with paints using brushes and their hands to transfer the paint to the paper. A three-year-old sits patiently and covers the entire page with paint. They mix the primary colours together and say, 'Look, it's dark red now'. At circle time children explore the sounds of different musical instruments. They close their eyes and a member of staff uses a musical instruments. The children correctly identify the sounds of the rain maker, bells, tambourine and shaker.

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and outcomes for children

Children make good use of the computer which is well supported by staff ensuring they get maximum benefit from the resource. They select different programmes and ably load the CD into the machine. Children confidently move the mouse to control the cursor on the monitor. A four-year-old plays draughts on the computer, confidently moving the pieces around the board. Children learn about the wider world through planned activities and incidental events. They use animal print paper to make animals from around the world and then use a map to identify countries, learning that Beavers are from North America and Pandas are from Asia. After the activity has finished a four-year-old revisits the map and points to England saying, 'I live in Bournemouth, it's here'. 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 3 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 3 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 3 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 3

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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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