The Rowans After School Club

The Rowans After School Club Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY289970 Inspection date 15/04/2010 Inspector Karen Cooper

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Setting address St. Columbas Church Hall, Banners Gate Road, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, B73 6TX Telephone number 0121 354 1752 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

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.

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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

The Rowans After School Club was re-registered in 2004 by the present owners and operates within a community building situated in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham. A maximum of 40 children may attend the setting at any one time. The setting operates during school term time, between the hours of 8.00am until 9.00am and 3.00pm until 6.00pm and during school holidays from 8.00am until 6.00pm. There is a fully enclosed outdoor area available for play.

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Description of the setting

There are currently 127 children on roll, aged from four years to under eight years, of these, seven are within the early years age range. The admission policy allows children up to the age of 11 years to attend. The setting serves the local areas and children can attend a variety of sessions. The setting supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and who speak English as an additional language. The setting is registered on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the setting

The setting employs five members of staff to work with the children on a part-time and full-time basis. Four of the staff hold an early years qualification to National Vocational Qualification Level 3 and the manager holds a foundation degree in early years. The setting receives support from the local authority.

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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 provided with high levels of care and make positive progress in their learning and development. Staff strive to offer an inclusive and welcoming service, supporting all children to actively participate in activities which meet their individual interests. Children are confident, independent and clearly enjoy their time at the setting. Effective relationships have been formed with parents and local schools to ensure children's individual needs are met. Staff are enthusiastic and fully committed and demonstrates a positive attitude towards continuous improvement, helping to bring about sustained improvement to the early years provision.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further assessment and evaluation systems to ensure children make progress towards all areas of learning  develop further the processes for evaluating the quality of the provision in order to identify and prioritise areas for improvement. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Staff are aware of possible signs and symptoms of abuse and know the appropriate procedures to follow should they have a concern about a child in their care. The providers, manager and staff work well together as a dedicated team and precise vetting procedures are in place to ensure that children are cared for by suitable people. A range of written policies and procedures are in place to fully support the running of the setting and are shared with parents. Thorough risk assessments of the areas accessed by the children are conducted and the setting is stringent in the organisation of outings to ensure children's safety is prioritised.

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the early years provision

Children benefit as the manager and staff strive to improve their practice. They are enthusiastic and committed to improving outcomes for children and demonstrates a positive attitude towards continuous improvement. Although, the systems for evaluating the quality of the provision are still in their infancy, recommendations made at the last inspection have been fully addressed and have had clear benefits to children's experiences at the setting. A positive equality and diversity policy outlines a commitment to promoting inclusive practice at the setting and all children are welcome regardless of their background. Children are cared for by staff who have completed a range of training to ensure their knowledge and skills are updated.

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the early years provision

Staff demonstrate a clear commitment to working in partnership with parents and ongoing two-way exchange of information between the setting and parents ensures that they are fully informed of the service and care provided. Parents speak highly of the setting's approach to meeting children's individual needs, the activities on offer, particularly the outings, and feel very well-informed regarding their children's care. Effective links with the local schools and other practitioners ensures continuity of care. The setting dedicates time to getting to know children and their families, fostering strong relationships and helping to ensure that children settle quickly and feel secure.

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and outcomes for children

Children benefit from a good balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities and the routine is flexible to allow them to pursue their own interests. Children are motivated and interested to learn. Staff with the help of the children plan purposeful activities, which reflect a range of learning opportunities. Initial induction meetings are used effectively to gather information relevant to children’s starting points and staff are intuitive of children's individual needs. They regularly take photographs using them as observational assessments to identify children's learning priorities. However, these systems are not yet sufficient to demonstrate that children are making progress towards all areas of learning. Children are provided with plenty of opportunities to play alongside each other and staff introduce situations to encourage turn-taking and sharing of resources. Children are offered praise, encouragement for their efforts and achievements and staff

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and outcomes for children

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 understand that this helps to foster their confidence. Children develop an understanding of diversity as staff encourage positive, open discussion about people's similarities and differences. As a result, children are happy, well-settled and have formed good relationships with their peers and staff. The learning environment is bright, welcoming and child-friendly, affording children plenty of space to explore.

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and outcomes for children

Children are able to make choices and can easily access a wide variety of toys and equipment to help them to make progress in their learning and development. They enjoy a range of stimulating practical activities and benefit as staff spend the majority of their time at their level, interacting with them. Children have great fun making spaceships, planets and Aliens using various collage materials and craft items. They are given the time to develop their ideas and interests, enabling them to expand their knowledge and understanding of the world in which they live. They use their imagination well when dressing up as spacemen and women and lots of opportunities are provided for children to further extend their creative skills, for example, they love joining in cooking activities and relish in the idea of eating the apples that they have covered in chocolate. Good opportunities are provided for children to develop their physical skills and children can easily and independently

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and outcomes for children

access the outdoor area. Children enjoy being outdoors where they use chalks to draw pictures of the moon, spaceships and stars. They confidently count each other when sitting at the dinner table and expertly count in descending order as they prepare for their spaceships to take off. Children also benefit from a range of activities outside the setting. They go for walks and bike rides to the local park and visit the local attractions, such as the Think Tank and cinema.

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and outcomes for children

Children develop an understanding of how to stay safe as staff use outings as a valuable opportunity to discuss road safety. The premises are clean and hygienic and children regularly wash their hands. Children have free-flow access to toilet facilities which fosters their ability to manage their personal care needs. The setting fully promotes healthy eating by providing all children with a well-balanced range of nutritious meals and snacks. Drinks are available throughout the session to ensure children remain hydrated. Through topics such as 'healthy eating' children learn about food that is good for them to eat and food that is unhealthy. 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 2 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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