Vicarage Park After School Club

Vicarage Park After School Club Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY313364 Inspection date 25/03/2010 Inspector Tara Street

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Setting address The Bungalow, Vicarage Park School, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 5BP Telephone number 01539 738 269 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 . 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

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

Vicarage Park After School Club is run by a voluntary management committee. It opened in 2005 and operates from a converted bungalow located within the grounds of Vicarage Park School in Kendal, Cumbria. The bungalow is fully adapted for use by wheelchair users. Children have access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. A maximum of 20 children aged between three and eight years may attend the setting at any one time. The club currently takes children from four years of age and also offers care to children aged eight years to 12 years. The club is open Monday to Friday from 3.15pm to 6pm term time only. A holiday club operates during school holidays on demand for full days.

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Description of the setting

There are currently 52 children on roll. Of these 29 are under eight years and of these 14 are within the early years age range. The setting supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. 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 six members of staff, including the manager, who work directly with the children. Of these, three hold an appropriate level 3 qualification in early years and two hold a level 2 qualification, both of whom are currently working towards a level 3 qualification along with a sixth member of staff. The setting is a member of the 4Children network and 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

The club routinely meets the needs of all children through recognising their uniqueness and provides an inclusive, welcoming and caring service. Children make good progress in their learning and development. They enjoy their time in the club and are eager to be involved in the choice of interesting play activities on offer. Those in charge work in close partnership with parents and carers and other early years professionals to ensure that they meet children's welfare needs. The club uses self-evaluation and review procedures well to ensure their service is continually improving.

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further?

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

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further?

 link observations of individual children’s learning and development more closely to the early learning goals in order to better identify future targets and challenges for them  extend links with all other settings providing for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage to ensure a complementary curriculum and continuity of learning and care. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Staff have a secure understanding of the setting’s safeguarding children procedures, which helps to protect children from harm and neglect. They clearly understand their role in reporting any concerns. Staff members are appropriately qualified and deployed to provide good levels of support for the children attending. There is a clear recruitment policy in place, which ensures all employees are vetted for their suitability and undergo a sound induction process. Children benefit from a high adult-to-child ratio and staff provide them with close individual attention. Inclusive practice helps to ensure that all children feel welcome and valued. The records required for the safe and efficient management of the provision are very well maintained. Staff complete daily safety checks before children use any of the play areas, which ensures they are suitably safeguarded. Effective staff deployment provides good support for children's welfare and development. Staff

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the early years provision

get to know children as individuals, which means that all children's needs are well met. They help children develop a positive attitude towards people's differences by providing a good range of resources that reflect diversity and by setting a good example of how to respect everyone.

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the early years provision

Staff work closely with parents and carers, and regularly exchange information, verbally and formally, to ensure individual needs are met. Initial information about children's likes, dislikes and interests enable staff to plan activities that they will enjoy. The setting fosters good partnerships with other professionals, particularly for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff are committed to inclusion and have experience and training to support the care they provide. However, they have not fully established the sharing of more regular information about children’s ongoing progress and achievements with other early years settings, where children also attend, in order to ensure a complementary curriculum and continuity of learning and care.

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the early years provision

The setting’s self-evaluation gives the manager a good understanding of the strengths and areas for development of the early years provision. Improvements made to date have had a positive impact on the overall quality of the early years provision and the outcomes for children.

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and outcomes for children

The setting provides children with a wide range of opportunities to help them make good progress across all areas of learning and development. The planning is flexible, responding to the children's interests and ideas. For example, staff regularly ask children's opinions about the resources and activities they wish to participate in and place high value on their ideas. A good observation system is in place which shows what children have achieved but staff do not yet link these observations closely enough to the development steps towards the early learning goals in order to identify each child’s key next steps. Children make many choices, This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 initiate their own activities and play imaginatively with the resources available. They have space to develop their own ideas and are developing their independence through tasks such as putting on their own coats and good toileting

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and outcomes for children

routines. Staff effectively extend games by questioning and encouraging the children to think of different things they can do and make. As a result they support and promote well children’s imagination and creativity. For example, children take part in felt making, screen printing, sewing and modelling projects. Children are confident as they freely access a good supply of writing materials and resources which enable them to practise their early writing skills. For example, they confidently use paints, stencils and a variety of pens, which develops their pencil control and hand to eye coordination skills. Children's knowledge and understanding of the world around them is effectively promoted through daily resources and their involvement in a range of activities which look at different celebrations and cultures from around the world.

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and outcomes for children

Children work extremely well together, for example, sharing their knowledge of number when playing board games, or resolving problems of design when building a structure from construction materials. Such good relationships, combined with the way they provide ideas about activities, demonstrate the excellent contribution that they make to the community. Children are beginning to learn to take care of themselves. They clearly understand why they wash their hands before snack and have ongoing discussions with staff about how to keep themselves and others safe. All children take part in an outstanding range of activities both indoors and outdoors which support their physical development. They show excellent spatial awareness as they skilfully manoeuvre wheeled toys around the outdoor play area. They enjoy participating in group games of basketball, badminton, golf and football. They regularly use small sports equipment to practise throwing, catching

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and outcomes for children

and skipping skills. Freshly prepared snacks provide children with an excellent variety of healthy foods that include a wide variety of fresh fruit and vegetables, for example, kiwi, pineapple, mango, carrot, cucumber and cherry tomatoes. Staff routinely talk to the children about why they need to exercise and eat healthy foods to make them grow and have strong teeth. For example, children have designed an ‘Eat well plate’ wall display to show the foods that are good for their bodies and health. This all contributes to developing children's understanding of the importance of physical activity and making healthy choices. 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 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 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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