Grasshopper Club

Grasshopper Club Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY360499 Inspection date 30/06/2010 Inspector Tara Street

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Setting address School House, Mount Pleasant, Castle Donington, DERBY, DE74 2LN Telephone number 07713 244528 Email stephhaseldine@btinternet.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 .

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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

Grasshopper Club is a run by a voluntary management committee. It registered in its current premises in 2007 and operates from a converted house in the grounds of Castle Donington Community College Campus, Castle Donington, Derbyshire. There are no issues which may hinder access to the premises. Children have access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. A maximum of 30 children aged under eight years may attend the setting at any one time. The setting currently takes children from two to five years of age. The setting is open Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 3:00pm term time only.

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Description of the setting

There are currently 75 children on roll who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage. Of these, 52 are in receipt of funding for early education. The setting supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and also supports 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 six members of staff, including the managers, who work directly with the children. Of these, all hold an appropriate Level 3 qualification in early years and of these two are currently working towards a Early Years Foundation Degree. The setting is 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 outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The managers and their staff successfully and consistently promote children's welfare, learning and development to an outstanding level. High regard is given to keeping children safe and to providing a rich learning environment that positively reflects diversity and the world in which children live. The children are making excellent progress in their learning; they are enthusiastic, eager, and motivated learners who are settled and feel secure at the setting. An outstanding commitment is demonstrated by all and the manager and staff are full of ideas of how they want the pre-school to develop further.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 extend further the ways in which the setting invloves parents in their children's conitnuous learning and development. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Robust policies and procedures, including the recruitment and vetting of staff, ensure that only suitable adults have access to the children during their time in the setting. Security is given a very high priority and staff challenge unknown visitors. All staff have undergone robust training and are aware of their duty to safeguard children. They ensure that children are very well supervised at all times and thorough risk assessments are used effectively to identify and minimise potential hazards. These are completed by the staff and are supplemented by daily checks to ensure any changes are noted and acted upon if necessary. Particularly evident is the excellent use of resources and the pride that staff and children have in all areas of the setting. Staff ensure that all areas of the premises are utilised, to provide children with vast amounts of play space both inside and outside. Children receive a great deal of encouragement towards independent access of age-

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the early years provision

appropriate activities and equipment by their careful positioning

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the early years provision

The children are central to how the setting operates; staff carefully listen to all children, they fully respect their views, ideas and interests and incorporate these into all aspects of the service. Highly effective management systems ensure that all necessary records, policies and procedures are in place, and updated when changes are identified through thorough reviews and that day-to-day paperwork is accurately maintained. There are comprehensive self-evaluation processes that evaluate children's care and education, which means managers and staff are extremely proactive in identifying their strengths and take positive steps to bring about continual improvement. For example, the pre-school has recently developed the outside area to include an extensive sensory, herb and fruit and vegetable garden, maintained and cared for by the children. These processes are inclusive to all and build on views from all staff, committee members, parents, children and

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the early years provision

external agencies. This includes the staff's excellent commitment to their own ongoing professional development. For example, they access a wide variety of training courses to extend their skills and knowledge, and effectively use this training to influence the high quality of experiences they offer children.

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the early years provision

Parents are extremely happy with the service offered and feel that the activities provided help their children to feel settled and happy and they make excellent progress in their learning. All necessary information is gained about individual children through a detailed 'Starter Booklet'. This includes information on a child's position in the family and some meaningful aspects of their life such as pets, siblings and grandparents, which supports staff in helping children settle and make effective links to their home life. Parents access a wide range of information regarding their child's welfare, learning and development, for example, through notice boards, ongoing discussions, regular progress reports and displays of activity plans. They meaningfully contribute to their child's progress record, which means they are fully aware of the range of activities children enjoy and their achievements. However, staff are currently developing further ways of involving

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the early years provision

parents in their child's continuous learning and development to enhance children's progress towards the early learning goals. The setting has established strong partnerships with the local schools and exchange visits take place so that children This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 who are moving on to school meet their new teacher, which reduces any anxiety they may feel. Links with parents and other professionals who are involved with children are fully in place and ensure that children receive continuity in their care and learning and that any identified gaps in their learning are reduced through a consistent approach that meets their individual needs.

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and outcomes for children

This is an exciting, stimulating and very well resourced learning environment which gives excellent opportunities for children to be inquisitive and active learners. They eagerly play with the wide range of challenging and interesting activities that cover all aspects of their learning, for example, problem solving, language and literacy and information and communication technology. The effective organisation of the resources enables children to make independent choices and decisions. They do this with enthusiasm and this contributes to them having a positive attitude towards their learning, promoting their confidence, self-esteem and progress. For example, children eagerly make seaside and shooting star pictures with a wide range of freely chosen collage materials, they explore different roles, such as mechanics, builders and characters in stories, with a variety of dressing up clothes and delight in expressing themselves creatively through their role-play and art

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and outcomes for children

activities. There are excellent opportunities for children to develop their understanding of letters and sounds throughout the pre-school and children enjoy listening to stories and looking at books both inside and outdoors.

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and outcomes for children

The staff know the children extremely well. They effectively support children's learning through asking them a wide range of challenging questions and through planning a rich framework around the individual child. Children are an integral part of the planning process. Their views and ideas and the accurate observations carried out by staff influence the activities provided. For example, children's suggestions for future activities are added to the 'Wish Tree' display. Staff clearly understand how children learn and develop and they use their extensive knowledge to ensure children make excellent progress towards the early learning goals. All activities, planning records and children's progress are purposefully and regularly evaluated and monitored to quickly identify any gaps so that they are addressed effectively and efficiently. This includes setting up comprehensive systems to meet the needs of children with special educational needs and/or

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and outcomes for children

disabilities and those for whom English is an additional language, which ensures they are included in all the experiences provided. There is a consistent team working with the children and they work extremely well together, working with high staff to child ratios, which means they deploy themselves effectively to successfully meet children's individual needs. Their relationships with the children are excellent and they have positive and meaningful interactions. The children are respectful of others and through extremely positive role models and effective behaviour management strategies the children behave very well. Children in all age groups have a lot of opportunities to work together, developing collaborative skills, learning to share and take turns and thus develop skills for future. For example, children take turns to cut open and examine the insides of different fruits before planting them in the garden and making signs so they know where they are.

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and outcomes for children

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children learn about the world and community they live in through regular visitors to the setting, such as a nurse and fire brigade, as well as accessing extensive resources that promote positive images of all people in society. This is further enhanced through regular trips to the local allotment, bakers and post office.

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and outcomes for children

Children's welfare and learning are paramount at the setting and are promoted extremely well. Illness, infection and hygiene are managed very well, and this contributes to successfully promoting children's health and well-being. Children independently wash their hands throughout the day and make healthy choices for their snacks. For example, they confidently choose from a selection of oranges, apples and pears. In addition, the children thoroughly enjoy being active; they play outdoors in all weathers. They enthusiastically ride on bikes, make mini-obstacle courses, explore the sensory activities such as sand and water play and play in the role-play prison they have created. This provides excellent opportunities for those children who learn better through physical activity. Children of all ages are comfortable about approaching staff for support with activities which shows they feel highly safe, such as to read a book together or when they are feeling tired,

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and outcomes for children

including those new to the setting. Staff reinforce their understanding of safety through activities such as visits by the police, role play about road safety and practices of the fire drill. 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 1 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 1 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 1

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 The extent to which children feel safe 1 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 1

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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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