Lions' Den Out of School Club

Lions Den out of school club

Inspection report for early years provision

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Lions Den out of school club

Unique Reference Number 259704 Inspection date 06 December 2005 Inspector Caroline Wright

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Lions Den out of school club

Setting Address Lionel Walden School, High Street, Doddington, March, Cambridgeshire, PE15 OTF Telephone number 01354 740405 E-mail office@lionelWalden.cambs-schools.uk Registered person Lions Den Out Of School Club Type of inspection Childcare Type of care Out of School care

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Lions Den out of school club

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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ABOUT THIS INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality of childcare and, if applicable, of nursery education. The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004; the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding; and, where nursery education is provided, the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage. The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration or 1 April 2004 whichever is the later.

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough For more information about early years inspections, please see the booklet Are you ready for your inspection? which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

The quality and standards of the care are satisfactory. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The Lion’s Den Out of School Club is run by a voluntary management committee. It opened in 1995 and operates from a purpose-built building on the site of Lionel Walden County Primary School in Doddington, Cambridgeshire. A maximum of 32 children may attend the club at any one time. The club is open each weekday from 07:45 to 08:45 and 15:00 to 18:00 during term times only. All children share access to the school’s outdoor play area. There are currently 44 children aged from 4 to under 8 years on roll. Children come from the local area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 The club employs 6 permanent members of staff; 1 of the staff holds an appropriate early years qualification. Two members of staff are to begin working towards a relevant qualification in 2006.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children are cared for in a warm, clean environment and they know that washing hands ‘stops you getting a bad stomach’. Staff act as good role models, wiping down surfaces before serving food to help children to stay healthy. Children run around and exert themselves in the school playground or use the ‘fit trail’ in the summer evenings to learn about the importance of regular exercise and maintain good health. Water is freely available for them to drink if they want it. If the children become unwell whilst they are in the care of the out of school club, records are in place to make sure that appropriate care is given; if they need medicines, parents permission is obtained and they sign to acknowledge each dose given. However, children lack the opportunity to learn about healthy eating through practical experiences. The food is not suitably nutritious or healthy: they choose from biscuits

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Helping children to be healthy

and toast with jam or chocolate spread at tea time, with no opportunity to choose a more healthy option.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children are cared for in a safe environment where risks are minimised so that they are able to move around safely and independently under the constant supervision of the club staff. Staff hold current first aid certificates and carry out a daily risk assessment of the premises before each session begins to make sure all areas used by the children are safe. Children learn to keep themselves safe and know that they shouldn’t open the front door to visitors but instead wait for member of the club staff to invite them onto the premises. Children are able to select resources and initiate their own activities using a broad range of suitable equipment, which is checked regularly by the club staff to ensure everything is in good condition and safe. However, staff do not receive training in child protection procedures and the child protection policy statement does not include a procedure to be followed in the event

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

of an allegation of abuse against a member of staff or volunteer: this compromises children’s general welfare and safety.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enjoy their time at the after-school club and form good relationships with

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 each other and with adults. They take part in interesting activities that help them to make progress. For example, they play with the cars and track, solving the problem of how to make the tracks fit together by using sellotape to hold them in place. They use pencils, scissors and glue to design Christmas cards and they enjoy mixing colours together on paper and watching them ‘go all brown’. Children enjoy using the role play café and play for long periods of time with teenage dolls and the interesting range of associated resources. They tell their own stories based on real and imagined experiences and work together to develop complex scenarios. Adults are on hand to support and extend children’s play, engaging in discussion and helping children where necessary. Children of all ages enjoy working

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

alongside the staff, who ask questions and encourage children to develop their language and communication skills further.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. All children have equal opportunities to access activities and resources that meet their individual needs, so that they are confident and independent. They play with role play equipment and use resources that reflect all members of society to learn about the world they live in. Children develop positive self esteem and they form good relationships with others. They play together in harmony, sharing resources and taking turns to use the play-station. Children behave well and understand what is expected of them. They help to tidy away resources and staff take time to carefully explain what they expect children to do in a way that they can understand. In addition adults listen to children's views and comments so that they feel respected. Children’s comments about what they enjoy doing at the out of school club, such as 'we like sewing, it's cool', are displayed on the wall for everyone to see.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children benefit from the positive relationships and regular discussions between their parents and the after-school club staff. However, there is no system to record any complaints or concerns raised by parents in the future; there are no contact details of the regulator on the complaints procedure to enable parents to contact Ofsted if they need to.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The stimulating environment is attractively organised to meet children's needs. The effective organisation of the play space enables children to pursue their own interests, make decisions and become independent. Children’s records are kept up to date, so that they receive appropriate care to enable them to settle in well and become confident members of the group. The management committee have rigorous procedures for vetting and recruiting staff to make sure that all persons working with the children are suitable to do so. Whilst the out of school club does not have the required number of staff appropriately

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Organisation

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 qualified to work with children, two members of the team have committed to taking part in accredited training courses to improve their knowledge and skills. However, despite the fact that the manager has lots of experience of working with young children she does not hold the necessary qualifications for the role she performs. This impacts on the overall outcomes for children. Overall, the provision meets the needs of all of the children who attend.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Since the last inspection the out of school club has improved safety by carrying out regular fire drills and recording relevant details in a fire log book; the strategies that will be used to deal with any incidents of bullying help staff to work effectively to manage behaviour and work in partnership with parents. However, the complaints procedure does not yet include sufficient details regarding the contact details of the regulator to enable parents to contact Ofsted if they need to and although the snacks given to children have been improved, children do not have the option to make healthy choices about what they eat: these two recommendations will be carried forward from this inspection.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted since April 2004. The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaints record may contain complaints other than those made to Ofsted.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

The quality and standards of the care are satisfactory. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • improve the snacks provided for children to give them more opportunity to choose from a range of healthy options so that they can learn about healthy eating through practical experiences

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The quality and standards of the care

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 • improve children's safety by making sure that all members of staff receive appropriate training to enable them to act in children's best interests in the event of any child protection concerns and update the child protection policy to show a procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse against a member of staff or volunteer • improve the partnership with parents and carers to provide a system to record any concerns or complaints that are raised by parents and update the complaints procedure to include the contact details of the regulator • devise a written action plan, showing time scales, to show how the manager of the club will become appropriately qualified to a minimum level 3.

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The quality and standards of the care

procedures set out in the leaflet Building better childcare: Compliments and concerns about inspectors' judgements which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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The quality and standards of the care

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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